Category: General Christian Living

As with anything else in the Christian walk and life, we can’t do it on our own, in our own strength. We need to do what we can as Christians, and ask the Holy Spirit to help us grow in the Lord knowing that apart from Jesus, we can do nothing (John 15:5).

“Jesus, help me to apply the following to my life so it will become a reality in my everyday living. Thank you, Jesus.”

Wow, Ann and I listened to this message (see the youtube link below) by Pastor Paul Daugherty last night. It’s so true and really powerful. I hope you’ll view it.

“When you renew your mind to the Word of God, you begin to walk/live in the fear of God instead of the fear of man.”

“You were born an original. Don’t die a copy.”

“When I’m not trying to impress you, I’m actually able to love you more. When I fear you less, I can love you more. When you fear people less, you can actually love them more. You think you’re loving them by trying to be everything they want you to be, but as long as you’re fearing their approval, you can’t love them authentically. The authentic love flows from placing them off of the throne of your heart and putting God on the throne.”
Pastor Paul Daugherty

Without renewing your mind to the Word of God, you will not know where your identity lies.

Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.
Galatians 1:10 (NLT)

Don’t imagine us leaders to be something we aren’t. We are servants of Christ, not his masters. We are guides into God’s most sublime secrets, not security guards posted to protect them. The requirements for a good guide are reliability and accurate knowledge. It matters very little to me what you think of me, even less where I rank in popular opinion. I don’t even rank myself. Comparisons in these matters are pointless. I’m not aware of anything that would disqualify me from being a good guide for you, but that doesn’t mean much. The Master makes that judgment.
1 Corinthians 4:1-4 (MSG)

Don’t miss who God has made you to be. Be free in Him. Choose to walk in the fear of the Lord.

OVERCOMING THE FEAR OF MAN | PAUL DAUGHERTY

 

God bless,

Mark

The wilderness is a Holy place. This is an excellent, short video that will really bless you.

God bless,

Mark

Below is a depiction of where your Father dwells in Heaven. This is all taking place right now. Isn’t that incredible to think about?

He loves you so much and can’t wait until you’re there with Him.

He also wants you to dwell in Him while on earth. That’s why He sent us Jesus, the Holy Spirit and His Word. His Word points the way to doing His will, to living close to Him while here. He loves for us to live in His shadow (in His ways) where we experience and walk in His great love, security, protection, mercy, grace, peace and rest.

God bless,

Mark

Now the works of the flesh are (and I had many more than the ones listed by the Apostle Paul in this Galatian scripture) manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God (not only the kingdom in Heaven, but not being able to live in God’s ways (His kingdom) while on earth – what a horrible thought and existence).
Galatians 5:19-21

As long as I’m not willing to part with my flesh, I will remain unrepentant (and therefore unable to escape the flesh, and reap what my flesh sews – Galatians 6:7), and impede Jesus’ work in my life. I’ll remain in the darkness and will not come into the light of His marvelous truth, way and life.

Ran into a door in the dark this morning. Really startled me. Funny thing is it reminded me of all the darkness I used to live/walk in and all the times I’d run into and get tripped up by all the potentially harmful, different things hiding in the dark like bitterness, unforgiveness, pride (including religious pride)unbelief, anger, frustration, mad about my past, shame, hopelessness, confusion, self-pity, selfishness, didn’t know how to love my wife and family the right way in Jesus, jealousy, embarrassment, inconsistent job history, letting health issues get to me, etc.

I’m so thankful that Jesus has overcome the world with His light, and that He’s showing me I can do the same by becoming a doer of His Word, by applying Him (The light of His Word) to my life. I can’t even begin to express my gratitude to Him for His love, mercy, grace, and patience as He’s intervened in my life.

Today, when the darkness tries to trip me up, Jesus reminds me, that because I belong to Him now, I don’t have to give in to bitterness and all of the others. I can immediately take those dark thoughts captive to Him and move on in His ways. What an indescribable blessing and difference Jesus has made in my life.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
Galatians 5:22-26

This way – His way – of life brings such peace, joy, rest and contentment.

God bless,

Mark

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Psalm 23

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever…

Mmmm…

God bless,

Mark

Lately, the Lord’s been teaching me in a deeper way to rely totally on the power of the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to me and for everything else in my life. I love it when God speaks these types of lessons to me. They bring me such comfort and strength in Him. They make me realize how beautiful it is to know that apart from Him I can do nothing knowing that, in Him, everything can be accomplished.

35 While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?

36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.

37 And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.

38 And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly.

39 And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.

40 And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.

41 And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.

42 And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.
Mark 5:35-42

Ann and I were talking about Psalm 24 this morning. I was reading it very slowly out loud to us. The Holy Spirit was really speaking to us through that passage. That’s when something about Romans 8:28 came to mind.

We, again, compared Romans 8:28 and the way the world tells us to act when something potentially upsetting comes up in our day. The world’s way, the way most of us have been taught to respond while growing up, is to get uptight, to respond in stress, to get frustrated, angry, feel ripped off, lose hope, etc. On the other hand, Jesus says I’ve overcome the world – the way the world acts and lives – so, in Me (Jesus), you don’t have to respond the way the world has taught you to respond. Instead, you can relax and have My peace knowing that I’m working everything, even this situation, for your “good.” Most Christians still do not believe and know that God is working all things together for their good. It can almost seem like they’re afraid to believe it (For decades, which is way too long to live and suffer in unbelief, I was that way.) To them, passages like Romans 8:28, are still out of reach in their spirits. It still takes a lot of faith for them to believe it. This is why they can get upset with anyone who brings up Romans 8:28 during times that challenge their faith in God.

This is when Ann brought up the story of Jairus’ daughter in the Bible as seen above.

Jesus said Jairus’ daughter was not dead, but merely sleeping, and the people their laughed Him to scorn. That’s when Jesus put the people out from where the little girl was. Will we be like Jesus? Will we believe? Or will we join the scorners? When someone tells us to believe Romans 8:28 (and the rest of God’s Word) will we laugh them to scorn, or will be believe it, act on it, and have our sleeping faith revived?

As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.

Do not be afraid to believe Romans 8:28. Believe it and see your faith wake up and come alive in the power of Jesus like Jairus’ daughter did!

God bless,

Mark

My precious wife reminded me this morning that God knew where I’d be and everything about me right now before I was even born? It’s true. He knows what we’re dealing with and how He’s working in our life to bring us closer to Him. He’s working in us all the time. That’s the work of grace in our lives. That is so comforting.

You (God) brought my inner parts into being; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will praise you, for You made me with fear and wonder; marvelous are Your works, and You know me completely. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, and intricately put together in the lowest parts of the earth.. Your eyes saw me unformed, yet in Your book all my days were written, before any of them came into being.
Psalm 139:13-16

Have a great day in Jesus knowing that He’s already seen this day in your life.

God bless,

Mark

 

Did you know that the devil wants us to believe that we’re fatherless; that we’re orphans? He wants us to believe that we’re on our own and that we must fend for ourselves in this life because know one else is going to do it for us.

No, the devil may be without a father. But, as Christians, we have the Almighty One as our Father.

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord (My Father), which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord (My Father) shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
Psalm 121

He (God) sent his word (Jesus), and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Oh that men would praise the Lord (Their Father) for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.
Psalm 107:20-22

Ann and I encourage ourselves every morning by talking about Jesus. We choose to build up our faith. That’s right. It doesn’t matter what is going on in our lives. We don’t let ourselves live by our feelings. We live by the Word as much as we can and choose to let it override everything else.

For instance, we choose (That’s right, we choose) to believe Romans 8:28 and that God really is working everything together for our good. We know He’s certainly capable of doing so. We were talking about Romans 8:28 this morning and what believing it has meant to our lives and marriage. We had the thought, “Why would anyone choose not to believe Romans 8:28?” Why would anyone choose to believe that some, if not all, things were not working for their good? The devil wants us to believe that. What a horrible way to live. What a lie to live with. We used to live believing that nothing was working for our good and it was like hell on earth. Really.

We have a choice every day to believe Jesus, to believe His Word that He sent to deliver us from our destructions.

Romans 8:28. What will you believe? A lie? Or THE TRUTH?

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 bless,

Mark

Very few today are actually walking in the newness of life the Bible makes available to us – Only 15% of Christians according to Dr. Neil Anderson. Today, many who are attempting to walk in Christ’s newness of life are being made to feel strange and like they need to apologize for it.

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

The wages of sin is death. The wages of following Christ, of repenting, of doing the Word, is LIFE. We’re going to get paid wages one way or the other. We all choose which currency we want to be paid in.

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:23

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins (that lead to death in so many ways) may be wiped out, that times of refreshing (Life that only God can give us) may come from the Lord,
Acts 3:19

Ask God to show you how to become a doer of the Word, how to be paid in LIFE currency. He’ll surely show you.

God bless,

Mark

I don’t like temptation. The author of the book, “The Prayer of Boas” had a really good comment regarding temptation. He said that as much as he can help it, he stays away from temptation. He doesn’t let himself be led into situations where there is temptation. I like his thinking.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Matthew 7:21-23

And before him (The Son of Man, Jesus) shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
Matthew 25:32-34;41

I’ve (Mark) lived long enough to observe the lives of those (I could tell you story after story) who think they beat the system, that they can live in the world, or dabble with the world and not have it harm them. And, I’ve seen the end result. It’s never good. Never.

But now I (The Apostle Paul) am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. (Why not hang out with such people? Well, the Bible tells us that we should not even associate with such people because their lifestyle may influence us to the point that we compromise and become trapped by the devil ourselves.)
1 Corinthians 5:11

I’ve (Mark) lived a worldly life and I’ve lived close to Jesus. My wife’s father was an alcoholic. For a few years, I played the drums in rock and roll bands. We even played at the Hollywood Teenage Fair.

I worked for a construction-related company in the San Diego area in the early 70s. After we finished for the day, we’d head over to our favorite bar. We’d order beer by the pitcher – We each had our own pitcher. I thought I was pretty cool back in those days. Boy, was I wrong.

I was never really happy living like the world. In fact, living like the world really took a toll on me. I was so deceived. You see, I let the devil get a foothold in my life back then and it led to more deception and misery. I was held up at gun point, totaled a car we were test driving, and had lots of other trouble while living apart from Jesus. I’m so grateful and glad that Jesus arranged the circumstances of my prodigal son-type life to bring me back to Him. The world has nothing to offer us, people. Nothing. And I pray it will become more and more obvious to us as the “end times” progress, as God separates the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:32-34).

Famous Evangelist: He was asked, “Do you believe once saved always saved?” He answered, “No, because it gives to much provision for the flesh.” Next, he was asked, “What do you think about drinking.” He answered, “I don’t think about it at all.” At another time, he said, “People are always trying to get me to accept the world. I began drinking at the age of six. I used to drink a whole fifth of whiskey in the morning, and more at night…Every day. I was really good at sinning. Why do we (“Christians”) want to be like the world? Why do we search the scriptures for verses that allow us to live like the world? Regarding drinking – I don’t look for verses in the Bible to appease my flesh. I look for verses in the Bible to crucify my flesh. What do you guys want to do? What’s next? Women? For some crazy reason, the church is looking for things to do that the world does. Everyone’s trying to figure out what to do next that the world does. What else do you want to do that the world does? How many of these lines are we going to cross over? Why do we take the flesh side of the scriptures? Why don’t we take the crucifixcion side?”

knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;
Romans 6:6

Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Galatians 5:24

that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,
Ephesians 4:22

Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
Colossians 3:5

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

If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 8:31b-32

But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Romans 13:14

God bless,

Mark

So you know what Jesus is saying, “So come on, let’s go and I’ll show you more of Me, and it will bless your life in ways you can’t even imagine.”

Happy Monday, everyone!

When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.
Psalm 27:8

So if the Son (Jesus) sets you free, you will be free indeed (truly free).
John 8:36

God bless,

Mark

God bless you,

Mark

Ann and I have lived battling fear for a lot of years. We’ve learned that faith in God is better. It’s so much better to live trusting God in all things. So much better…

This very short video is excellent. It teaches us to look to Jesus, first, and to see things His way – Including the end times. And, that makes all the difference.

Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn – “Learn to question your fear.”

Why Do You Fear (‘The Storm King’ #2106)

Happy Thursday! So come on. Let’s go and I’ll (Jesus) show you all the wonder-filled things I have in store for you, My child.

God bless,

Mark

After back-to-back migraine attacks this week, I was laying in bed the other morning having some anxious thoughts. Migraines really mess up hormones and bring on anxiety, depression, frustration, hopelessness, etc. That was when the Lord gently said to me, “All you ever have to do is follow My lead in your life. Don’t get worked up about goals, dreams, the future, etc. Just follow My lead and you’ll have My peace that passes understanding.”

This brought me such comfort and joy. This is just what Jesus did with His Father when Jesus was on earth. Jesus could have been tempted with this world, He must have thought about the cross He’d face. But He always sought out His Father to find out what the Father wanted Him to do each day. His own Father led Him each day. That’s all the Father asked of Jesus. That’s all He asks of us.

And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.
Isaiah 30:21

My (Jesus) sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
John 10:27

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Psalm 91:1-2

“For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace;
Isaiah 55:12a

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

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts
Colossians 3:15a

God bless,

Mark

Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother (Lazarus) would not have died.
John 11:21 NLT

Lord, if only You had been here…

Wow, all the times I’ve thought those words. And, all the time, He was “here.”

God bless,

Mark

Trust that God is working…

Happy Monday!

God bless,

Mark

My wife is becoming pretty famous around here for her carrot cake (she also makes an incredible chocolate cake we all love). It’s really yummy. I usually help her with grating the carrots, chopping the pecans, opening cans, and making sure we include everything on the list of ingredients, etc. We work well together which is a whole other email. I’m also one of the cake frosting testers. Yeah, that’s a blessing. ☺

We’ve found that, if we forget an ingredient (or add too much of something), we can tell and the cake is not at its best when we do accidentally omit something even though it may be a small part of the whole cake. No matter how insignificant it may seem, it takes all of the cake ingredients working together to pull of a great-tasting carrot cake.

I hope I can make this somewhat clear because the Lord really blessed me with this thought about the word “together.”

Wow. I was saying my verses (The ones listed on the ChoosingJesusEveryDay.com site) the other night when the Lord emphasized the word “together” in Romans 8:28. It really hit me when He highlighted that word for me. He was saying that everything was working together for my good. All of it was necessary for the recipe He was working on in my life. All of it was part of something beautiful He was working on. I wasn’t to have two lists of things, one with things on it I didn’t like (a difficult situation, an odd relationship; old, dirty carpet; relentless health issues) and one with things on it I approved of and felt better about. No, all of it was working “together” to accomplish what He wanted to bring about in my life. It was all “good” and important. Nothing was to be omitted. And in His time, – Yes, even “time” was part of the “together” – He would show me why He needed everything together in order to accomplish what He began in my life.

I don’t need to wring my hands and rack my brain with how He’s going to do it, with how He’s going to use something, with how He’s going to make it all work together for good. I just get to let Him be God and sit back and enjoy together. Isn’t that a blessing? That insight really made me happy and brought me comfort. I could rest in “together.” I could rest in God.

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Philippians 1:6

Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Psalm 37:5

God bless,

Mark

I was just about to hit the send button on another email when the Lord kept prompting me to send the following instead. ☺

I want to share something with you that will really bless your life. I want you to use your “will” to bring God’s comfort, peace and blessings into your spirit from the precious, life-giving Holy Spirit.

Would you do me a favor today? (Actually, you’ll be doing yourself a huge favor in the Spirit.) Right where you are this very moment, will you praise and thank God for exactly how your life is right now?

God bless,

Mark

And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? 12 Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians (what is your “Egyptian?”) than that we should die in the wilderness (Ever feel like that?).”
Exodus 14:10-12

Who or what in your life is your “Pharaoh?”

Please read the rest of Exodus chapter 14 (Below the salutation) to see the supernatural victory God brought the Israelites.

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Life or death – Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. This is life! It’s simple, right?. What is death? Anger, fear, worry, bitterness, unforgiveness, greed, insecurity, confusion, jealousy. Basically, the works of the flesh that God wants to free us from. (Galatians 5:19-21; Deuteronomy 30:19)

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Man makes things difficult and hard. For example, man’s latest thoughts on genders (currently, many more than two) makes it super complex and confusing. I can’t even imagine the legalities that will come from so much confusion. How many genders are there? God made it simple. There are two, man and woman (Genesis 1:27). That’s it! God always makes things simple because He knows we are just flesh and blood.

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Satan is opposed to us doing the Word. He opposes “doers.” Most people are terrified of this and never become doers of the Word. Satan will use any tactic he can to prevent us from becoming doers of the Word, from becoming who God intends for us to be.

It’s really simple. We’re either doers of the Word, or we’re not. We’re on one side of the fence or the other. We want to inspire you to be a doer of the Word (James 1:22-25).

Both God and Satan know that this is our ONLY time to “believe.” Will we? (Revelation 21:8)

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David in the Bible – Like I often feel in trials, David could have responded with,”Why did I have to be asked to be all alone with the sheep? Why be a shepherd? Why did I have to be attacked by a lion and a bear? Why me? Why didn’t the other shepherds have to go through this? Poor me.” We can often be tempted to think this way. The reason God lets us face lions and bears is to train us for what He’s calling us to do. He has a plan and will show us His great might and victory. Had David responded the way we often do, would he have been ready to face Goliath? (1 Samuel 17:34-36)

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Looking for signs and wonders? Looking for heavenly dust and supernatural experiences? Looking for “The Power?”

“Do” the Word. Love your spouse. Forgive others who wrong you. Stop striving and ask God to lead you. Give to the poor. Love your neighbor as yourself, love your enemy, experience God working everything together for your good, thank Him in all things, etc.

If you “do” the Word, you will see the power of God manifested in real ways you may never have imagined, your faith in God will grow, and you’ll have His real joy.

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The battle is the Lord’s (2 Chronicles 20:15 and others). Because the battle is the Lord’s, we have nothing to fear. Nothing. The battle is the Lord’s means that He works all things together for our good. We do our part. We follow His lead. We believe and trust in Him and He does the things behind the scenes that lead us into victory. His work may mean closing one door and opening another. He asks only that we keep believing through it all – Believing Romans 8:28 makes believing and trusting Him so MUCH easier. This is the exciting, fun, full of surprises and adventurous life in the Spirit. Nothing like it.

God bless,

Mark 

The Red Sea Crossing
14 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.’ 4 Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.

5 Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6 So he made ready his chariot and took his people with him. 7 Also, he took six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them. 8 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went out with boldness. 9 So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon.

10 And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? 12 Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”

13 And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold[c] your peace.”

15 And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16 But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 17 And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

19 And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. 20 So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

24 Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. 25 And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.” 27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. 29 But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

30 So the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Thus Israel saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and His servant Moses.
Exodus Chapter 14

Happy Monday!

Hear me, O LORD, and have mercy; O LORD, be my helper.” You turned my mourning into dancing; You peeled off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing Your praises and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks forever.…
Psalm 30:10-12

Ann and I are always being reminded that we could have had God’s joy the whole time we lived in Oregon. And God continues to remind us of that fact each day. What a wonderful, loving God we have.

Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
Isaiah 51:11

Sometimes, people look at me like they’re frustrated and mad at me for believing and telling them about Romans 8:28.

Ann and I know that until we believed and stood on Romans 8:28, we weren’t really happy. I know that for me, my mind, emotions and spirit didn’t really “feel” redeemed by my Lord until I began to believe Romans 8:28. I was always the victim of defeating circumstances, and constantly wrestling with self-pity and discouragement.

Through Romans 8:28, Jesus redeemed my life – that I thought was full of mistakes and negative circumstances – from destruction.

Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Psalm 103:4

And, because He’s had a plan for my life, all along, He’s helped me to be a victor and to have victory over life’s situations by truly knowing that He was capable of turning them into blessings in my life.

I know people aren’t mad at me for Romans 8:28. Like I was before I started believing in the truth of Romans 8:28, they’re upset about their lives, and really, they’re upset with God because He’s the One Who wrote Romans 8:28, not me. It’s my hope that they’ll believe Romans 8:28 and receive the great peace and joy that verse can give them. God meant Romans 8:28 to be a blessing, not a frustration. Thank You, Jesus.

And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.
1 Thessalonians 2:13

Stay with God. He’s got a plan and He’s working it. He wants to redeem your whole life through believing Romans 8:28. Believe it and see God turn your heart, faith and life around!

They shall obtain gladness and joy…

God bless,

Mark