Monday, May 12, 2008

Bruises to Blessings

Bruises to Blessings

John 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

This post is not for everybody, its only for thoose of you who would be called peculiar.

If you are one of those believers who just doesn't seem to fit into the world.

If you stand out in a crowd and no matter what the topic of discussion starts out as it ends up as a disscussion about Jesus.

If you can't think of anything else you would rather do than talk about the word.
If you have a web site talking about Jesus.

If you have your notes from at least the last five sermons you heard.
If you own and use several versions of the bible.

I'm talking to you today.

Everyone else can go read the drudge report.

1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Its time to tell the truth.

I know a lot of you are in the world and the world doesn't like it.

Everytime a salty believer steps into the flow anywhere in this world he will face trouble. The enemy is giving you trouble because your faith is troubling him. You see the enemy has tried everything he can to break you and your faith.
He used your friends to gain your confidence and try to convince you that no one could be trusted.

He has used members of your family to try and convince you that because of what you come from you could only be what you are and nothing more.

The enemy has sent people in your life to say they loved you so that your guard could be lowered enough so that they could turn your heart toward thier flesh and away from the lord.

The enemy has told you that you were strange and that the only way you were going to make it was for you to change your behavior and fit in with the world.

The devil is a liar!!!!!!

John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

He wants to murder this world and the only way he can do it is to remove the salt that preserves the rotting flesh of this earth.

Matthew 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth:

He can't touch you.

Job1:12 And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand.

He can use your family and friends

Job 19:14 My kinsfolk have failed, and my familiar friends have forgotten me.

Job 19:19 All my inward friends abhorred me: and they whom I loved are turned against me.

He may touch your possessions but if he takes anything away God will restore double to you.

Job 42:10 And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

He wants you to believe that he's running things. He wants you to look at the world and see his children and fear them. But thats what we see by looking at the world. But if you are a believer you know its not what you see its what you heard. God did not draw the world into exsistance he spoke it. God did not create you to be like everyone else.

1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

He chose you to be his sons...

Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Noah was peculiar. He built a giant boat on dry land miles away from the sea and put two of every animal in the world on board.

I am sure people had issue with that.

David was peculiar. He faced the biggest badest giant in the world with nothing but a sling shot and his faith.

I am sure people had issue with that.

Peter was peculiar. He jumped out of the boat to walk on water because someone said come.

I am sure people had issue with that.

Jesus was peculiar. He laid down his life as payment for the sins of the world.

People still have issues with that.

God is not going to lead you to follow the world. He said you were a peculiar people. That means you don't fit in.

Remember Jesus didn't fit in and he said so.

John 8:23 And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.

Jesus didn't spend his spare time watching Weezy videos or reality tv shows he was about his fathers buisness. If you are about your fathers buisness he may ask you to do something that the people of the world don't understand. Hes not going to call you to do as the sons of the enemy do. We have to walk in the fact that we are his chosen.

We have to be like Peter and step out on Faith.
We have to be like David and face our Giants.
We have to be like Noah and weather the storm.

It takes a peculiar believer ....With a peculiar relationship..... to a peculiar savior..... who has a peculiar love... for you just as you are...
and gave you ...

a peculiar word because he knew that you had the peculiar faith to believe upon it.

so lets be peculiar for Jesus

and go from Bruises to Blessings in a peculiar fashion

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Recognizing Christ

Recognizing Christ

John 1:19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. 21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet And he answered, No. 22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? 23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.

The enemy will always call us to self. The serpent called Eve to self in telling her that if she ate from the tree she would be like God. Satan tried to call Jesus to self by offering him the kingdoms of the world. John resisted the devil by quoting the words of Isaiah.

Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

John had a word to stand on.

John had been sent by God for a purpose and he was equipped with Isaiah 40:3 as a word of knowledge and he had a prophetic sign to identify the Messiah given to him by God. John was focused on what he was sent to do. He preached repentance and prepared the people for the coming kingdom.

John 1:24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? 26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.

When we as believers are focused on the purpose to which we are sent and not on ourselves we have no problem recognizing Jesus. It is only when one is bound in self that we can't see or even bother to look for Jesus.

I urge you to take yourself regularly to the cross.

Everyday we need to lay down our problems and seek the kingdom and the kingdom purpose in our lives. We need to lay down our own agendas and pick up the cross. We need to embrace the fact that God loved us enough to give his only begotten son and take that same love and show it to the lost and dying world on a daily basis. We need to tell the world about Jesus but we also need to show the world Jesus in the way we conduct our lives.

The enemy calls us to self and the Lord Jesus calls us to selflessness in the name of the kingdom.

When we embrace the selflessness of the cross.

Thats when we truly recognize Jesus.

Christianthoughts

Friday, May 2, 2008

Everything I need to know about life i learned from Noahs ark

I read this on the wall of someones office today

EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LIFE I LEARNED FROM NOAHS ARK
1. Dont miss the boat
2. Remember that we are all in the same boat
3. Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.
4. Stay fit. When you are 600 years old someone might ask you to do something really big.
5. Don't listen to critics. Just get on with the job that needs to be done.
6. Build your future on high ground.
7. For safetys sake travel in pairs.
8. Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board.
9. When youre stressed float for awhile.
10. Remember the ark was built by amateurs; The Titanic by professionals
11. No matter the storm when you are with God there's a rainbow waiting.