"There is therefore now no condemnation to
them which are in Christ Jesus."
(Romans 8:1)
What stops us, and hinders us, from receiving answers to our prayers? What stops us from witnessing to others about the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ? What stops us from being all that we can be? What holds us back? Perhaps the key question is: What do we think of ourselves? What we tell ourselves internally is so important. If we grew up being abased, abused, ridiculed, criticized, and made to feel that we were "nothing" in this world, or if we have developed the "I'm nothing" attitude along the way of life, we must realize who we are in the Lord Jesus Christ. If we have received His Spirit and spoken in tongues as His Spirit gives the utterance; and if we have been baptized in His name, we are a new creature; old things have passed away; we have become innocent again by the blood of Jesus, the Name of Jesus and the Word of Jesus, so we can let go of the past, and "Break The Chains!"
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares
the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to
harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
(Jeremiah 29:11)
Isn't that beautiful? The Lord wants us to be successful, full of joy, hope and motivation. What? Oh, yes, Jesus Christ wants the best for us; He wants us to have sound minds, encouraging thoughts, holy conversation, and to use our talents and gifts to further His kingdom. You are precious in His sight ... You are worthy because of His grace and mercy.
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things
are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever
things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good
report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any
praise, think on these things."
(Philippians 4:8)
You will notice that the list did not include "thinking anything bad" about yourself! You say, "But, what about what people say about me?" It turns out that if we have a good feeling about ourselves, it's harder for others to think ill of us. Of course, there are always those in this world ...
What about John the Baptist? He went about preaching and crying in the wilderness, wearing camel's hair and eating locusts and wild honey. What about the Apostle Paul? He was small of stature, not very good looking, and he could barely see. Then, there was Joseph, who dreamed his dreams, and made the mistake of telling his brothers about them. They became jealous, plotted to kill him, but settled on selling him. John, Paul, and Joseph didn't let anything people said hold them back; they preached, witnessed and dreamed, in spite of it all.
What is the scripture of the hour?
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the
LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto
the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of
the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the
acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of
vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To
appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them
beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the
garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they
might be called trees of righteousness, the planting
of the LORD, that he might be glorified."
(Isaiah 61:1-3)
Hey, if that didn't make you shout; I don't know what will! You say, "Well, it's not that simple; we're living in hard times for some people." Oh yes we are, and I pray for everyone without a job, all who are ill, the Nations, the hungry, the angry, those full of hatred ... in short, the whole world. Why? Because I know what it is to be bound, to be ill, to be without a dime to my name, to be needing a job, to be miserable, and to be dead inside. But, the Lord Jesus Christ saved my soul, filled me with joy, made a way where there was no way, washed me in His blood, forgave my sins, and lifted me to love myself ... and others ...
"The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger,
and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide:
neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath
not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us
according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is
high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them
that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far
hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as
a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them
that fear (or respect) him."
(Psalm 103:8-13)
Does that mean that we have no troubles after we repent, receive the Holy Ghost and speak in tongues, and are baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins? No, we live in a sinful fallen world, and we will have problems, but Joy, peace, love, mercy, and grace are attributes of the inner being. When Jesus Christ is aboard your ship, you have nothing to fear; He will carry you through the trials and tribulations; He will whisper sweet peace in the nighttime seasons; He will protect you and hold you; underneath are His everlasting arms.
"Break The Chains" that hold you back! Stand up and glow in the light of the Lord in your life! YOU are worthy; YOU are valuable; YOU are beautiful in the Lord's sight; YOU are excellent in creation; YOU are His, and He does not make mistakes! Let your prayers go free; be set free from all things that have you bound; Rejoice in the God of your salvation! He came; He bled and died on the cross at Calvary for You ... and You are worth it ...
"For the Lord God is a sun and shield:
the Lord will give grace and glory:
no good thing will he withhold from
them that walk uprightly."
(Psalm 84:11)
(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.)
PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas
Services Sundays 10:30 am
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promiselandchurch.net; it's HOME for all seeking
new life, freedom in Jesus Christ, and the answers
you're needing! One head Pastor, One Passion, and
One Purpose! Over 50 years in ministry and Love
for a world in terror. Come HOME!
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Thank you for visiting "God's blog;" please leave
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Please come back! With Jesus' love, Sheryl
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