Archive for the ‘Worship’ Category

Before and After In Christ

Posted in Agoraphobia, Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, Faith, Gospel, inspirational, Religion, Scripture, Worship, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 19, 2008| 3 Comments »

 

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This pansy started out as an dried up, dead looking, unattractive seed.  Then the Lord made it into this beautiful flower. What a transformation!

Quiet often when people are saved they are left to themselves and no one comes along beside them and explains how they are different and what has just happened.

We will look at ourselves from God’s point of view before and after we were saved.  Below are the actual words of God and not man’s ideas of mankind. 

Before:

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death,

We were spiritually dead.

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

We were eternally separated from God because we were all sinners.

James 4:4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

We were actually enemies of God.  I didn’t realize that myself.

Romans 8:7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,

We were not only enemies but were actually hostile toward God, and helpless. 

2 Corinthians 4:3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,

We also were blinded by Satan to the gospel.

2 Timothy 2:26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

Satan held us captive to do his will.  We were working for him, but we probably didn’t realize that.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.

Everyone has sinned at some time.

John 8:34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.

We were powerless on our own to overcome sin’s hold on us. It owned us.

1 Corinthians 2:14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

We were unable to understand the things of God.

John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

We were incapable of living a spiritually fruitful and meaningful life.

Ephesians 2:12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

We were without hope.  No hope for the future, and no hope of accomplishing anything on our own in this world. 

God had to reveal himself to us in order that we could be saved. We were hopeless left on our own. He had to open our eyes of understanding and allow us to hear and understand the gospel message.  He gave us the faith we needed to respond and we were saved.  Then he ushered us into his family and gave us eternal blessings.

When I go over this and think about all God has done for me in allowing me to become a believer and all the benefits and blessing that go along with it I am humbled and forever grateful.  I see where I was and what God saved me from.  It is scary to realize that I could have stayed in the “before,” state and my fate would have been eternal hell.  What a Savior! God’s love surpasses any that we know, and his grace is abundantly poured out on us time and again.

After we became a Christian our position in Christ changed dramatically.  Here is how God see us now.

After:

Colossians 2:13 -14 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

We were forgiven of all our sins.  Christ bore them on the cross for us.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

We became a new creation in Christ.  That is something we need to understand.  We are truly a new creation, and we can live out a new life here and now.

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

We had a new spiritual birth.  We were born again.  We became babes in Christ.  And, we have a new home in Heaven.

1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

We were baptized into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit. 

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.

We were sealed in Jesus Christ, and given the Holy Spirit.

John 10:28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.

We were given the gift of eternal life and we cannot lose it.  We are in God’s hands.

Romans 8:15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”

We have been adopted into God’s family.  We need not to fear.

Philippians 3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;

We are a citizen of Heaven.  We are in this world but we are not of this world.

Romans 6:22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.

We are now freed from sin and a slave of God, with many blessings.

Colossians 1:13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,

We were delivered from darkness to light. 

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

We can defeat any problem because God will not allow any difficulty that can overwhelm us.

Romans 5:3-5 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

We can now realize that God uses our problems and trials as opportunities for our spiritual growth.

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 marvelous light:

God has chosen us and blessed us to be different and special so that we can glorify him for what he has done for us.

These are just some of the blessings we have been given when we came to know Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  I pray as you read this over and meditate upon it you will see how much God has changed us from what we were before. 

Romans 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

We can be more than conquerors through Christ in anything that comes our way in life.  That includes panic attacks and agoraphobia. 

We need to ponder this question:  Am I living like a believer or an unbeliever?  Stay tuned.

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A Renewed Mind

Posted in Agoraphobia, Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, Faith, Health, inspirational, Panic Attacks, Panic Disorder Support, Religion, Scripture, Worship, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on January 16, 2008| 6 Comments »

Morning Sunrise  

A New Day

When we become Christians we can aquire a renewed mind.  Just as dawn bursts   forth with a new day, we can have a mind that is at peace with the world.

Philippians 4:6 (NASB) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

God doesn’t want us to be anxious about anything.  Our minds are precious to Him and he wants us be at peace.  He tells us not to worry but to pray. We can ask God for anything that is in His will.  He also, say that we must be thankful in our prayers.  We have much to be thankful for.  When we pray and give thanks and then petition God we will want what He thinks is best.  Then, we can leave the problem at His feet and rest in peace.

When we do He goes on to say: 

Philippians 4:7 (The Amplified Bible) “And God’s peace (be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace) which transcends all understanding, shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Wow!  I think we’d better meditate on that for awhile, don’t you?  These verses are loaded with help and hope for us who are anxious and worry warts.

Wouldn’t you like to have that peace deep down in your soul?  We can be assured that we are saved through Christ and know that He is in control of all things.  We can learn to be content in whatever situation we are in.  This kind of peace can’t even be comprehended in our own finite minds.  This kind of peace will actually guard our thoughts when we are in Jesus Christ.

If we can attain to these scriptures, and we can by the power of the Holy Spirit, we will be living in peace with God and with ourselves.  Anxiety and fear will not have a grip on us anymore!

Then he goes on in verse 8 of Philippians  to tell us what we should think about instead of worrying and fretting.  I will quote this too from the Amplified version of the Bible, as it is so good.

“For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things—fix your minds on them.” 

When it says, “fix” you mind on them means to get a tight grip on them.  Hang on to them, don’t let them go.  They are actually a good prescription for our mental health. 

Do your thoughts line up with the above?  We have to examine our thoughts and practice to think God’s way in order to renew our minds. It always amazes me to contemplate the fact that God loves us so much that he even cares about what we think.  Isn’t that amazing?  I mean do we really care about what others think?  Or, if we did, do we have any way to know what someone else thinks?  I’d like to know what my husband thinks sometimes, but then again it is probably better that I don’t.

God tells us to “renew our minds.” 

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

You see if you work on what you think about you will renew your mind.  And if you keep reading and studying the Word, you will renew your mind.  We all need a mind makeover.  We don’t need to worry and be anxious.  That is not a part of what God wants for us.

Philippians 4:9 (NASB) The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Paul says to practice what you have learned, received and heard and seen in Him.  He had taught them and was an example and role model for them.  And he says to model your way of living in it and then the God of peace—which is of untroubled, undisturbed well-being–will be with you. 

I think the key word in the above verse is “practice.”  You see it doesn’t happen automatically.  We must practice just as an athlete practices and trains for an event.  Practice what you think about and how you think and it will become a habit.  You will be truly blessed by God with peace that passes understanding.

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Prescription For Health & Happiness

Posted in Bible Study, Christian, devotional, Faith, Health, inspirational, Praise, Religion, Scripture, Worship, tagged , , , , , , , , , on December 31, 2007| 2 Comments »

           Our Cardinal Friend

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Proverbs 4:20-27 (NIV)

My son pay attention to what I say;
listen closely to my words.
Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;
for they are life to the those who find them
and health to a man’s whole body.
  Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life.
  Put away perversity from your mouth;
keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
Let your eyes look straight ahead,
fix your gaze directly before you.
Make level paths for your feet
and take only ways that are firm.
Do not swerve to the right or the left;
keep your foot from evil. 

 

There is a wealth of good health in this portion of scripture.  This is advice given to a young man, but it can be applied to any one of us.  First he tells his son to really pay attention and remember what he is about to say as it is very important.  We should do the same. He says to keep these words in our hearts.  The wisdom of these Words make a man’s whole body healthy.  They are life to him. 

When the Bible speaks of the heart it is speaking of the center of the human spirit, from which springs forth our emotions, thoughts, motivations, courage and actions.  If we store up good things in our hearts, our words and actions will flow forth with good things.

He says, “above all else,” or most important…guard your heart, because our life springs forth from it.  The heart “is the wellspring of life.”  All these things flow out of it as an overflowing water well springs forth water.

Then he tells us some things we need to do to achieve this good health. 

1. We need to watch how we talk.  How we talk reflects what we’ve been thinking about.  It also shows what is at our core.  Christians are not to talk trash as the world does.  It is very interesting, but if you listen closely while someone talks you can pretty much discover their relationship to God.

Matthew 12:34 “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”

2. We need to be careful what we look at.  Are the movies we watch honorable to the Lord?  What about the T.V. programs we watch?  Would we be comfortable if the Lord Jesus Christ was sitting right there with us? There are many examples such as magazines, Internet, and even watching other people that we can include here. 

3. We need to take heed to where we walk.  We are not to swerve to the left or to the right in order to keep us from walking into evil behavior.  Are you mindful of where you hang out and if it is pleasing to God?  Sometimes we need to avoid certain places and friends so that we won’t be tempted.

4. We need to watch our thoughts also.  Our minds are fragile and we must protect them.  Are you aware of what you think about most of the time? 

(Philippians 4:8)  Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

These are the things we should be thinking about.  You can examine your thoughts against the above scripture.  If they are out of line you can pray and ask the Lord to bring your thoughts where they should be.

Attaining to these things is not automatic or even easy.  But, If you make a serious effort the Lord will help you and then you too can have a healthy and happy life.

 

 

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Born to Die!

Posted in Christian, devotional, Holidays, inspirational, Religion, Scripture, Worship, tagged , , , , , , , on December 24, 2007| Leave a Comment »

madonna

Recently we welcomed into our family a new grandson.  It is always an extremely exciting time when a new baby is born.  We think about what that little one might be when he grows up and pray he has a long and happy life.

But, when God sent baby Jesus into this world He had other thoughts on His mind.  Jesus was actually born to die.  Yes, that’s right.  He was born to die!  That was God’s plan from the start.  That doesn’t sound too loving does it?  But wait let’s think about his for a minute.

If God had not sent Jesus into this world to die for our sins then we would not have a wonderful future laid out before us.  We would be eternally damned to hell.  He came to die so that we might have life.  Everlasting life that is.  That is the most unselfish, loving, kind and gracious thing God could do for us.

Because we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God we cannot come into God’s presence.

(Romans 3:23)  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

God cannot look on sin because He is holy.  There is a great gap between us and God because of sin.  Therefore, God sent His beloved Son Jesus to come to us in the form of a little baby to bridge that gap.  Jesus grew up and when the time came He obediently suffered on the cross the total payment each of us owed God for our sins.  For God had said, the wages of sin is death. 

(Romans 6:23)  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When we hear the Christmas story each year we marvel at the little babe in the manger.  We celebrate his birth but don’t usually think about his death.
Jesus didn’t live a long life by today’s standards.  He lived for about 30 years.  God sent him to pay the price.  He bought us with His own precious blood.  That is God’s most extraordinary Christmas gift to us and its also free.

He was born to die!

“The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity–hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory–because at the Father’s will Jesus Christ became poor, and was born in a stable so that 30 years later He might hang on a cross.”  J. I Packer

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Thankful to God?

Posted in American culture, Anxiety & Stress, Christian, Faith, Holidays, inspirational, Praise, Religion, Worship, tagged , , , , , on November 17, 2007| 4 Comments »

thankful

It is time to celebrate Thanksgiving again, and I’ve been thinking.

I wonder how many people are thankful to God on Thanksgiving?  I remember when I was growing up how much fun Thanksgiving was.  All of our family would get together at my folks house and we would have a feast.  My mom would cook for a couple of days ahead getting food ready.We would have turkey and dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, winter squash, baked beans, homemade pickles, cranberry sauce, olives, and for desert pies and homemade banana bread. (It makes me hungry just thinking about it.)

The men usually would go out hunting for deer in the morning and then when they came in for dinner would be really hungry and would share stories of the deer they saw but couldn’t get a shot at.   I used to love to hear all the hunting stories.

I recall the guys would actually make gluttons of themselves having contests to see who could eat the most.

Those are fond memories of family as we celebrated together.  But, you know what, I think we were thankful for all the wonderful food we had, but I can never remember that we ever prayed before we feasted or gave thanks to God for anything.  Now, that strikes me as sad.

After becoming a Christian I realized that God is the one who provides.

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.(Philippians 4:19)

Yes, we can be thankful that we have a good job, that our family is healthy, that we have enough money.  We can be thankful for almost anything but God needs to be the object of our gratitude.  God has enabled us to work, to have a job, to make money.  He is the source of everything we have.

In Matthew 6:25-34 God tells us that we are more important than the birds and the flowers, and He provides for them.  He also tells us not to worry. Instead we need to be thankful for how He has provided for us by seeking Him and He will take care of us.

I had an email from a new Christian recently.  She can’t wait for Thanksgiving this year and said she has a new thankfulness now that she is closer to God.  She will look at the day in a new way this time.  Isn’t that great?

I pray each of you will be thankful this Thanksgiving holiday and that your gratitude will be directed toward God.

 

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Faith or Fear?

Posted in Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, devotional, Faith, inspirational, Panic Attacks, Panic Disorder Support, Praise, Religion, Scripture, Worship, tagged , , , , , , , on November 7, 2007| 3 Comments »

                     Golden Autumn

Golden Autumn

Are you stressed out?  Are you anxious and fearful?  Do you want to be at peace?  Do you realize that your finding peace has everything to do with faith? Without faith you will not become free from anxiety. I can say that with certainty. 

God has given us many promises in the Bible and we need them to live the type of victorious Christian life He wants for us.  But, in order to make those promises active in our own lives we must have faith.  It must be the right kind of faith.

First we need to believe in God.  Second believe in the finished work of Jesus Christ, His son, and third believe that the Word of God is true.  Then, we must take God at His Word.  When He says something, believe it, stand on it, and know that God will not let you down.

We need to apply our faith (in Christ) to the problem of fear and anxiety. We can do this.

We can see God’s handiwork in creation all around us.  That is a good example of something that can help us.  When we get those thoughts of fear and anxiety, we can refocus our minds by taking a good look around us.  We can see God’s handiwork and give thanks and praise to God for his creation, and in doing that we can turn off our stressful thoughts and replace them with God honoring ones.  Do you see how this can help you?

I’m not just coming up with some theory, but I’ve actually done this in my own life so I know.

Also, faith in and of itself has no value. There has to be an object to your faith.  And, that is Jesus.  It is because of Him that we can have faith.  Faith is a gift of God given to us to enable us to know Him and live our Christian lives. 

Colossians 1:4 “For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus (the leaning of our entire human personality on Him in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom and goodness) …  Amplified Bible. 

I love this Amplified version of the Bible as it brings out what is clearly said in the scripture. 

I want to challenge you today.  Do you have that kind of faith?  Is it in Christ Jesus only?  Do you have absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom and goodness? 

I also want to warn you that there are a lot of teachings out there today that are not truly Biblical.  One such false teaching is the prosperity gospel.  They declare that if you have enough faith you can be rich, and healthy, and have whatever you want.  Do you want a new car?  They say “just believe for it.”  This is a “faith in faith,” kind of thing.  It is almost like having faith in yourself, that you have enough faith to make things happen, or enough faith to make God do something.  That is not scriptural.  We cannot make God do anything, and we shouldn’t try. 

So, let’s be sure that we truly understand what God is talking about when he tells us to have faith, live by faith, and walk by faith. 

For more study on faith read Hebrews Chapter 11.

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Glory to God for His Handiwork

Posted in Bible Study, Christian, devotional, Faith, inspirational, Praise, Religion, Scripture, Worship, tagged , , , , on November 7, 2007| Leave a Comment »

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The natural creation brings Glory to God!

Psalm 19:1 reads:

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows and proclaims His handiwork. ”  Amplified Bible 

God’s handiwork is all around us.  What a amazing sight it is to go out on a dark night and go to a place where there are no street lights. The stars all shine so brightly, it is breathtaking.  They seem to just hang there in the sky waiting for someone to come by and pick a bouquet.  You marvel at all the constellations and wonder why God placed them in that particular order.

There are so many thousands of stars it is overwhelming, and yet we know  God made them all and put them in place.  The heavens also declare his glory in the sun and moon. 

What about a rainbow?  Again…when you see something so beautiful as that you know there is a God in Heaven.  Our wonderful creator.

I love living in the country.  We can get out and see all kinds of natural beauty that God has created.  Mountains, valleys, lakes, streams, trees, flowers, animals, and the list goes on and on.  And to think God made all that for our enjoyment.  Isn’t that a marvelous thought? 

In the evening God gives us brilliant sunsets.  Oh what a joy they are. Pictured above is one that we saw on a beautiful October evening. It was taken off our deck.  To me that is God’s signature on a wondrous day.

As we take a walk and observe creation we can give God glory for all He has done.  It’s an amazing time of fellowship and is actually worship of God.

If we take a look at  Romans 1:18-20 we can see that God has revealed Himself through creation and man is without excuse.  Man can deny there is a God, but he is only deceiving himself.  The evidence of God is all around us.  Praise the Lord!

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Come Let Us Reason

Posted in Bible Study, Christian, devotional, Faith, Gospel, inspirational, Religion, Scripture, Worship, tagged , , , , on August 28, 2007| 5 Comments »

What does God want us to know?

Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord.  “Though
your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow…”We have all sinned.  We are naturally bent toward sin.

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

  Do you agree with God’s Word that says you are a sinner?
   What does sin earn us?

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Because God is Holy and without sin He cannot accept us the way we
are.  That is why He sent is only Son, Jesus Christ, to take our place
and die on the cross for our sins. He paid the price for us. (John 3:16)
  
   Who is the Lord Jesus Christ?

He is God’s Son. He is Lord. He is fully man and He is fully God.

John 10:30, “…I and the Father are one.”
  
   What must we do to be saved?

Acts 3:19 “Repent then and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped
out…” 
Acts 16:31 “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…”

What do we need to believe?

The Gospel (good news) message.
I Corinthians 15: 3-4 “For I delivered unto you first of all that which
I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the
scriptures.  And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third
day according to the scriptures.”
  
   Will you respond to God?

Romans 10: 9-10 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and
believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be
saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified,
and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”

   We must confess (agree with God in prayer) with our mouth, Jesus is
who God says He is, and believe in our hearts (not just head knowledge)
that He was raised from the dead.  Then we can have assurance that after
our life ends here on this earth we will continue to live on in Heaven
forever.
  
   Will you pray this prayer?

   “Dear God, I realize that I am a lost sinner. I’m sorry for the
sinful things I have done in my life and want to get right with you. 
Thank you for sending your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for the
payment of my sin.  I know that after He died He was buried and on the
third day He rose from the grave.  I know He is now alive and with you
in Heaven.  I want to make Jesus Christ Lord of my life, and turn the
reins over to Him.   I  ask you, God, to accept me right now just as I
am.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.”

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