Tag Archives: contentment

Truth! Are you Free in Christ??

Christ's rest, Freedom in Christ, Jesus Christ, Spiritual Encouragement, Who I am in Christ, , , , , , , , ,

freedom

Who are you in Christ?? Not who you think you are on the days that you fail miserably…but Who does God’s word say you are??? You are FREE in Christ my friend!

I will continue to share more truths about our true identity. This is not an exhaustive list to be sure, but scripture that we can learn and lean on; especially when we don’t “feel” the truth. Even when we don’t “feel” it, we must lean on the truth of His word that teaches us that we are indeed “free” in Christ.

These truths were confirmed in my heart many times over with teachings from Bill and Annabelle Gillham. You can access their website...www.lifetime.org I encourage you to visit their site.

I am inadequate…..I am complete in Christ……“For in Christ all the fullness of Diety lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.” Colossians 2:9-10

Each person must live his own life…….Christ will express His life through me….“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” Colossians 3:3-4

I would have made it on my own if I won lots of money…..I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing…“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” Ephesians 1:3

I am always the last one chosen….I am chosen by the One who makes the rules.….“For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will to the praise of His glorious grace which He has freely given us in the One He loves.” Ephesians 1:4-6

I feel guilty all the time…..“The One who makes the rules says that I am forgiven….“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” Ephesians 1:7

I worry about the future…My glorious future is set in spiritual concrete...“And he made know to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect wen the times will have reached their fulfillment, to bring all things in heaven and one earth together under one head, even Christ. In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will.” Ephesians 1:9-11

I feel so insecure and anxious...I have been sealed with the Spirit, I am safe...““And you were also included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession-to the praise of His glory.” Ephesians 1:13-14

I am so thankful for His word, the living WORD of God which breathes life into my parched soul!

Be blessed dear ones..
IN CHRIST ALONE

Isaiah 55:8-9

http://www.lifetime.org
*google image*

Checklists and Ropes Part 2

Christ's rest, Jesus Christ, Spiritual Encouragement, To Rest in Christ, , , , , , , , , ,

stock-vector-cartoon-woman-tied-to-a-chair-155801519

In the previous post, I spoke of “performance bases acceptance” in another season of life….

I know that I spoke of this in my November 17th entry, and I feel like I have learned so much about this even since then…”performance based acceptance” can squeeze the life out of you at anytime in your life. Now, continued…..

People questioned me, thought I was crazy.  Those friends in the teaching profession seemed to understand better than anyone.  But I had to…the Lord confirmed it over and over in His word and through prayer.  I had been released and I finally was hearing it.  HE would provide, He always met our needs. I had to quit looking at those carrots at the end of that list.

It has been three months.  I believe that God actually rescued me.  He saved me.  I did not know how bad off I was until now…I feel like ME again.  I love to encourage and believe I am gifted to do so by our Heavenly Father.  But in the last two years I was “encouraging” others in my own strength.

God never left me.  But I couldn’t hear Him.  I was overwhelmed.  Now I know that there are jobs that do that to you.  If you are a “performance based” person like me, you cannot just shake it off and do your best. “Don’t take it so seriously” I would hear.  “You need to leave your work at school like me.”  “You are over the top, give it a rest.” “Why do you do this to yourself?” 

I HAD to do my best. I was a Christian and HAD to act like one…. I HAD to help the general education teachers since they were under such pressure.  I HAD to consult the parents and talk and try to explain many things to them about their special child.  I HAD to teach the students, but was limited in time and technique.  Not to mention my family and friends outside of work who needed my encouragement.  But the life was literally being squeezed out of me. God showed me! I saw myself wrapped up tighter and tighter!    The only way for me to survive was to just cut the rope off before I died from suffocation.

I don’t know what my immediate future holds.  I am crafting and selling wreaths,studying, writing three blogs and healing.  I am hearing from God again.  I am taking the time to listen.  I have the time to listen.  It seems to me that the enemy’s best tool in our demise is our “being too busy”.

So, I share this to maybe be an encouragement to you, wherever you are.  If you are like me, give something up that occupies your time.  You may not quit your job, but there may be something that you can put down that is suffocating you. There may be a ministry you are involved in because you “have” to be involved in it! Ask the Father to show you the way of rest.  Often times I was “Jack of all trades, master of none.”  I know that GOD equips us in ways that are unbelievable, but we must be able to do them in His strength and not our own.

The Lord wants us to live an abundant, grace filled Christian life. He wants us to REST in HIM. HE wants that for us so that we will share HIM and His joy and peace with others.  HE wants us to share that He is the gift of life, eternal salvation.  Trust me when I say, if you are empty, have no joy…people won’t want what you have.  You have no hope to give them.  

Hebrews 4:1-3
“Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said…”

Rest in this New Testament passages means: eiserchomai and it is a verb. It means to come in, entrance into any condition, to arise, come into existence, to come into life.
Stay with me……What hit me is that it does not have a future tense”helper” verb in front of it. So it doesn’t say “will enter”, “might enter”. For believers in the Lord Jesus Christ…we enter that rest NOW. Oh yes, metaphorically the word means that we will have rest after the trials on earth are ended….but we can choose that REST now.

photo-115
***personal drawing purchased from and created by Derek Hegstead, 1993***

Blessings dear ones..
IN CHRIST ALONE

Isaiah 55:8-9

earlier animation***google search stock photo****

EVERYBODY’S Talking about the Weather!!

Spiritual Encouragement, , , , , , ,

Everybody’s talking about the weather, around here at least.  As I look on the weather map, I have a feeling that truly everyone is talking about it.  Snow, freezing rain, ice, wind, traffic issues, schools closed, flights canceled.  

Let me be completely honest.  I am not a winter person.  I do not like cold.  I prefer warm, balmy temperatures. I will say that “when” it is snowing I think it is pretty, but that is as positive as this old woman can get.  And when I say old woman, when it is well below freezing, my lovely arthritis in my hip reminds me that I am a tad bit old. So Yes, I prefer summer and I am not afraid to say so.  I belong in the south, far in the south…but that hasn’t happened yet.  Hoping someday it will, but that is for another day!  Someday my hip will thank me!

So, I looked out the window this afternoon and found myself watching these three little birds.  We have been throwing out bread crumbs of late because we have been out of seed for a while.  These birds, let’s call them Larry, Curly and Moe. (I know it is not original, so just ask someone over 50!!)

At any rate, Larry, Curly and Moe seemed to have it together.  They were flitting in and out of the ivy wall we have in our back yard.  It is very thick and the ivy has taken on a life of its own.  These boys (girls??) were getting deep inside the ivy and I would say were keeping as toasty as possible.  As I watched them the Lord reminded me of a couple of things.  He does that to me a lot.  

First of all,  “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the bird of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Matthew 6:25-34

Yep, Larry, Curly and Moe were just fine.  I have no need to worry about my tomorrows.  I quit my job in October as I felt the Lord giving me permission to do..and yet sometimes my mind will wander to that missing income…but I am more valuable that the bird of the air.  More important to God than Larry.  More important than Curly, even Moe.

Then the second message hit me again (previously this passage had assailed me while doing a Bible study two days ago)…yep, there was more.  Remember when I said that I do not like cold or snow?  Well, I thought of Paul.  You know when he wrote the church in Philippians from jail!!!!  “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry,whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:11-13  

And I don’t like snow.  Gees.

Can I trust Him?  Can I be content?  Yep on both accounts.  He says I can, I just have to make that choice.

Enjoy your quiet time as the cold shuts down part of your world…and look out the window, not telling what you might see!

And while being content, I might look at some of my Florida pictures!! 🙂

 

 Image

 

 
 

Blessings dear ones~
IN CHRIST ALONE

Isaiah 55:8-9
*personal photograph*