"Feeling Forgiven"

I think we can all say that we struggle with sin, at least I hope we are honest enough with ourselves to admit that. The temptations we face aren't easy for us to flee from, and again if we are honest, sometimes we don't want to flee from them. I have been reading through 1 John the past few days and today God brought this verse to my remembrance. 

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9

I just want to take a quick look at this verse and point out some things that stuck out to me as I reread this verse today. 

First I saw a condition, the condition is "If we confess our sins". Here the Bible tells us that we have a choice to make, we can either confess our sins or we can keep fighting God insisting that we have not sinned. This confession is simple, all we have to do is agree with God that we are in the wrong and that He is right. It is simple but not easy to do, our pride doesn't want to admit that we are wrong and Satan will use that against us to prevent renewed and restored fellowship with our Father. 

Secondly I saw a constant, the constant is "He is faithful and just". Here the Bible tells us that God IS faithful and just. Think about that, even when we are in sin, God remains faithful and just. He is always willing to forgive His children and He is eager to forgive His children. I love this, the Bible doesn't even say that we have to ask for our Father's forgiveness. "What? You mean I don't have to ask for His forgiveness?" Nope, you sure don't. If you are His child, He wants to forgive you. You don't have to ask for it. I'm reminded of the parable of the prodigal son that "When he was still a long way off, his father felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him." (Luke 15:20) When we ask for forgiveness, we are still feeling shame over our sin. But when we confess in agreement with our loving Father, the shame is removed and is replaced with a feeling of joy and peace. 

How many times have you felt that you had to stay away from a certain sin for a couple of days before you actually felt cleansed from that sin? I know I have done it countless times, but in reality when we do that we are trying to earn God's favor and we are not relying upon God's grace. When we feel that way, we are saying to God, "I know You say that You have forgiven me, but I need to stay clean myself for a couple of days to actually feel like I'm forgiven." This way of thought produces self-righteousness and self-conceit, and it in itself is sin.

Confession of our sin to God results in forgiveness and a clean slate. The part that I feel the need to zero in on is the fact that once we confess we are cleansed! There is nothing else needed! The moment that we confess our sins to our Father, He casts them away forever to remember them no more. They are simply forgotten. So why do we feel the need to remain guilty and shameful over our sin? Brothers and sisters our feelings will drive us away from God if they are mere feelings not based upon truths found in Scripture. But if our feelings are based upon truths found in Scripture they will draw us closer to our loving Father and will produce in us a desire to remain faithful to Him. 

This is really encouraging to me, it is encouraging to know that I fight FROM a clean slate. I don't fight to EARN a clean slate with God. This truth found here in 1 John removes pressure in my walk with Christ. He knows when I am going to mess up and when I do, He is there waiting to forgive me, He wants to forgive me, and He loves to forgive me! Satan wants us as Christians to feel guilty or unclean because of our sin, but God just wants us to confess and allow Him to remove the feelings of guilt and uncleanness, setting us free to live a life of faithful devotion to Him. 

So KNOW this:

IF we confess our sins: (1) We are forgiven. (2) We are cleansed.

He is faithful and just: (1) He is willing to forgive and cleanse. (2) He wants to forgive and cleanse. (3) He loves to forgive and cleanse.

Our relationship with God is not based upon our feelings but is based upon truths found in His Word. When we allow the truths found in God's Word to seep into our hearts, then His Holy Spirit will produce feelings in our lives that compliment truths found in Scripture resulting in a deeper and more fulfilling walk with our loving Father. 

So this thanksgiving, I am thankful for God's forgiveness and for His Word. Let's be thankful this holiday season and let's rejoice in the wonder of forgiveness that is found in the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ! Thanks for reading, and God bless!

Why Worry When You Have Jesus

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to preach a message on worrying out of Philippians 4:6-9. We live in a time of nothing but worry. We worry about all kind of things. But we as Christians shouldn't worry, because we have to be reminded that God is in control of every single thing. Worrying for the Christian is like putting sand in a gasoline engine, it will do nothing but cause bigger problems. Really when we stop to think about it when we worry whatever we are worrying about becomes our god, because it gets all our thought, time, and attention. So what can we do to prevent worrying?

"6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:6-9

• 1. Worry about nothing (verse 6) 
• Worrying is wasteful. If you truly believe that God is in control of every situation you face, then worrying is wasting your time. Worrying has never ever solved a problem. 
• Worrying is harmful. Physically it can cause you to become sick, emotionally it makes you miserable, and spiritually it becomes your god. 
• Worrying is sinful. Verse 6 is a command for us not to worry about anything, but pray about everything. Worrying is the absolute opposite of faith. God doesn't worry, why should we? 
• 2. Pray about everything (verse 6) 
• ALL THINGS 
• Prayer is not only a place of power, but also a place of peace. 
• Pray about the situation the first thing in the morning, and trust God to handle it. If you want God all day seek Him in the morning. 
• 3. Be thankful for everything (Verse 6) 
• Thanksgiving is faith turned inside out. Trust! 
• It's impossible to have a thankful spirit and a worried spirit at the same time. 
• Think of Romans 8:28 which says "28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose."
• God begins to work when we begin to praise.
• 4. Think of the best things (Verse 8) 
• You are what you think 
• You can control your thoughts just as easily as you can control who you are friends with.
• Negative thoughts equals no peace. 
• Saturate your mind with the Word of God. 
• 5. Do the right things (Verse 9) 
• One cure for worry is work. 
• Sitting around complaining will never bring peace. 
• Actions and attitudes are linked together. Do something worthwhile. Put your life to some purpose and you wont have time to worry. 

I hope this brings peace and encouragement to somebody struggling with worry. Always remember The peace of God will guard you (verse 7). The God of peace will guide you (verse 9). 

Brazil 2014 Video Recap

Time flies! It has been a quick couple of months.

Taylor and I have wanted to get a report together for all of those who gave, prayed, and made this summer's trip to Brazil possible! The Lord did so much through you and we pray that He continues to work through the many planted seeds in Montes Claros.

Here is a video of this summer's trip. Please feel free to pass it along. Thanks again for all of your support, and as always, the glory belongs to Jesus!

#AllAboutJesus

Agape : God-sized Love

     Wow, it has been 5 months since I have written a blog; and a crazy 5 months it has been! Thanks to everyone who has prayed for us on our journey to Southeastern. Sorry y'all but this blog isn't about all the awesome things God has done in our lives the past few months but it is about something God hammered into my heart this morning.

     The past week or so I have been studying James in depth. In chapter two James is warning the church against prejudice. He gives the example of a person coming into a meeting dressed in fancy clothing and another coming in who is obviously poor and in dressed in dirty clothing. Then the members of the church show partiality to the rich person by giving him a good seat and telling the poor person to sit on the floor. When we get down to verse eight and nine is when God hit me with a hard truth:

"Yes, indeed it us good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: "Love your neighbor as yourself." But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law."

James 2:8-9

 

     Immediately after reading this I thought of a phrase I say quite often: "I don't have to like them, but I have to love them." I could not be more wrong in saying this! That is NOT love. God says in Leviticus 19:18 "Love your neighbor as yourself." and Jesus emphasized its importance in Matthew 22:39 AND Mark 12:31. That means to love others as I love myself is a big deal!

 

     This love in this commandment is not a petty, halfhearted love we often dish out. It is to be a God-sized love. God doesn't mean for us to just be really fond of others, he wants you and I to love everyone with a godly love. That means having deep concern for peoples spiritual and physical well-being. That means we have to let go of that "I don't have to like you, but I have to love you" mentality.

 

     Loving with others with godly love also means we show no prejudice in who we love. I am to love rich and poor, black and white, tall and short, well and sick. It was for those we like to show partiality (like the poor and sick) that Jesus loved during his time here, for such people Jesus died for, and for such people Jesus sends us out to be ambassadors of his good news and glory. 

 

     I am challenging you as much as I am myself to search your life completely and honestly on where you may have failed to love someone with God-sized love. Will you pray with me and practice this with me? Let us throw away our half-hearted "love" and love others with GOD-SIZED love!



Livin Life in Your own Shoes

When I was checking Facebook yesterday, I stumbled upon a friend of mine's post that read:

 "When I was driving home last night I almost hit these guys (and by the way, these guys are two dogs), so I stopped on the side of the road and opened my door & both of them jumped up in my car... I waited around for about 35 minutes and didn't see anybody or hear anything..I didn't want to leave them to possibly get hurt so I shut my door, and brought them back to my house where they got watered, fed, and a good nights sleep. This morning I woke up early and drove them back to where I found them, I opened up my car door but to my surprise my friends just jumped out turned around and stared at me..it seemed they had no urge to go home.....Not knowing what to do I just said a prayer for some help About 10 seconds later a minivan came cruising down the street really slow, it was a mother and her daughter, as they approached us I saw the little girl cover her mouth with her hands and her eyes fill with excitement..she had found her boys & right then I knew, I was exactly where I was supposed to be. So look down at your feet today and understand that they are planted EXACTLY where they are supposed to be, He does not make mistakes." (and by the way, I added the and by the way part...)

It reminded me of this coffee mug that I saw last week, I really liked it, it read: No matter where you go, there you are.

An attribute of God that should be the most comforting of all to us as believers is that He is completely sovereign. There's not one thing that comes to pass that He did not have a say so in. Good or bad. He knows it all. After all He is God. I remember hitting golf balls yesterday thinking, "Ya know if there really is a God, then He ought to be in complete control. So why do I keep worrying about where I'm at in life as if it's not where I'm supposed to be for the moment." In my head I completely understand that God is sovereign but my heart lacks faith. 

The story of Jonah teaches us that no matter where we are, ultimately we are in God's will for our lives. If you're not too familiar with the story of Jonah, here's a brief summary: God called Jonah to preach in Nineveh, Jonah was like nahh and ran, Jonah was swallowed by a whale, Jonah repented, the whale spit him out, Jonah went to Nineveh, Nineveh repents, Jonah's mad at God, Jonah learns a few hard lessons, and the end.

The part I love about this story most is what the Bible says happened in chapter 1 verse 16. The Bible says, "Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows." Jonah ran from God and God used him to save people anyways! Ha! How crazy is that? That's not crazy, that's sheer sovereignty. These are the men that Jonah was on the ship with that he was aboard to flee from the call of God. He technically wasn't supposed to be there, but he was and God used him. You see if you're a child of God or not, where you are right now is exactly where you're supposed to be. Don't take that for granted, as the Facebook status said, "He does not make mistakes." I don't know where you are in life, if you're hopeful or hopeless, on the mountains or in the valleys, but I just want to encourage you with the gospel of Jesus Christ. He died for you, but He didn't stay that way, He brought Himself back to life and now He lives forever. He's the only source of everlasting hope and peace. He is God and He is completely sovereign. 

Thanks for checking this out, and check out this dude's music that posted the Facebook status I used earlier: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/small-town-heart-ep/id867537630

Jesus.

Is Jesus really your everything? 

Tonight as I was praying, I began to pray for our churches and church members and for lost friends and family that I know. I prayed that our churches would be like-minded and sold out for the cause of Christ. I prayed that my lost family and friends would be saved. 

But then, I opened up my iTunes and played David Crowder's song This I Know. If you haven't heard it, here it is: 

When he said, "Take me up to where I was, when I never wanted more than You." It's like God saved me all over again. Think back to when you were saved by the grace of God. Ok, you there? You got the picture or video? Think about the one thing that you wanted. What's that one thing or person? Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. All you wanted was Jesus. Nothing more, nothing less. 

In our Christian life, we get burdened by unnecessary stuff. Tonight, in our class at church we watched a video titled Holy Discontent. The video was about things in our lives that we can't stand, not in a normal way, but things that you can't stand because they don't honor Christ. For example, churches that aren't active in the community and sharing the gospel. I can't stand that. I mean it drives me crazy. But why?

Why? The reason is that I've taken my eyes off of Christ. 

Man, this is good. I hope this fires you up as much as it does me. I mean think about it, remember at the end of John when Jesus redeems Peter and then while Jesus and Peter are walking and talking, Jesus tells Peter how he's going to die to glorify God. Then Peter sees John following them and he's like, "What about this dude, huh? What's gonna happen to him? Why I gotta be the one to die Jesus?" 

Peter took his eyes off of Christ and put them on John. When he did that, he was no longer satisfied in Christ alone. Jesus tells Peter in response, "What does it matter to you what John does? Just follow Me." 

Just follow Me. That's all we have to do. I get so caught up in church problems and things like that, that I forget what it is that I really want in life. This may sound crazy, so please don't misunderstand me here. Sometimes it's as if I want my lost friends and family to come to Christ more than I want Christ. Think about it, I've built up the most innocent but yet the most blinding IDOL. Do I really want Jesus more than anything? 

I'm giving y'all examples from my life, but y'all think about y'all's lives for a minute. Think about really good things that you want more than Jesus. I mean there's actually things out there that are good things to want, but they're not better than Jesus. I remember Seth telling me this when he was discipling me when I first got saved, he said, "Satan will bring good things into your life. Then he'll bring better things into your life, and they really are good and better things. But they're all meant to keep you from the best." The best being Jesus. 

Don't get caught up in what to do with your life, get caught up in Jesus. Keep your eyes on Him and let Him lead you and He'll take care of the rest. 

I wanna leave y'all with this thought: Satan is known as the author of confusion and the great deceiver. If you're saved then he can't take your salvation, but he can take your eyes off of Christ. Satan desires to distract and deceive in order to derail and destroy your life. 

Keep your eyes on Jesus, it's hard but it can be done. Remember Satan wants to take your eyes off of Jesus and put them on ANYTHING else in life. Stay focused. On Christ alone. 

Thanks for reading, I hope y'all enjoyed it. 

What's Stopping You?

     Jesus. Son of God. Prince of Peace. Wonderful Counselor. 100% man. 100% God. Creator.

 

     He pursued you and I relentlessly and passionately. Jesus desires our hearts SO much that He was willing and did die a brutal death for us. And this Jesus, my Jesus, did not stay dead. Three days after dying He walked out of the grave! This is a big deal, what other dude do you know that woke up after being dead for three days?

     After Jesus' resurrection He spoke with some of His disciples(IN PERSON). The last words He had to say were important. These words still are. They did not just apply to His disciples then, but His disciples now. So listen up church:

 

 

"Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

 

Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT)

 

     Jesus is commanding you and I to go to the ends of the earth. To family, to friends, to neighbors, and to co-workers. He is calling us to tell these people about the goodness of Himself. That they can live forever in Him. This is the best news anyone could ever hear!

 

     But what's stopping you? What's stopping me? Why are we being cowards? What am I waiting for? What have I got to lose? Nothing because Jesus has already won the victory over death, hell, and the grave.

 

     Church, ask yourself today "What is stopping me from sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ everyday I have breath?" Be bold and proclaim His name today! Get pumped and sell out for Jesus!



Spring is coming!

     It's that time of year again, when the seasons change and everyone is either super excited for the change or kind of negative about it. Have you ever noticed that? When winter changes over to spring then summer everyone feels differently about it. Some are ready for warmer weather because it means cookouts, pool parties, and no school! While others are dreading the heat because it means getting all sweaty and driving the power bill up with the a/c. Either way everyone handles change differently, no matter if its weather seasons or life seasons.
     As many of you know my husband, Seth and I are about to enter into a new season of our lives together this August. We prayed and asked God where He wanted us and He told us Wake Forest, NC for Seth to complete his degree at South Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary. This means moving about three hours from the home town we have always known. This means moving away from family and friends and our jobs. This means we are going to be broke for the next few years! Needless to say, the current easy-going, got-it-made season of our life is about to change. 
     I believe most people would be freaking out if they were me right now, but God has actually placed the desire in my heart to go to Wake Forest. He has already given me a passion and love for the people we will live beside and the people I will work with. And I haven't even met them yet! I am actually pretty pumped about moving there. But at the same time I already miss my family and friends so much. I know it's going to be hard. Through the wave of emotions, God has given me such a peace about whats to come. I know all this is for His glory and bringing Him glory brings me the most joy.

"For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. " Ecclesiastes 3:11

     I just want to encourage those of you who are transitioning through seasons of life. Yes it can be scary, but it can also be exciting. Trust God with your life, because before the foundations of the earth were even laid He had YOU in mind. He planned out your life step-by-step and moment-by-moment before anyone else ever thought of you. And Jesus loves you more in a moment than anyone else could in a lifetime. He will bring you through this season, and the next, and the next. Just trust Him.

 

 

"An apple a day..."

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away."

Thank you, Johnny Appleseed.

I hate the doctor's office. I loathe doctor's appointments. I believe that most people feel the same. I think that's why the story of Johnny Appleseed is good for children. It may scare them into snacking on an apple instead of cheetos. Or, maybe not.

I like the thought of getting a daily dose of something in order to get both short term and long term results. I think it's smart and healthy. But, I think this goes farther any eating apples.

When I first became a follower of Jesus, I was told that daily bible reading was essential to my life and growth in Christ. It was easy and somewhat exciting at first. But, after a while I got in a rut and it became a chore. Kind of like a healthy diet. We look in the mirror to see muffin-tops, get motivated to eat right/exercise, but after a while it gets boring. We get out of the habit, and before you know it we find the three chins that we had once lost.

We need Jesus and His word more than we need apples and treadmills. And, hearing from our creator should be more exciting to us. It does take time, effort, and commitment, but I assume like the washboard abs that I haven't found, it's worth it in the long run.

 

 

"Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come."

1 Timothy 4:8

 

 

I hope this is encouragement to you. I can tell the days that I am in the word and the days that I don't make time. My attitude towards people is different. My effort in all of my activity is different. My mindset and motivations are different. And, I would reach to say that the results of my days are different.

 

I challenge you: Make time. Make an effort. The King of all creation wants to talk to you. It's worth it.

 

Don't know where to start?

My goal in bible reading is to get away in a quiet place and read at least one chapter of the bible a day. I try not to skip around, but read through the different books in the bible. A good place to start may be with Romans. It lays out our faith in a way that is understandable, but it will make you think. Just a thought.

 

 

"An apple a day..."

"Who, Me?"

Yes, you.

The Annie Armstrong Easter offering is coming up. This is an offering taken up in Southern Baptist churches around Easter to support the work of North American missionaries. I love this effort as it catapults the Gospel forward in the United States and other countries that surround us.

I was recently reading an article about this effort. It gave a look into the lives of some of the missionaries that this would be supporting. It spoke about their calling and the process of God showing these men and women where He would have them go. At the end of the article was a fantastic thought. To paraphrase, the writer said that most of tomorrow's missionaries are in our churches today, and that if they don't go no one else will.

That's when about everyone in the church says, "Who, me?"

Yes, probably you.

Have you ever thought about the fact that God has a plan for your life and that that plan is probably not the plan that you have for your life? The calling that God has for those NA missionaries in that article is not the exception, but the norm for New Testament followers of Jesus. The only difference is that they were positioned to hear God's calling, obeyed, and maybe you're not called to go to the exact place that they are called to go. But, you are called to go. You are called to go to you're family. You are called to go to your community. You are called to go to your neighbors around your nation. And, you are called to go to the World. You are not called by me. But, by Jesus. And, when we argue we are not arguing with a pastor, church, or denomination, but with Him.

 

¹⁸ Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,^[a] baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. ²⁰ Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20

 

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 1:8

 

 

Monday's missionary is probably sitting in your seat on Sunday. And, if they don't go, who else will?Jesus has issued the call. Will you answer?

All About JESUS.

Lent

John 3:30

^"He must become greater; I must become less"

So as we all know tomorrow kicks off the first day of Lent. Lent is a time of fasting and reflection it begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter. For Christians this gives us a time to fast or most of the time give up something that distracts us from God. We all get so busy and invested in life that many things distract us from God, this time period is just a good time to slow down and reflect on just how great God truly is and how much He has blessed us. For me personally this year I'm giving up all social media. I've prayed that God show me what distracts me or consumes most of my time away from Him, and social media was the answer. Use this time to just really reflect on Jesus's life, death, and resurrection, or as a time of thanksgiving. Lent is always  an awesome reminder that Jesus is enough. A lot of Christians challenge themselves during this time as well. So what is distracting you from being All About Jesus?


Joel 2:12-13          
“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster

We Are The Church Part 2

We've been entrusted as the church with an awesome and humbling task/gift of sharing the love of Jesus with others. 

As the church there are 4 things that can be labeled as our purposes.

1) Worship - All too often we think of worship as singing a few songs and as something that we can only do on Sundays or Wednesdays or in our own quiet time. True worship, however, is how we live our lives daily. Worship is giving a sacrifice of praise. Yes singing, prayer, and gathering with other believers is a time of worship. But so is being in the shower or being at work or school, worship is a lifestyle. Colossians 3:17 reads, "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him". I gotta be open and honest with y'all, I fail to do this every single day of my life. It's something I've been being convicted of and something that I need to repent of. The heart of worship is bringing glory to Christ and if we're not bringing glory to Christ, we're ultimately bringing glory to the enemy. 

2) Fellowship - As the church, we're called to fellowship with one another and with the Lord Jesus Himself. We're brothers and sisters in Christ! You may be an only child, but if you're a part of the body of Christ you have more brothers and sisters than you can even count! Romans 15:7 reads, “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” We’re all in this together, playing on the same team with the same coach. We should be there for our brothers and sisters. Praying for one another, talking to one another, encouraging one another, and LOVING one another. Satan can’t touch our salvation, true. But he can keep us from coming together as the church to prevent us from accomplishing things for Christ.

Our fellowship can be broken with other believers whenever we sin against them. Such sins are being resentful towards a brother or sister, gossiping, jealousy, envy, bitterness, and causing divisions. Another open and honest moment from me to you, I struggle so much with every one of those sins against my brothers and sisters. I'm extremely prideful and the bitterness I have towards others at times eats away at me. Please pray for me…

Our fellowship can also be broken with our Savior as well. Our fellowship is broken with Jesus whenever we sin. The solution however is simple, repent. As believers, repentance should be a part of our DAILY lives, emphasis on the word daily (if you didn't notice).

3) Ministry – As the church, part of our duty is to serve. We serve in the church, the community, and anywhere and everywhere we are. Guys, we ought to have our communities and schools turned upside down for Jesus. He's worthy. We're not worthy at all, but He's worthy of our all. Our debt was paid in full at Calvary when Jesus took our sins upon Himself. God punished Himself for our sins. WHATTTTT!!!!???? Let me say it again, HE'S WORTHY! 

4) Witness - “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” – Acts 1:8.

That’s a promise. And God doesn’t break His promises.

You’ve probably heard it said, “Share the gospel, if necessary use words.” I completely understand what that statement is trying to say (as a matter of fact I'm guilty of tweeting that), but it’s a halfhearted way to witness. And honestly it’s not witnessing at all.

The word translated to witness from the Greek is martyria. Martyria means making a defense, spoken testimony is the essence of its meaning.

In witnessing situations, Satan loves it when we talk about the Bible, God, and church. As long as we don’t mention the name Jesus, he doesn’t care. We accomplish his work for him. 

Just say Jesus. Like the song says (I have no clue what its title is but I’m sure y’all may know it), “When you don’t know what to say, just say Jesus.” There is power in HIS name. Let’s make it a point to proclaim His name and His truth to all the nations.

I want us all collectively to pray for everyone who reads and writes this blog. Pray that we will be bold witnesses for Christ wherever we are. Let’s pray for all our brothers and sisters who are genuinely following Jesus. Pray. Pray. Pray.

Let's be the church that Christ intends for us to be.

Freedom comes in following Jesus.

“But HE was wounded for OUR transgressions; HE was crushed for OUR iniquities; upon HIM was the chastisement that brought US peace, and with HIS stripes WE are healed.” – Isaiah 53:5

Please sit back and meditate on the contrasts in that verse. That alone is a call to worship.

                         #AllAboutJESUS