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Spiritual Diaries ~ Page Ten

CIW ~ The Power Of the New Birth

CIW ~ Give Thanks

CIW ~ Breaking Out Of My Shell

Have you ever gotten the urge to drop whatever you are doing, and just fall to your knees to give thanks to God? Have you felt His presence, and wanted to raise your hands and shout praises to Jesus our Savior in the midstof an unbelieving crowd? How about in the congregation of the brethren? Have you followed in the blessed footsteps of King David, and danced before the Lord with all your might? This is the day that the Lord has made, I will REJOICE and BE GLAD IN IT! Our life is much too brief to waste in worrying and complaint. There's nothing satan likes better than a frowning face. We gotta turn that frown upside-down! We were created to give glory to God Almighty, so why hesitate? Some of us are too puffed up with pride, or are too embarrassed to raise our voices in prayer and worship. (You and God know who you are.) They just whisper, if anything, so they won't be heard. They are not pleasing the Lord. Matter of fact, it grieves the Holy Spirit when we keep it all bottled up. Praise is powerful! Praise is mighty living waters flowing from our innermost being to our God on high! He dwells in our praises. He answers our prayers powerfully, according to His will, and miracles happen. He searches for those who worship Him in spirit and in truth. God gave us a voice, so let's put it to the use He made it for. I remember a time before I was saved, I was curious to know Jesus. But I was terribly shy, and would only pray to Him in my mind, thinking, if I speak out loud, people are going to make fun of me, and besides, God can hear my thoughts anyway, so why not? Nope. We are to lift our hands heavenward, and lift our voice to the Throne of grace. God loves it when we do! Exalt His mighty Name! Proclaim His Word to all creation! Give thanks and praise to the One Who defeated the enemy at the cross! Give glory to the God in the flesh Who bled and died for you and me! Shout Glory Hallelujah! So what if people look at you funny? We are set apart for God anyhow, a peculiar people, so why not celebrate His presence and power in our life? Let them wonder! Maybe they'll want what we've got, praise the Lord! There isn't a day, even one moment, that goes by when the Lord Jesus doesn't crave our attention in prayer and worship. He is ever near to us, and oh how pleased He is when we glorify Him in word and deed! God is a jealous God, righteous and true, and worthy of all praise. I often recall this fact, and it drives me to my knees every time. We have much to be thankful for. When we stumble (and we are going to as long as we dwell in this sinful world), God in His love and mercy forgives us, if we repent. When we go out of our way to do something for someone in need, even though our flesh "doesn't feel like it", we shall be blessed beyond what we can ever ask or think. Every day, our minds are renewed and made in His likeness, if we allow Him to work through us. Then the powerful floodtide of joy surges in, heaven opens, and the smiling face of the Father shines down on us. Like a little child reaching out for his Daddy to pick him up, we may approach our Lord Jesus and lift our hands, and joy fills us to our uttermost being. The joy of the Lord is our strength. He is ever near to us. He loves us with an everlasting love. How can we hold back or remain aloof from the One Who saved us from death? How can we dare to keep back that mighty flood of praise from the One Who saved us from sin, and the wages of that sin? Next time you doubt, take a good hard look at the cross. See the precious, life-giving Blood He shed for us, without utterance of so much as a word of complaint or condemnation. He bore your sin, and my sin. He gave His life, so that YOU might have life eternal! Give God the Glory! Praise the Lord, Oh Praise ye the Lord of Hosts! Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving my soul! Rejoice and be glad. Shout praises to His Name! Don't be shy. He loves you so very much. Give Him His due. You will never be the same again. Thank You, Father God, for Your grace and love. Thank You for giving us a mouth and a voice to praise You. For You are holy, and You deserve to be praised. I exalt You, and lift You up, O eternal Father, King of my life. Pour out Your Holy Spirit on these dear ones, Lord God. Bless them with Your manifest presence every day of their life, dear Father. We love You so much, and we give You the glory, in Jesus' saving Name. Amen.

I realize I have not been writing these Diaries lately. I have been "breaking out of my shell", and actually going out and seeing with my own eyes the despair and wantonness of this difficult world. There is beauty on earth in the eyes of those who diligently seek it, yet our eyes must be opened first to God in Christ to discover that beauty. Needless to say, this sinful plane is heart-wrenching and yes, it makes me angry too, how people can be so blinded to the Truth. I have compiled a prayer list that lengthens itself every time my feet hit the street. I have names of people who I merely see out there, and the Spirit pricks my heart and tells me to pray for them. I have no idea who they are, or what their background is, but our Father God knows everything about each and every one, and that He desires no one to perish. And I am burdened each morning with groanings for these lost, pleading for their salvation and/or recommitment to Jesus Christ our saving Lord. I often don't have the words to pray, and much less in these Diaries that I have been writing and sending to you for these past three years. But I cannot apologize for the lack of e-mail. The Lord is leading me away from this machine in which I was born again into the world outside my comfort zone. There is just too much suffering, too many lost for us to waste time. The night approaches fast. The trump is about to sound, and Christ is coming back at any moment. Are you ready for His imminent return? Are you doing your part for the Lord Jesus today? I beg you. Give yourself to Him. Let Him see through your eyes, touch through your hands, and save through your actions and words. Do your part! For we know not when the Son of Man cometh. I pray for you all.

The purpose and power of the new birth. As believers, we have been given a new identity in the Lord Jesus. And there are many responsibilities we must uphold as children of the living God. (If you are not sure as to what these are, then go to God in prayer and ask Him. He will surely answer you.) What you did as a sinner no longer applies in this new life. You may have had a sordid past, or had done things you wouldn't even think of doing now as a Christian. I know I have. Everyone has, since we are all descended from Adam. We are all born physically into the world with a sin-nature. But the Good News, the Message that Jesus preached and has commanded us all to spread abroad is this: Believe on Jesus Christ, and be saved. Saved from what? One word. SIN. Three little letters, but oh, the consequences. When one doesn't believe in Jesus, and steadfastly remains unbelieving, that one is doomed to destruction. See, God didn't create us to live in sin. He didn't fashion us in His own image for us to be sick. He didn't bring us forth for us to worship idols. We weren't formed of the dust to return to the dust! Those things that came from the fall: death, disease, idolatry, lust, selfishness, greed, etc., anything not pure, and holy, and good, were never meant to be in our life. We were meant to walk with God. To fellowship with Him and be close to Him. We were created to LIVE FOREVER. Why would God create something that was perishable, and call it "good"? Death was not in the Garden of Eden. Only after Adam and Eve disobeyed God was there death, and sadness, and misery, and it was all because they were seperated from God. The Lord God created everything GOOD! Yes, even us humans! Adam walked with God in the cool of the day. Yet the New Testament writer says, "There is not one righteous, no, not one." That, my friend, is because of sin. But we believers have been born anew of the Holy Spirit. We have been given power from on high! Amen! Great power to proclaim JESUS CHRIST IS LORD, and lead more souls into the Kingdom of God, in Jesus' Name! Hallelujah, Praise the Lord! And God requires that we use this awesome power, that we may bring glory to Him. Now I don't have to remind you that the wages of sin is death. Surely by now you have heard that Jesus Christ can and will forgive your sins. The Gospel is being preached to every corner of the globe, even as I write this message. Praise God for it! But have you taken that leap of faith, and trusted Him on it? Have you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ? Today is the day of salvation, my dear friend. That's scriptural. (And anything mentioned in Scripture is indeed good, and true.) But if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you have one priority that must be first and foremost, in your thinking, in your lifestyle, and in your speech. SPREAD... THE...WORD. Do whatever it takes to spread the word. And God will help you. Guaranteed. So what have you done for Jesus today? Bend to the sinful flesh, or submit to the Holy Ghost? You choose. God ain't gonna twist your arm. Make the right decision. Choose Life! After all... Jesus did. For YOU. Oh Father, Lord of heaven and earth, how glad am I that You sent Your precious Son into this world. How grateful am I for His supreme sacrifice on that horrible cross at Calvary. Because I believed, He broke my chains and gave me new sight. He lifted me up, out of the muck and mire, and set my feet firmly on the Rock! Hallelujah! Thank You, my Lord, for loving us so much. You could have done anything you desired. You could have wiped us out, and given us up for lost. But Yours is mercy and love. Such patience, and such faithfulness! So you gave Your only begotten Son to take our punishment. What a marvelous and mighty thing He did! He redeemed us! He ransomed us! He rose up from the grave! And now, He sits at Your right hand, and awaits Your word to return to earth to bring His Church home. Lord Almighty God, thank You. Thank You for loving us so. May we live our lives in accordance to Your will, and may we still be alive when our Lord Jesus comes again. Thank You, Father. All glory and praise to Your Name, now and forever. In Jesus' mighty Name. Amen.

GOD'S PLAN OF SALVATION

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