Joy and Strength (Christian life and music)

Jesus was the most intelligent being to ever walk this earth.  Yet He never spoke using complicated words.  When He taught, He often spoke in parables, stories that His listeners could relate to and picture in their minds.  He knew that a picture was worth a thousand words and that these images would stick with them, easy to remember. Jesus wasn't "dumbing down" for His listeners.  He brilliantly realized that by giving them visuals, stories that included metaphors, that they could comprehend and retain more than if He spoke to them in more intellectual terms. Jesus also spoke plainly about His identity, what was to come, and about how we are now related to Him through His Holy Spirit.  (see John 14, Matthew 24, and Luke 21) God is omniscient, which means that He knows all.  Jesus is God.  Ergo, Jesus is omniscient.  His omniscience did not stop when He became human.  He could tap into that awesome power at any time as God's Son. I bring this up because I have noticed

David asked the Lord for one thing: that he may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life. Is that your one thing?   What do you desire above all else?  If you had to whittle it down to one thing, what would it be?  Honestly. We live in Distractionville all of us.  And it can ruin us if we let it.   It steals our ability to focus and concentrate for any length of time.  It causes anxiety and stress.   Do we know how to settle down and be still any more? Can we stop worshiping the Busy god and admit that it does not fulfill us as we want? Or maybe your god is keeping up with the latest "trends" and "posts."  This god, too, will fail us. What if, just saying, our one thing were the same as David's?  What if the thing we most valued and treasured were His Presence?  That is what dwelling in the house of the Lord means: intimacy with God.  Valuing His Presence more than anything. When we do this, Distractionville loses its appeal.  It is exposed for wh

Jesus walked on water. It really happened.  He is Lord over all science, "logic," nature, the whole kit and kaboodle.  He can do anything because He is God. Peter walked on water, too.   Now here's where it gets interesting!  Peter was a human being, just like you and me.  Peter was not God.  We are not God. Yet there he was!  Walking on the water toward Jesus!  How did he do it?  And the bigger question is, how do we do it?  Because if Peter was human and walked on water, and we are human - then we, too, can walk on water, right?   Was it a matter of faith?  Was it a matter of Jesus' calling on his life?   Peter was impulsive.  He seemed to act before he thought.  In this case, it served him well!  He wasn't thinking about anything other than running toward Jesus and that is how he walked on water!!! Where he goofed up is when he took his eyes off of Jesus, lost focus, and looked at the waves instead.   Now the waves were every bit as real as Jesus.  The waves ha

Where is my focus?  If it is on anyoe or anything else other than Jesus, I will get tripped up, distracted, even deceived.   So how do we keep our focus on Christ?  Mostly through prayer.  Talk to HIm and with Him throughout the day.  Trust Him to lead and guide us.  our work, and be sure to obey Him. He will perform His miracles, healings, and casting out of demons through us as we stay focused on Him, stay connected to Him.   As we give up control and allow  Him to take over our heart - mind, will, and emotions - He lives His life through us.  This is to be our core and how God does His work in this world - through our yielded selves! When we focus on the work, or on goals, instead, they can take over our hearts in place of Christ as gods to us. This always leads to stress and turmoil within because nothing else is meant to usurp Christ on the throne of our hearts. This takes surrender and trust.  We won't surrender to anyone or anything that we don't trust or believe in. Whe

Got problems?  Insurmountable, not-going-away problems? Is Jesus Lord of your life?  Then why is He allowing these problems to persist, you may wonder. "If only he would change, Lord, I would be so much better."  But would you?  Would I? Life might be "easier" if the problem people in our lives would just repent and get a clue!  But would we be better off, truly? I trust Jesus.  I've already been through the most hellish of experiences in life - some of the "top ten" you can go through - the kind that have the power to change you - and not for the better, if you let them. I am being purposely obtuse because I'm just not ready to divulge my private life with you all yet.  So bear with me and still hear me out! I am here to say that you can keep trusting Jesus no matter what He causes or allows in your life. The "if only's" of life are a waste of thought. But as I accept  what is happening in my life - even that which is not easily acce

Dearest one, your purpose is to know Me.  All other accomplishments are temporary. Those who accomplish much without knowing Me are not fulfilling their true purpose.   Don't forget that I do not "keep score" as the world does.  I look at one thing and one thing only.  Your heart. I know what and who is on the throne of your heart every minute of every day. And when worries, cares, projects, idols, people, etc., take My place on the throne of your heart, you are not in your truest purpose. When you allow Me to rule completely - over your mind, will, emotions - and live in your heart fully, that is when you are fulfilling My great purpose for you. Out of that comes real and lasting fruit. It may not evolve into temporarl fruit, but that is not your aim anyway. Eternity.  Eternal rewards.  Lasting treasures.  These are yours when you keep Me as your Center. Plus, you have My peace as a sign of My approval of you, My Presence in and around you giving you all you need. Most a

Perhaps you've heard it before.  "Rise above" your circumstances.  But what exactly does that mean and how do we do it? I believe it is both a mental and a spiritual feat.  We need to  think  differently about our situation or problem that seems insurmountable.  Are we focusing on the problem too much?  We will never rise above, if that is the case. But how do you  not  look at what is "in your face," so to speak? Some spiritual battles are fiercer than others.  Sometimes, the enemy comes in like a flood. When we feel like we're drowning in a sudden influx of "water," and we cry out to the Lord for help but we are still drowning, then what?   I use the drowning analogy perhaps because I just watched "The Perfect Storm" the other night.  I'd seen it years ago but watched it again.  A spiritual attack can be like the "perfect storm."  All forces come together and hit us at once, and we feel out of control.  We cry out to God,