Joy and Strength (Christian life and music)

The book of Nehemiah, as do all of the books of the Old Testament, points to the future Messiah, Jesus Christ.  The Levitical priests, the worship, the atoning for sins, the temple itself all point to what Jesus would do for us 400 years later. For the Jews, their temple was the place where God dwelt.  And He did.  He promised to be with them there.  He resided in Jerusalem and was their God. When Jesus arrived, He brought the New Covenant.  Now, thankfully, all were, and still are, welcome to receive and know God.  The way was now open for Gentiles to enter in the gates of thanksgiving and the courts of praise. Now, as miraculous as it is, God resides in the hearts of His followers.  Jesus left us the gift of the Holy Spirit to come and live inside of our hearts. Because of this, though Jerusalem and God's temple in Israel will always be God's territory, we now have the privilege of His Presence in our very souls, our hearts, too. If we stop and think about how holy and sacred

  The title song to my musical, "Knowing God."  Enjoy!

Is your purpose aligned with God’s purpose?  You cannot answer this until you know what His purpose is. We have all sorts of ideas about what our purpose in life should be.  We may think that simply setting goals and achieving them is our purpose.  We may think that caring for our families is our main purpose. We can have the highest and most noble goals in life possible and still miss God's purpose for our lives. The Lord makes it very clear to us what He desires for us.  He has not left us in the dark on this point. He has one overarching purpose for each Christian: to form the image of Christ in us. That is the bedrock of our purpose.  If we are not building on that, making that our main purpose and aim in life, it matters not what else we "accomplish." The world is never going to applaud our becoming more and more like Jesus.  The world is after its own set of goals, its reason for being, its purpose.  And the ways of the world should not be the ways of the Christian.

I have struggled a very long time with my experiences with some Christians.  I could not figure out how they could claim to know God, some of them for decades, and still have such hatred, bitterness, and anger in their hearts. I could not figure out how they could treat others so unkindly, with no real love or compassion; hold onto grudges and such. Maybe you have met those kinds of Christians and they have turned you off to God and Jesus. I am here to say that I get you.  I totally understand where you are coming from.  And I am not going to make excuses for those people who harmed you, harmed me. But I heard a message online today from some very Spirit-filled Christian ladies and a light bulb went off in my mind.   I figured out why some Christians are not loving like the Jesus they claim to know and love. They have not let Jesus love them. They have not let Jesus fully into the broken places of their hearts. They have not let Jesus minister to them at a deep level to cleanse them an

When Paul was Saul, he thought he was doing the Lord's work by killing Christians.  I know.  Doesn't seem possible, yet that's how it was. Job's friends thought they knew best when preaching at Job, yet they were thorns in his side at a time when he really needed some good friends.   So how do we know when we are truly doing God's will?  How do we know when we are working for Him and not the enemy?  Yes, I believe it is that black and white.   Jesus Himself said we are either for Him, or against Him. So all of you “grey area" thinkers, listen up!   There are two forces at work in and around us at all times. One is Almighty God (what most call "good" but they don't attach the Lord to it).  The other is Satan.  I really hate capitalizing his name, but that's how it is spelled.  When you are born again, you now have spiritual discernment.  Without the Holy Spirit, we can't really discern right from wrong, good from evil, to the extent that we

You will eventually despise and resent religion.  Why?  Because no one can keep the ten commandments fully. No one can keep manmade laws perfectly.  Religion places an impossibly heavy burden on you that you cannot carry, so of course you give up!   That is why you need to discern between religion and having a relationship with Christ.  Never the twain shall meet. It's kind of hard to wrap your brain around because Christ is intertwined with Christianity, a religion. But Christ came to set the captives free.  Now mind you, He still would have us obey the law but He knows that we cannot in and of ourselves; not the way that we need to. He knows that we could never earn our salvation.  He is our Redeemer. If your pride dictates that you still try to be a "good" person, and do the "best" you can, good luck.  You may pull it off to a degree, even win the compliments of people, but it just won't cut it on Judgment Day! We. All. Need.  A.  Savior.  Jesus is the on

  My devotional on Knowing God's Presence is available as an ebook on Amazon.  Download it today and be encouraged!  Keep it open on your Kindle or phone throughout your day and stay close to Jesus always! Download here:   https://a.co/d/2kcy6gl Thank you for supporting the ministry the Lord has given me! Love, Elizabeth

No one wants to come to Christ.  There is nothing in us that wants God.  There is no one born righteous, not even one.  We all like sheep have gone astray.  We are born in sin. There is one way and only one way people come to Christ:  He draws them.  He calls them.  He chooses them. We take zero credit for our salvation, for wanting God, for seeking God.  It is all God's doing. What about the "religious" people who faithfully worship at church, temple, mosque, or what have you, every week?  Oh that part is easy.  Anyone can set their alarm, wake up, and get themselves just about anywhere. Perhaps God is drawing them.  Or maybe they are "going to church" to win brownie points with God, curry His favor by their "good" behavior.  That won't fly. I don't make these things up!  It's all in the Bible, dear ones. You are reading this for a reason.  Perhaps God is drawing you now, by His Holy Spirit.  If you do not belong to Him yet, something is m

God is Omnipotent.  There is no higher or greater power than Jehovah God. When we are born again, He comes to live in our hearts via the Holy Spirit. We now possess all that He is!  We are not God - nowhere near.  That is for the New Ager's way of thinking. No.  Where once our spirits were dead, darkened, and lost, they are now made alive!  We now worship, love, and obey God only because His Spirit lives inside us.  Up until then, we may choose to be "good" people, and do the right things in life.  But there is a vast difference between a person living a "good" life in the flesh, and the born again Christian who allows the life of Christ in her to rule and live His life through her. There is a power to God's goodness.  His Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  All of these attributes live within us as born again believers in Christ. Our job now is to allow  the Holy Spirit full reign in ou

Jesus deserves our wholehearted devotion because He is Lord.   When we follow and obey Jesus wholeheartedly, we may stand out from the rest, seem odd, or even fanatical to some.  But to please man before we please God leads to disaster.  If we regard our reputation more than the Lord, we are not wholehearted toward Him.  God looks at our hearts.  We may lose some friends along the way, maybe even some family.  But God is worthy of our absolute devotion, wholeheartedly, no matter what the outer circumstances. There is always a cost to following Jesus wholeheartedly, whether it be giving up something or someone that we want.  Or it could mean the death of our idea of what our life "should" look like.  But I don't think our outer, short-term reality matters as much to Jesus as our hearts do. We may think we are giving up too much, at a loss, if we give Jesus our absolute all.  But what we gain is so much more valuable, and it is eternal. We gain the very attributes of Christ

We all need direction in life.  We want to know the future, our destination, where we are going. What better help could we ask for than an all-knowing compass in the Holy Spirit?  The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity and is equal to God and Jesus.  They are one and the same Being. So how are we led by the Holy Spirit?  We let Him!  To be a follower, we must be willing to be led.  It may seem a simple explanation, but unless we lay down our "rights" and also the belief that we know best, we cannot truly follow Christ via the Holy Spirit. The Spirit testifies to Truth.  Always.  He will never steer you wrong. But how do we know when it's the Holy Spirit leading us, and not someone else or even ourselves? Practice. As we listen to the Holy Spirit, at first it may be hit or miss.  And that's ok.  You hear among Christians all the time, "I thought God told me..."  I'm not sure why this happens.  To keep us humble?  To make sure we keep listening

Everyone wants to know why they were born, for what purpose.  Most see their purpose as a job to do, an assignment to complete, or a role to play.  But these are the outcome of a deeper purpose. We were made for God.  And if we are carrying out any sort of purpose, no matter how grand or "famous," which excludes Him, without knowing Him, it is of no import at all in the end. Our truest purpose is to know God.  He wants to be known by us!  Can He ever be fully known this side of eternity?  No.  But we can get to know Him as much as is possible for now until we see Him in all of His glory and splendor and majesty and power. Why is getting to know God so very crucial?  Because that is our purpose!  We find ouselves in His Presence.  We are found.  We finally know true peace, love, joy, and contentment because we know Him. And out of that connection, that seeking Him daily, flows His living water from us that will nourish those around us, in whatever sphere of influence He has de

You may have read in many sources (online, books, etc.) that your calling has to do with your gifts and talents.  Yes, the Lord can definitely sanctify and use our gifts and talents for His glory and purposes. But then why did God call the following people for the following tasks? Moses had a stutter, was a murderer, and was not very brave.  Yet God chose him as His mouthpiece and leader to His people.  He entrusted the Ten Commandments to Moses! Peter was ambitious, unreliable, and impetuous.  Jesus made Peter His rock on which He built His church. Isaiah was a man of unclean lips (he had a potty mouth).  God chose him to be His most important prophet to speak to Israel and foretell of Christ's identity as the Messiah! Noah struggled with getting drunk. God used him to literally save the world, and animal, population. Where in the world did we ever get the idea that God chooses "upstanding" citizens?!? It is just the opposite! God chooses the weak and foolish so that He

We overcome to teach others how to overcome. We are to share the ways that God has empowered us to overcome any or all of the following: bad attitudes fears obstacles haters doubts pain and suffering spiritual battles The list is endless! I don't believe there is one way - one catchall "help" for everyone.  I believe that the Lord's path for each of us is unique, and therefore the way in which He empowers us to overcome is unique to each of us.  He overcomes through us in the power of His Holy Spirit.  But how  we pray, how we worship, how we battle - each are unique to each of us. But all of us, at one point or another, have experienced one, more, or all of the things on this list.  Our problems are universal. How have you  overcome these problems?  That is what makes you you . Gideon fought his battle God's way - which made no sense in the natural - and won!  David only needed one small stone.  Joseph's battle took fourteen years or more to win, and he did s

Rules and regulations leave me cold.  They are there for our good, as boundaries to protect us.  But they are lifeless.  Jesus is alive.  God walked this earth.  Jesus conquered death once and for all by rising from the dead.  He never died and neither will we.  We will live forever in either heaven or hell.  This is God's design. We can know God here and now!  We don't have to wait until heaven! He has given us His Word, the Scriptures, wherein He reveals Himself to us.  He has blessed us with His Holy Spirit so that we may understand the Scriptures.   God wants us!   God wants an intimate, personal relationship with each and every one of us. We were born to be in relationship with Him.  This is our highest and truest purpose. We were born for relationships with people, yes.  But our ultimate relationship is with the Lord Jesus Christ. Why would anyone deify rules and regulations - get their identity or satisfaction in them - when we can have a living, vital relationship with

You may or may not know but I have been fighting a very hard battle on the home front.  If I let it, it would have the power to crush me - like a tidal wave. Not going into details, but suffice it to say that I feel absolutely powerless over this situation.  I have prayed, fasted, asked everyone I know to pray - and still, the waves keep coming. In the past, at times, I let it all get to me.  I caved.  I got discouraged.  I doubted God's love for me.  Yes, me. But you know what?  I'm here to tell you that my faith in God is actually being made stronger in the storm.   I still trust God. I still know that He loves me with an everlasting, deep, abiding love. I still know that in His perfect time, He will  calm the storm around me.  For now, He is training me to find the calm in the storm within  me. These are hard lessons, hard trials. But I know that I know that I know that the Lord knows exactly  what He doing in my life and in all the parameters of my life.  Ha, devil!  You lo

Being still and knowing God.  They are tied together.  How do I know?  Because of this Scripture:  "Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10 So if we quiet ourselves, actually sit still for a bit, we can get to know God. The verse does not say:  Be anxious and know that I am God Be worried and know that I am God Be busy and know that I am God Be reasoning and know that I am God No.   Be still  and know that I am God. Ahhhh.  I relax just writing these word. Is it hard for you to be still?  I get it.  Life happens.   But how much of our doing and busyness can we say no to?  Do we bring it on ourselves? Habits are formed over time.  We actually condition ourselves unknowingly when we repeatedly act a certain way a lot.  This includes busyness. There are those who cannot stand any silence in their lives.  Something is always blaring noise their way - the car radio, music, phone notifications, TV, streaming, talking, etc., etc. Why does silence frighten us?  What demons may

Suffering. That is the number one thing that makes me feel closest to Christ. Surprised?   We feel close to someone when we feel we can relate to him or her.  We understand someone better when we have experienced even a little of what he or she is going through.  We empathize with them. Jesus was a man of sorrows.  He was despised and rejected.  He came as the Savior to His chosen people, the Jews, but they rejected Him.  That hurts.  Deeply.  He was a threat to the political "powers" of His day.  He was wrongly accused of evil doing by the Pharisees and eventually was crucified because the people could not bear His goodness, power, and truth.  They preferred darkness over light. So when I have received but a taste of that same sort of rejection, I get a feel for what Jesus must have felt.  It's certainly no fun.  But it is precisely during those times that I feel a kinship with Him.  It is during those moments when His love, life, and light have more fullness in me.   He

That is how we travel our faith walk.  Two steps ahead, one back. No one's trajectory is full on straight ahead. Life happens. There are setbacks, tests, trials, apathy, and so on. The key is to not berate yourself over the one step back, like I do. Progression, not perfection, is what a family member once told me.  Was my quest for spiritual perfection that obvious?!  Can someone want to be like Jesus too much? The more we rest, the more we progress.  That is my new motto. Fruit doesn't force itself to grow.  It simply hangs on the branch.  The water, soil, sun, climate, and so on, take care of the rest.   So for all of my effort to do more, be more, and the like, I've decided to rest in Jesus instead. This is not passive.  Not one bit. It is wise. Hey!  How about that!  I have been praying for more wisdom lately.  There it is! Be still.   Another translation reads cease striving - trying, pushing, wanting, being impatient, wondering, reasoning, and all the other nonsense

What comes to mind when someone says, "She's really driven" about another?  Is it an admirable quality?  Or do you envision a greedy, ambitious, and unlikable sort? I don't see Jesus as driven.  Jesus was 100% submissive to His Father's will.   Submission.  There's a word you don't hear too often these days. Submission sounds like we're weak, like we have no backbone - like we're a milquetoast. But Jesus' power came through His connection and obedience to His Heavenly Father.  Obedience implies submission. Jesus' miracle-working power came through His divine connection to God. Could Jesus "take" His own power and use it?  I'm sure He could have done so.   But Jesus was all-wise.  Therefore, He knew from whom His truest and most mountain-moving power came - not from Himself, but from His Father. So Jesus was not driven, but led. Jesus was led by God into the wilderness where He was tempted by the devil for 40 days. A self-drive