Joy

I am getting ready to go through a transition in my life…one that could be (in the flesh) difficult and one that every Mommy dreads. In less than a week, I will return to work after a beautiful and blessed 13 week maternity leave. For you mommies out there who work, you know what this is like….going from being a stay at home mommy to a working mommy sends you going from 50mph to 120mph in just one day.  All the responsibilities you had as the stay at home mommy are still there but work is added on top.  And…all this happens as you walk out the door each day without your baby (and preschooler) that you have snuggled and kissed all day, everyday for 3 months.  It could be depressing, it could be stressful, it can flat out put you over the edge.

I am so blessed to have three healthy children so this is the third time that I have faced this transition.  I know how hard it can be and I have absolutely refused to let the negative emotions get me this time.  I have refused to let the worries or dread of the future block my blessings in the present. I am choosing JOY and this is how….

(1) I am living in a state of thankfulness.  During the last month, two friends of mine have been diagnosed with cancer.  Now, we know that Jesus has already provided their healing so they are not keeping that cancer.  However, I cannot imagine the battle in their minds as they hear a doctor fire that horrible news at them. As I have talked to these two friends and prayed with them and for them, they have both shared with me how worries and stresses that seemed big before seem like nothing now.  One friend even said, “I used to take a lot for granted but I see things differently now.”  Oh me! How true!  And what a great reminder to me at this time in my life that this transition that I’m facing is not something to stress about.  I am healthy, my kids are healthy, and I have a great support system to take care of my babies and my house while I work (and her name is Mammaw).  I must focus on these blessings and thank God for them constantly.  Seeing these precious friends suffering over something so serious (life or death) has made me realize I really have NOTHING to worry about but only to be thankful for….

(2) I am being obedient.  During this maternity leave, I have been focusing a lot of my study time and many conversations with the Holy Spirit on finding true joy.  We live in a world where everyone is searching for joy.  They fill their lives with worldly things that satisfy the flesh hoping that they will experience joy and true happiness.  We even use our children as our avenue to experience joy.  Don’t get me wrong….children do bring a joy that is hard to describe but they are still not the way to everlasting, never failing, always present joy. There’s only one way to find this joy and it’s in Jesus. 

Now, you might be thinking…you started this section by talking about obedience…..where is this headed?  This simple sentence brings it all together and has taught me so much…..joy is found in obedience.  And, this is why….

Take a minute to think about how our natural way of finding joy includes controlling everything…we plan our social gatherings, sports, daily schedules around all the things that we WANT to do….all the things that we think will make us happy and our children happy.  

The Holy Spirit has been showing me that this is not how we experience joy.  Instead of filling our hands up with all the things we want and then closing them tight so that no one (even God) will interfere with these plans or steal our joy, we should open up our palms and allow God to fill them with blessings in the way and timing that He desires. This is difficult and requires humbling ourselves and releasing CONTROL.

Matthew 5:5 says “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth.”  When you look up the original Greek word and meaning for “meek” you will find that it means a disposition of spirit in which we accept God’s dealings with us as good and do not resist.  Meekness is the opposite of self-assertiveness and self-interest. In the Greek, “blessed” means happy and to be envied and when you look up “earth” it means the main land (as opposed to the heavens). Inside this short scripture, we can learn that what makes us truly happy is putting aside our self-interest and allowing God to fill our lives with blessings as we follow Him....as we release our control to Him.  So….for me personally, I am already thankful that one of the worldly things that God has blessed me with is a good job that I enjoy and that allows for a lot of time with my children.  I will accept this blessing, humble myself, release control to God with my palms wide open and let Him continue to lavish me with His love as I work for Him each day at school. 

And…y’all it’s hard to go on from here because there is so much that the Holy Spirit has taught me about control….it’s probably another blog in itself…but before I move on….let me use a quote from a popular Christian song….in the song “Just Be Held,” the singer uses these words, “chained by control ?, there’s freedom in surrender.”  How true is this?  For so many years of my life, I kept myself from experiencing the blessings and even hindered my relationship with Jesus because I tried to control everything in my life instead of yoking up with Jesus and letting Him take control.  How foolish is this? How chained was I? No wonder I was tired in the flesh and in my Spirit all the time! I now see that I was trying to use the tiny bit of wisdom I thought I had to make decisions instead of letting the all powerful, all knowing, LOVING God with my best interests at heart lead me into all His purposes. Think about that….

Another scripture that the Holy Spirit has used to speak to me is John 14:21…but let me first begin with Galatians 5:22-23 which states, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”  Well, as you can see, JOY is one of the fruits of the Spirit.  I want JOY to manifest in my life no matter what the circumstances so I asked the Holy Spirit….teach me how to manifest these fruits of the Spirit in my life and he answered with this scripture….

In John 14:21 Jesus is speaking and He says this, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me, will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

Sometimes when we first read a scripture (especially one that we have heard before), we toss it aside and think, “Well, I’ve heard that in church for years” and then we don’t seek what the Holy Spirit is trying to really tell us.  Because I had asked the Holy Spirit a specific question, I knew there was so much more to this scripture that He wanted to teach me so I began looking up what the original Greek words meant and this is what I found…

“commandments” means “authoritative prescription”

“keepeth” means “to guard by keeping your eyes upon”

“loveth” means “to be a friend to, to have personal attachment”

“manifest” means “to exhibit in person or disclose by words”

So….when you piece all of this together in plain English this is what Jesus was saying….

If you keep your eyes upon Jesus’ commandments (through the Word of God, the Bible) and your ears upon His Spirit (always listening to the Holy Spirit), Jesus will lead you into a friendship and personal attachment to Him and out of this relationship and Jesus’ love for you, His fruits within you will manifest to you and others.  

My question was answered….if I want to constantly experience the fruits of God’s Spirit (peace, love, JOY….), I must spend time with Jesus in Spirit and in His Word and as I draw closer to Him and OBEY Him, the fruits will overflow from me. 

So…to sum it all up (sorry I got lengthy this morning)….joy comes through obedience when…..

You talk to the Holy Spirit and read God’s Word…..then….You hear, you do, you talk to the Holy Spirit about your next steps….you wait, you hear, you do, and before long you aren’t thinking about yourself, your worries, or even your next step because the Holy Spirit is guiding you. The obedience of following Jesus begins to bring forth the greatest love, joy, and peace that you could ever imagine.  His fruits (Jesus’ fruits – which simply means the characteristics of His personality) begin to manifest in all parts of your life and, as a result, joy is not based on circumstances of this world but, instead, found in the comfort of walking and talking with the Holy Spirit, the best friend you can ever have. 

On March 13^th, my circumstances in the natural will change and yes, naturally, I might shed some tears on that first day but, because my joy is not dependent on circumstances, but only dependent on His Spirit within me, my joy will remain.  I will have the privilege and blessing of carrying Jesus’ personality and power right back into my school where I can manifest and pass along His joy to others while all the time….listening to the Holy Spirit, hearing, doing, and then resting in that joy and peace that is beyond my understanding….on days where I may begin to miss the snuggles of my babies, the Holy Spirit will give me the biggest hug and snuggle that I could ever receive….because He’s always right on time!

Promise Keeper

Today is a special day for our family, it's the birthday of our sweet baby Kate.  And, that perfect, precious girl will always be a reminder of how God keeps His promises, how He creates perfection, and how He covers and protects those who rely on His Word.

As I sat down in the rocking chair in the room where I have rocked Kate since the day I brought her home from the hospital, I was overwhelmed with thankfulness.  I began to think about the love of our heavenly Father and His precious Son, Jesus.  Any good earthly father desires to lavish their love upon their children and one way they do this is by always keeping their promises, doing exactly what they have said they will do. Our heavenly Father is the same way - He desires for us to listen to Him, to get to know His promises, rely on His Words, and then watch Him finish His plan with perfection.

This morning, I thank my heavenly Father for the promise of baby Kate.  Early in the pregnancy, the enemy made an attempt to steal our peace through negative reports from the doctor.  Then, on the day she was born, our baby Kate was born in a way that could have been risky to her survival.  BUT....neither one of these threats from the enemy harmed our baby girl.  Why? Because we (her parents) and her Jesus trusting family and close friends, used our authority (through the name of Jesus) to send the enemy running. God told us Kate would be perfect and we trusted in that Word all the way through.  Since that October 21st, 2013 day, I have NEVER doubted God's Word and what He will do when we trust in Him.

So...this morning I also thank God for the perfection of baby Hannah.  As I still sit in my ever so loved and used rocking chair, I look forward to the quickly approaching day where I get to look into baby Hannah's precious eyes and touch her tiny body parts that I know God is completing right now.  This baby girl had God's Word spoken about her BEFORE we knew she was in my womb. Landis received a timely phone call from a precious friend of ours just minutes before we took a positive pregnancy test. This friend of his knew we were expecting a third baby even before we knew it.  As we confirmed to him that, yes, our pregnancy test was positive, this friend began to tell us all about the promises God had for this baby girl. He told us about the joyful person she would be, how she would be bold for Jesus among a generation who would toss out "religion" and would instead KNOW Jesus.  This friend went on to claim that my pregnancy would be complication free and joyful.

Well, I sit here confirming that this friend was exactly right.  I cannot believe how smooth this pregnancy has gone. I have a little over 7 weeks left and I feel great! The doctor's say "I'm elderly" in pregnancy years but I don't feel any older than I did when I was pregnant with Luke. Thank you Jesus for upholding this body!!! I look forward to the December day that God fulfills the other part of His promise and delivers us with a sweet and perfect JOYFUL baby Hannah.

Luke and I are reading through Genesis together each night and every time we read, Luke and I talk about how time after time in that first book of the Bible, God spoke and what He spoke happened.  It is such a blessing to then be able to show Luke how God STILL works this way today by reminding Luke of all the promises God has spoken in our lives and then fulfilled.

Friends....God loves you and He has promises for you that He will fulfill as you trust Him!  Have a blessed and beautiful October 21st!

Toddy

The Power of THE Word

As many of you know, around 17 weeks pregnant with our baby Kate, I received a phone call that my genetic screening had returned abnormal and showed an increased risk for our baby to have Down's syndrome.  Landis and I were called to the doctor for an ultrasound where we saw a beautiful film of our perfect baby girl. We trusted God for her perfection throughout the rest of the pregnancy and now today, she's just that - perfect!

Well, here in pregnancy #3, I once again received the same phone call that my genetic testing had come back abnormal for a different (worse) genetic disease. This time, I didn't even cry after hanging up the phone but instead became angry - not at God - He's never the bearer of bad news - but at the Devil. I thought to myself, "Why would the enemy attack with lies AGAIN when he knows he has been defeated already?"

I began to talk to the Lord about this second attack. This time, I knew what God's Will was for this baby. I knew she would be whole and perfect and that God would reveal that to us at the ultrasound.  So my talks with the Lord wasn't about begging or pleading with Him to make this baby perfect. He was already working on that because that's His nature - that's His Will.  I wanted God to strengthen me in whatever way He wanted during this battle. A battle that would ultimately take place in my mind.

And....that's where I think the Lord is taking me with this blog because that's where He began to show me some things. During those 5 days between hearing the negative words from the doctor and yesterday when God's Word was proven true, I had to rely on the Spirit of God for peace but more than anything, I had to hear God's Word (His Truths laid out in the Bible for us) louder than any seeds the doctor planted in my mind.

In this mind battle is where so many people (even Christians) get deceived and let their guard down.

Here's an example of what I mean....because Landis and I had been through this negative "screening" process before, we knew that even after a perfect ultrasound that the doctors would offer us other forms of testing to "prove" that the baby was okay or to find the problem areas.  This time, we knew we would be offered an appointment to Wake Forest for "genetic counseling" and a "high risk ultrasound."  We knew BEFORE we entered the doors of the doctor's office yesterday, BEFORE we saw the ultrasound, that we would deny this extra testing and this is why....

There is NO TRUTH outside of God's Word - NONE.  The first screening was a lie from the Devil so we were not going to give the Devil anymore chances to plant negative seeds (contrary to God's Word) through these extra tests and appointments.  God says in His Word that His Will is a perfect, healthy baby - every time! Does the enemy attack babies in utero? YES! He will steal, kill, and destroy any chance he can get.  But, in this body of mine, the Devil has no authority because Jesus reigns inside of me.  I will not release ANY authority to this horrible enemy but instead trust (with a pure, confident, non-wavering heart) in Jesus to shelter this baby, make her perfect, designed for His purpose in this world.

Tests, news, reports from doctors are often times in direct conflict with what I just shared.  When you hear news from the doctor, it is often negative and speaks a "sentence" over you.  Often times more information is needed and more tests are run and it's a sad process that beats us up in our minds if we let it.  I'm writing this blog today to encourage all of you to get God's Word in your hearts so strong, so loud that anytime in your life that you face a doctor's report, that you will hear God's report louder.  You will know what God's Will is and you will take authority in Jesus and claim your heavenly Father's will over anything a doctor tells you. That takes faith - and I know it's hard.

In my situation, many parents would opt for more testing. They would want to know every detail about this baby inside of them and they may or may not receive more bad news. Some people would say, "But, doesn't it drive you crazy that you could know all this other information and be 100% sure that everything is okay. What would a few more tests - just to make sure - hurt?"  Well, that's where the faith walk comes in.  Yes, sometimes saying NO to all this "information" could be hard because the information would give you facts right then (whether good or bad) - faith requires that you EXPECT what you cannot yet see. You trust in God for the finished product BEFORE you have evidence of that finished work. Faith isn't easy but it ALWAYS results in a blessing.  Psalm 22:4-5 says, "In You our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them.  To You they cried and were rescued; in You they trusted and were not put to shame."

This verse reminds us that when we put all our trust and faith in God, He WILL RESCUE US!  The scriptures do not teach us to put half our trust in God, while also seeking every worldly confirmation that we can - it says to cry to your heavenly Father and trust Him.

Trusting in God, the authority of Jesus that we have been given, and through the power of the LIVING Word of God is the ONLY way to defeat the enemy both in battles in our mind and in our physical bodies.

How do I know this?  Because I've seen the Word of God come to life over and over in my life, especially since I've had children.  The Word of God and the authority through Jesus in me has now saved all three of my children.  Luke was cured of allergies through the Holy Spirit and Word of God. Kate fought negative doctor's reports during my pregnancy and was born in a position that normally injures babies - she was born perfect without one bruise. And, now, this third baby received a terrible report at 18 weeks but has already proven to be perfect.  These attacks did not come from my Father in heaven, but from the enemy; however, my GOOD, GOOD Father rescued us EVERY time! All because we trusted in Him....and Him alone....

As I was asking God to strengthen me even more in His Word over the last few days, I heard this question in my Spirit, "Why did I leave you with the Word of God?"  I told the Lord, "That seems like such a simple question. You left us your Word so we would know your Will and your Ways."  And God whispered again, "Because my Word has POWER. It's a living Word."  Yes, yes, yes!!!  I began to get excited and knew I had a research mission. I love it when the Holy Spirit gives me "homework" that will grow my roots and foundational beliefs deeper. I began to research in the Bible all the scriptures that tell us that God's Word is living and has power and this is what I found....

Hebrews 4:12 - "For the Word that God speaks is ALIVE and FULL OF POWER, it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow (of the deepest parts of our nature), exposing and analyzing the very thoughts and purposes of our heart."

Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4 - these scriptures teach us about how Jesus defeated the temptations of the Devil. He defeated him by telling the Devil what the scriptures said.  I encourage you to read these scriptures on your own.  Jesus is our example of how to use authority to defeat the enemy. If He used the Word of God as His weapon, so should we.

Jeremiah 23:28-29 - "The prophet who has a dream, let him tell his dream; but he who has My Word, let him speak My Word faithfully.  What has straw in common with wheat (for nourishment) says the Lord?  Is not My Word like fire that consumes all that cannot endure the test? says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks in pieces the rock (of most stubborn resistance)?

Hebrews 6:5 - "And have felt how good (beautiful, excellent, useful, comforting) the Word of God is and the mighty powers (for performing miracles) of the age and world to come."

1 Peter 1:23-25 - "You have been born again, not from a mortal origin (sperm, seed) but from one that is immortal by the ever LIVING and LASTING Word of God.  For all flesh (mankind) is like grass, and all its glory (honor) like the flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower drops off.  But the Word of the Lord (divine instruction, the Gospel) endures forever. And this Word is the good news which was preached to you."

1 Thessalonians 2:13 - "We also thank God continually for this, that when you received the message of God (which you heard) from us, you welcomed it not as the word of mere men, but as it truly is, the Word of God, which is effectually (able to produce) at work in you who believe (exercising its supernatural POWER in those who adhere to and trust in and RELY on it."  This is one of my favorites - the Word of God always has power but we have to RELY on it to see that power manifest and produce.

I share these scriptures with you for this reason...the next time you hear a doctor give you negative news.  Just remember - those words are DEAD as soon as they are spoken then replace those words with ANY of the LIVING, POWERFUL Words from the divine book of scriptures - the Holy Bible.  I challenge you to memorize verses that speak to you personally so those living Words can rise up in you at times when your Bible is not physically with you.  The Holy Spirit is smart, very smart - when you make deposits of the Word into your Spirit, He will bring them to your remembrance in the perfect timing that you need them. I'm a witness!

And...one last thing that God showed me over the last joyful week...one night at bedtime I was reading Kate the scriptures about Jesus and Peter walking on water.  Kate always enjoys the scriptures but on this particular night, God was speaking to me.  This awesome testimony of Jesus' power can be found in Matthew 14:22-33.  When Peter first starts walking on the water toward Jesus, his faith is strong. While his eyes are focused on Jesus, he is able to maintain that miraculous walk on the water.  Then, in verse 30, it says, "When he (Peter) perceived and felt the strong wind, he was frightened, and as he began to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me!"  When Peter took his eyes off Jesus and allowed the circumstances to affect him, he began to sink.  As I read this I knew what God was telling me.  If I allowed more tests on this precious baby, I was allowing the winds and waves to be felt and my faith would be weakened. God told me loud and clear - keep your eyes on Jesus and this miraculous walk to a whole, perfect baby will be complete!  Oh, thank you Lord! I love it when that Word jumps out at me and speaks right to my heart - it's ALIVE, for sure!

When you continue to read these scriptures in Matthew, verse 32 says, "And when Peter and Jesus got into the boat, the wind ceased."  The presence of Jesus brought calm, brought peace to the raging storm around them.  Yesterday after the ultrasound, we sat down with the doctor. As we expected, she explained our testing options, all the negative things that could still be possible, and then asked us what we planned on doing next.  We very calmly explained to her that we would do nothing else but wait on the Lord to complete His Work in me and the baby.  The doctor looked at me and Landis and said, "You all are so calm. I dreaded this conversation all day but you all have made it easy. Some patients get very emotional and even angry but you had your minds made up already."  Landis and I looked at each other, smiled, and said, "It's the joy of the Lord and when we have God's Word, we can be at peace." We told her that God had created perfection in baby Kate and we trusted that He would do it again with this baby girl.

As I drove home yesterday, I thought about how different the thinking that Landis and I have is compared to the world's thinking. As we sat in that doctor's office, we were walking in the Spirit, not allowing the flesh or emotions to take over. When the doctor was telling us about all the different reactions people have when they hear that negative news, I felt sorry for them because I know that they, too, need the Word of God to comfort them, give them peace, and help them overcome the Devil's lies. Friends, turn to the Word daily - read the Bible, study the scriptures, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal them to you personally. You see God knows what tomorrow holds for you and He will share the perfect scriptures with you at the perfect time if you just get still (shut out the world's noise), listen, and learn from your Creator. Why? Because there's POWER in everything He says....

Love you all,
Toddy

Awakening

Praise Jesus for Easter Sunday!  Oh, what a joyous day it is.  This year in our house we have made some major changes to our past "Easter" celebrations, and, as a result, the Gospel of Jesus and the power of Jesus' resurrection has been revealed to me (and then passed on to my children) in a different way than ever before. 

First of all, let me explain some God spoken changes that we made this year...as a family, we participated in NO easter egg hunts, did not purchase Easter gifts or baskets, and, of course, made sure that our children knew the truth about the Easter bunny. (For a side note, if you don't know the truth about the Easter bunny, you should google it's origin and you will find very disturbing information about how he first represented a pagan celebration of the goddess of dawn.  For this reason and many more, our family will have no part of celebrations of little "g" gods...we know the one and only living, powerful capital "G" God and He's all we need.)  

We read the Word of God in our house often but this year we made sure to read the scriptures from the Bible (Luke - Chapter 23) that describe Jesus' crucifixion.  We also included Ephesians 4:8-9 which tells us what Jesus was doing during the time that His flesh was still in the tomb.  Then, this morning, Kate and I took a sunrise walk.  We played our Jesus songs and watched the sunrise over our neighborhood as we worshiped Jesus - the reason for our celebration on this day.  I look forward to also reading Luke Chapter 24 (the scriptures that tell us about Jesus' resurrection) when Luke wakes up this morning.

Through these changes of focusing on Jesus alone (and trying our best to shut out the world's eggs and bunnies), Jesus revealed this very simple revelation to me (and with the children)....

Did you know that on that first Easter day your identity changed?  Luke 24:36 says this, "Now while they were talking about this (the witnessing of seeing Jesus' alive on the road to Emmaus), Jesus Himself took His stand among them and said to them, 'Peace (freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as the result of sin) be to you!'"

Did you catch that?  Jesus Himself was reminding the disciples and other witnesses that they no longer had to identify with sin and the bondage/stress/guilt that comes with it. Jesus reminded them to identify with peace. On that day (on this day), Jesus' resurrection had defeated sin and replaced it with peace.  And...also on that day (on this day), Jesus' resurrection had defeated death and replaced it with eternal life.  So, praise Jesus - from that day forward, we no longer have to identify with sin, with guilt, with stress, with worry, with doubt - but we only identify with peace, with eternal life, and with the love and thankfulness of what Jesus has done for us.  

On that day of Jesus' resurrection, we became a son/daughter of God.  Our pathway - communication - relationship - with God, the Father, was restored.  All of the blessings of Heaven and the good treasures that God wants to give us became available.  The Kingdom of Heaven had come! And, of course, it's still here.  The Kingdom of Heaven is right here, right now - when we turn our sin over to Jesus and accept Him as our personal savior. 

Today, in churches all over the world, the Gospel of Jesus will be taught.  Today, many people who usually don't go to church will find a church and enter the doors.  I talked to God this morning and prayed that the Holy Spirit would go forth and bring people to Jesus today.  Romans 1:16 says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek."  

Oh, friends, if you don't know Jesus as your personal savior today, call out to Him. Or, if you know Jesus and you are trusting Him as your savior from sins but you are still identifying with guilt from your past or you are struggling to overcome the temptations of this world, call out to Jesus today. Ask Jesus to reveal His identity to you.  Remember, Romans 8:10 says, "If Christ is IN you, the body is dead because of sin, yet the Spirit is alive because of righteousness."  Jesus has made you righteous in God's eyes (as soon as you accept Him). God doesn't see your dirty past but only your clean Spirit (that is one with Jesus).  So, now, ask God to help you begin to see yourself as He does - pure, clean, righteous. Tell yourself that you are a son/daughter of our loving heavenly Father.  Tell the enemy that those guilty "feelings" and reminders of your past are a LIE.  Don't let your mind identify with those dead things. You are NEW in Jesus and today is the day that represents that first Easter day that changed our identify forever. Oh, thank you Jesus!

This morning, as Kate and I watched the sun rise, we heard the song by Chris Tomlin called, "Awakening."  Some of the words said this..."Like the rising sun that shines from the darkness comes a light, I hear Your voice and this is my awakening."  

Just as the sun rises and overtakes the darkness, Jesus' power in you will overtake sin, stress, worry, and doubt as you let Him.  There is no darkness too powerful for Jesus. God proved that when He raised His Son from the dead...and, now this same power is IN us...Ephesians 1:19-20 says, "His incomparably great power for us who believe, that power is the same as the mighty strength He exerted when He raised Jesus from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms." 

With God's power in us, we can overcome all evil things in this simple way - identify with Jesus.  

Happy, happy Easter! Happy, happy resurrection day!!! Happy, happy identity changing day!!! Let the awakening (and revelation of our new identify) overwhelm us today and everyday!

Love,
Toddy

New Life

For the last few days, my morning drive to work has slowly become more colorful. With every new touch of color that I see, I smile and feel such a warmth in my Spirit as I think about the new life that spring brings.  Even as I sit here right now (thinking about the pretty purple flowers that began to bloom in my own yard yesterday afternoon), my heart is full of what spring means to me and I pray that the Holy Spirit help me put it into words that will grow your heart as well. 

Maybe the best place to start is winter....think about what happens in winter....the old leaves, the old blooms - they die.  The leaves fall to the ground and then we have to pick them up and get rid of them - our goal is to take these leaves away where we never have to worry about them again. Did you know that is exactly what Jesus did to our sins?  

Jesus bore our sin in His body on the cross. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him (Jesus) we might become the righteousness of God." Jesus had no sin. His flesh and His Spirit remained pure.  But, God still designed it that Jesus would be beaten and crucified on the cross for our sins. Because of Jesus (and when we identify with Him), we become righteous in the eyes of God. Oh, how God has loved us all along - to put such a perfect plan in place! 

When we are sinners (not born again/haven’t received salvation), we identify with Adam.  We see ourselves as flesh (which is corruptible seed).  We identify with sin and sickness BUT after we are born again and receive Jesus, we identify with Jesus.  Romans 8:10 says "If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

When we are born AGAIN, we are born of Jesus.  Our first birth is a natural one – we are born of the flesh (the likeness of Adam was reproduced).  Our second birth is a spiritual one – we are born of the Spirit (the likeness and power of Jesus was reproduced).  When you are baptized, you go under the water as FLESH, you come out of the water as SPIRIT.  Your identity changes. 

John 3:1-7 says, "Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, 'Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher, for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.' Nicodemus said to Him, 'How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?' Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." 

With Jesus IN us, we see ourselves as Spirit – no longer ruled by the flesh. When we receive Jesus, the flesh dies…it loses its power – the power of the Spirit of Jesus inside of us takes over.  We no longer have to worry about dying (our flesh perishing) because we don’t even identify with that part anymore – we identify with our Spirit – which is eternal.  And…because we identify with the Spirit of Jesus, we know that we are WHOLE. Jesus isn’t sick – He isn’t carrying around feelings of guilt – dread, fear.  Jesus is ALIVE, He’s WHOLE, He’s at peace, and He has authority over all fear through His Power. When we identify with the Spirit of Jesus, we KNOW we have all these things as well and this is where our confidence comes from.  

So....let's get back to those trees and dead leaves.  Remember, that after the leaves die and fall to the ground, our goal is to get rid of them.  We don't want those DEAD leaves cluttering our lawns and gutters.  Just like the leaves, Jesus got rid of our sins.  During the three days between Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection, Jesus was in a place that we will never have to go - the lower parts of the Earth. What did Jesus accomplish there?  He took our sins far, far away and left them in the darkness - never to be returned to us.  Ephesians 4:8-10 says, "When He (Jesus) ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men.  Now, this expression, He ASCENDED what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the Earth?"  These scriptures teach us that Jesus freed those men of God from the Old Testament (Abraham, Noah, Jacob and many more). These men had righteousness "on credit" and after Jesus' death on the cross, He freed them from the lower parts of the Earth (those were the captives referenced in these scriptures) AND Jesus left our sins there - in the lower parts of earth - as far as the east is from the west.  

So...when you have those days, when the enemy wants to remind you of the sins of your past. Please think about those leaves of fall that you raked up and threw away. That's exactly what Jesus did for your sins (if you have faith in what He accomplished). He took your sins away - FOREVER and does not want you to be reminded of them anymore. Thank you, Jesus!  

Now...back to those seasons.... :) 

Just like it takes some time for the dead of winter to change to the life of spring - it also takes some time for us to bloom and produce evidence of Jesus in us. After we are born again, we begin to put the Word of God in us, to ask Jesus to baptize us with the Holy Spirit, to pray in the Holy Spirit, to spend time with Jesus daily and as a result, our blooms (our characteristics of Jesus become evident) and in a beautiful way.   

As we "bloom" in Jesus, it’s so very important to build our confidence by understanding WHO we are IN God…we are not Adam…we are Jesus.  We are not flesh, we are SPIRIT. We are not sick, we are WHOLE. We are not guilty, we are FORGIVEN. We are not slaves, we are SONS/DAUGHTERS. All because of…..Jesus! 

NOW, when I see the colors of spring - all the different types of blooms and new life around me....I begin to think about all the fruits of Jesus' Spirit that I now identify with. 

The leaves of.... guilt, sickness, fear, sinner, slave, anger, bondage, selfish, doubt, powerless, perish ...have died....and now the beautiful, fragrant, colorful blooms of spring....forgiveness, whole, peace, righteous, daughter/son, patience, love, freedom, selfLESS, powerFUL, confidence, eternal....are my new identity. 

So, as I often do, I challenge you....during this beautiful season that I know that God designed for such reasons as He has shown me, I challenge you to see Jesus in the new life of Spring. I challenge you to identify with Him.  And....here's a hard one (especially for my generation), instead of talking to your kids about the Easter bunny and egg hunts....tell them about the new life that spring represents.  Read God's Word about the new life they have when they accept Jesus as their savior.  Tell them how Jesus took their place on that cross and how He took their sins away forever - permanently.  Easter is NOT about bunnies, eggs, and candy - but it's about the hope that we have in our only way to God the Father - through His precious Son, Jesus.  Oh, thank you, Jesus, for my new life. I identify with you!  

Part II of another celebration (and glory to God) that spring always brings for our family coming soon! :) Stay tuned...