Real living

“…He is the living God and the everlasting King…” Jeramiah 10:10

God isn’t someone from history, far away in Heaven, unreachable to those of us living today.  Heck NO!!  God is living; living inside of us, alongside of us, above and below us – everywhere we are, God is!  Yes, our God is everywhere all the time, in all seasons, in all areas of our lives.

Too many of us think God is unreachable, and because we think that, we live sullen, empty, depressed, and in darkness.  No, it is just the opposite, He is right within your reach waiting for you to take hold.  So, open your eyes, wake up your heart, listen with new ears – He is alive in everything, in everybody, and in every place. Therefore, with all this said, take God’s hand and let Him pull you out of the world, into His light; because, until you do, friends, then you will never know what real living truly is.

Outside actions vs. the inside heart

“…I did not speak to your fathers… concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices.  But this thing I did command them: Listen and obey My voice, and I will be your God and you will be My people; and walk in the whole way that I command you, that it may be well with you.”

Jeramiah 7:22-23

Whatever outward actions you are doing to try an impress God (and probably people), please STOP!  Honestly, you are wasting your time.  God judges by the heart, and whether or not you listen to His callings, as well as, do what He is telling you to do.  Yes, you may be able to fool people, but there is absolutely no way in the world you can fool Him.  Therefore, make sure you have a right heart for God; listen when He speaks to you, and boldly, very boldly, do what He asks you to do.  Then, my friend, it will be well with you, and you will undoubtedly know that He IS your very precious God.

Stop, look, listen, do!

“Thus says the Lord: Stand by the roads and look; and ask for the eternal paths, where the good, old way is; then walk in it, and you find rest for your souls… “ Jeramiah 6:16

When indecision, uncertainty, confusion, disarray, wrath, or darkness overwhelm your soul, then there are a few important steps to follow:

First, stop your mind, your actions, and your thoughts so you can stand strong knowing that God will come through for you regarding decisions that need to be made, answers that need to heard, and problems that need to be faced.

Second, begin to look for His signals, His hints, His signs – He will show you as long as you’re looking with eyes of faith.

Next, listen for His voice with all faith and lots of patience; He will answer you – He always does.

Finally, do what He tells you to do; kick the dust off your heels and walk the direction He tells you to go.  God always knows what He’s doing, so second-guessing Him isn’t an option.

Friends, take a break from the commotion, step back and let God take the wheel; not only will He turn you in the right direction, He will fill up your gas tank for the journey.

God is so good!

 

Our own faults and actions

“Your iniquities have turned these blessings away, and your sins have kept good [harvests] from you.” Jeramiah 5:25

Although there are bad things that happen to us that our completely out of our control, the majority of the bad in our lives are utterly, and completely, our own faults and actions.  And, as a result of our wrong actions, we’ve also become experts with excuses to make ourselves feel better; it can get pretty pathetic hearing people talk of their woes sometimes.

As God’s children, we need to stop with the excuses, stop with the wayward actions, get back on track and start doing what we know we should do.  If we will listen to God, and not ourselves and the world, then we will reap blessing upon blessing for our lives, and miracles will be ever evolving around us.  So, let’s make our lives the lives God wants us to live, let’s follow his every word and prompting!  Yes, there will be some things that seem to be harder than others, but I know – without a doubt – that the end result will be well worth the efforts. Take action now!  Make some changes, mend the wounds that you can, lift yourself up to God, and let Him bring you the amazing, and wonderful harvests that He bore you, His beautiful child, to have.

 

Stay on the right road

[Cease from your made running after idols, from which get nothing but bitter injury.] Keep your feet from being unshod and your throat from thirst..." Jeremiah 2:25

Living in turmoil, hurt, inferiority, frustration, guilt, worry, and condemnation prove one thing:
You are not listening to God; you are not following His promptings.  No, instead you are running after your fleshly plans, attitudes, ideas, and idols.  So, S.T.O.P - now! Give it all - yes, ALL-  to God to take care of.  He'll give you the correct way, the proper attitude, the right thinking, and a preeminent peace to handle any situation that comes your way.  

Friends, don't let the devil take you out of God's plan for your life.  Fight to stay on His narrow road, every moment of every day, and the victory and joy that are yours in Christ will be well worth the weight in gold.
 

The man whom the Lord regards.

“But this the man to whom I will look and have regard: he who is humble and of a broken or wounded spirit, and who trembles at My word and reveres my commandments.” Isaiah 66:2 AMP

Are you, (or have you ever been), humiliated, hurt, or wounded – physically and/or mentally? Have you cried out to God for help, for answers, for insight, for healing, for your life? Do you love God and His Word?  If so, then this verse is talking directly to you!  He sees you, He loves you, He is making a way for you, He is healing you, and He is carrying you every step of your life.  Yes, He loves you, and whatever your pain, whatever your fear, whatever your worry – He’s got it under control, and your victory will soon shine through for you to experience in the whole.

New heavens and a new earth

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth.  And the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.” Isaiah 65:17 AMP

Today is a new day! Today is a beautiful day! Today is a fresh new start! Therefore, shake off yesterday, look forward to tomorrow, but LIVE for today! How? Give this day to the Lord, and first thing every morning, from here on out, give them to God.  Yes, if you let Him live through you, your life will shine with a sense of newness, a sense of freedom, a sense of new opportunity, a sense of new meaning.

So, free yourself from the former, open yourself to the latter, and live for the present; it is yours, from God - you’ve been cleansed, all your former sins are washed away, never to be remembered again ~ Hallelujah

Praise God in all His glory.

Jesus came…

“To grant [consolation and joy] to those who mourn… to give them an ornament (a garland or diadem) of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment [expressive] of praise instead of a heavy, burdened, and failing spirit – that they may be called oaks of righteousness [lofty, strong…], the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”  Isaiah 61:3 (AMP)

Jesus came for you!  He died for you! He rose up to be an intercessor for YOU!  Yes, Jesus absolutely loves, loves, loves, and (did I mention?) loves you!!!  So, let Him heal you; give you beauty instead of ashes, joy instead of mourning, and praise instead of a failing and sullen spirit ~ LET HIM LOVE YOU!

My friends, Jesus is so good, and He wants to share His goodness with you.  So, surrender to Him today, and let a light begin to shine in your life that never-ever goes dark, never-ever fades, and always-always shines in the directions in which you should go.

Arise and Shine

“Arise [from the depression in which circumstances have kept you – rise to new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you… He has beautified and glorified you” Isaiah 60:1, 9

Oh, my friends! Today is a beautiful new day in Christ – a fresh, new day, and a fresh new you! So, wake up, put on the new you; throw out the old you, because God wants to do amazing, new things in your life! Yes, take the bold steps of faith and He will carry you the rest of the way.

Commit to no more depression, darkness, and pain – let it go, lift your arms to Heaven, receive Him into your heart, and let His light and glory overtake you in a way that goes beyond all comprehension! 

Away with evil, greed, and gossip!

"... If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry, satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like noonday.  The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs... you will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." Isaiah 58:9-11

WOW - These verses in Isaiah give us the secret to getting out, and staying out, of ruts in life. I'm in!! Are you?  I hope so!

So, let's put the steps in a nutshell, so that we can easily remember:
Rid ourselves of any and all evil within us - How? By forgiving ourselves and others and giving it, and/or them, to God;
Help the hungry, the needy, the lonely, the oppressed;
Finally, keep our mouths shut if any derogatory, or negative, or slander-type words are about to come out of it, which is, more or less, gossip, hate, dislike, slanderish, offensive, hurtful, or negative words. 

Yep, three simple steps - steps we should easily be able to do, to turn our lives around.  So, begin with me today to hold ourselves accountable to this, because if we truly want a blessed, amazing, abundant, fulfilling life, then these steps are a must, God's Word wouldn't say it if they weren't.
I know my life is never going to be the same!  How about you?  Are you ready? If so, then, grab hold, and let's do this together in Christ - we will not be disappointed.

Peace is always better

“There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked.” Isaiah 57:21

This verse substantiates, there is no peace for evil wrong-doings and evil wrong-doers; what an awful way to live – constant darkness and disarray.

Refuse to live in distress, darkness, pain, and sin; stay on the high road, do the right thing, live everyday for the Lord, and always remember to live by the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, goodness, humility, and self-control.  Yes, it will be hard at times, but in the end, it will be well worth it ~ guaranteed!!

Don’t waste your money

“Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread and not your earnings for that which does not satisfy? …come to Me; hear, and your soul will revive… seek, inquire for, and require the Lord while He may be found… for He will multiply to him His abundant pardon.”  Isaiah 55:2-3, 5-6 (+AMP version and a little of my own version)

So, why do we spend our money on things that do not satisfy our souls? This is a great question to start asking ourselves on a regular basis.

Take a look around, what have you spent your time and money on lately?  Are they things that really aren’t worth the money spent? Did it, and does it, truly satisfy you?  Probably not!  Most of our most wanted possessions often seem to lose their luster pretty quickly once we have them in hand. 

 

Therefore, let us take time to call on the One who truly satisfies our innermost souls and gives us the spark that ignites the life within us – Jesus, our Lord.  Yes, the more time we begin to spend with Him, the fuller our mind, body, and souls will be! Hey, and our bank accounts might be fuller too – hallelujah. 

 

So, choose to let God fill you with all His glory and soon you will find yourself filled with His abundance that never loses its luster and never, ever, comes to an end.

It is time to expand your horizons

“Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out, spare not; toughen your cords and strengthen your stakes.”  Isaiah 54:2 (+AMP version)

Expand your thinking, expand your vision, build yourself up in the Word, be filled with God-sized excitement, and get ready, because… 

“… you will spread abroad to the right hand and to the left; and your offspring will possess the nations…” 54:3 

YES, you and your family are about to come into victories beyond your wildest dreams and visions. There will be nothing, or no one, that can stand in your way! So, stand tall, believe big, hold on to God, and do not dare be afraid, because...

 

“...you shall not be ashamed… 

you shall be far off from even the thought of oppression or destruction… 

Whoever stirs up strife against you shall fall and surrender to you…

no weapon formed against you shall prosper… 

every tongue… against you… shall show to be wrong.” 54:17

By His stripes

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needed to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole.”  Isaiah 53:5 (+AMP version)

When we invite God to come into our hearts and forgive us our sins, then God – in all His glory – comes rushing in; we are immediately filled with His Spirit, filled with His healing power.  No, you may not have a physical, or supernatural feeling swoosh over you, but He is there, which means, you are being healed of all sickness, sin, regret, condemnation, and the like! It may not seem like it, but it is being done – you are being healed. Believe it and receive it, my friend, it’s yours free of charge.

Keep moving forward, and let Him heal you from inside out; the longer it takes, the more thoroughly healed you will be.  Remember, you are a child of God, which means, you are a victor, not a victim; therefore, live like the victor that you are, and let no sickness, disease, sin, or pain, ever hold you back from living life again!!