The Sweet Sixteen Words of Jesus

There may be no more powerful words recorded in the Bible than the sweet sixteen words Jesus spoke to Pilate during his trial before the people. Pilate thought he was the one in power, the one with the most authority in the outcome of Christ's case. However, Jesus informed Pilate how very limited his earthly power really was. 

Read the exchange between Pilate and Jesus with careful attention to the sweet sixteen words Jesus gave in response:

¹⁰ So Pilate said to Jesus, “Aren’t you going to answer me? Don’t you know that I have the authority to free you or to crucify you?”

¹¹ Jesus answered Pilate, “You wouldn’t have any authority over me if it hadn’t been given to you from above." (John 19:10-11a GWT)  

When the devil taunts us, acting as if he's the one with the power and authority over our lives, let's rebuke our adversary by echoing to him the same sweet sixteen words that Jesus spoke to Pilate -- sweet words for us, but bitter words for satan.

Grateful

Whatever Circumstance You Are Facing...

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil.
-- Matthew 4:1 (HCS)

If The Holy Spirit is the Source of your life, whatever circumstance you find yourself facing, you can rest in knowing that The Holy Spirit led you up to it and He will also lead you through it.
-- Dr. Stephen Manley (paraphrased)

Come, Holy Spirit, I Need You!
Grateful

You Gotta Serve Somebody

Sooner or later our wills must yield allegiance to some force greater than their own, either God or the devil.
-- Oswald Chambers

(14) "So honor the LORD and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped... Serve the LORD alone. (15) But if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served...? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD."
-- Joshua 24:14-15 (NLT)

Who we gonna serve? Bob Dylan wrote and sung "Gotta Serve Somebody." The raw lyrics are very convicting. Here is Nicole Nordeman's remake of that classic and soul-searching tune:
Click > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcUpYKpNpE4

The Lord’s Suffering Servant: (13) See, My Servant will prosper; He will be highly exalted. (14) Many were amazed when they saw Him—beaten and bloodied, so disfigured one would scarcely know He was a person. (15) And He will again startle many nations. Kings will stand speechless in His presence. For they will see what they had not previously been told about; they will understand what they had not heard about. -- Isaiah 52:13--15 (NLT)

Let us serve the Suffering Servant, King Jesus, The Nazarene.
Grateful

The Son's Light Destroys The Devil's Darkness

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. -- 1 John 3:8 (NLT)

John 8 and 1 John 3 tells us that Jesus is the Light of the World, Who came to destroy the devil's works of darkness! That's why God the Father sent His Son to Bethlehem -- to turn the Bright Light on so that the dark deceptions of the devil in our lives could be forever exposed and erased. INDEED, THE SON'S LIGHT DESTROYS THE DEVIL'S DARKNESS!

Heather Headley's sings "Light of the World -- Here I am to Worship":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVj1unWwlSk

ALL JOY TO YOUR WORLD!
Grateful

Who's Your Daddy? God or the Devil?

1 John 3:1-10 (NLT) is direct and powerful. Sounds like John is basically asking Who's Your Daddy? God or the devil?

(1) See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for He allows us to be called His children, and we really are! But the people who belong to this world don’t know God, so they don’t understand that we are His children. (2) Yes, dear friends, we are already God’s children, and we can’t even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns. But we do know that when He comes we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He really is. (3) And all who believe this will keep themselves pure, just as Christ is pure. (4) Those who sin are opposed to the law of God, for all sin opposes the law of God. (5) And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, for there is no sin in Him. (6) So if we continue to live in Him, we won’t sin either. But those who keep on sinning have never known him or understood who He is. (7) Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it is because they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. (8) But when people keep on sinning, it shows they belong to the Devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy these works of the Devil. (9) Those who have been born into God’s family do not sin, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they have been born of God. (10) So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the Devil. Anyone who does not obey God’s commands and does not love other Christians does not belong to God.

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

Last Laugh

Lord, when You have the last laugh over the devil and the powers of darkness, I want to be laughing with You. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

My God Canceled My "Train" Ticket! Ps.16:10

Yesterday, as I was reading through the Old Testament Psalms from The Message Paraphrase of the Holy Bible, these ten words from Psalm 16:10 passionately encouraged my soul. I'm guessing the same ten words will encourage your soul, too:

You canceled my ticket to Hell -- that's not my destination!

Country singer, Josh Turner sings a song titled "The Long Black Train." He tells about how the Devil drives that long black train leading eternal souls to Hell. As I saturate and celebrate in Psalm 16:10, I can hear these words of Josh Turner's song in my mind:

Look to the heavens. You can look to the skies.
You can find redemption staring back into your eyes.
There is protection and there's Peace the same...
Burnin' your ticket for that Long Black Train.

'Cause there's vict'ry in the Lord I say.
Yes, there's Vict'ry in the Lord.
So, cling to the Father and His holy name,
And don't go ridin' on that Long Black Train

Lord, I thank You for the reality of Psalm 16:10 in my life! You have canceled my ticket to Hell -- that's not my destination. Because You're taking me with You, Lord, in a whole new direction, the whistle for that long black train becomes more distant day-by-day in my life. How sweet it is!

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

P.S. You might not believe this, but as I post this blog entry I can hear a train rumbling down the track and I hear the whistle blowing. Just in case you're wondering, the train is going away from me, not coming for me. Yes, my Loving God has canceled my long-black-train ticket. :-)

Are You Possessed? If So, By Whom?

In John 13, though Jesus showed His disciples the full EXTENT of His Love by washing their feet (John 13:1 NLT) and instituting His Supper, one of the original twelve disciples of Christ, (Matthew 10:1-4), yes, the one known as Judas Iscariot, still chose Sin over Him (Jesus) when the Devil ENTICED him to betray the Lord (John 13:2 NLT). As a result, Satan ENTERED the deceived disciple (John 13:27 NLT). Yes, it's sad, but it's true; for thirty pieces of mere silver, Judas Isacriot sold His Dear Savior and forfeited his Holy inheritance.

The Holy inheritance that Jesus would die for shortly after the John 13 event is prayed for by Jesus Himself in the last seven words of His High Priestly prayer to the Father in John 17: ...that I Myself may be in them. It's what He wants and it's what we need -- to be Jesus-possessed, (not Satan-possessed). Yes, indeed, Christ in you (and me), the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27b)

Lord, let us be filled with You, not the Devil. We choose You, as our Savior and Lord, and we claim our inheritance of being filled with Your Holy Presence over mere silver and the dreadful thought of having Satan enter us. Make our lives Your dwelling place, Dearest Lord Jesus. Amen.

ALL JOY!
Grateful