"Stop Judging"

We spend an enormous amount of energy making up our minds about other people.  Not a day goes by without somebody doing or saying something that evokes in us the need to form an opinion about him or her.   We hear a lot, see a lot, and know a lot.  The feeling that we have to sort it all out in our minds and make judgments about it can be quite oppressive. -- Henri Nouwen

Let's remember the words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 7:1 -- "Stop judging so that you will not be judged."

Once we are free from judging, we will be also free for mercy. 

Grateful

What It Really Means To Worship The Lord

(6)I'll tell you what it really means to worship the LORD. Remove the chains of prisoners who are chained unjustly. Free those who are abused! (7) Share your food with everyone who is hungry; share your home with the poor and homeless. Give clothes to those in need; don't turn away your relatives. (8) Then your light will shine like the dawning sun, and you will quickly be healed. Your honesty will protect you as you advance, and the glory of the LORD will defend you from behind. (9) When you beg the LORD for help, He will answer, "Here I am!"
-- Isaiah 58:6-9 (CEV)

Holiness Unto The LORD!
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"I Will Free You!" -- God

(6) “Therefore, say to the people of Israel: ‘I am the Lord. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment. (7) I will claim you as My own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God Who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt. (8) I will bring you into the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as your very own possession. I am the Lord!’”
-- Exodus 6:6-8 (NLT)

Freedom from "Egypt's slavery" equals freedom from "Sin's rule".
Grateful

There's Power in the Blood

I awoke this morning with a verse of Scripture on my mind, Galatians 2:20, and an old hymn of the church in my heart, There's Power in the Blood.

Galatians 2:20 is a foundational verse for my life:
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (NIV)

The words and music of the hymn in my heart were written by Lewis E. Jones in 1899. He wrote There's Power in the Blood at a camp meet­ing at Mount­ain Lake Park, Maryland:

Would you be free from the burden of sin?
There’s power in the blood, power in the blood;
Would you o’er evil a victory win?
There’s wonderful power in the blood.

Refrain
There is power, power, wonder working power
In the blood of the Lamb;
There is power, power, wonder working power
In the precious blood of the Lamb.

Would you be free from your passion and pride?
There’s power in the blood, power in the blood;
Come for a cleansing to Calvary’s tide;
There’s wonderful power in the blood.

Refrain

Would you be whiter, much whiter than snow?
There’s power in the blood, power in the blood;
Sin stains are lost in its life giving flow.
There’s wonderful power in the blood.

Refrain

Would you do service for Jesus your King?
There’s power in the blood, power in the blood;
Would you live daily His praises to sing?
There’s wonderful power in the blood.

Refrain

Crucified with You, My Christ, I find Power in Your Blood, my One and Only Source for Life Everlasting. Amen!
Grateful

Healing in His Wings! Leaping With Joy!

Malachi 4:2 (NLT) -- But for you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
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Revival Season: Free From the Devil's Lies

Revival is in Season within our local church and tonight we plan to be re-released on and in this world our Lord's died to save, sharing the Good News of His Resurrection like never before.

This morning this e-mail arrived in my e-box from one of my sisters in the Lord. It's her inspiring testimony as a result of God's healing in her heart during this Sacred Season.

Good Morning, Pastor Kerry:

God is so good! His hand of mercy and forgiveness extends beyond what we think we need forgiveness for and takes us a step further into His loving arms. I feel so totally cleansed and renewed this morning as I was able to kneel at the altar last night and it was like rising up out of the River Jordan with a clean heart. Praise God! There's a soul-cleansing revival ready to take place for the willing heart on a bended knee. I am free, totally free at last. Free from my painful past that was not my fault. Free from my failures. Free from the devil's lies.

As a child spending many years at church camp, one of my favorite campfire songs was "They'll know we are Christians by our Love" because that was one that I could play easily on my guitar for the group. Last night the words of that song opened up in my heart in new ways for me and I will never be able to "just sing it" ever again. We are so totally BLESSED to have such a family of believers in our church, and what an blessing it is to be part of that congregation.

WE ARE ONE IN THE SPIRIT, WE ARE ONE IN THE LORD.
WE ARE ONE IN THE SPIRIT, WE ARE ONE IN THE LORD.
AND WE PRAY THAT ALL UNITY MAY ONE DAY BE RESTORED.
AND THEY'LL KNOW WE ARE CHRISTIANS BY OUR LOVE, BY OUR LOVE.
YES, THEY'LL KNOW WE ARE CHRISTIANS BY OUR LOVE.

WE WILL WORK WITH EACH OTHER, WE WILL WORK SIDE BY SIDE
.....AND WE'LL GUARD EACH MAN'S DIGNITY AND SAVE EACH MAN'S PRIDE.

WE WILL WALK WITH EACH OTHER WE WILL WALK HAND IN HAND
......AND TOGETHER WE'LL SPREAD THE NEWS THAT GOD IS IN OUR LAND!

ALL PRAISE TO THE FATHER FROM WHOM ALL THINGS COME
AND ALL PRAISE TO CHRIST JESUS HIS ONLY SON
AND ALL PRAISE TO THE SPIRIT WHO MAKES US ONE
AND THEY'LL KNOW WE ARE CHRISTIANS BY OUR LOVE, BY OUR LOVE
YES THEY'LL KNOW WE ARE CHRISTIANS BY OUR LOVE.

I can't wait to be re-released knowing that I have the backing, love and support of the Church behind me.

Hallelujah!
"A Daughter of God"

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
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The Lord "Had" Left Him

In Psalm 51:11 (TLB), King David included this plea in his passionate prayer of repentance: Don’t toss me aside, banished forever from your presence. Don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.

Precious Holy Spirit, let me never put You off, lest You would put me off. In Jesus' name. Amen.

(16-17) She (Delilah) nagged at him (Samson) every day until he couldn’t stand it any longer and finally told her his secret. "My hair has never been cut," he confessed, "for I’ve been a Nazirite to God since before my birth. If my hair were cut, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as anyone else." (18) Delilah realized that he had finally told her the truth, so she sent for the five Philistine leaders. "Come just this once more," she said, "for this time he has told me everything." So they brought the money with them. (19) She lulled him to sleep with his head in her lap, and they brought in a barber and cut off his hair. Delilah began to hit him, but she could see that his strength was leaving him. (20) Then she screamed, "The Philistines are here to capture you, Samson!" And he woke up and thought, "I will do as before; I’ll just shake myself free." But he didn’t realize that the Lord had left him. -- Judges 16:16-20 (TLB)

At the very end of his life, Samson humbled himself, prayed, sought God, repented and wouldn't you know the Lord returned upon His life with power.

We read the end of the story in Judges 16:28-31 (TLB) -- (28) Then Samson prayed to the Lord and said, "O Lord Jehovah, remember me again—please strengthen me one more time, so that I may pay back the Philistines for the loss of at least one of my eyes." (29) Then Samson pushed against the pillars with all his might. (30) "Let me die with the Philistines," he prayed. And the temple crashed down upon the Philistine leaders and all the people. So those he killed at the moment of his death were more than those he had killed during his entire lifetime. (31) Later, his brothers and other relatives came down to get his body, and they brought him back home and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol, where his father, Manoah, was buried. He had led Israel for twenty years.

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

The Hope

Here's a tremendous thought to ponder...

If we really believe the One who called Himself "the Truth" (in John 14:6) really came to be crucified so He could set us free from sin and give us total victory in this life and beyond, let's consider the awesome power that is ours in these New Testament words penned by the Apostle Paul (who defines "the Hope" as "Christ in you/me...") Here's what he wrote:

Christ in you "the Hope" of glory. Colossians 1:27b (NIV)

ALL JOY!
Grateful

Free Indeed

“Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin’. (35) Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. (36) So, if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” -- John 8:34-36 (NIV)

A few years ago on July 4 (Independence Day in the USA) my family and I were vacationing along the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We could hardly wait to watch the fireworks display over the water later that evening.

Earlier in the day, we stood along the roadside of the small, seaside village and watched a home-grown, Independence Day parade. From the parade entries, I could tell that people had very, very different ideas about the meaning of being free.

On one of the parade floats, some of the locals were seemingly drunk and were giving off vulgar expressions to the parade-watchers. As they moved along the parade route, they created an unashamed, nearly out of control atmosphere. It seemed their idea of being free was being free to sin.

A few moments later a local church float passed by us. The American flag was draped around a large wodden cross. This message was on the back of the church float: “Free in Him, Jesus!”

Free in Him means free from sin. Personally, I call that free indeed!

ALL JOY!
Grateful