God's Unbroken Presence

"Obedience enables us to abide in His Love and gives us to the full experience of His unbroken presence."
-- Andrew Murray

Holiness Unto The LORD!
Grateful

Weary Prisoners of Sin? Yield Now to Jesus!

If I am a slave to myself (my disposition of sin, my right to myself), I am to blame because at a point a way back I yielded to myself. If I obey God I do so because I have yielded myself to Him. Yielding to Jesus will break every form of slavery in human life.
-- Oswald Chambers

All who are weary prisoners of sin are invited to yield now to Jesus! Listen to the wonderful words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 11:28, yes, hear Him calling out to all who are burdened and in bondage: Come to Me, and I will give you rest!

Lord, help us to yield only to You, because whatever and whoever we yield to takes control of our lives. We want to be controlled only by Your holy, perfect love never by human, perverted lusts. Teach us to yield to You, embracing sanctification, lest we yield to sin when in temptation. Let us not become prisoners of anything except Your holy, perfect love. In Your Matchless Name, we pray. Amen.

Don’t you know that if you offer to be someone’s slave, you must obey that master? Either your master is sin, or your master is obedience. Letting sin be your master leads to death. Letting obedience be your master leads to God’s approval.
-- Romans 6:16 (GWT)

Holiness Unto The LORD!
Grateful

Skidboot, One The Most Amazing And Obedient Of Men's Best Friends Ever

Lord willing, I will be preaching on obedience this coming Sunday at our local church. In doing the research for the message, I came across two of my favorite Youtube videos of all-time. Yes, watch these Youtubes of David Hartwig from Texas and his blue heeler dog named Skidboot. Skidboot is surely one of the most amazing and obedient of men's best friends ever.

Click here: The Amazing Skidboot - YouTube

Click here: Skidboot the Amazing Dog - YouTube

Oh yeah, and Luke 5:1-11 might encourage you and me towards obedience as well, so that Jesus can call us His "obedient friends" too:

(1) One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on Him to listen to the word of God. (2) He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. (3) Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So He sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there. (4) When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” (5) “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” (6) And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! (7) A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking. (8) When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m too much of a sinner to be around you.” (9) For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. (10) His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” (11) And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus. (NLT)

Let's Trust and Obey Jesus Totally!
Grateful

Sometimes It Takes Pain To Change

Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways. -- Proverbs 28:30 (GNT)

Lord, I pray that I have come to the place of total surrender so that I am now and always responding to Your gentle nudgings, yes allowing You to change me according to Your desires, lest I should still sometimes have to be subjected to Your painful judgings. Lord, whatever pain is necessary in my life for Your glory and my good, so be it. However, I do not desire unneccesary pain brought on by disobedience. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Deo Volente (whatever God wants, whatever God wills),
Grateful

"Lord, Lord!"

(46) “So why do you keep calling Me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? (47) I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to Me, listens to My teaching, and then follows it. (48) It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. (49) But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”
-- Jesus' Words in Luke 6:46-50 (NLT)

(21) "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who do what my Father in Heaven wants will enter. (22) "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord! Lord! Didn't we prophesy in your name? Didn't we drive out demons in your name? Didn't we do many miracles in your name?' (23) Then I will tell them clearly, 'I never knew you. Get away from me, you who do evil!' -- Jesus' Words in Matthew 7:21-23 (NIRV)

Click here: - You Are My King/Amazing Love/-Newsboys

Lord, in all I do. I want to honor You, my Lord, my King! Amen.

Holiness Unto the LORD!
Grateful

obeDiEnce

Do you see the two, simple-but-profound, one-syllable words at the very heart of obeDiEnce? "i DiE!"

If I am to become the perfect will of God, that is, wholly obedient to His Holy Desires, my will must become one in crucifixion with the will of Jesus. I must personally echo His Gethsemane prayer of total surrender to the Father: Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.

Galatians 2:20 (NKJV) -- I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

1 Samuel 15:22 (NKJV) -- ...Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice...

Lord, I want to be wholly obedient to Your Holy Desires! Help me to know that obeying You is an overflowing joy, not an overwhelming job. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

Obedience Leads to Miracles

The public ministry of Jesus started in a kitchen during a wedding at Cana of Galilee. Mary, His mother, led her Son to the kitchen help and said these words: Whatever Jesus says to you, do it. They did. Moments later, a miracle happened. (John 2:5)

Let us not forget that obedience leads to miracles.

ALL JOY!
Grateful

Not a Trace of Resentment

Dearest My Lord Jesus:

In the wake of the words You spoke in Your Sermon on the Mount of Beatitudes, yes Your soul-searching words recorded in Matthew 5:23-24, this is my personal and passionate prayer:

Lord, let there not be a trace of resentment -- either expressed or suppressed -- in my life towards another. Amen.

ALL JOY!
Grateful

Matthew 5:23-24 (NIV) -- (23) "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, (24) leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift."

Hear and Heed

Seven strong words from Ephesians 4:30 are on my heart this morning. Let's hear and heed the Apostle Paul's counsel: And do not grieve the Holy Spirit...

ALL JOY!
Grateful