He Has Heard You!

How many times have you prayed for something expecting God to all of a sudden act; but waited in silence to still get no answer? How many times have you shouted, praised at the top of your lungs, banged your head, cried out unto God and still got no answer?! Does that make God any less than He is? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

Verse of the Week: "Not only so, we glory in tribulations also knowing that tribulations bring patience; and patience experience; and experience HOPE. And hope makes us not ashamed because the love of God has been poured in our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given unto us." Romans 5: 3-5

Many times over, we pray and we wait for God to answer us. When He seems as if He is not answering our prayers, we suddenly feel discouraged, helpless and alone. We began to formulate the idea that maybe God has not heard our prayers. This in turn causes us to doubt and eventually lead us away from God's will. In this blog I will give you the reassuring proof that God has in fact heard your prayer and that you are not alone in your situations. As we look at Romans 5 Apostle Paul (the composer of the book of Romans) says that we glory in tribulations. Well what exactly does that mean? Do you mean to tell me sister Rebecca that I'm supposed to get glory from this pain that I am going through? YES. You see, the will of God is flawless. It is absolute and is therefore perfect. No situation you go through is unplanned. In worldly terms I'm sure you have heard the saying that "whatever doesn't kill us makes us stronger" - Well that quote is kind of silly because God's plan was never meant to kill us but rather to give us the patience and understanding to endure as we glorify Him through the storm. Jeremiah 29:11 exemplifies the perfect WILL of God. The will is to prosper you and to give you Hope and a great future- never to harm you. So it seems silly to me that as human beings we think we can wrap our heads around the plans that the Lord has in store for us. When things do not go as planned we began to question ourselves, the people around us and even God! In 1 Corinthians 2:9, the word explains that "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind could even comprehend all the good the Lord has in store for those who love Him." So how could we doubt the very existence of the unimaginable when we ourselves cannot even conceive it in our minds?!! What the Holy Spirit is directing me to tell you is that, your tribulations are meant to be here because whatever you are going through will bring you the patience to understand the Perfect Will of God. It is through our tribulations that we get closer to God in prayer. It's like the perfect balanced equation. Tribulations = Patience = Experience =HOPE!  Again in Romans 12:12 we see the same recurring theme which is to " Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." I believe that hope is one of the most important components in this equation because "If we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it in patience" Romans 8:25. And that my friend is FAITH. You cannot pray wholeheartedly without the assurance of receiving what you are praying for. Your faith must be activated in order for the perfect will of God to get activated in your life. So next time the tribulations come, thank God for them because they will give you the PATIENCE to EXPERIENCE and HOPE to wait in FAITH for the Perfect Will of God.

Rebecca Jean
God Bless

Is what you are living for Worth Christ Dying for?

Psalm 119:25-32 Version: (The Message)

I’m feeling terrible—I couldn’t feel worse! Get me on my feet again. You promised, remember? When I told my story, you responded;  train me well in your deep wisdom. Help me understand these things inside and out  so I can ponder your miracle-wonders. My sad life’s dilapidated, a falling-down barn;  build me up again by your Word.

As I meditated on the right topic for this week, I allowed the Holy Spirit to lead me to pick the right message for the right person. I pray that these words will not only penetrate your mind but will also activate the will of God in your life. In the past weeks, I spoke on the Grace of God and how one can obtain favor through the living word. Though it is essential to understand how we can gain favor through our Lord Jesus Christ, we must also be aware of the things that might hinder our relationship with Him. How many times have you sinned and felt like "wow, I have let God down again?" If you are aware that you are living in sin and you feel no guilt towards the fact that you are indeed sinning its time to really get in prayer. Th power of God surrounds us daily. We are enveloped with His Grace and mercy. Though we have all fallen short of His Glory (see there is Redemption blog) His love exceeds all we could ever imagine.

Have you ever done (thought, said, looked etc.) something and felt like "I know I shouldn't have done that!" I am sure we all have. Before I began my points, keep in mind everything that God has planned for you, the devil will always have the opposite planned. The bible says, "those who conceals their sins do not prosper" Proverbs 28:13. Time after time we try to get out of patterns that we know are hindering our relationship with God. Though we try to battle out of those issues, we sometimes stumble along the path and have allowed sin to become a cyclical pattern in our lives. Now the devil wants us to feel ashamed, confused, lost, unwanted, and guilty. He tries to feed doubt into our minds by telling us that we are not worthy, or that our sins are too big to be forgiven. Psalm 86:5 shows us how merciful God truly is. God tells us that if we are confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us. It is not of God's plan for us to live a life where we feel worthless, powerless and ashamed. His plans for your life exceed any thought. No ear has has heard, no eyes have seen what the Lord has in store for you!

The path is rugged and you may stumble and trip. But do not let the devil keep you bounded to your sins! God sent His only son so that you could be free from bondage. He allowed His own to take upon sin which He did not commit-only to save you! If you are reading this, this is not coincidence! God is calling you to action! And action needs dedication. You can overcome sin! If you are struggling with any type of cycle of sin; where you feel like you just keep going back to the same things that brought you down before say this short prayer; believe it and it shall be done: Take victory over your situation today and allow God to have His way in your life.

" God, I come before you with a heavy heart ready to be released of everything that is not of your Glory. Right now, I ask that you put on me your heavenly garment and cover me from head to toe with your mercy. Right now, every plan that the devil had in store for me I destroy in the name of Jesus! Today is my day and after today, I will never be the same. In your name I pray Jesus, Amen!" 

Have you Conformed or have you Transformed?

Romans 12:2 

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

God is Getting ready to shift your dimension to another level but there are things that must be done before these changes can happen. Something must first be activated. There are situations which causes us to strain away from God's presence leaving us drained from the anointing He has in store for us. But there is good news. As long as there is demand, there is supply of the Holy Spirit. I am sure that you have heard the phrase "God has not called the qualified but has qualified the called." Romans 3:10 says, "None is righteous. Not one." We have all fallen short of His Glory. But thank God for Jesus because through His blood we earned Grace. (See "There is Redemption Blog")  God is a God of preparation, but we need to make sure that our lives are in one accord with his truth. In other words, we must first be prepared for what he is getting ready to do in our lives in order for Him to start activating those elevations.

Romans 12:2 says to "not be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by renewing of [our] minds." Well to understand this, we must first understand the difference between what is of the "world" and what is expected of us through transformation. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that "if any man be in Christ, he is a NEW creature; old things are passed away and all things have been made new."  In the last blog, I talked about how accepting Christ is the first step to redemption. Keep in mind, accepting Jesus Christ does not mean that you are now exempt from sinning. Though we have been saved by Grace, we are all sinners. However, God has now called us to be in fellowship with His son Jesus Christ which requires us to leave behind the worldly desires. The word of God has given us a legitimate template to live by. "We should not love the things of this world for if anyone loves this world, the love of the father is not in Him." 1 John 2:15-17 Well then, what are the things of this world you might ask.  ANYTHING OF THE FLESH.

Works of the Flesh (see Galatians 5)

Sexual immortality, Impurity, Extreme Sensuality, Idolatry,Witchcraft, Hostility, Bitter Conflicts, Jealousy, Outbursts of anger, Lack of unity, Selfish ambition, Envy, Drunkenness, Orgies And things like these

Works of the Spirit  :) 

Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control 

Final Thoughts: God has  not called us because we have offered so much to Him. Rather, He has called us because He wants to complete our puzzle. We are incomplete without His love! Though you might be oblivious to it, His grace and mercy is covering you right now. He has called you to be renewed and transformed! He has called you to live a prosperous life and the only person standing in the way of you maximizing your full life's potential of happiness is YOU. 

Rebecca Jean

10/25/13

There is Redemption

Ephesians 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness in this world. . .

Reading Ephesians 6:12, it is important to understand that there are other forces other than ourselves; both those in the natural sense as well as the supernatural. Both good and bad. Today in society however, we seem to eliminate or brush away the fact that because we do not see the supernatural that it does not exist. Galatians 5 gives the perfect example of  works of the flesh (amplified by demonic spirits) that act in the natural as well as the supernatural. Galatians 5: 19 "Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immortality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, strife, jealousy.."  Surely we have all acted out of flesh before  since "we all fall short of God's Glory" Romans 3:23. Sometimes, we feel so ashamed of our impurities that we begin to believe that there is no redemption for our sins. God created us from his own  image and He desires nothing more than our well being and for us to live a victorious life. To fully understand this, we must first understand the basic principle of GRACE. Ephesians 2:8 says "For it is by GRACE you have been saved through Faith..and this is not from yourself , it is a gift of God." Well, what exactly is Grace? and What does it mean to be saved through Faith? Webster dictionary explains Grace as "the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the the Salvation and the bestowal of Blessings."  Yes, that is correct but my Bible explains it a little differently. In 2 Corinthians 12:9  Jesus says to Paul, "My GRACE is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Paul goes on to say that "[he] will boast all the more gladly of [his] weakness so that the power of Christ may rest upon him" To fully understand this passage we must go back to the word GRACE and we must deconstruct the word to fully understand the meaning. 

1. Grace is UNMERITED Favor
2. Grace abolishes the LAW 
3. A swap (His power, for your weakness)
4. Grace bestowals Blessings

For each of these points, I will not only give a biblical reference but I will also draw you to understand how right now, right this moment, YOU can be redeemed from all your sins and obtain GRACE from our father Jesus Christ. 

1. Grace is UNMERITED Favor.
• In Isiah 59:2, the Word explains how our iniquities have separated us from God. It says that our sins have caused God to hide his face from us so that he cannot hear us. Before Jesus Christ, we lived under the Law and sin made it hard for us to earn salvation from God. So he sent his ONLY begotten SON Jesus who died to wash away our sins. By his blood, we earned GRACE. Romans 6: 14 "For sin shall not have dominion over you; for you are not under the law but under GRACE." Even though we did not merit GRACE, God still sent his only son Jesus to die for us so we could be saved.
2. Grace abolishes the Law.
• Romans 10:4, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who BELIEVES. Sometimes, people hear the word "abolish the law" and they think "yay, I can sin now" . .WRONG. (Read the last part of the verse again) Grace abolishes the law for those who believe because those who believe are also in a divine agreement with Christ. Because Grace abolishes the law, it does not mean that we are free to sin- a'u contraire. We are saved by the renewal of our minds through Christ Jesus. Therefore, our actions and our inward thoughts must also convey that we are new creatures in Christ. If we are then to say that we are "saved" our lives must also be in one accord with the word of God. Grace  remember is unmerited, and is therefore  what I like to think a binding contract between you and God. To sin is of the flesh and to be saved is to be renewed and to be renewed is to live by Grace.
3. A Swap, (His power for your weakness) 
• John 14:6 Jesus says "I am the way, the truth, and the life." So many times, we think we can conquer the  world on our own. We rely on our own understandings, when Proverbs 3:5 clearly to not rely on your own understanding but to rely on God and he will direct your paths. In our weakest moments, God is STRENGTH. In our darkest hours, he is COURAGE. He is indeed the way, the truth and life. His power is limitless and his GRACE is enough. Can't you see that no sin is too big to keep you from his love? Everything that you could ever need he has. He created the universe. His love is exhilarating!  Come to him and he will swap your weakness and will make you strong. He will give you courage. All you need to do is accept him as your Savior!
4. Bestowal of Blessings  
• 2 Corinthian 9:8 "And God is able to BLESS you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." The problem with many Christ-ians today is that they proclaim that they are saved by Grace but they are not living like they have been saved by Grace. God wants to bless you above and beyond anything you can ever imagine. 1 Corinthians 2:9 explains how God is getting ready to bless you "No eyes have seen, no ear has heard and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him." These are the words of the Most High King! If He is saying he will bless you if you make the decision to Love him, what is stopping you from your next victory? (Only you) 

Final thoughts: No sin is too small to be forgiven. The first step is to accept Jesus Christ. We must submit ourselves to his ways so that He can have his way in us. Though we may not understand or foresee his plans at times, we must understand that he is always working on us. It is up to us however to decide to follow him because His GRACE is all we need. No matter what supernatural forces are out there, if we choose to follow Christ, He will keep us from all dangers and he will not only provide, but he will BLESS us ABUNDANTLY. So the choice is yours, to live enslaved or to live freely under his GRACE.

Author: Rebecca Jean 

10/18/13

Entry 1