Spiritual
Food
"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am
helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will
praise Him." (Ps 28:7 NKJV)
I am so thankful for who God is and what He has done for me! Who is
He? To start, He is a God of love - He IS love and created each of
us in His image out of that love with a desire to have a relationship with
each of us now and eternally! The Bible says that He so loved us
that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ that whoever
believes in Him will have everlasting life. Although words can't
really seem to describe His Grace (unmerited and undeserved favor -
given freely) it is more than amazing and it is available to everyone who
will receive it! As an example of that grace, He
lovingly and patiently allowed me to try to do things my way for so
many years while I did not acknowledge or consider Him to come to a place where I can
testify with NO doubt that ALL of my help comes from Him, because I know
He loves me (as He does you) and I love
and trust Him. And He gives peace that passes understanding, joy
greater than the heart can contain, and everlasting strength and
hope to His people. So, I wanted to include some scriptures that
have encouraged me and a couple testimonies of how God has proven them to
be real to me .... "and with my song I will
praise Him!" JM
guaranteed promises
and blessings
(Jer. 29:13 NKJV)
"And you will seek Me, and find Me, when you search for Me with all your
heart."
JM testimony: Are you unsure if God is real?
Maybe you have had some experience with church or religion, and if you
were asked you would say, "Yes, there is a God who created heaven and
earth," but you have not felt like He is close or present in your life.
Or maybe you already have established a relationship with Him and He is
moving in your life, but you have not experienced the fullness of Him.
Or maybe you have experienced the fullness of Him with His Spirit dwelling
inside you and need direction. Or maybe you could care less and
think you stumbled on to this page by mistake. I have been each
of these at some point! A key piece of my
testimony started when I was presented with the scripture above in a Bible
study about the importance of choosing to really seek to know God and that
we must believe that He is real and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him dilligently. I was encouraged to seek Him and truth about
Him with ALL my heart, to really jump in with both feet. Even though
I was raised and attended a church while I was growing up, I had no
relationship with Jesus Christ. I told Him
I wanted to know how real He is and the truth about who He really is. I started by
making a commitment to get to know Him by studying the Bible - His only
authorized Word (see 2Tim. 3:16 below). And as I studied, I prayed, "Lord,
please help me to understand what I am reading and how to apply what you
are teaching me in my daily living -
make these words I'm reading REAL to me." And along the way, He
started placing people in my path and orchestrating circumstances in my
life so that He left NO doubt that He is REAL and that the promises and
words in the Bible are true and give LIFE. And for me, these revelations did not
begin overnight. Growing is a process that takes time as we apply
the Word of God to our experiences and circumstances. Also, often I would
look for justification that I was already ok and didn't need to change -
that if I had a problem with someone else, I was quicker to look at their
faults and not what God was trying to get me to change! The revelations at first
were gradual and took a few months, but when they started coming, it was
like an insatiable thirst to know and experience more. When Jesus
draws, it is in such a powerful loving and personal way that there is no doubt that
it is Him and it always agrees with the Bible. And when it
started to sink in what He did - that He paid the price for my sins
(and yours) by dying in the most painful and humbling way - with NO BLAME
OR GUILT....and I realized that ONLY because of His Grace and Mercy did I
still have an opportunity to have eternal life and a relationship with Him
after I did not even acknowledge His presence in my life for so many years
- I made a decision to dedicate the rest of my days on this earth to
following Him. There's a song by Jonathan Butler that I totally
agree with, "Falling in love with Jesus is the best thing I've ever done"
- and as the Bible tells us, "we love Him because He loved us first."
Yes, He is real and desires to have a close personal relationship with every one
of us. And the promises and words within the Bible were not "just
for back then." It says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today
and forever. And as I have learned, the decision to want to know if
He is real - "to find Him" - and to know if every promise in the Bible is
true has to be followed with action to seek Him with ALL your heart.
(Ps 37:4-5 NKJV) "Delight
yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of
your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He
shall bring it to pass."
JM testimony: This
is another great promise! The truth is, only God knows the deepest
places in our hearts - we sometimes think "if we only had this or that, everything would
be perfect" and then if allowed to get those things or reach those goals
without consulting God or seeking His purpose, we find we still feel an
emptiness that only He can fill. Or if we don't get what we want,
not knowing the big picture like He does, we complain that He isn't all
that or think He's mad at us. But actually our loving Heavenly Father
alone knows what will keep us close to Him and what would cause us to feel
we don't need Him. Pastor Michael Moten once gave an analogy that was
very meaningful to me about
getting a flat tire on the way to a destination. A mile down the
road is a tragic accident. We're complaining about the flat tire,
but when we get it fixed and head on down the road to see the ruin of the
accident, we praise God for the protection and thank Him for the flat
tire! That stayed with me, and always comes to mind when a door
closes that I thought I was supposed to walk through or really wanted to
walk through - closed doors have
led to some of my greatest blessings as I walked into the ones that He
opened. My vision when I was younger was just to be a drummer, I
loved playing drums! Then a few years later, as a drummer in a
group, we looked hard, but we could not find a keyboard player to meet our
needs. Being a songwriter, I had developed some basic piano skills
to help me express my musical ideas. This eventually evolved into me
focusing my time and energy on further developing my keyboard skills. As I sought God's purpose for me, I
was able to look back and see that being a drummer was
a part of my training where I learned and understood how important
it is to have a solid foundation and how a rhythm section works together
for the good of the music overall (I'm not just talking musically - He was
showing me something meaningful to me naturally to teach me something
spiritual - without a solid foundation - Jesus Christ - all built upon it
will crumble). Later, I began to realize that
God was "expanding" me into a producer,
arranger, songwriter, keyboardist and engineer for Him! He is the orchestrator - I'm just the instrument. He is the potter - we are
just the clay. The clay must be totally pliable to be molded into
something beautiful. It takes a willingness to surrender ourselves
to God and a great step of faith to trust Him with our hearts and
wholeheartedly say to Him, "Your will be done." Because sometimes
our answered prayers in His will don't come packaged in the way that we
thought they would. But when God (whose love and wisdom are greater
than we can imagine) gives us the desires of our hearts
in the way ONLY He can, it's so much greater
than we could have ever imagined!
(Rom. 8:28 KJV)
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are the called according to his purpose."
(Phil. 4:13 NKJV)
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
promises for peace,
healing and rest
(Is. 53:5
Amplified) But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised
for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace
and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded]
Him we are healed and made whole.
(Phil 4:6-9 Amp) Do not fret or
have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in
everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving,
continue to make your wants known to God. And God's peace
[shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation
through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its
earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all
understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus. For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy
of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is
pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and
gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything
worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix
your minds on them]. Practice what you have learned and received and heard
and seen in me, and model your way of living on it, and the God of peace
(of untroubled, undisturbed well-being) will be with you.
(John 14:27
Amp) Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and
bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your
hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves
to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful
and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]
(John 16:33
Amp) I have told you these things, so that in Me you may
have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and
trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage;
be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have
deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]
(Rom. 8:6
Amp) Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason
without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that comprises all the miseries
arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy]
Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever].
(Matt. 11:28-30 Amp)
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened,
and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your
souls.] Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle
(meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and
ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls.
(Is. 26:3-4 KJV) Thou wilt
keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he
trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the
LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.
spiritual checkup
Do I confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord?
(Rom. 10:9 NKJV) ... that if you confess with
your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised
Him from the dead, you will be saved.
(Acts 4:12 Amp) And there is salvation in and through no one
else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by and in
which we must be saved.
(Phil. 2:10-11 KJV) That at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father.
(John 14:6 NKJV) Jesus said to him, "I am the
way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, except through me."
Do I need to be born again?
(John 3:3-5 NKJV)
Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to
you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter
a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most
assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he
cannot enter the kingdom of God."
(Mark 10:15 NKJV) Assuredly I say to you,
whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no
means enter it.
(Acts 2:37-38 Amp) Now when they
heard this they were stung (cut) to the heart, and they said to Peter and
the rest of the apostles (special messengers), Brethren, what shall we do? And Peter answered them, Repent (change
your views and purpose to accept the will of God in your inner selves
instead of rejecting it) and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of
Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of and release from your sins; and you
shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Have I committed to doing His will - putting
Him first and carrying out His purpose for me - not my will?
(Mark 12:29-30 NKJV) Jesus answered him, “The first of all the
commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is
one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your
heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.
This is the first commandment.
JM: The beautiful thing about loving God first as He
commands is the more we love Him and get to know Him, the more we learn how to love in a way that reflects how He loves
(and God IS love - see 1John 4:8 and 16). When we learn how to love
like He loves, every other relationship we have will be blessed!
It's only through loving the Lord first that we can really fulfill His
second command to love our neighbor as ourselves.
(Matt. 6:24 Amp) No one can serve two
masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will
stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions, or
whatever is trusted in).
(Matt. 7:21 NKJV) “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall
enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in
heaven.
Have I committed to learning
God's way (as He has revealed Himself in the Bible)? Do I love Him
enough to want to get to know what pleases Him?
(2 Tim. 3:16 Amp)
Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by
His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and
conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience,
[and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to
God's will in thought, purpose, and action).
(Matt. 4:4 NKJV)
....It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word
that proceeds from the mouth of God.
Can I be obedient to what God
reveals to me and stand for Him even though
it may be the unpopular thing to
do in this world where people tend to want to hear and do what makes them feel
good?
(Matt. 7:13-14 NKJV) Enter by the narrow gate: for wide is
the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many
who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult
is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
(2 Tim. 4:3-4 Amp) For the time is coming
when [people] will not tolerate (endure) sound and wholesome instruction,
but, having ears itching [for something pleasing and gratifying], they
will gather to themselves one teacher after another to a considerable
number, chosen to satisfy their own liking and to foster the errors they
hold. And will turn aside from hearing the truth and wander off into
myths and man-made fictions.
Jesus'
desire is for ALL to seek Him, trust Him, have a personal relationship with Him
and spend eternity with Him!
Trust in Jesus = Life and Peace
email jim
or call 402.699.5468
