“Yes, I do believe Jesus is the Son of God.”   
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I also believe that Jesus is a perfect example of what man can do when he commits himself to learning about God and following His precepts. 

Imagine the possibilities if we would get in sync with God and the Holy Spirit.  If we worked to become like Jesus, we would become super spirit filled heroes. We would be transformed from frail humans to miracle working paragons of faith.  We would be able to face death without fear.  We would be full of knowledge of God.  We would even die and be resurrected again.

Today, thanks to Jesus’s sacrifice, we can approach God whenever we desire to do so - even when we have made a mistake.  Jesus’ sacrifice makes this possible! 

I am ever grateful to Jesus for His selfless act.  

Yes, Jesus is real.  He is the Son of God.  He is the Holy Lamb of God.  

Happy Easter, darlings.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. Psalm 23:2

When I first memorized Psalm 23, I did not understand the true meaning of the words. But over time, as I grew up and began to face my own challenges, the words began to take on new meaning. It was as if the words represents compressed layers of truth. The longer I studied them, the more sense they made to me.

About 2 years ago, I had a break through. Finally the words of Psalm 23 resonated and I began to more fully understand the relationship between a Good Shepherd and His sheep.

First of all, to be described as sheep is not a compliment.

Sheep are actually defenseless, stubborn, and quite frankly silly creatures. They are not graceful or strong.

David Murray at Head Heart Hand ministries wrote a wonderful description of sheep that lists their 12 characteristics.

Here are some of my fav excerpts from DAVID MURRAY:

1. Sheep are foolish…They are so irrational. You watch them as they pause in front of a stream. They know they can’t jump it or swim it. So what do they do? They jump in anyway!
2. Sheep are slow to learn … A sheep may get caught in barbed wire trying to break through a fence. And the next day it will try it again, and again,…
3. Sheep are unattractive…so awkward, so lacking in agility and dignity. …to most outside observers sheep are dirty, smelly, and ugly.
4. Sheep are demanding …Almost as soon as it is born, it is violently sucking its mother’s udders. And that insatiable demand never leaves them. They demand grass, grass, and more grass; day after day, and night after night…
5. Sheep are stubborn Have you ever tried to move a sheep? It’s like trying to move an elephant. …
6. Sheep are strong I’ve watched the most macho of men beaten by sheep. You look at their skinny “arms” and “legs” and think “easy.” Next thing you are flat on your back or face down in the dirt…
7. Sheep are straying [and have a] ….well-deserved reputation for straying (Isa. 53:6) and getting lost (Lk. 15:3ff). So many times I was out in the middle of nowhere when I would come across a sheep – miles from anyone and anything – and totally unconcerned….
8. Sheep are unpredictable If you travel along the roads of the Scottish Highlands you will soon learn to expect the unexpected. ..
9. Sheep are copycats …When one sheep decides to start running, they all decide to start running….
10. Sheep are restless…I once heard that for sheep to lie down they need freedom from fear, freedom from friction with others, freedom from hunger, and freedom from pests and parasites. From what I’ve seen, that combination is very rare.
11. Sheep are dependent…[They can not] cope and thrive without… close supervision….They are very dependent on their shepherd.
12. Sheep are the same everywhere…The American sheep is the same as the African sheep (see 1-11 above), which is the same as the Asian sheep, which is the same as…

If we are like SHEEP, then Jesus is the GOOD SHEPHERD who will give His life to protect us, to care for us, to love us.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. Psalm 23:2

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

Forerunner Commentary provides another fun fact about sheep.

Sheep are “excellent dry weather animals and they can go for months without taking a drink of water from a pool.” How do they do it? Sheep have a habit of getting up “early enough to eat the grass in the morning when the DEW is still on it.” If the sheep eat the DEW in the morning they will survive.

WOAH!

And so it is with us. Even if we are best described as dependent, defenseless, stubborn, silly creatures; we can still survive the harsh conditions that surround us; provided that we get up early to fortify ourselves with dew, or more precisely, the WORD OF GOD.

35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Mark 1:35

Can you change your circumstances without sin and without crime?  If you cannot, you are commanded to stay in the uncomfortable circumstance without allowing the circumstance to control your mood, your outlook, your actions.  In other words, you are told to be CONTENT.

Contentment means living independent of circumstances and conditions.  Even when your surroundings are miserable, you must remember that you are still in control of your response to these conditions.

Our lives are not dictated by our surroundings.  Instead, our lives, our next steps are dictated by a loving God.

So how do we suffer being abused at home, at work, at school without complaint or bitterness or retaliation?  How do we suffer from lack of food, clothing, shelter and not become depressed, angry, violent?  How do we suffer physical illness, mental instability without becoming catatonic or suicidal?  How do we live in a wealthy state without forgetting about God?

How can we live without allowing our good, bad or uncertain circumstances to affect our joy, peace, work ethic or ability to love?  

Developing a Godly Perspective is Key.

Circumstances change. This is a fact. One season you are on top of the world and another season later you are under water. Dancers have learned that during a pirouette they must fix their gaze on an inanimate object to avoid dizziness or imbalance. It is the same for us. During a crisis, we must fix our gaze on the only inanimate object in our lives. This is not the time to recall your savings account balance, or your fabulous boyfriend, or your beautiful children or your great job. (these are blessings but they can change in an instant) Instead, this is the time to remember God’s promises to us. God does not change. His promises do not change. These are facts that we can count on.

Before you take matters into your owns hands at work, rob the Savings & Loan, or over indulge in an effort to manage a difficult situation, I invite you to remember God has not abandoned you.  And He will step in to help.

As you wait on God, continue to take (fair and legitimate) steps to improve your situation and when things are at their worse, remind yourself of a few simple truths.

1. Circumstances will change
2. The most important thing in this life is the health of our Souls and our relationship with God. Physical wellbeing is secondary
3. God is a good God and only does good things.  God is here even in the bad times.
4. God is difficult to understand but it is a fact that whatever He allows is necessary for our good
5. Every situation brings goodness and love. We must be on the look out for God’s kindness even in hardship.  There is always a ram in the bush to cheer us along the way.
6. Life is a series of lessons that are designed by a perfect God to render us perfect.
7. Circumstances are temporary and endure for a season They will pass.

Our most difficult challenges cause us much turmoil.

But each time we overcome a bad habit, perfect a difficult relationship, confess a sin, forgive an enemy, humble ourselves and pray we become more and more like Christ. We move up a little higher.

Therefore it is up to us to constantly encourage ourselves and others through and over life’s circumstances. The result is NOT contentment WITH the world and its folly but instead contentment IN the world.

It is a process, darling. But the sooner we begin the journey, the happier we will be!

What is faith, darling?

Well, allow me to take a moment to talk about what FAITH is NOT.

Faith is NOT taking matters into your own hands unless directed to do so.

This is BIG.

At my core, I am really a risk taker.  I may not mountain climb or parasail, but I take risks all the time with my career, with my finances, my projects.  For example, I will readily spend my last dollar on a pair of sparkly earrings if I needed them for a specific event, photoshoot or a present for a friend.  My reasoning would be, “surely God will send more resources for rent, car insurance, groceries.  Everything will work out for the good.  Right?”  Well…not always, darling. Read the fine print.

There really is a difference between FAITH and FOLLY.

Remember the God that we encounter in the Old Testament is the same God we encounter in the New Testament.  Our God is a God of order.  Every occurrence has its season.  There is a time and place for everything.

For example, when it comes to giving, there is an appointed time.

We are told to give to Caesar his due.  Meaning we must pay our debts.

14 They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 
Is it right to pay the imperial tax[b] to Caesar or not? 

15 Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”
But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 

16 They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.

17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”  And they were amazed at him.  Mark 12 14-17

We are told to pay our tithes to the church.

“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.  Malachi 3:8-10

We are told to take care of the poor.

There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.  Deuteronomy 15:11

“When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the Lord your God.’ Leviticus 23:22

‘If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you.  Leviticus 25:35

….Back to those sparkly earrings….

Faith in God to provide all that we need or want necessitates that we will not deviate from God’s rules in order to have our own way.  In other words, even though I want/need the sparkly earrings, job promotion, car payment, food for the week, I may not take matters into my own hands outside of God’s laws to obtain them.  In fact, I am bound by the Laws of God.  Faith means that I must trust God to provide me with the desires of my heart in His own way and in His own time. 

We are told to ask God for whatever we want.  Then wait on Him for the victory.

You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.  John 14:14

If I want sparkly earrings, I should ask God for them.  I should then do my part to prepare for the blessing (research who makes the best sparkly earrings, where to purchase, how much they are, what I will wear with them).  And finally, I must cultivate a lifestyle that will enable me to listen to God for direction as to how and when to obtain them (e.g., I must go to Him in prayer daily in order to develop a listening ear).

Taking matters into my own hands…deciding not to pay rent to afford sparkly earrings, orchestrating a plot to steal them, refraining from giving to the poor to justify them, or failing to take care of my family to obtain them is not FAITH.  This is FOLLY and it is not God’s way.

All we have to do for a VICTORY on Earth is to ask a benevolent GOD…wait in Faith…and do our part (pray and study the Word of God)!  

It is a promise, darling.

We are commanded to love GOD, to keep his commandments & to obey his directives. But what happens when your feelings get in the way of and even work to thwart your compliance?

It is essential that we figure out a way to battle certain feelings especially those feelings that cause us to act contrary to God’s law.

Where do these feelings emanate? How can they be overcome?

Let’s start with a few basic truths about feelings.

1 Feelings are essential to Christians. Recall that God commands us to love him with all of our hearts, our minds and our soul. When we read his word, when we confront His great works in nature, science and the heavens, we are moved. We FEEL awe, wonder, joy.  
                               
2 Feelings cannot be created or commanded. You cannot conjure a genuine feeling. And really, the more you try, the more miserable you may become.


3 Feelings change because they are based on variables that change from day to day moment to moment. Physical conditions affect us. Hurtful comments affect us. Lack of money or over abundance affects us. Encounters with certain people affect us. The “mean reds” can creep in for no apparent reason. Yesterday you may have been perfectly content only to find that this morning, you are despondent.
Because feelings ebb and flow, we must not allow them to control us.

Instead we must seize control!

HOW?

1. REJOICE.

We are commanded to REJOICE. (But, notice “rejoice” does not mean “be happy.”) You can not conjure up happiness at will. But you can make yourself REJOICE.

Phillipeans 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

So put on a praise song and PRAISE HIM! Regardless of your circumstances. REJOICE in the Lord for something, for everything. Dance and sing until your spirit lifts.

2. STIR UP THE GIFT

2 Timothy 1:6
For which cause I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee through the laying on of my hands.

When that dastardly mood descends, initiate a dialog with your fabulous self.

Say to yourself, "DARLING, I am not going to allow you to descend into that pit today." Remind yourself of who you are, what you are and to whom you belong. Then get outside and take in the sights and sounds of the most perfect Creator.

3. BELIEVE

Acts 16:31
They replied, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household.'

Remember his promises. You may not be able to make yourself happy, but you can remind yourself of your belief in a God who can do ANYTHING. This is where all those bible stories come in handy. Remember how Jesus raised Lazarus? Remember Jacob wrestling all night with the pre-incarnate Christ? Remember the promises of God never to leave us. Remember that he sent a Holy Spirit to dwell inside of us to comfort us. Remember that he has prepared a place for us. Remember that we see through a glass darkly on this side but it will be revealed in God’s time.

John 14:16-17
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[c] in you.

Do not worry about your feelings.
Blessed (truly happy) are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness- not happiness.  
Do not continue to seek thrills. Instead seek to be more like Jesus. Seek to live righteously. Seek to be holy.

Go directly to God and seek His face. Dive into his word and search for His truth. The revelation thwarts feelings of despair.

AND PLEASE REMEMBER THIS:

Isaiah 49
“I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.”
As you approach a new year, don’t dwell on the past-past feelings, past failures, suffering, loss. Instead, leave those feelings of negativity buried in 2010. 

Go boldly forward into 2011 remembering that GOD holds the new year in HIS HANDS in trust for us.

If you commit to doing things HIS way, He will guide you one day at a time. HE PROMISED, Darlings.

REFERENCE:
Spiritual Depression Its Causes and Its Cure by D. Martin Lloyd-Jones
fantabulous book....



@SIMONE_BFLY

I never find much comfort in the grim reality of the daily grind. If given the chance, I’d prefer to live in an animated tv series with a perfectly green lawn and butterflies to greet me every morning.
Alas, life on this side of glory is not always joyful. It is not always fun. I realize this. But thanks be to God there are ways to navigate this world with joy and laughter.

Paul speaks about a Power that enables him to thrive despite a series of setbacks that would cripple just about anyone.

I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. 24 Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. 26 I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not.[a] 27 I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.  2 Corinthians 11:23-27

Paul believes that it is the Christ in Him that makes all the difference. In other words, he is able to survive prison, betrayal, beatings, depression, illness not because of his mental prowess, intellectual reasoning, strong will, financial resources; but because of his partnership with Christ that actually completes and perfects him.

Where Paul is weak and flawed, Christ makes him strong and perfect.
Likewise, if I develop a strong relationship with Christ, I will be strengthened in all the places where I am deficient. I too will be made perfectly suited to handle the stresses, health crises, epidemics, terrorist threats, economic instabilities, and mean spirit-ness of this world.

Notice that the Power that Paul speaks of does not manifest itself as a sense of resignation. Paul does not wallow in the fact that the world is evil. Paul does not hunker down in isolation with an intent to bear the world’s trials without hope. Instead Paul continues on his mission. He continues to live his life in the face of tragedy. He gets up every morning with a sense of Joy that he is not alone and that the victory is already his.

Why worry about the hardships that confront you when God has promised to provide the inner Power to deal with each and every tribulation come what may. Not only can God work miracles but God can change your countenance so that the things that used to perplex and debilitate you no longer have any effect on you at all.

I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. Phillipeans 4:13 

It is a promise, darling.