2010..the last 10 years

I can’t believe how fast time flies! I started to ponder on the last 10 years of my life. It’s crazy how a sovereign God can redeem someone like me. I thought back the past 10 years of who i was and how much has changed since 2000. I am almost 31 years old and thankful for the work God has done in my heart.

Who was I?

• I was a man who was full of anger and hatred. (ESV Mark 7:21-23)
  
• I was a man who was caught up in drugs and violence.
• I was a man who didn’t care. (ESV Psalm 10:4)
  
• I was a man who was prideful.( ESV Psalm 10:4)
  
• I was a man who didn’t mind causing pain in someone’s life.
• I was a man who was good at making people feel fear.
• I was a man who had a lot of hurts from the past and held unforgiveness tightly in my heart. (ESV John 20:23)
• I was a man given over to my desires and flesh. (ESV Eph. 2:3, ESV Rom 1:24)
  
• I am totally depraved and couldn’t save myself.

Then something happened and God showed His glory to me. For some reason God wanted to save me from myself. I still wondered why. Why God, would you want to save me? Why would you want to redeem a person like me, that deserves nothing? Why would you choose me and pick me out of the crowd to be redeemed?

The only response I got was “I love you!”

Why God would you love me?? I felt everyone else walked out on me-why would you stay? Again I heard, “I love you!”

It was that point, on July 13, 2007, that my heart changed. It was that point that I wanted to live differently. It was that point I wanted to be different from the world!!

Who I am!

• I am a son! Adopted into the family of God. (ESV Gal. 4, ESV Rom. 1:1-4)
• I am redeemed by the blood of the Lamb! (ESV Gal. 3:13, Gal. 3:26-28)
  
• I am a saint! (ESV Col. 1:12, ESV 1 Cor. 1:2)
• I am made righteous and holy because of Him (ESV Eph. 4:24)
• I am sanctified by Him (ESV Heb. 10:10,14)

In other words…..

I couldn’t save myself! I couldn’t do anything to free myself from the bondages of sin! I didn’t do anything of my own will!

It’s all about Him.

My life does not belong to me.

My life belongs to Him.

My life is about Him.

My God is first in all things.

He is the Redeemer, Restorer, Sanctifier, only One, that can fix all things.

I love my God with all my heart! Lord search my heart out! (ESV Psalm 139:23-24)

May 2010 be devoted to you Lord!

Christ is All,

~Michael

Who am I in Christ?

How many of us walk in the past? What do I mean by that? I mean how many of us still hold on to things that happened in the past? I struggled with this alot and really just got alot of freedom in this area. How did I do it? I simply found out what it means to be in Christ. See God already did all the work with us. He forgave us, reconciled us, and redeemed us. We just need to take a step and strip off the clothes of the past and put on the clothes of Jesus! ESV Gal. 3:26-27

List below is all about who we are in Christ.  Hope this will bring some freedom!

I am a/the…………….

• salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13)
• light of the world (Matt 5:14)
• child of God (John 1:12)
• part of the vine (John 15:1,5)
• slave of righteousness (Rom. 6:18)
• a saint (Eph. 1:1, 1 Cor. 1:2, Phil. 1:1, Col. 1:2)
• God’s workmanship (Eph. 2:10)
• a fellow citizen with all of the Lord’s family (Eph. 2:19)
• prisoner to Christ, slave to Him (Eph 3:1, 4:1)
• made righteous and holy because of Him (Eph. 4:24)
• hidden with Lord ( Col. 3:3)
• chosen by the Lord ( Col. 3:12, 1 Thess. 1:4)
• son of light (1 Thess. 5:5)
• partaker of His calling (Heb. 3:1)
• a marked man and enemy of Satan (1 Pet. 2:11)
• child of the Most High (1 John 3:1-2)
• joint heir w/Christ (Rom. 8:17)
• temple of the Lord’s (1 Cor. 6:17)
• one with Him (1 Cor. 6:17)
• a new creation in Him (2 Cor. 5:17)
• son of God (Gal. 3:26,28)
• reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:18-19)
• member of Christ’s body (1 Cor. 12:27, Eph. 5:30)

We are a pretty big deal to God. He call us friend and sons. ESV Gal. 4:1-10 speaks of sonship. I believe the Lord really wants us to get how much we mean to Him. We listen to the world and the enemy too much. I’m tired of walking down that road—aren’t you???

How i feel!

This video sums up my belief in Jesus Christ! I will always stand for you, no matter the cost!

Update: Submit Prayer & Praise through Prayer @ OTB

We have now set it up to where you can now submit prayer request and praise reports through the Prayer @ OTB site itself.

Head over to the site and look at the top line and click accordingly for Ask for Prayer or Give Thanks.

Thank you guys for submitting your prayers in so that we can come alongside to pray with you.  We pray to our God because He alone is good, merciful, kind, sweet, loving and sovereign.

We are reminded in Romans 8:28 that He will use all things, good and evil, righteous and sin, work together for our good, those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

I Don’t Follow Up

This is a conversation between me and my girlfriend about Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers:

Me: Did you like the book?

Her: Oh I love the book.  The main character, Michael, sounds exactly like you.

Me: That would make sense since the Book of Hosea is one of my favorite books in the Bible.

Her: Yep except you have a hard time following up on the things you say you are going to do.

The wicked side of me says that was an unfair swift kick to the tenders.

The sanctified side of me says that was a much needed swift kick to the tenders.

I stopped to let the Holy Spirit examine my heart and my life.

Right then, He  started to work on me.

The more I evaluated, the more I knew she was right on.

Tuesday night I got a message from a friend. She asked a small group of us to pray over her friend who has a rare incurable form of cancer.

The doctors want to examine her just so  they would have research for any future cases.

I considered it an honour to pray for a sister in Christ.

I told the group to give me a day to pray over what to pray about.

The Holy Spirit hits me with 1 Peter 3:8-22 to 1 Peter 4:1-19–The major theme was on how to suffer well.

Next day, I am faced with writing the prayer.  I am tempted to think, “it won’t be a big deal… they are not going to miss my prayers… I can skip it.”

But the Spirit of God quickened me.

Two words: follow up.

I poured my heart into that prayer.  I wanted to lift her up to the only God who knows us, who heals our broken bodies and and the only One who gives us joy and comfort.

In that one moment, I followed up.

Following up is an area at which I suck at.  More to come.

There Is No Equal

Exodus 8:10 And he said, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “Be it as you say, so that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God.

Exodus 15:11 “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?

Deuteronomy 4:35 To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord is God; there is no other besides him.

Deuteronomy 4:39 know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.

2 Samuel 7:22 Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

Psalm 86:8-10 There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
nor are there any works like yours.
All the nations you have made shall come
and worship before you, O Lord,
and shall glorify your name.
For you are great and do wondrous things;
you alone are God.

Jeremiah 10:6-7 There is none like you, O Lord;
you are great, and your name is great in might.
Who would not fear you, O King of the nations?
For this is your due;
for among all the wise ones of the nations
and in all their kingdoms
there is none like you.

Isaiah 40:18 To whom then will you liken God,
or what likeness compare with him?

Isaiah 40:25 To whom then will you compare me,
that I should be like him? says the Holy One.

Isaiah 43:10-11 “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord,
“and my servant whom I have chosen,
that you may know and believe me
and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed,
nor shall there be any after me.
I, I am the Lord,
and besides me there is no savior.

Isaiah 44:6-8 Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel
and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
“I am the first and I am the last;
besides me there is no god.
Who is like me? Let him proclaim it.
Let him declare and set it before me,
since I appointed an ancient people.
Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen.
Fear not, nor be afraid;
have I not told you from of old and declared it?
And you are my witnesses!
Is there a God besides me?
There is no Rock; I know not any.”

Isaiah 45:5-7 I am the Lord, and there is no other,
besides me there is no God;
I equip you, though you do not know me,
that people may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is none besides me;
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
I form light and create darkness,
I make well-being and create calamity,
I am the Lord, who does all these things.

Isaiah 45:18-19 For thus says the Lord,
who created the heavens
(he is God!),
who formed the earth and made it
(he established it;
he did not create it empty,
he formed it to be inhabited!):
“I am the Lord, and there is no other.
I did not speak in secret,
in a land of darkness;
I did not say to the offspring of Jacob,
‘Seek me in vain.’
I the Lord speak the truth;
I declare what is right.

Isaiah 45:21-22 Declare and present your case;
let them take counsel together!
Who told this long ago?
Who declared it of old?
Was it not I, the Lord?
And there is no other god besides me,
a righteous God and a Savior;
there is none besides me.

“Turn to me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.

Isaiah 46:5 “To whom will you liken me and make me equal,
and compare me, that we may be alike?

Isaiah 46:9-10 remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose,’

ht: desiringGod

How’s your view?

I was driving to my friend’s salon and started to talk with the Holy Spirit.  I said “Lord if we are bogged down, frustrated, in a bad mood–can you get all the glory like it says in the scriptures?” NASB 1 Cor. 10:31

I looked over to my right and there was a sign on the side of a truck that said “How’s your view?” The Lord asked me how my view was. I said my view is great, I see you, I love you, and I would do anything for you. Lord said “Really?” I said yep. God said “how come when things go wrong, stresses, you sin, or others things happen, you don’t look at me?” “You focus on the other things instead of me.”

I didn’t have an answer and repented on the spot.

The Lord reminded me of Col. 3:2. ESV Col 3:2 states “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.“ I almost take this as a commandment but sometimes it’s so hard to do.

I started to think of people in the bible that have faced the same issues. The first person I thought of was Peter. Take a  look at the stories of Peter ESV Matt 14:28-32 and ESV Mark 14:66-72. How many of us are like him?  The first story of Peter getting out of the boat and the second one of Peter denying Christ three times.

How many of us have been in either similar situation? How many times have we taken our eyes off of Him?

No matter how many times we screw up, we can be rest assured that he will still love us and be near us. ESV John 21: 15-19

I leave you with this one question, “How’s your View?”

In a time of Shaking…

We are in a time of shaking and God is moving. The economy is bad, and it seems the world is going down the tubes. This is the perfect time to be a Christian!

Why do you believe in Jesus?

This question has been on my heart for awhile.

I first started wrestling with this question while my wife and I were attending a marriage conference. Of all the places, why wrestle with it at a marriage conference? Well the speaker, Jimmy Evans, simply mentioned something about why he believed in Jesus. And it got my heart stirring. I didn’t hear anything else he said for a good 10 minutes or so. I kept replaying in my mind: “why do I believe?” The first thought was, “So I don’t go to Hell.” But the more I thought about it, that couldn’t be the only reason—or even the main reason. Being saved from Hell is a great benefit—but I believe that living for God is the ultimate reason

Why? Because…

• My life was meaningless–God gave me a reason to live
• I was garbage–He made me whole
• I was not worthy–His son made me worthy
• I did not deserve Him–He decided to love me and set me free anyway
• I felt dirty–He made me clean
• I thought I was nothing–He made me feel like I was everything
• I couldn’t do anything without Him–Through Him I can do anything

You see I don’t want to waste my life anymore. For 27 years I did my own thing—lived by my own rules. Then Jesus came along and turned everything around inside.

Before I met Jesus, I thought I had all the answers to life. I was wrong.

God shows me everyday how to act, how to think, how to be a man, and a warrior, and a good husband. Without Him I would totally fail. My life is for God. I believe in Jesus because I want to live my life no longer for me, but totally for Him.

Gal 2:20 (MSG) Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

I share this because I want it to be an encouragement to you. Believe me I am not perfect and struggle everyday. I am nothing. He is everything.

I leave you with the same question, “Why do you believe in Jesus?”

Who is Jesus to you?

I love the above picture. I was so intrigued by this artist’s rendition of Jesus.

Do you ever think about Christ hanging out with inmates, gang-bangers, prostitutes, or drug addicts?

This picture, to me, shows the forgotten people. People that normal society rejects, pushes aside, scoffs at, or forgets about.

What are your thoughts? Who is Jesus to you?