Divine Joy

In John 15:5-11, Jesus described our relationship with Him as branches connected to the true vine. In a vineyard, grapes are produced when the plant's sap runs through its branches. As Christ's life-giving Spirit flows through us, spiritual fruit will develop. This includes divine joy (Gal. 5:22-23).

To experience this deep spiritual contentment, we must stay closely connected with the Lord. Jesus often slipped away [to pray] so He and the Father could have intimate communion (Mark 1:35). He was able to endure much because of His fellowship with God and the joy He knew was to come (Heb. 12:2). In a similar way, the apostle Paul overflowed with joy even when he suffered (2 Cor. 7:4). He described a Christian's connection with God this way: "I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." (Gal. 2:20 niv).

Joy will increase when we follow Paul's example and fix our attention upon Jesus rather than upon ourselves or our circumstances. The more we abide in Him, the greater our spiritual happiness will be. Our initial reaction to hardship may be discouragement or overwhelming pain. But if we focus on Him and commune with His Spirit, our sense of peace will return. Remember, the Lord promised that His joy would be in us fully when we rest in Him.

~ Dr. Charles Stanley

Broken Bread

Make me broken bread, make me poured out wine.
For I am yours Lord, my life is in the Vine
So as you crush the fruit born of my flesh
Remove all bitterness, make me sweet and fresh
To be poured out upon a hurting world so lost
Make me broken bread no matter what the cost
And as I cry out to You, Your will, not mine,
Make me broken bread, make me poured out wine.

~ Angela Gill

Messiah

There are about 400 years that exist between the *end* of the Old Testament and the *beginning* of the New Testament in the bible. The Old Testament is prophetic in nature and foretells of the birth, death, and resurrection of the coming Messiah. The bible is called Holy partly because of the many prophecies within it that have actually came to be. God's perfect plan for His people has always been that a savior would be born to us, a redeemer, one who would be anointed to carry away the burdens of our life. One who would offer us redemption and hope. He is Jesus. The name Jesus means "God saves". Immanuel means "God with us". These are holy names, for a holy God. God in flesh, who Himself came to earth, to die - to overcome death and destruction - so that he would be resurrected again so that WE might be resurrected or "born-again". It is when we truly lose our life [by surrendering it to God, as a living sacrifice - by dying to sin, dying to self, taking up HIS cross that we might be resurrected] that we truly gain life...life in Christ...life of peace, joy, and hope. With Christ in us we are more than conquerors. We are given the keys to heaven and hell and what we bind on earth (darkness and sin) is bound in heaven and what we loose on earth (peace, hope, love) is loosed in heaven. Thank you God that you came to earth in flesh, as a man, as a son - Jesus. Thank you that you carried our burdens of sin, shame, fear, guilt, and suffering all the way up that hill to Calvary. Thank you that you died on the cross, and that you rose again and overcame the grave, death, and darkness. Thank you that you showed us the way to living a resurrected life by accepting your free gift of salvation simply by accepting Jesus as our savior and making Him the Lord of our lives. Jesus, we ask you to lead us as we make decisions in our lives, as we pray, as we seek more of You.

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

About 400 years later:

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. Luke 2:11-14

Quotable Quote

Submission is learning when to duck so God can hit your husband ~ Beth Moore

Oooh I LOVE that one! Sometimes we try to manipulate the men in our lives or push our crazy God-loving-ways onto them...but there is such wisdom in Ms. Moore's words. Get outta the way so God can work on our husbands! Lift them up in prayer ~ but beyond that, let the maker of the universe have at 'em! Pray a touch of God on their hearts. Pray a move of God in their lives. Pray for their covering in the blood of the lamb. Pray God's glorious hedge of protection around them. Then trust God to reconcile your husband to Himself! Greater is He that is in your husband than He that is in the world. Girlfriend, get out the way!

Prayer

The New Testament teaches that prayer and intercession are expected of all believers.

James 5:16 (Amplified Bible) instructs us with these words,

Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].

Who in your life needs prayer today? Take a second to ask the Lord to reveal to you someone in your life that needs your prayer. You may be surprised at how quickly someone will pop into your head. Be obedient to that prompting from the Lord and pray for that person! It will have an impact in the spiritual realm that you may not even realize.

Father, we come to You seeking to know Your will. Show us where and how we can demonstrate Your love, by praying for others. Give us open hearts and minds so that we can truly identify the specific needs of others. Lord, grant us the ability to be Your hands and Your feet in serving others in love. In Jesus' name, Amen

If you need prayer, I would be honored to pray for your situation, just send me an email at : jtraut28@yahoo.com.

Quotable Quote

A man can no more diminish God's glory

by refusing to worship Him

than a lunatic can put out the sun

by scribbling the word 'darkness'

on the walls of his cell.

- C.S. Lewis

And a truly quotable for all the

crazy Jesus Freaks out there

C'mon, you know who you are:

"Friendship is born at that moment

when one person says to another:

What! You too? I thought I was the only one."

- C.S. Lewis

You've got to light it up!

He said to them,

"Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed?

Instead, don't you put it on its stand?"

Mark 4:21

When a candle is brought into a dark room, especially when people are gathered together; is it proper to cover it up? How about when you bring a candle into your bedroom, does it make sense to put it under your bed? It is certainly more appropriate and useful if a candle is set in a candle holder or glass container where it can be of use to everyone in the room. The "light" that the above verse is referencing is the Word of God - the Bible. Jesus was saying to his disciples, "I give you this 'light' [these teachings, these words, this scripture] not to have you conceal them or keep them to yourselves, but to impart them to others. To bring light and life and hope into other people's situations". We are all called as disciples for this purpose.

During these difficult times, families are under stress, marriages are being attacked, and finances are being stretched dangerously thin. One way that we can bring encouragement to others is by bringing the light of God's Word into their situation. We can pray for them...or better yet, pray with them. We can dash to our computers or our bibles and look up scripture that pertains to their situation and share it with them. We can decree or prophesy life into their situation by praying the God's promises over their circumstances {for instance John 10:10 "Jesus has come that you may have life and have it abundantly" or 2 Thes 3:3 "The Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you"}. There are many ways in which we can prepare the way for the Lord to enter into their situation and change it. Just speaking life giving words or *light* into people's lives ushers in the power of God and allows Him to opportunity to shine!

So go light your candle! Memorize a line of scripture today and use it to give life to someone's situation.

It is the same with my word.

I send it out, and it always produces fruit.

It will accomplish all I want it to,

and it will prosper everywhere I send it.

Isaiah 55:11