Tag Archives: Religion

What if…

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So what if you’ve gotten on the wrong boat? What if you thought all along that you were headed in the right direction but it turns out that the course you’re on isn’t taking you where you thought it was going to take you?

Let’s talk about religion for a minute…my heart has been so troubled for the people that only know Jesus through religion and not through a personal relationship. There are so many people out there that are steeped in their religion and the traditions of that religion and as a result are completely missing out on what God really intended for them…a deep and very personal relationship with them through Christ Jesus. Religions are man made. Religions are based on people’s own efforts to be made right with God. Gods plan was not based on people’s efforts and works, Jesus was and is the plan! He made each of us to be in relationship with Him. Jesus bridged that gap and allows us to have a relationship with God the Father. 

Religion says pray this prayer – Relationship says just talk to Me

Religion says do this or say this at this time – Relationship says follow the Holy Spirit that I’ve given to guide

Religion says you can only take communion if you’re in right standing – Relationship says all are welcome at My table, My blood paid the price for all and if you believe I died for your sins, you are in right standing

The only way to salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus must be the cornerstone that our faith in God is built on…no one else and nothing else. John 14:6 says Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

What if you’ve been on the wrong boat this whole time and you just didn’t know it? Afterall, you don’t know what you don’t know…

Friends, this is something that has been constantly on my heart for the past couple of years. There are people that are on the wrong boat or have missed the boat completely and it saddens me so much that they are not able to fully experience all of what God has for them. I’ve started many blog posts on this topic over the past two years but the words never fully came together. A few mornings ago, I was in my prayer time and this sadness came over me again and the phrase “it’s like they’ve gotten on the wrong boat” came to mind. I guess it could have been the wrong train or plane or pathway, but God chose the word boat…haha! In any case, if this message spoke to you, then it was for you. 

God is inviting you into a real relationship through His Son Jesus…make sure your current course is headed in the right direction…

What if…

It’s all about Jesus…

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I read this earlier from the Heart of the Prophetic…”People in bondage to religious thinking cannot fully understand spiritual things. They look to the letter of the law without the lens of the Spirit of God.” Well said!! Religion does not save you and give you hope and peace that passes all understanding. Our hope must be deeply rooted in Jesus Christ…our cornerstone, our Rock and our Redeemer! Instead of “religion”, seek a RELATIONSHIP with the Savior Himself!

It’s all about Jesus my friends! His blood shed on the cross not only made it all possible but sealed the new Covenant and PROMISES us that if we believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior that we ARE saved! Thank you Jesus!!

What’s the foundation of your faith built upon? 

Is it head or heart knowledge?

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Many of us have grown up in a family of believers, grew up going to church on Sundays, Sunday school, memorizing verses, religious observances, etc. Those are all good  things. BUT…it doesn’t mean you have a personal relationship with your Lord and Savior. Head knowledge does not equal heart knowledge. Wow! Let’s let that sink in for just a minute…head knowledge does not equal heart knowledge.

Having family that are Christians and going to church every week does not make YOU a Christian. Your faith must be personal to YOU.  This isn’t religion…this is a relationship. Think about your relationships with family members or close friends – how did your relationship with them grow? Your relationship with your mother did not grow from hearing about somebody else’s relationship with her. You grew your own relationship with her, day by day and conversation by conversation.  A real relationship is built over time as you learn and grow together. It’s not something you can learn without experiencing it yourself. 

The same is true with our Lord. It’s time to get to know Him. Talk to Him, learn more about Him by opening up your mind and heart to Him, invite Him into your everyday life, laugh with Him and cry with Him. Seek more than just your head knowledge. If you do, He will welcome you with arms wide open. He wants nothing more than to have a relationship with each of us. You will be changed just as I have been. Stop worrying about what your family and friends might think or say about you as you change and grow in your relationship with the Lord…the only one you should be worried about pleasing is God Himself. It’s time my friends, it’s time.

Let’s get personal…

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This is a topic that has been on my heart for a long time and I have been waiting on the Lord to give me the words, but now is the time.

I’m very saddened that there are people that are being deceived by the enemy in thinking that they are right with God, when really they are not.

Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord”, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?” And then will I declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”

“I never knew you”…let’s reflect on this for a moment. Jesus is saying you did all these works but at the end of the day, I still didn’t have a relationship with you…I never KNEW you. How do you honestly know someone if you don’t have a first hand relationship with them?? All the works, good deeds, rituals, ceremonies and everything else still does not equal a first hand relationship with someone.  The people Jesus is referring to do not have a real relationship with Him, all they have is an empty religion.

Religion cannot take the place of relationship. We are able to have an actual personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus. Jesus bridged the gap between our Holy God and us sinners. The only way for us to know God and for God to know us is by having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Believing in God, going to church every Sunday, and reading the Bible is not enough to secure your eternal rest in Heaven with the Father. The ONLY way to spend eternity with God the Father, is to accept, follow and have a personal relationship with His Son Jesus. In John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

I have a personal relationship with Jesus. I not only have faith in Him as my Savior, but I trust Him with every aspect of my life.  I love Him, I tell Him about my good days and my bad days, I ask for His help, I laugh with Him and I cry with Him. BUT…a relationship cannot be one sided. Here’s the really amazing part… even though I can’t see Him, He makes His presence very known in my life and shows me that He loves me too. He brings me peace and comfort in the bad days and joy in the good days, he answers my pleas for help, and reminds me of hope through the tears. To me He is a parent, a friend, a provider, a helper, a teacher…sometimes when I think of Him, I refer to Him as “my Jesus”… it’s personal to me…HE’S personal to me. In order to completely surrender your life over to someone and agree to follow them regardless of what you’re asked to do or go through, it HAS to be personal!

Do not be deceived by your religion – the only way to the Father is through the Son. When we confess our sins and ask for forgiveness – we must bring them directly to Jesus, our Redeemer.

Friends, if you are feeling that you are missing something from your “religion”- you’re feeling that way for a reason. You’re missing out on Jesus. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ came “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). If you are feeling like you are unfulfilled in your beliefs, your religion or your church…that’s because our Lord is seeking you and wants to save you. He is calling you to a personal relationship with Him…answer the call. Step out in faith, it’s time to get personal…

 

 

No coincidences…

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I took a trip to Orlando, FL this past week for work and ended up having a pretty special flight from Phoenix to Nashville. Have you ever met someone and you knew instantly when you met them that there was absolutely no coincidence that you had just met that person? Well, that’s what I would have to say about meeting the passenger next to me on my connection flight to Nashville. The Lord put me next to a fourteen year old young man named Joseph. This flight was Joseph’s very first time flying. He mentioned that to me when asking for some help with getting the seatbelt fastened for takeoff. We started talking and proceeded to discuss a variety of things the entire way to Nashville such as him spending time in the Phoenix area to visit his grandparents, what my job entailed, each of our families, Star Wars movies, aspirations for the future and many other things. The topic of conversation that I enjoyed the most was sharing about my faith and what Jesus has done for me. This part of the conversation started when he out of the blue asked me if I was religious. Later he said he hoped he hadn’t offended me, but I explained to him that quite the contrary…I’ll talk about my faith every opportunity I get! He had some interesting views on a few things and although I didn’t agree with all of his viewpoints, it got me thinking about a few things. For me, I believe this conversation was preparation for sharing my faith with others and being prepared for different viewpoints and objections that will be brought before me. What he got out of that conversation I’ll probably never know but I trust that he got something out of it as I truly believe it was no coincidence that we crossed paths. 

When we first took off, I had pulled out a book I had intended on reading. I opened it up and mentally noted the fact that what I was using for a bookmark was two torn  off corners of two sheets of paper. I wondered why I had two corners of torn paper but stuffed them back in as a bookmark when my conversation with Joseph started. As our plane was landing, I felt that the Holy Spirit was telling me to leave my web address for this blog with Joseph so I started looking for some paper to write it down on that I wouldn’t need. After looking in my purse and carry-on bag, I remembered the second torn corner of paper that I had used as a bookmark. See Joseph, there are no coincidences! 

Joseph, I pray that the Lord blesses you and your life beyond imagination as he has blessed me! As you follow your dreams to become the big movie star that you want to become – always keep Jesus and God the Father front and center in your life!! For with Him, all things are possible. I’ll leave you with this – walk with Jesus. Get to know Him by reading the Bible, put your trust in Him and invite Him to be with you on your daily walk through life. For with Him, your path through life will be well lit! He is the ONLY source of light on a lighted path. You are an awesome, awesome, awesome (see, I remembered to use it three times, ha!) person and it was my pleasure to have spent a couple of hours talking with you. Take care Joseph! 

Looking for God’s Touch

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For those of us that are believers, we’re all looking for God’s touch – how He’s working in our lives, how He’s there to pick up the pieces as they start falling down. So why does His touch seem to be more evident for some people than others? Why is it so clear how and when He’s working in some people’s lives and not for others? You may be waiting around wondering when and how God is going to show up for you in your life but He IS working on everything, in each one of our lives. Even when we don’t feel His presence with us, He’s there. How amazing for us that He IS always there!

God has shown up in my life in a very big way, His work in me is very evident by not only the physical transformation but also the spiritual transformation I have undergone. His plan for my life has and is starting to become clear to me but it wasn’t always that way. Although I believed in God and believed Jesus to be my Savior, I did not feel His presence in my life. It wasn’t until I reached out to Him and called on Him for His help in my life that I started to become aware of His presence and He started to become “real” to me. I understand now that He had always been there, at work in my life but it didn’t become evident to me until I put my faith and trust in Him. Sometimes it’s hard to see the sunlight through the trees, but just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean that it’s not there. He IS there – He always has been and always will be. For us believers, He is the one constant that we can count on in our lives. If you don’t feel His presence in your life like you see Him have in others, there is a reason for that. He is working out every detail behind the scenes and one day in His time, it will be revealed to you. Until then…just trust. Read His word! Seek Him! Have patience and just trust. When the time is right – all the pieces will come together, the sunlight will break through and it will all become clear. Just trust.

Dear Father,

Thank you for the light you have given me so that I may be a light to others! Thank you for revealing yourself to me, for making your presence known in my life. This light that you have given me exists to glorify you and show others of your mercy and grace.

Today I pray for each of your children that you have called and who seek your face but have yet to feel your loving touch. Lord, give each of them your peace…the peace that passes all understanding. Give them a glimpse of their life to come when they are in closer relationship with you. Reveal yourself to them so that they too can glorify you. Fill them with your light so that they can also shine brightly and be a light to others. Father, help them to reach out to you. Help them to get out of their comfort zones and step out of their boxes to reach for YOU…not a specific church, not a specific “religion” but YOU.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.