Praise the Lord we are still standing! For the past several months I've been growing in grace with an amazing group of women. Our journey has taken us through a spiritual warfare study. It was not the typical Ephesians 6:10, put on the whole armor lesson; instead, we learned to wage war daily against the ungodly attitudes that rise up in us. Whew, this has been a challenging and convicting leg of the journey. Our study concluding in Matthew 5, The Beatitudes. And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain: and when He was set, His disciples came unto Him: And He opened His mouth, and taught them, saying...blessed are... ( Matt 5:1-2). At this point in His ministry, Jesus had reached the pinnacle of His popularity. The setting for the sermon On The Mount is a hillside near Capernaum, and took place over a course of several days in front of a growing crowd. So as Jesus started His discourse, He began to describe the characteristics of people who belong to the kingdom of heaven, answering the question who on earth are we? Or better yet, Who are earth should we be? It is clear to me that if today Jesus were to post the Beatitudes on Instagram and FB, the likes would be few and the follows even less. But we should not be surprised because, Jesus was radical in His thinking. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts - Is 55:8-9. He makes it clear that as believers who we should be on earth are not people whose primary pursuit is power, popularity, prominence, or prosperity. The blessed life He describes has nothing at all to do with any of the aforementioned things. This blessed life He describes is a spiritual state of being filled with such an abundance of joy, peace, comfort and intimacy with Him it surpasses what was normally attributed to any human experience. Interested in living that kind of blessed life? Journey with us over the course of the next few posts to discover, how to live that blessed life and to discover who on earth we should be as we examine the Beatitudes. desiring to live the blessed life, Diane Do you know someone you just love hanging around? You are smiling, right? Just the thought of that person brings you joy. Jesus invites us to hang around Him for that very reason. He wants us to experience abundant joy. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love, ...These things I have spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full (John 15: 9,10a,11). Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy (Ps 16:11a). In His encouragement to continue in His love and to abide in Him, Jesus is saying I want you to constantly hang around me so that you can always enjoy my company, be filled with delight and experience overflowing joy. Need more joy in your life? Start hanging around Jesus. I know we have talked about hanging around Jesus before, but if you are at all like me, and I believe you are, it's good to revisit it and to be reminded. There are also other benefits to hanging out with Jesus besides plentiful joy. Abiding in Christ assures us of protection. He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will remain secure and rest in the shadow of the Almighty (whose power no enemy can withstand) - Ps 91:1. This promise of protection is available to all believers but only enjoyed by those who have learned to constantly hang around Jesus. Want the assurance of His protection? Start hanging around Jesus. When we learn to hang around Jesus we not only experience plenty of joy, the promise of protection, but also we begin to produce spiritual fruit. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing - John 15:5. Spending time with Jesus allows us to manifest joy, kindness, peacefulness and the other fruit of the Spirit. Want to have a life filled with spiritual fruit? Start hanging around Jesus. Hanging around Jesus affords us plenty joy, the assurance of protection, a life that produces spiritual fruit and answered pray. If you remain in Me and My words remain in you (that is, if we are vitally united and My message lives in your heart), ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you - John 15:7 AMP. Abiding in Christ assures us that our prayers will be answered because the more we hang around Jesus, the more we become like Him and the more our desires become aligned with His desires so that we only ask for things that are aligned with His will. If we want to experience fullness of joy, be assured of God's protection, live spiritually fruitful lives and have our prayers answered, we have to start hanging around Jesus. How do we hang around Jesus? Read His word with the understanding that He is sharing His heart with us, and letting us know what's on His mind. Each day we must become more and more aware of His presence and invite Him into every aspect of our lives, the big and the small things. We must begin to talk to Him throughout the day not just in the morning or the evening, or when we need something. Hang around Him and learn to enjoy His company. still trying to hang around Jesus, Diane p.s. Don't really have a desire to hang around Jesus yet? Be honest with Him and ask Him to give you the desire. I hope you have a blessed week so far. Do you have a desire to experience greater joy and peace in your life? Want to stop riding the emotional roller coaster, being enslaved to your feelings? We want to start to really walk by faith, right? David, in Psalm 34, encourages us to cultivate 4 habits that will help us to live lives filled with joy, peace and faith. In this Psalm, which happens to be one of my favorites, David encourages us to do 4 things: Bless the Lord, Seek the Lord, Fear the Lord, and Trust the Lord. If we are going to consistently experience joy in our lives that's not predicated on how we feel or our circumstances, we have to make a habit of blessing the Lord daily. David put it like this: I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord, the humble shall hear thereof and be glad - Ps 34:1-2. Blessing the Lord, means to speak good of Him. You brag about how His goodness, His greatness, His power, or His mercy. You talk about who He is and what He does. David was committed to praise. His commitment to praise and bragging about God was not just during the times when things were going well but at all times. David's praise got so good to him he invited others to join him (O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together - Ps 34:3). Now the truth is we are not going to wake up everyday excited, and sometimes things happen that frustrate and discourage us. But if after we talk to the Lord about our frustrations and disappointments, we start to thank Him for hearing us, thank Him for blessing us, thank Him for keeping us... If we cultivate the habit of blessing the Lord to ourselves and then to those around us, we experience the joy of the Lord which is our strength. We have to fill our mouths with praise instead of our problems. Praise has the ability to change our countenance. (Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praise unto our God; for is pleasant and praise is comely - Ps 147:1). In other words, praise looks good on us. David encourages to bless the Lord daily and to also seek the Lord daily. Everyday we must seek the Lord. Look to Him and for Him in His word, believing that we will find in Him everything we need (I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears - Ps 34:4). There is something about that word seek that carries a greater sense of urgency and determination to find that which is sought. There is nothing casual about seeking (And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart - Jer 29:13). Daily cultivating the habit of looking for God in His word with a sense of urgency and an expectancy to hear from Him will break us out of religion and usher us into relationship. We experience a deeper level of fellowship with Him (O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him - Ps 34:8). When we cultivate the habit of seeking the Lord, it is like indulging in an all you can eat buffet instead of just standing around and admiring how good the food looks. After we have blessed the Lord and sought the Lord daily, we are encouraged to fear the Lord. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear Him - Ps 34:9. Fearing the Lord means to reverence Him, to stand in awe of who He is. It means to be so overwhelmed with the greatness of God we are left speechless. Daily we are to fear God, to worship Him (ascribe His worth). Our fear of the Lord drives out all other fears and ensures that He will provide what we need (...Blessed is man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments - Ps 112:1). David encourages us to bless the Lord, seek the Lord, fear the Lord and finally trust the Lord. No matter what happens we must daily put our trust in the Lord knowing He is in control and has our back (The Lord redeemeth the soul of His servants: and none of them that trust in Him shall be desolate -Ps 34:22). If we commit to daily bless the Lord (speak good of Him), seek the Lord (look to Him and for Him), fear the Lord ( stand in awe of Him, worship Him) and trust the Lord (put our confidence in Him), our lives will be filled with joy and pleasing to the Lord! on this journey with you, Diane p.s. no matter what happens daily practice and commit to bless the Lord, seek the Lord, fear the Lord and trust the Lord. Not sure how to get started? Ask the Lord to help you. |
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