ALL for JESUS

What can I do for You, my beautiful King? I can't thank You enough for what You've done for me - the freedom You've given me - where You've taken me - what You've revealed to me...all through Your Word and in Your sweet presence.

I will obey.

While I will never claim to know everything - there are some things that I have learned - and if I miss it, I have a loving Father who will correct me and set me straight by His Holy Spirit that dwells inside of me. We are on a journey - and will be until Jesus comes for us. While on that journey, we are to seek and we will find. I'm going to speak from what I've found so far through much seeking.

God loves us - GOD is LOVE - His love is perfect - He is amazing and His love is endless and unfailing.

It is not God's will that any should perish but that all have everlasting life with Him. Will people perish? Yes. Why? For lack of knowledge. How can we prevent perishing? The answer is simple - BELIEVE.

Jesus, [answering the many questions of Nicodemus] said in John 3:12-18 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

There are so many lies floating around in the world today...many false teachers and religions...but the ONLY way to heaven and eternal life instead of eternity in hell is JESUS. Talking to His disciples before He was to be crucified, He told Thomas in John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

He also said some other cool things in John 14:12-14 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

If you've read the gospels, then you know what works Jesus did - if you haven't, then I urge you to pick up a bible and read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and right on through the book of Acts! He said that those who believe in Him, will do the works that He did AND greater works! Whatever we ask in His name, He will do - that the Father may be glorified.

The Father knows what we need before we ask and Jesus told us to pray simple in Matthew 6:9-13 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

I was raised to use my manners 'please and thank you'. This prayer does not follow those rules. It actually seems a little disrespectful and demanding to me based on what I have been taught - and my parents taught me good - just as I have taught my own children - but by whose standards did we teach? We should honor and respect our parents - and I get quite irritated when my kids don't...as my parents did when I didn't. Don't get lost - that's not the point I'm here to make.

The honor in the Lord's prayer comes at the beginning and respect at the end - honoring our heavenly Father's name as hallowed or 'HOLY' and respecting that His is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever! AMEN.

Our model prayer does not beg God for anything. It really doesn't even ask - it 'states' [to declare definitely or specifically]. With all due respect - it doesn't even say please - not once. It doesn't say 'if' anything is His will...but it does state that His will be done ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN and we know that heaven is a perfect place with no sin, no sickness, no disease, no pain, no tears, and so on... It 'demands' [to ask for with proper authority; claim as a right] our daily bread (His Word) and our forgiveness (with an action attached that we forgive) and it 'tells' (for lack of a better word) Him not to lead us into temptation but to deliver us from the evil one.

Jesus spends an extra moment on forgiveness after the prayer - reiterating that if we forgive others, our heavenly Father will forgive us and if we do not forgive others, neither will He forgive us. This can not be missed. It is important!

Side note...for all of us who do not feel comfortable praying out loud in front of other people - but have no problem praying at home - thank the LORD that we are covered. However - I do not think it is a sin to pray for people - openly if necessary - and in public at times at the leading of the LORD. The Holy Spirit will prompt us to do things and we should always obey Him. It does not mean that we are like hypocrites if we do. When Jesus was speaking of hypocrites, I believe he was referring to the Pharisees and teachers of the [old] law. God's Word is not meant to put us in bondage and keep us hidden away. His Word is truth and the truth is meant to FREE us and others. Jesus did not hide Himself in a room - He was out and about - speaking what His Father said and healing people and delivering them from the enemy.

Here are some nuggets from Ephesians 5:

1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.

15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her - 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Speaking from experience - not obeying God's Word based on what somebody or even everybody else is doing will not get you the desired results you are looking for. The bible doesn't give us very many 'if this or only if that' clauses.

Here are some more nuggets from Colossians 3:

18 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.
20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.
21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
22 Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God.
23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. 25 But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.

Though these passages may seem like MAJOR BONDAGE to someone - or even everyone who reads them - they are not. GOD designed us with a plan and a purpose in mind and we will only be blessed to OBEY HIM. He is faithful - even when we are not - His grace provides us room for error - He is patient and kind and remember - He loves us!

Everything that I have written here has been of major importance to me through our journeys of healing. As I prepared to close, another nugget came to mind - though I could not find it... In the process of looking, I found these verses and feel that they will shed even more light... Romans 1:

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

GLORIFY GOD - THANK HIM - THINK USEFUL THOUGHTS - KEEP YOUR HEART LIGHT ON WITH THE TRUTH OF GOD'S WORD!!!! IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HIS WILL IS - SEEK HIS WORD AND YOU WILL FIND IT! GOD IS GOOD ALL OF THE TIME AND ALL OF THE TIME GOD IS GOOD! IT'S TRUE!

GOD is the great I AM - He is the SAME today as He was yesterday and will be tomorrow. All through scripture, He tells that He is our HEALER! Believe it and receive healing - just like salvation - by grace through faith.