All posts tagged: Jesus

Habitation vs Visitation

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Have you ever heard someone pray for God’s visitation? “Visit us, Lord!” Have you ever prayed that prayer? I have prayed the prayer before, and one of my all time, old school worship song is entitled, “Visit Us.” So, I am not trying to scold anyone for praying for God to come near to where they are. Depending on what one may actually be praying for, I think it important to pray for habitation instead of His visitation. For several reasons, I will explain. But for starters, what does the bible have to say about God’s visitation? Visitation carries a biblical idea of God coming to deliver us from captivity, bondage, slavery, darkness or sin. Also, the Lord visits us to show us acts of kindness, care, and love. (Exodus 3:16; 4:31; Jeremiah 27:22; 29:10; Luke 1:68, 78, 79; Ruth 1:6; Job 10:12; Luke 19:44). It also carries the biblical idea of an investigation, a probing and consequently a reckoning or judgment for sin or rebellion. (Isaiah 10:3; Jeremiah 8:12; Hosea 9:7). Visitation is twofold when it comes …

The Door

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All within are love and gladness, Light and warmth and cheer; All without the night wind wailing O’er the lonely mere. There within the child belovèd — There the welcome sweet; There without the wandering orphan And the weary feet. Wandering child! the Door is open — That fair palace-door; There thy Father’s kiss awaits thee, Fatherless no more. One fair golden Door — one only, Jesus Who has died; Jesus is that blessed Doorway Open free and wide. Child, no need to knock, to ask Him If thou mayest come; Lo! He stands in love beseeching, Saying, “Child! come home.” Saying, “Child, the night is dreary On the mountains lone; Pass within thy Father’s palace, Heaven is all thine own. “Thou hast sinned, and I have suffered Curse and death for thee; Now as I to Him am precious, Thou art dear to Me.” Emma Frances Bevan, 1899

Falling in Love with Jesus

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Hi everyone, I was doing some sound check with our new video camera singing this song. The voice, sound and light is not perfect – and neither am I, but I love the Lord with all my heart. May He bring you assurance today and may He cause you to feel His protection and love as I sing this over you!

5 Ways to actively share your faith in the marketplace

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The Priesthood of Every believer I believe in the Priesthood of every believer. We are not all call to stand behind a pulpit, nor do we all have to be named prophet or evangelist, but we are all called to give an account for why we believe in Jesus Christ. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9 There is a great deal of responsibility that goes with the idea of being a priest. It is a role that should never be taken  lightly. That’s because the life of many depend on it, especially in the Marketplace. I believe that God has strategically called everyone of us to shine His light in every corner of our world. For many, it is the Marketplace. The question is – How can one effectively and actively share his faith in the marketplace? I have five suggestions: Cease opportunities but don’t …

Testimony of Jesus

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Revelation 19:10 KJV And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Back in the day in my home church we use to have special services for people to express their thanks and praise to God for the good things He had done and for them and for answering to their prayers. These were some of the most powerful times in my life. It didn’t matter how big or how small the miracle was, whether it was divine healing or just a simple “thank you for waking me up this morning,” God got the glory and the church was edified. I miss those days. We had to trust God for everything. It’s amazing how much we take for granted now a days. Some of us act as if we don’t need God for certain things anymore: We have …

DownLoad a Free Song from Hillsong

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Do want to be captivated again by the wonder of Easter? You can start today by downloading and singing along to a new Easter Single. The song is written by Marty Sampson and it “tells a timeless story” If you want to remember anew or reflect on old gospel themes in a different way, than “O praise Him” will help you captivate the wonder of the Easter story. It’s the story of the Cross It’s the story of His resurrection It’s the story of His Love In my estimation – the greatest love story ever told. Download it here for free… http://hillsong.com/worship OR Listen to it below Lyrics: I cast my mind to Calvary Where Jesus bled and died for me I see His wounds, His hands His feet My Saviour on that cursed tree His body bound and drenched in tears They laid Him down in Joseph’s tomb The entrance sealed by heavy stone Messiah still and all alone Then on the third at break of dawn The Son of Heaven rose again O …

7 Things To Do With Your Plans

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A few weeks ago I came under fire from one of my critics for telling him that I had planned several months ahead of what I felt the Lord was leading me to share with our congregation. This individual took my words and twisted them, and began to spread in the community that I had no place for the leadership of the Holy Spirit in the ministry of the Word of God in our Church. If you’ve read “My Beautiful Tension,” you can see how ridiculous it is for any pastor to plan sermons without the help of the Holy Spirit or even do ministry for that matter. Even though I have addressed the subject here, I feel the need to talk about it again. There is school of thought in certain circles about the subject of planning that I believe is out of sync with scripture. A lot of well meaning people believe that planning is of the devil. I am not one of those. I do not believe planning is of the devil. …

Sin is…

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The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion- to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified. (Isaiah 61:1-3) Sin is… Bad news A heart breaker A captive taker A tyrannical oppressor A blinder A curse A death sentencer A bondage giver A joy stealer A separator A beauty eraser Jesus is… Good news Healer of the broken hearted Proclaimer of liberty to the captive Opener of prison doors Comforter Deliverer Joy …

This is my season

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Every time the Christmas season comes around, and when you read stories like that of Elizabeth’s, it invokes a sense of expectation. Like, this could be my time to bring forth what I’ve been praying for. Nine decades had pass. Old age had set in. The possibility of conceiving a child; the shot at giving birth to one or the hope that one day this could happen was no longer on her mind. Her best friends, some of whom she still prays for, as part of a priestly family, were now enjoying the laughter of grand babies, great grand babies but she was still without child. Anyone of us, even the strongest among us will begin to think that God has forgotten us. But God makes “everything beautiful in His time.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 “Your times are in His hands.” Psalm 31:15 “God is not a man, that He should lie, neither, the son of man, that He should feel repentance. Has he said and shall he not do? Or has he spoken and shall he …