Posted by: jakinnan | February 25, 2014

Guard Against Temptation

Forest

A holy character does not prevent temptation–Jesus was tempted. When Satan tempts us, his sparks fall upon tinder; but in Christ’s case, it was like striking sparks on water; yet the enemy continued his evil work. Now, if the devil goes on striking when there is no result, how much more will he do it when he knows what inflammable stuff our hearts are made of. Though you become greatly sanctified by the Holy Spirit, expect that the great dog of hell will bark at you still. In the haunts of men we expect to be tempted, but even seclusion will not guard us from the same trial.

Jesus Christ was led away from human society into the wilderness and was tempted by the devil. Solitude has its charms and its benefits and may be useful in checking the lust of the eye and the pride of life; but the devil will follow us into the most lovely retreats. Do not suppose that it is only the worldly-minded who have dreadful thoughts and blasphemous temptations, for even spiritually minded persons endure the same; and in the holiest position we may suffer the darkest temptation.

The utmost consecration of spirit will not insure you against satanic temptation. Christ was consecrated through and through. It was His meat and drink to do the will of Him that sent Him–and yet He was tempted! Your hearts may glow with an angelic flame of love for Jesus, and yet the devil will try to bring you down to lukewarm uselessness. If you will tell me when God permits a Christian to lay aside his armor, I will tell you when Satan has left off temptation.

Like the old knights in wartime, we must sleep with helmet and breastplate buckled on, for the arch-deceiver will seize our first unguarded moment to make us his prey. May the Lord keep us watchful in all seasons and grant us a final escape from the jaw of the lion and the paw of the bear.

– Alistair Begg

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Posted by: jakinnan | February 25, 2014

The Brilliant Truth

Bridge

And he is still doing it. Jesus is alive today and living his life through you. Remember, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). Paul says the whole mystery of the gospel comes down to this: “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27).

Christ is your life and your breath and your hope and your courage. In him you live and breathe and have your being.

And apart from him, you can do nothing (John 15:5). But once you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, received his death in your place, received his forgiveness for your sins, invited him to take his rightful place and rule your heart, you will never be apart from Christ again.

You are in the palm of his hand, and nothing take can you out. That’s the secret to becoming ourselves! We increasingly lean on Jesus, calling on him to live his life through us. And as he does, we are transformed into the very image of God. We discover the brilliant truth that the more his we become, the more ourselves we become.

The more we know Jesus as he really is, the more we love him. The more we love him, the more our lives are transformed. You are beautiful, and your beauty is increasing. It’s growing. Really! We are courageous women of God and becoming more so!

He is the one who gives us the confidence to become. He will give you courage as he lives his life through you.

– Stasi Eldredge, Becoming Myslef

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Posted by: jakinnan | February 25, 2014

02/25/2014 Scripture

Morning Mist

This is what the Lord my God says: “Go and care for the flock that is intended for slaughter. The buyers slaughter their sheep without remorse. The sellers say, ‘Praise the Lord! Now I’m rich!’ Even the shepherds have no compassion for them. Likewise, I will no longer have pity on the people of the land,” says the Lord. “I will let them fall into each other’s hands and into the hands of their king. They will turn the land into a wilderness, and I will not rescue them.”

-Zechariah 11:4-6 NLT

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Posted by: jakinnan | February 24, 2014

Walking With God

Morning Path

Walking with God leads to receiving his intimate counsel, and counseling leads to deep restoration. As we learn to walk with God and hear his voice, he is able to bring up issues in our hearts that need speaking to. Some of those wounds were enough to break our hearts, create a rift in the soul, and so we need his healing as well. This is something Jesus walks us into—sometimes through the help of another person who can listen and pray with us, sometimes with God alone. As David said in Psalm 23, he leads us away, to a quiet place, to restore the soul. Our first choice is to go with him there—to slow down, unplug, accept the invitation to come aside. You won’t find healing in the midst of the Matrix. We need time in the presence of God. This often comes on the heels of God’s raising some issue in our hearts or after we’ve just relived an event that takes us straight to that broken place, or waking as I did to a raw emotion.

Teach me your way, O LORD,
and I will walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever. (Ps. 86:11-12)

When we are in the presence of God, removed from distractions, we are able to hear him more clearly, and a secure environment has been established for the young and broken places in our hearts to surface.

– John Eldredge, Waking the Dead

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Posted by: jakinnan | February 24, 2014

02/24/2014 Scripture

mtn cloude

This message concerning the fate of Israel came from the Lord: “This message is from the Lord, who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundations of the earth, and formed the human spirit. Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died.

-Zechariah 12:1 & 10 NLT

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Posted by: jakinnan | February 24, 2014

02/23/2014 Scripture

Valley

“Awake, sword, against my shepherd,
against the man who is close to me!”
declares the Lord Almighty.
“Strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered,
and I will turn my hand against the little ones.
In the whole land,” declares the Lord,
“two-thirds will be struck down and perish;
yet one-third will be left in it.
This third I will put into the fire;
I will refine them like silver
and test them like gold.
They will call on my name
and I will answer them;
I will say, ‘They are my people,’
and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”

-Zechariah 13:7-9 NLT

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Posted by: jakinnan | February 22, 2014

Restored Holiness

Mtn Falls

I think if we could recover a vision of what holiness actually is, we would be absolutely captured by it. I think we would see it as not only completely desirable, but attainable as well. King David was a man who knew well his character flaws, felt the anguish of regret, spent many a tormented night wrestling with his failings. And yet, in Psalm 119, David wrote this:

“I run in the path of your commands, because you have set my heart free.”

Have you ever put those two things together—freedom of heart and the passionate pursuit of God’s commands? The two go hand in hand. Genuine holiness restores human beings; restored human beings possess genuine holiness.

– John Eldredge, The Utter Relief of Holiness

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Posted by: jakinnan | February 22, 2014

02/22/2014 Scripture

mtn water

Then the Lord will go out to fight against those nations, as he has fought in times past. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem. And the Mount of Olives will split apart, making a wide valley running from east to west. Half the mountain will move toward the north and half toward the south. You will flee through this valley, for it will reach across to Azal. Yes, you will flee as you did from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all his holy ones with him.

On that day the sources of light will no longer shine, yet there will be continuous day! Only the Lord knows how this could happen. There will be no normal day and night, for at evening time it will still be light.

On that day life-giving waters will flow out from Jerusalem, half toward the Dead Sea and half toward the Mediterranean, flowing continuously in both summer and winter.

And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord—his name alone will be worshiped.

Zechariah 14:3-9 NLT

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Posted by: jakinnan | February 21, 2014

These Were with Jesus

Bow Cloud

One of the best ways to help us remember who our God is and who we are to him is to worship him. In worship, when we turn the gaze of our hearts away from ourselves and our needs and onto Jesus, a divine shift happens that brings a great good to our lives. Our enormous struggles and concerns become much less overwhelming in the face of our powerful, loving Jesus. In worship, we remember that we have been bought with his precious blood. We remember who we belong to.

You are Jesus’s beloved: “I belong to my beloved, and his desire is for me” (Song 7:10 NIV 2011). He cares for you and those you love beyond telling. You are forever loved.

Worshipping him is our opportunity to love him in response. It is our response to being loved, forgiven, and known. It is our chance to offer our thanks for being seen, chosen, wanted, understood, cherished, and made new! Worship is our response to seeing Jesus as he really is: worthy, beautiful, endlessly good, kind, forgiving, generous, wonderful, and utterly, completely for us.

Worship is an intimate encounter with God that changes us by aligning our spirits with truth even when it doesn’t feel true. We pour ourselves out onto him, and he pours himself into us. It is a divine uneven exchange that ministers to his heart and renews our own.

Our worship of Jesus pushes back the kingdom of darkness and ushers in the kingdom of God. It changes the atmosphere around us so that others can sense, These were with Jesus

– Stasi Eldredge, Becoming Myself

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Posted by: jakinnan | February 21, 2014

02/21/2014 Scripture

Mounttrees

“How I wish one of you would shut the Temple doors so that these worthless sacrifices could not be offered! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and I will not accept your offerings. But my name is honored by people of other nations from morning till night. All around the world they offer sweet incense and pure offerings in honor of my name. For my name is great among the nations,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

-Malachi 1:10-11 NLT

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