“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise.” Psalm 51:16-17

David failed God just like you and I do many times. He was unable to resist the desires of his flesh. He had sex with a married woman and tried to cover up his sin by murdering Bathsheba’s husband. 

The prophet Nathan confronted David and he was devastated by the words of God. 

David’s spirit was broken and he responded to God with a repentant heart.

God welcomes the hopeless sinner who turns to Him with a broken heart and is in touch with his weak inner being. He does exactly what he does not want to do and cannot restrain himself.

For quite some time God has burdened me over sexual immorality and licentious living.

This is rampant in the Body of Christ especially among younger people.

There is a cost to pay for this behavior and you cannot get away free. And, sexual immorality ruins lives and is a blight to God. 

God has been telling me that any man contemplating sex with a woman should ask himself this question; “Are you willing to die for this woman?” This speaks to the integrity of sex between a man and a woman under the eyes of God.

I understand there are other important issues like the institution of marriage, gender dysfunction in relationships, and divorce. 

But I feel God’s priorities are restoring purity and loyalty in all relationships. 

Unfortunately, fifty percent of all marriages in the United Stated fail primarily because the husband and wife are not committed to the vows of marriage and do not consider their union to be everlasting. 

The popular attitude is give marriage a try and if it doesn’t work out move on. 

I understand fully the picture of a perfect marriage and the desires of God. However, this can only happen if both the man and woman are committed to God and the permanency of marriage. 

Do not enter into a relationship unless it is for keeps!

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Galatians 2:20

The cost to follow Jesus is very costly. You lose your life.

You and I were born with an inner nature which is in defiance of God. The journey with God is to transform you into the image of Christ. 

Sanctification is painful; you lose your life and have to endure the stripping away of your ego and pride.

Your dreams and aspirations are crucified by the death of Jesus. The Cross was designed to cause believers to die to self and live for Jesus.

The purpose of sanctification is not for you; it is to prepare you to do the work of God.

Jesus wants your unyielding loyalty and staunch obedience to His voice. And, He will go to great lengths to accomplish this goal.

Walking with Jesus is a process of letting go and accepting the will of God. At times, the will of God makes no sense, seems cruel and is contrary to the ways of the world. 

The teaching of Jesus is very simple. Walk by faith believing in the promises of God.

Unfortunately, you begin to walk by faith and things usually get worse not better. 

Why does this happen? God is at work to refine your inner being. The analogy is the making of wine. The grapes have to be crushed to make a vintage wine. 

Don’t give up in times of trouble. God keeps His Word and delivers His people.

There is a powerful and beautiful upside for those who walk with God.

There is no one like Jesus!

“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” Romans 13:11

Salvation is about today. How is God working out your salvation today? Jesus never sleeps and wants you to treasure every moment with Him. Do not take the gift of God for granted. 

Many believers tend to file away the gift of salvation as something that happens at death. They attempt to live their life to the fullest satisfying all their desires. They have no sense or little concern about the timing of God or His purposes.

God has sounded the alarm clock! We have to wake up and deal with our salvation. The days of living in the night and doing what pleases us are over.

God is very angry over the lack of respect and fear for His name. Do you really want to stand in the whirlwind of His judgments? The outcome of the Israelites, God’s favored people, was not a good ending. 

The voice of God is calling all believers to cast off all forms of darkness and walk in the light. We must repent and ask Jesus to cover us with His blood. 

Walk with Jesus yielding to the Holy Spirit. He lives in you and is the source of all the attributes of Jesus. 

The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus dwells in all believers. He will set you free from the bondage of sin. This is the only way you can resist the lusts of the flesh. 

Commit your works to God and give the Holy Spirit authority over your life.

The path of least resistance leads to destruction and death. Come to Me with a repentant heart and I will show you My greatness and glory!

God has been telling me for several days He is planning a move of the Spirit in Finland. I noticed a new follower today from Finland. I am praying for you and a powerful revival in your country. 

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” John 3:5

What does a genuine decision for Christ look like? No one can answer this question except for Jesus who knows you better than you know yourself. 

Jesus has been working with human beings for thousands of years and knows the perfect pathway to lead you into the Kingdom of God.

Accepting Christ as your Lord and Savior is not an intellectual or emotional decision. 

It is a decision from the heart to live for Jesus above all else. Unfortunately, most people don’t understand the complexity of this decision. 

It is an experience of transformation from your natural condition at birth to a new person. 

This happens through the Water and the Spirit. The Water cleanses you from all sin and you become clean in the eyes of God. The Spirit baptizes you into the life of Christ. This is the process of regeneration into a new creature in Christ Jesus.

This metamorphosis causes you to die to self and become transformed into the life of Christ. This takes many years and God will orchestrate many challenges in your life to get your attention and teach you how to walk with Him.

At times, you will experience pain and suffering as God deals with your ego, selfish lifestyle and compulsive behaviors. 

The obstacles to the new life are stubbornness and rebellion against God. The ways of God cannot be grasped through human logic. It seems almost impossible to meet the harsh standards of God.

You can solidify your decision for Christ simply by believing in His promises. 

This is a lifestyle of unyielding faith dealing with all the diverse challenges facing you. 

When life becomes hopeless and bleak staunchly walk in oneness with Jesus believing He will deliver you and fulfill all His promises. 

Without faith it is impossible to please God!

“Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Genesis 15:6

How serious are you about pleasing God? 

This narrative deals with how you and I can touch the heart of God.

First of all, you cannot please God through doing good works or keeping laws. And, God hates religion because it takes you away from the purposes of the Living Christ.

The perfect example of how God relates to believers is the life of Abraham. 

Abraham loved God and believed with all his heart in the words of God. 

Abraham was a man of many sins and lived with doubts and fears about his well being and security. He made many mistakes along his journey with God.

What caused God to make an everlasting covenant with Abraham?

The answer is Abraham believed God and was obedient to His voice.

Like Abraham, God wants your total obedience to His voice without compromise or questioning Him.

You don’t need to understand the purposes of God; just respond with obedience. This is how you can please God!

As a believer, the life of Christ lives in you through the Holy Spirit. He desires to speak to you and guide your pathway.

Your responsibility is to listen to the voice of God. He has given you the mind of Christ. 

Pray to Jesus for all your needs and have conversations with Him about His priorities for your future. Make you life an open book to God. Hold nothing back. 

You have to be serious about seeking the will of God above your own will. This is where many believers fall out of favor with God. 

God looks at your heart! This is where you start a relationship with Him. 

“Without faith it is impossible to please God!” Hebrews 11:6

The journey with God begins with your decision by faith to accept Jesus. This is the most important decision you will ever make in your life.

The priority of Jesus is to teach you to walk by faith. The cornerstone to living with Jesus is your trust in His promises regardless of the circumstances in your life. Your faith has to be worked out in real life situations. 

The presence of the Living Jesus in your life is to demonstrate who He is, the Creator of the heavens and earth, with power and dominion over all things.

This truth needs to be embedded in the depth of your heart and soul to prevent you from relapsing into unbelief. 

Jesus knows you better than you know yourself and will prescribe glimpses of His greatness and glory to strengthen your faith. This happens through hearing His voice, dreams and visions, and transfigured experiences with the Living Christ. This is all designed to help you build unyielding faith in Christ.

As you grow in spiritual maturity you will not require a steady flow of signs and wonders with the Living Christ.

At times, God will remove or limit His presence and ask you to walk with Him by faith without any evidence of His sovereignty. 

The work for Jesus takes place in the world that you live in everyday. This is where God wants you to dwell and flourish without requiring a need for the transfigured Christ. 

Jesus is an everyday God and desires to fill you with Living Water to help you meet every challenge in your life!

“Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:20

Prophesy is vital to understand for all believers. God speaks prophesy through the Holy Spirit to His people. Never doubt the prophetic voice of God. 

Jesus wants you to be open to hear and accept His prophetic words. He does not want you to despise or disparage prophesy. 

Many people have been injured over false prophesy in the Body of Christ. They accept and act upon prophesy and nothing turns out to be true. 

The first truth about prophesy is to listen attentively and then file away the prophesy. Thank God for speaking to you and ask Him to confirm His words to you.

Secondly, God will test you through prophesy. This is where things get complicated. God wants you to be obedient to His voice but you don’t want to make a fool of yourself. 

Here is a good suggestion to follow concerning prophesy. When God tells you to take a friend out to lunch respond with obedience. If He asks you to make a radical or life changing decision put on the brakes. 

At times, God will speak to you about something He wants you to do. Don’t worry about forgetting His request in the busyness of life. The Holy Spirit will continually remind you until you are compliant. 

Test prophesy against the written Word in the Bible. They have to be consistent because God never changes.

Ask God to give you a sign confirming the prophesy. 

Pray and be open to seeking the counsel of mature Spirit filled believers. 

Hold on to what is good but remember prophesy is about the future and a thousand years is like one day with God. The prophesy may take many years to come into fruition. 

Prophesy is the omniscient voice of God reassuring you He keeps His promises.

You and I need to be grounded in the reality of our salvation today. Let God bring the prophesy to you in His perfect timing!

“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.” Romans 3:10-11

The word from God today is compunction which is a feeling of guilt over the failure of a moral scruple.

This feeling plagues all of us at times in our lives. And, God speaks through our memories of the past to remind us of our weaknesses and compulsive behaviors.

The values of Christ are the antithesis of the values of man. We all have an inner nature which is rebellious against God and a disposition to satisfy self. This condition will never go away while living on earth.

You cannot find the values of Christ through your intellect, doing good works, or keeping laws. Self effort will always fail God. And, religion will sidetrack you from walking with the Living Christ. 

The feeling of compunction is characterized by guilt and remorse for failing God. At times, we all give in to the desires of the flesh and this leads to moral decay.

How can we overcome this barrier to live with the values of Christ?

The unconditional love of Jesus and the blood of the Cross is the beginning to finding the values of Christ. There is no other way.

Come to Jesus as an incomplete and broken human being and He will make you whole. You have to come with humility admitting you fail God many times and are powerless to live in the holiness of Christ.

The decision for Christ comes first and then is followed by a journey of faith believing in the promises of God. 

Jesus isn’t looking for perfection; you can never come close to meeting the standards of God. 

Jesus is looking for those who want to live with Him by faith seeking His will for their lives. 

The transition into a new creature in Christ Jesus happens through work of the Holy Spirit dwelling in all believers. The Holy Spirit is the life of Christ. He teaches you the values of Christ and transforms you into the character of Jesus.

Commit your works each day to God and invite the Holy Spirit to have authority over your life. This will bring the reality of the Living Christ into your life. You will see God for who He is!

Several years ago God honored me with the privilege to be in His presence. I witnessed His greatness and power. It was the most terrifying experience of my life. I can personally testify there is no one like Jesus!

He lives so you can live!

The miracle of salvation is the work of God through the Holy Spirit. He lives in you and is at work to transform you into the character of Christ. 

The oracles of God are alive and powerful. They never change. They are the source of the Living Water.

The Holy Spirit speaks the oracles of God into your mind and writes them on your heart! They are your safety net living in a depraved world. 

Your responsibility is to pray, meditate on the word of God, and respond with obedience to the voice of God.

This is how you can live in oneness with our great God. 

Walk by faith committing your works each day to God and give the Holy Spirit authority over your life. 

The gift of salvation is at work today in your life. Are you tuned into the lessons of God?

Merry Christmas! There is no one like Jesus.

“But the high places were not removed from Israel. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was loyal all his days.” 2 Chronicles 15:17

This is an amazing story about Asa, the King of Judah.

The prophet Azariah was directed by the Spirit of God to deliver a message to Asa. He told Asa; ”The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.”

Asa responded with obedience to the voice of God and took draconian steps to reform the House of Judah. He dealt with the corruption, worship of false gods and forced the people to return to God or face death. 

The point of this story is the high places were not removed from Israel despite the loyalty and zealous action of Asa.

There are two challenges for Christ followers in this story.

If you seek God He will be found but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.

It takes sincere dedication and relentless concentration to stay grounded in God. 

This requires prayer, meditating on the Word of God and listening for the voice of God. If you relapse from God even for a short time you risk jeopardizing your relationship with Him and inviting chaos in your life.

Secondly, you and I have high places in our lives where we have restricted the presence of God and worship false gods or worldly idols. 

The high places diminish the power of Christ in your life and can cause God to reject you. 

It is a full time responsibility to walk with God. Jesus loves you!

Merry Christmas!