Nope, I’m not guilty of that. Have a great weekend everyone! 😀
Tag: faith
Do You Believe This?
“Jesus said… ‘I am the resurrection and the life.
He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies;
and whoever lives and believes in Me
will never die.
Do you believe this?'”
John 11:25-26
Heavenly Father, we are in awe of the love, grace, and mercy you’ve shown to us through Christ’s death and resurrection, His victory over death, and ours. May we fix our eyes on you each day that we may know the power of Christ’s resurrection living and working in us, sustaining us, sanctifying us, transforming us into His glorious image. May we overflow every day with the same joy that filled the disciples that glorious, triumphant morning. In Christ’s precious name we pray, amen.
Happy Resurrection Day!
If you’re reading this and you haven’t yet believed that Jesus is who He said He is-the Messiah, the Savior, the Son of God sent to die as payment for your sins, that He is indeed God, and you have questions, please feel free to email me or message me on my Facebook page at the links to the right or at the bottom (depending on how you’re viewing this).
In Christ’s love,
Dorci
Hosanna!
The God of Israel had just rescued His people from their mighty enemies through a parted sea on dry ground. Dry ground. They didn’t have to wade through a little bit of water or even slog through mud. God provided a red carpet toward the Promised Land.
Days later, they camped near some springs of water and seventy palm trees. (Countless studies could be done on the significance of the number 70 in God’s Word.)
Not too long after, God ordained certain holy days to be celebrated every year, one of them being the Festival, or Feast of Tabernacles. During the seven days this feast was observed, the Israelites were to live in tents, or tabernacles, made from the leaves of various trees, including palm trees, as a celebration and remembrance of the Lord’s deliverance and provision in the desert.
Because this joyful holiday had been celebrated generation after generation, palm leaves became a symbol of victory, triumph, and faithfulness.
So when Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on a donkey just before Passover, the crowds who had gathered there, recognizing Jesus as their savior (although their idea of what He was there to do would be vastly different), it was only right that they cut down palm branches to welcome Him.
“On the next day, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, a great crowd who had come to the Feast took the branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him. And they cried,
‘Hosanna (oh save)!
Blessed is the King of Israel
who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
John 12:12-13
He did indeed come to save us, but in an even much greater way than they thought. He didn’t come to only save us from a cruel and unjust government, but to save us from ourselves, from our own sins that would have brought a certain death to our souls in this life and an eternal one in the next.
The next time the apostle John would give us a look at the significance of palm leaves would be as he was given a glimpse into heaven.
“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
‘Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.’
All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying:
‘Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!’”
Revelation 7:9-12
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Just Jesus
There are days when it all gets overwhelming, and this time I’m not talking about the trials of life. I’m talking about all the articles, the teachings, the books that remind us Christians how to have godly marriages or singlehoods, to remember to present the gospel to others, and what about who’s right and wrong about those disputed ideas in God’s Word, and don’t forget to serve God, and repent, and what to do when suffering, and sowing and reaping, and don’t do this and do do that, and, and, and…
And those are good things. We need those things. But sometimes I think we can get so caught up in all that that we can begin to try to do it in our own strength, to shoulder the burden of the Christian life ourselves. And some days I just want to reset and say to myself and to everyone –
Just Jesus.
Just focus on Jesus and He’ll lead us in relationships; just abide in Jesus and He’ll give us the desire to make disciples; just rest in Jesus and He’ll open His Word to us and give us wisdom; just remain in Him and He’ll sweetly convict us of any sins He wants to help us with. Just walk with Jesus and He’ll walk with us through suffering.
Just keep relationship with Jesus first and He will do it. His Spirit who is alive in us will give us all we need to love, to forgive, to walk in power, strength, and courage, to be victorious in this life.
So when it gets overwhelming and you don’t know the answers, you have no strength, you don’t know where to turn, just Jesus.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke (zugos – to join, a coupling) upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30
A Faith Strong Enough to Love
“The only thing that counts is
faith expressing itself through love.”
Galatians 5:6b
The proof of our growing faith in God through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit is our love, our love for God first, and through Him our love for one another, our love for our neighbor, and even our love for our enemies.
As we cultivate a deeper relationship with God we’ll know Him more, growing in faith and changing into the image of Christ, having His heart and mind, seeing with His eyes of grace and mercy, and loving others the way He does.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:34
Our love for one another in the family of God is a given, or at least it should be. Jesus said the outward display of love we have for one another would be proof to the world that we are followers of Christ.
But that can get a little tricky sometimes, right? We’re still human and sometimes we can grate on each other’s nerves, say things that are hurtful, treat one another thoughtlessly. But obeying the command to love one another shows our faith in the Lord. It shows a faith that trusts Him and entrusts others to Him, a faith that forgives and loves at all times.
“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply (intently, fervently, enthusiastically, without ceasing), from a pure heart.
1 Peter 1:22
Over time, as we grow in faith, our love for one another will grow, too. We’ll genuinely love others with a deeply affectionate and compassionate heart.
“Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Matthew 22:39
Our love for our neighbor might be a little more difficult. Of course our closest neighbor is our family. Sometimes that’s easy, and sometimes family can be, well, challenging. It can take great faith to love them.
But a neighbor is anyone God puts in our path. Maybe we don’t know them. Maybe they’re not believers. Still, God calls us to love them, to show them the love of Jesus, and that may sometimes take even more faith. We have to be able to trust God to take care of us while we take care of someone else. But as we grow in Him, our faith is stronger and we know the Lord will always be with us and will always provide for us.
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you,
do not demand it back.”
Luke 6:27-30
Now that’s a tough one. Loving our enemies takes a great amount of faith.
But a maturing faith will change who we are. We’ll walk less in our own prideful, self-serving flesh and more in the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit. Our behavior won’t be dictated by how others treat us, but by our understanding of God’s endless love for us, and the great faith and love we have in Him.
A faith that is perfected – matured – is a faith that expresses itself through love no matter what because we know God’s love is not dependent on us. He loves at all times because that’s His nature. We remember that God loved us while we were yet sinners by sending His Son to die on the cross for our sins. It’s a love that desires others, no matter who they are, to see and come to know the love of God through His Son.
“Because of the increase of wickedness,
the love of most will grow cold,
but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
Matthew 24:12-13
It’s too easy to get caught up in the world’s hatred. We must refuse to, and fix our eyes and hearts on the One who is able, day by day, to save us from a hardened heart, and allow Him to continually fill us with His love, and then go out into the world and share it with others, trusting Him to change hearts as He changed ours.
Dear Heavenly Father, help us grow and walk in faith that expresses itself in love. May we bring you honor and glory by living as witnesses of your great grace and mercy so that others will see you in us, and put their faith in Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior, turning one more heart to a life of your love. Please give us wisdom for those who are hard to love. Show us how best to love them, and may we always start with prayer. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
“Love is patient
love is kind.
It does not envy,
it does not boast,
it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others,
it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil
but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects,
always trusts,
always hopes,
always perseveres.
Love never fails.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
Saturday Song – I Will Carry You
Much of my life I seemed to walk alone. Or so I thought. Through more difficult days I can count, more trials, more stumbling and reaching out in the darkness for someone to help me up and thinking no one was there, now I see Jesus was.
It was He who led me, He who protected me, He who lifted me up again and again, and He who loved me through it all, and I know He always will.
I pray you know He’s there for you, too. I pray you know He carried your sins on the cross, even when He knew the sins that would stumble you, and He loved you still.
I pray you know when you’re in need He’ll provide for you; when you fall He’ll pick you up; when you’re empty He’ll fill you; when you’re lost He’ll come after you; when you’re broken He’ll weep with you, and then He’ll heal your heart, as many times as it takes.
Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and His understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:28-31
I Will Carry You
by Ellie Holcomb
by Ellie Holcomb
I know you’re tired, I see it in your eyesAll that anxiety that rules your mindI’ll be your shield when you don’t feel likeYou’ve got strength enough to fightI’ll stand by your side
I will carry youThrough your darkest nightWhen you’re terrifiedI will carry youWhen the waters riseWhen your hope runs dryI will carry you
You are not the sum of your mistakesYou don’t have to hide the parts of you that acheI choose you as you are a million times‘Cause I am not ashamed of youI won’t walk away from you
I will carry youThrough your darkest nightWhen you’re terrifiedI will carry youWhen the waters riseWhen your hope runs dryI will carry you
Up and over the mountainsValley deep as the oceanWhen you can’t keep goingI will shoulder your burdensUp and over the mountainsValley deep as the oceanWhen you can’t keep goingI will shoulder your burdens
I will carry youThrough your darkest nightWhen you’re terrifiedI will carry you (carry you)When the waters riseWhen your hope runs dryI will carry you
I will carry you, carry youThrough the darkest night (you)When you’re terrified(I will shoulder your burdens)I will carry you, carry youWhen the waters rise (you)I will carry you
An Encounter with a Warrior
After a week in the hospital and another at an inpatient rehab facility, I was dealing pretty well with all the affects of having had a stroke, especially considering the hospital had over-medicated me, causing my blood pressure to drop too much too fast, which then caused that damaged area in the left side of my brain to grow larger and my weakness to worsen.
I’d seen countless doctors, nurses, nursing assistants, physical therapists, occupational therapists… So many professionals. And they were good, well, most of them. They helped get me, literally, back on my feet.
Through it all I’d had not only His peace that passed all understanding, but His joy, and I knew that was the Lord answering all the prayers from so many precious brothers and sisters in Christ. I can never thank them enough.
I could see the Lord’s hand in so many ways. From my sister, who alerted me that she thought I was having a stroke when that was the furthest thought from my mind, to the hospital where I was told I had a rare room with a view of trees and the sounds of birds singing.
And then at the rehab I was given another room that was apparently so much bigger and nicer than all the others that almost every employee who came in was amazed by it, one even asking who I knew in order to get such a room. I’ll tell ya Who!
And later the Lord would show me even the over-medication was allowed by Him. That if I’d gone home when I was originally supposed to, my blood pressure would have come down even more, making the stroke and its affects that much worse.
Then a couple of days before I was scheduled to be discharged, the OT overseeing my case came to my room to give me her evaluation and what I could expect in the future.
I still could not move my foot or toes at all, not even a little bit, thanks to that over-medication I mentioned. She told me there’s always hope, but she didn’t think I’d be able to move my foot again.
Stroke in the left side of the brain means right-sided weakness. My right foot. My driving foot. And for the first time in a little over two weeks, I became distraught, depressed, hopeless.
The following morning I clashed with the doctor over medication, and that was it. I broke.
I lay there alone, sobbing.
A woman from housekeeping came in to clean the room, and I tried to pull myself together as she mopped the floor.
Very kindly she asked why I was there. I told her I’d had a stroke. Her eyes got wide as she said she’d never seen someone so young (ha!) who’d had a stroke, that she thought I’d had some kind of surgery.
As much as I tried, I couldn’t completely hide the fact that I’d been crying, and that I was still near tears.
And then the Lord began to speak through her the words I needed to hear.
“God is with you! He is right here with you, and He’s going to be with you!”
My spirit engaged once again and the tears flowed down my face. My head bowed and nodded in agreement as she continued.
“Sometimes the Lord allows things to happen in order to show His power through us!”
Right then and there, in that room, I had church. The Lord had brought my own preacher, clad in the power of the armor of God who wielded the sword of the Spirit like a warrior and chased away that stinking rotten enemy.
From the depths of my heart I agreed.
When she left I was no longer distraught or hopeless, but filled with the joy of the Lord once again.
With all those professionals I’d seen, it was Libby, a woman from housekeeping, but more so a woman filled with the Holy Spirit, who became my champion and the one who’d lifted my spirit, who’d raised my countenance, who’d helped me back to my feet.
“So whether you eat or drink
or whatever you do,
do it all for the glory of God.”
1 Corinthians 10:31
We need to let go of the thinking that we have to be or do something the world calls “important” in order to be used by God.
The Lord used fishermen, shepherds, children, a cupbearer. In the world they were overlooked, but in the eyes of God they were deeply loved and chosen to do His will.
I will never forget Libby or what she did for me that day. She brought her love for the Lord to work with her, and though she had no idea what my feelings about God were, she didn’t hesitate to speak His name, to remind me of the truth, giving Him glory and bringing me back to life.
I went home two days later, and two days after that my toes began to move. Soon after, my foot. I’m still working on strengthening the muscles, and still waiting for the day when I can drive again, but God’s brought me this far and I know He’ll take me as far as He wants me to go.
With Him, nothing is impossible.
For His glory,
Saturday Song – Burn the Ships
The story goes that in 1519 a Spanish explorer and soldier led an expedition in search of the conquest of Mexico. As he claimed authority over one piece of land, he ordered that his ships be burned to keep his men from retreating. (Although the truer story was probably that he had his ships sunk.)
Still, the term “burn the ships” became a trope meaning “no turning back.” And for us who are in Christ, there is no turning back to the world or to our old way of life.
We only move forward in faith, with our LORD, the Defeater of Death, into the waters, into the fires, into the valleys, into the victories of a deeper and more abiding faith, no matter what.
Whatever piece of the world we’re still holding onto, let’s bravely let it go, burn the ship, claim our new life in Him, and take a step into a new day with our Faithful Father, and never look back.
”But my righteous one will live by faith.
And I take no pleasure
in the one who shrinks back.’
But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.'”
Hebrews 10:38-39
Burn the Ships
by for KING & COUNTRY
How did we get here?All castaway on a lonely shoreI can see in your eyes, dearIt’s hard to take for a moment moreWe’ve got to
by for KING & COUNTRY
How did we get here?All castaway on a lonely shoreI can see in your eyes, dearIt’s hard to take for a moment moreWe’ve got to
Burn the ships, cut the tiesSend a flare into the nightSay a prayer, turn the tideDry your tears and wave goodbye
Step into a new dayWe can rise up from the dust and walk awayWe can dance upon our heartache, yeahSo light a match, leave the past, burn the shipsAnd don’t you look back
Don’t let it arrest youThis fear is fear of fallin’ againAnd if you need a refugeI will be right here until the endOh, it’s time to
Burn the ships, cut the tiesSend a flare into the nightSay a prayer, turn the tideDry your tears and wave goodbye
Step into a new dayWe can rise up from the dust and walk awayWe can dance upon our heartache, yeahSo light a match, leave the past, burn the shipsAnd don’t you look back
So long to shame, walk through the sorrowOut of the fire into tomorrowSo flush the pills, face the fearFeel the wave disappearWe’re comin’ clear, we’re born againOur hopeful lungs can breathe againOh, we can breathe again
Step into a new dayWe can rise up from the dust and walk awayWe can dance upon our heartache, yeahSo light a match, leave the past, burn the shipsAnd step into a new dayWe can rise up from the dust and walk awayWe can dance upon our heartache, yeahSo light a match, leave the past, burn the shipsAnd don’t you look back
And don’t you look backAnd don’t you look back
Sunday Praise and a Prayer For the New Year
Hello! I pray your new year is off to a good start. And whether it is or isn’t, let us remember that the Lord has promised to never leave us or forsake us. He is with us no matter how deep and dark the trial may be.
He will give us the strength and courage to endure, and not only to endure, but as Jesus tells us in John 10:10, He came to give us not only life, but an abundant life. That word for abundant, perissos, means beyond, superabundant, superior, excessive, exceeding abundantly above, beyond measure… You get the idea.
This is God’s will and promise for us who walk with and in His Spirit.
So let us set our hearts and minds on Him and let Him be the very reason we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28) and watch what He will do!
I’d love to hear from you throughout the year what God is doing in your lives so we can praise and glorify Him together. And if you ever need prayer, please do not hesitate to leave a comment, email me, or contact me through the blog’s pages on Facebook or Twitter.
In Christ,
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 15:13
***
Dear Heavenly Father, we praise your holy and precious name. As we seek you each day, may we make choices that glorify you. We thank you in advance for what you’re going to do, how you will provide for us in every situation, and for the abundant life of your Spirit, your love, joy, peace and all the fruit we bear as we hold onto you through our Lord Jesus Christ, and may the world sit up and take notice so much that they, too, will know that in you and you only is life. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
To Stand or Not to Stand
Those of us who have been around a while probably couldn’t have imagined we’d see what we’re witnessing in the world, much less in our own backyards. And we who are in Christ know it’s going to get worse, much worse, before it gets better.
We stand on the precipice of a new year and we have no idea what it holds. The days seem to be flying by, and the darkness is getting exponentially darker.
The question is: will we stand through it all? No matter what happens in our personal lives or in the world around us, will we stand in our faith in Christ, holding to the fact that He loves us, that He is good and faithful and righteous and holy, and will we continue loving Him in return with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength?
Will we reject the lies, no matter how subtle they may be, that come from those claiming to know it, but are only a mouthpiece for the enemy, and have the strength and courage to hold onto the truth?
No matter what the world says or thinks or does, will we stand in our witness to it of the good news that Jesus Christ is, that He died for the sins of the world, was raised to life showing His power over death, and that anyone who believes on Him will be saved, and that there is an infinitely better life waiting for us?
“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
Ephesians 6:10-18
Compared with much of the rest of the world, the Christian life we’ve lived in the western world has been a relatively easy one, and many have been lulled into a level of complacency. But when someone is arrested for praying, not to mention all the other atrocities we see happening, we know things are changing.
In the past we may have gotten away with being a little lazy, a little idle, a little worldly in how we live and walk with Christ, but it’s time to be diligent, alert, and discerning. It’s time we abide in the Vine as firmly as we can.
It’s time we walk worthy of our calling in Christ, “forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, {and} press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called {us} heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14
***
What are some ways we can ensure we’re abiding (staying, continuing, dwelling, enduring, remaining, standing) in Christ daily? What fruit do you think will be evident in our lives when we are?
***
Heavenly Father, please show each of us the ways we’re clinging to the world, and if there’s any way we can better abide in You so that we might know and love you more, and receive your strength, courage, and boldness to live for you and bring you glory. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.