Jesus Makes All Things New

It is fitting that we celebrate Jesus' birthday near the end of the year. As we review the past twelve months and remember the hurts, disappointments, and losses, we also remember Jesus--our Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.  Instead of placing our hopes in a new year, we can place them in Jesus, who makes all things new.

Hebrews 8 Sunday School Lesson

Gleanings from Hebrews 8: Because of Jesus, I can stop trying hard, trying harder, trying hardest to be good. When I give up trying to change myself by adhering to a set of rules and regulations and instead focus on my relationship to God through Jesus Christ, His Word becomes engraved in my heart and mind and His Spirit directs my actions. I'm freed up from working myself to death at being religious and I'm filled up with freedom that comes from knowing personally my Lord and Savior! This is part of the saving grace of the new covenant. Good news, indeed!

Daniel Bible Study

Finished the 5th session of Beth Moore's Daniel Bible study with my Bible study ladies last Tuesday. Beth had us repeat this declaration after studying Daniel 5. Thought I'd share it because it meant so much to me. Place your own name in the blank if you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. I, ________________________, belong to God. I am a holy vessel because I house the Holy Spirit of the Living God! The Lord of Heaven and earth has said over me, “I declare you holy.” Today I commit to start believing what He says. I am holy! Empower me daily, Spirit of the Living God, to treat myself as holy. Open my eyes to every scheme of the Enemy to treat me as if I’m not. You, God, are God! Your Word is Truth. This day, Father, I choose to believe You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. (Declared holy in Deut.7:6; 26:19; 1 Peter 2:9; Exodus 22:31; Lev. 20:26; Ro. 1:7; 1 Corn. 7:14; Eph. 5:3 {NIV})

God's Children

It’s in drawing near to Christ no matter what the circumstances that we discover who we truly are in Christ--His child! It’s in coming boldly to the throne of grace that we find the strength and hope He provides to carry on. It’s in heartfelt, honest prayer to God that we find healing for our deepest hurts. It’s in abiding in God’s Word and doing what it says that we find out just how faithful our Lord is. There is no downside to walking in fellowship with Jesus--to know Him and the one true God is eternal life (John 17:3)--but there is no hope, no life, no truth, no light when we walk without Him. “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God! And that is what we are!” 1 John 1:3 (NIV84)

Beth Moore's Simulcast Identity Declaration

Be Still, Kay Arthur Photo

Long Term Treatment for Panic and Generalized Anxiety

(Update 7/27: I inadvertently combined some information from Dr. Hart's Relaxation and Christian Meditation CD with his DVD message. Sorry about that. You can order his CD here .)

I watched Dr. Archibald Hart's dvd again the other day, Overcoming Stress and Anxiety, and couldn't remember if I posted his suggestions for the long-term treatment of panic disorder and generalized anxiety--both are biological forms of anxiety. With biological anxiety, Dr. Hart teaches you have to change some things in your life--become more proactive--in order the get the brain chemistry balanced again. He said in the dvd that stress plays havoc with the brain, and it will take some time to de-stress the brain. He suggests medication to treat the symptoms of biological anxiety but also urges us to go further to change our lives so that the root cause of the anxiety will be exterminated--the root cause being too much adrenaline and cortisol caused by too much stress. He mentions that relaxation techniques will help lower your adrenalin. He makes the point that research supports the best way to stop panic is to meditate.

Christian meditation helps slow down your brain, takes control of your thinking. He suggests taking a psalm like Psalm 23 and reading it through slowly one time. Then go back and take it phrase by phrase, pausing to meditate on what the phrase means. For example, "The LORD" from verse 1. Meditate on what LORD means to you. Ask yourself questions--Is He really my LORD? Am I loyal to Him?, etc. You can also take this time to dialogue with God--tell Him how thankful you are that He is your LORD.

After thinking about LORD, then go on to the next phrase, "is my shepherd." I tried this form of meditation this morning with my Sunday School class. When we stopped to meditate on the phrase, "is my shepherd", the word my jumped out at me. The LORD is my very own shepherd. I never thought about that before. Then I thought, what does a shepherd do? He feeds the flock, protects the flock, rescues the lost, guides the flock. I remembered Jesus said that He was the "Good Shepherd", and so I discussed that with my ladies. While we went through the first phrases of the psalm, the room was quiet and calm as each one of us were meditating on what the words meant to us. In the stillness, I felt a sense of reverent awe for God. And also contentment because of what His Word was saying to our hearts. Dr. Hart says if you go through the first three verses within five minutes, you're moving too fast. The point of meditation is to take your time and listen to what God might say instead of rushing through.

I hope you try this form of worship by yourself. It really does calm down the mind and I love what God's Word says in Isaiah, "The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever." Meditating on God's Word brings healing to our minds, hearts, and souls as well as peace. It encourages and edifies us and develops our faith in God. It also places us in the position to hear from God. We will be able to hear His still, quiet voice.

Dr. Hart also suggests getting nine hours of sleep every night. And de-stress before bedtime--turn off the tv, take a hot bath, read uplifting material like a Christian book or the Bible. If you can't get a full nine hours each night, take naps during the week so that you average out nine hours a night. If you don't sleep enough your brain chemistry is not going to be in balance because sleep enhances the body's natural tranquilizers. It takes discipline to do these things, but they are so beneficial. I'm encouraged to start putting his suggestions into practice. Dr. Hart's dvd is called Overcoming Stress and Anxiety and can be purchased on eBay or Lifeway.

Post from Beth Moore's Blog

http://blog.lproof.org/ April 19, 2014 THE WOMEN THAT SATURDAY

The place God carved out for women in the Bible’s account of Christ’s death and resurrection is astonishing. To be noticed in the scenes at all in the religious climate of their day was revolutionary. To be recorded by name, an immeasurable gift wrapped in the incarnation.

As women of Christ seeking to identify with those first female followers who were eyewitnesses of His life, parts of His ministry (Luke 8:1-3), His passion, His death, and resurrection, we try to place ourselves in the unfolding drama that has made room for our kind. Imagining what it was like to be Mary, the mother of Christ, on the lurching patch of ground near the Cross is soul-wrenching. To see your child, grown though he may be, thrashed into disfigurement, unclothed and exposed and hung by nails through the flesh of your flesh for hours on end, fighting for breath, is too much to wrap our imaginations around.The seconds must have dragged their feet like a suffering man dragging a cross.

To try to stare into the eyes of the women at the crucifixion of Christ and imagine the lung-heaving weight of their grief and the crashing of their hope is endurable only because we know the rest of the story. On the third day through the pool of a woman’s tears, the face of the risen Son of God was beheld, the sun piercing the black hole of an empty tomb.

Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?

Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.

And Jesus spoke just one little word to the woman from Magdala.

Mary.

She turned and said to Him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!”

Stunningly beautiful. Haven’t most of us imagined being her?

The account of the women over that weekend of earth-altering events doesn’t skip from the Cross to the tomb. Luke 23:56 records a single piece of information that scripts hours of silence. I’ll include the surrounding verses here so that you can see it in a loosely draped timeline:

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50 Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, 51 who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. 52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. 54 It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. 55 The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments.

On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

24 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. (Luke 23:50-24:11 ESV)

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Go with me there again: the women saw how His body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments.

Then they had to sit and wait and bide their agonizing time until the Sabbath was over so that they could tend to the deceased body of their beloved.

No work. Just wait.

Sometimes waiting is the work.

Nothing makes us sweat like waiting.

Sometimes rest is imposed on us when what we want to do more than anything on earth is work.

I’ve got to do something.

To women, there is always something to do in a catastrophe.

Fix it.

If you can’t fix it, fret over it. Flail. Demand. Make yourself heard.

But do something.

To us the answer is never do nothing. I’m not sure womanhood had ever been put to trial more thoroughly in the Gospels than in the still shot of Luke 23:56.

I don’t want to wait and see. Let me see to it myself. Nothing mauls a sober woman’s sensibilities like staying put in a crisis.

We want to wrap things, even if they’re dead.

At our bravest and most selfless, we want desperately to bring fragrance to the pall of death and give it, if not beauty, dignity. If we cannot, we feel useless.We do not realize that our presence right there before God in the trust of our worklessness can be fragrance. It’s not in the spices and ointments. It’s in us.

It is Saturday. Not only a day in a week of seven but maybe a season in your own pain and bewilderment. Maybe something terrible has happened; that which could make many you love lose hope. Maybe it looks like God did not come through. You keep taking up for Him but He doesn’t seem to be taking up for Himself.

But you believe…because you’ve seen so much. You know God can work things for good and you volunteer almost violently for Him to use you to do it but, still, resurrection waits. Nothing you’re doing is working. Your hands are tied. You feel useless. After all, what good is a woman who’s forced to rest?

Go with me to one more scene of women. Rewind the sacred clock to the week before Christ’s death and resurrection. The place is John 11. 17

Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.

Moments later, that dead man came walking out of the tomb, grave clothes dangling.


Rest.


You cannot fix it.


All your panting will not resuscitate it.


Resurrection is divine.


We can’t help God with it. He alone can do it.


And He will. He is life. He cannot leave death well enough alone.


Rest.


Tomorrow is Sunday.

Become Empowered

You can meditate on fearful things and become fearful, or you can meditate on the power of God, His Word, and His love for you and become empowered. The most often used phrase in the Bible is "Do not fear". 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 

Jesus Our Hope

Whenever it's darkest, remember Jesus. He is your light. You're not without hope. His power goes beyond your ability to conceive. So does His love. He will fight for you. Cry out to Him. He is close to the broken. His compassion is unfailing. Eleven years ago, I thought I was a lost cause. He proved me wrong. And I give Him praise this morning. 

My Hope Video Links

Link to watch the My Hope video and see more video links:

http://myhopewithbillygraham.org/programs/the-cross/

The Mind Controlled by the Spirit

One of the most effective ways for me to calm my anxious mind and refocus my thoughts on Jesus is to meditate on the verses I found and wrote down back in 2004 that speak truth to my soul. During my quiet time recently, I wrote down a few; and as I wrote the words, I meditated on their meanings. I used my NIV Hebrew-Greek Study Bible Lexicon to gain even more insight. You can do this online here.

Here’s my example: Romans 8:6 “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.” (NIV84)

Life—zoe (Greek)—Life, the element or principle of life in the spirit and soul. Distinguished from “bios”, life, the course of life, the business and affairs of life. Zoe is used most often in connection with eternal life. This life is the very life of God of which believers are made partakers.

Peace—Eirene(Greek)—peace, tranquility, repose, calm, harmony, accord; well-being prosperity. It denotes a state of untroubled, undisturbed, well-being. Such a state of peace is the object of divine promise and is brought about by God’s mercy, granting deliverance and freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as a result of sin. Hence the message of salvation is called the gospel of peace, for this peace can only be the result of reconciliation with God, referring to the new relationship between man and God brought about by the atonement.

After reading about these two words and how they relate to Romans 8:6, I applied it to my life: The mind controlled by the Spirit is God’s life for me. It’s eternal life, life to my spirit and soul. It’s true life: it keeps me alive to Christ and dead to sin. And it’s deliverance--freedom from the distresses caused by sin in my life or by sin in others’ lives. It’s calm, tranquility and harmony in my thought life. No fear, no striving, indecision, anxiety, disorganization of my thoughts. No despair or dismay. No judging others or thinking negatively about them. Only peace, a sense of well-being, thoughts aligned with God’s Spirit.  A mind controlled by the Spirit is a praying mind—a mind stayed on God.

This is the kind of mind I want, but it takes yielding to the Spirit and not insisting on my own way. That’s something we can pray about—asking God to help us yield to the Spirit's control so that we may have His life and His peace.

My Determined Purpose

Sometimes we get disappointed with ourselves because we’re believers but our actions (or maybe reactions) aren’t what we want them to be in certain situations. Sometimes we get disheartened because we know God could change some things in us, but He hasn’t yet.  Sometimes the battle is an old one-- that “thorn in the flesh.”  Sometimes we don’t feel like “more than conquerors”, and yet, we know we have a Champion for whom nothing is impossible and Who is “for” us, not “against” us. Sometimes trying to walk like Jesus walked seems too hard, and it’s easier to say, “I give up” instead of looking up and trying one more time. 

Negative thoughts and feelings can really discourage us, paralyze us, and drag us into despair. We need to take them captive and bring them to Christ. We are not perfect human beings. We need to confess our sins and shortcomings. We need to accept hardship as the Lord’s discipline, knowing that we’re being changed for the better. Our hearts and our faith are being purified. In the meantime,  Jesus says His grace is sufficient for us. God’s Word tells us that He is indeed working in us to will and to do His good pleasure. We’re encouraged to stand firm and to put on the armor of God in Ephesians 6. And in order to think like Christ, we need to meditate on God's Word which contains whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, noteworthy, excellent. (We're told to think on these things in Phil. 4:8) Then we can trust God to take care of our concerns and problems that we’ve laid out before Him in prayer. We can cast all our anxieties on Jesus because He cares for us. We can trust Jesus. But it’s hard to trust Him if you don’t know Him.

Almost a year ago, I placed a card on my refrigerator that had this verse on it: “[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [the power it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death.” (Phil. 3:10; Amp)

“For my determined purpose” caught my attention when I read it again recently. If I’m going to continue this spiritual walk I’m on, I’ve got to be determined and turn away from anything that would keep me from knowing Jesus my Lord deeply and intimately, as well as knowing His spiritual power. I can’t imagine a better example of someone more determined than Paul, the writer of Phil 3:10 and Phil. 4:8. Beaten, flogged, jailed, chained, chased, surviving shipwrecks, ridiculed, rejected. He must have been determined since he never gave up. It inspires me and convicts me to make knowing Jesus my determined purpose because Jesus went through much worse for me. Beaten, flogged, ridiculed, rejected, spit upon, crucified, pierced. But that wasn’t the end. He had to endure the cup of God’s wrath for the sins of the world in addition to the physical suffering. I can’t even imagine what all He went through for me and for you. And then, victory—just as He promised. Resurrection. Hope. Eternal life.

Paul says something else about his trials as he continued in his determined purpose—“But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength….”  (2 Tim. 4:17, NIV)  We can count on the Lord standing by us. As soon as we cry out, He strengthens us. Jesus loves us with an unfailing, unending, unconditional love. He is worthy of our love, our devotion, our determined purpose to know Him.