Purified and Righteousness not Shameful and Guilty

Satan is busy these days accusing the Children of God. I guess that is why one of his names in the Bible is the accuser. Revelations 12:10 discusses how “the accuser (who is to be cast down) spends his days and nights accusing the brethren before God. One of Satan's main purposes is to destroy us any way he can. Shame and quilt are excellent ways to try and stop a child of God who wants to live a new life in Christ.

Shame and guilt are crippling many who do not understand the freedom that comes from being a child of God. 1 John 1:9 states, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (ESV). As children of God we become purified and righteous when we confess our sins and accept Jesus Christ as Savior, so why do many of us still feel so shameful and guilty? The word of the day here is “feel”.

Messing with our feeling is one way Satan tries to controls us. He does this by giving us false information or lies about who we are now as God's child because of who we used to be before we came to Christ. Isaiah explains it this way in chapter 54 verse four, “Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded (confused), for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth”(ESV). Christ is asking you to believe and trust in Him for your worth, not your feelings. You see your faith in Christ Jesus and what He accomplished on the cross is your freedom, and has nothing to do with how you feel.

Faith is a sincere belief. Our sincere belief in Christ is what begins to change us from the inside out when we give our hearts to Him. I have said this many times before that we need to stop relying on our feelings and rely on our faith in what Jesus has done for us. He died and carried all our shame and guilt with him. Jesus died so we would not have to.

People we are free and need to start living like it!! Isaiah 50:7 states, “But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame” (ESV). Halleluiah!!

Let's listen to Hillsong sing "Who You Say I Am".  What a joy it is to be a child of God!!

So what do you say this week we start to try and spot the lies Satan uses to control our feelings. May we start to take those false accusations out of our thoughts and replace them with the truth about who we are in Christ Jesus.

Your Sister in Christ,

Jacque Barnes

When Answers Don't Come in the Ways We Expect

I have often had questions that I just could not answer. Questions about God and why He is the way he is stumps me. When this happens I have learned to lean on the Bible and really concentrate on what God is trying to teach me through His Word.

I understand, through Bible study, that God has different ways of doing things. In Isaiah 55:8 it states, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord” (NIV). So God's timing is not my timing. Isaiah 55 continues in verse 9 stating, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts”(NIV). In order to get a better perspective on how God operates we need to study these verses and remember that the questions that we seek from God may be answered in a way completely different than what we may expect.

When we believe we are not getting an answer to a question it may be we are not understanding God's ways. Understanding that God has perfect timing and has our best interest should help us to remember to be patient and wait. And in the meantime don't worry, just let God work it out in His own special way and in His own perfect timing. Remember His ways are not our ways.

Have a Wonderful week asking God those questions, just remember to expect the answers to sometimes come in unexpected ways.

Your Sister in Christ,

Jacque Barnes

The Lies Satan is Telling our Children

The Lies Satan is Telling our Children

Most of us have been through times in our lives when our self-esteem suffers. But nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, compares to what teens experience. As children began to go through puberty his or her self-esteem may plummet if they are not given the right kind of encouragement. Even with the best support, children going through this stage of life can have a hard time feeling they really fit in. Trust me when I say this, Satan is lurking around every corner during this time in a child's life to reinforce any negative thought a child may be having about his or herself.

Jesus Christ stated in John 10:10, “The thief (Satan) comes to only steal and kill and destroy. I came that they (God's Children and Satan's Victims) may have life and have it abundantly”(ESV). Satan does not play fair!! He takes every opportunity to try and kill and destroy us. He particularly loves to stomp on children or anyone who has not reached full mental capacity. Research done by the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta in Canada stated, “The human brain doesn't stop developing at adolescence, but continues well into our 20's” (news-medical.net, 2011). With this in mind, it's easy to understand how adolescents are up against an enemy that can cause real and lasting damage.

As parents, it is so very hard to watch our children go through this battle. If one hurtful comment is made to a child already going through this battle of the mind, he or she may repeat this to themselves hundreds of time more and the record continues to play over and over again until that child really believes the comment is absolute truth. 

I want to post a poem a teen girl named Sabrina B. wrote that explains this battle a little clearer.

"Replacing Satan's Lies with God's Truth"

I am a child stuck inside of Satan’s lies

I am weary for I know my heart is not with God

I am scared because I don’t know what to believe

So I search for God

As I search for God

Then I see the light and I’m filled with His glory

I am a child stuck inside of Satan’s lies

I am critical of myself

I must meet certain standards to feel good about myself

So I search for God

As I search for God

Then I see I am totally forgiven and fully pleasing to God

I am a child stuck inside of Satan’s lies

I am uncomfortable around those who are different than me I am a child stuck inside of Satan’s lies

I am afraid of what God may do to punish me

I believe I am unworthy of love and deserve to be condemned

So I search for God

As I search for God

Then I see that I am deeply loved by God

I am a child stuck inside of Satan’s lies

I am generally disgusted with myself

I am what I am, I cannot change, I am hopeless

So I search for God

As I search for God

Then I see I am a new, absolutely complete person in Christ. I am a child filled with God’s Truth

I am totally forgiven and fully pleasing to God

I am totally accepted by God

I am deeply loved by God

I am a new, absolutely complete person in Christ

I am no longer stuck inside of Satan’s lies I no longer have to search for God

I have found Him

I am a child filled with God’s Truth

I have replaced Satan’s lies with God’s Truth

I fully love and accept myself because I am completely loved and accepted by God

I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Teenlink.com).

Compelling words from a child wouldn't you say?

As a parent and grandparent who has experienced this anguish through the lives of my children. I would implore you to take the time to encourage not only your own but other teens you come in contact with. They may not tell you but they will gain much strength from your kind words. Let them know that Jesus loves them and is for them and so are you. They really need a soft place to land when the battle gets tough.

Have a Wonderful Week Filling those Young People in your life with God's Truth.

Your Sister in Christ,

Jacque Barnes

References

B., Sabrina, 2008, Replacing satan's lies with God's truth, Teenlink.com.

news-medical.net,2011,Human brain development does not stop at adolescence,Univesity of 

            Alberta, Canada. 

Pressed Down, Shaken Together, and Running Over

Luke 6:38 states, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (NIV).

God is certainly good to us, don't you think? God loves to bless His children, especially when His children give to others. Giving does not only mean the giving of your money but the giving of your time and your abundance. Many of us have plenty of abundance...My closets attest to this!!

Most of us will give if a need comes to our attention. During the Christmas Holidays, many give money to the needy and participate in time-consuming programs that help others. Serving in homeless shelters and feeding stations are just a couple of ways people give to help others. Giving money and serving others is very important, but in order to get the full blessings of God, there is more.

Giving and Serving (always) is what is expected if you are a child of God. Jesus Christ said that He did not come to be served, but to serve. Mathew 20:28 explains, “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (NIV). Isn't Jesus Christ to be our example? Are we not to serve other just as Jesus Christ served?

I understand that living as Jesus Christ lived is a journey. We will never be a mirror image, but we can strive to be. We are sinners saved by Grace. Knowing that Jesus Christ Gave our ransom on the Cross, when He died and rose again, has given us our great hope of a never-ending life with Him. This is the main reason we are to give back or as the saying goes, “Pay it forward”.

Paying it forward is giving to others what has been given to you. The act of giving blesses to others helps them know they are special and loved. Jesus has certainly helped me feel special and loved through His sacrifice. Acts 20:35 explains it like this, “We must help the weak remembering the words the Lord Jesus Himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive'” (NIV).

What better blessing that giving the Fathers love to someone who has never experienced it. Just giving a smile to someone who most people ignore (we all know them) can bless that individual more than you will ever know. Blessing that single mother with a gift card to help her pay for her groceries can bless her in ways that only the Father Himself knows. As I see it we can all give something, right?


Why not, out of the blue, pay it forward this week and not only bless, but be blessed. Remember the promise of God in Luke 6:38 that by giving you will receive a blessing that is Pressed Down, Shaken Together and, Running Over. 

Please enjoy this music video by Mathew West

Have a Blessed week Blessing and being Blessed
Your Sister in Christ,
Jacque Barnes

Building Hope Through Praise

Giving God praise can change your whole attitude if it is done with a grateful heart. Just being thankful for a beautiful day or a warm home gets the attention of the Most High Father. True praise has a way of bringing the Holy Spirits power into the heart of the worshiper. There is no better medicine on Earth for the blues than giving the Father praise. Giving praise to the Father during the low times in life can help one hang on to the hope that is promised through Jesus Christ. Paul stated it well in Acts 2:26, “Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body will rest in hope”(NIV).

Praise not only gives us hope, but it can cause the unsaved world to question the source of our hope. As we make a habit of praising and giving thanks to our Creator, we begin to project a positive and joyful attitude. By having this attitude others begin to wonder what the source of our happiness is. What a wonderful witnessing tool praise can become!

In 1 Peter 1:3 the Apostle Peter states, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy, He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Our salvation is well worth giving Praising to the Father. For Jesus Christ is the source of hope that the unsaved world seeks to find. Mathew 12:21 states, “In His name the nations will put their hope”(NIV). What a Wonderful Father we have...

Please enjoy this music video by Aaron Shust!!

Have a Blessed Week Praising the Father!!
Your Sister in Christ Jesus

Jacque Barnes

His Purpose for Me: Fear Visits Everyone

His Purpose for Me: Fear Visits Everyone: Fear is an emotion. We feel fear when we believe something is going to do harm.  Fear is and always has been a part of life. Since the tim...

Fear Visits Everyone

Fear is an emotion. We feel fear when we believe something is going to do harm. Fear is and always has been a part of life. Since the time that sin entered the world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve fear has reared its ugly head. Max Lucado, one of my favorite speakers stated, “The presence of fear does not mean you have no faith, fear visits everyone. But make your fear a visitor and not a resident”(Sermon Quotes, 2018).

Just as fear is natural in this fallen world, so is God reassuring us that He is always here for us. Abram later renamed Abraham experienced fear as he obeyed God's command to leave his father and go into a new land. In Genesis 15:1 God told Abram, “Do not be afraid Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward” (NIV). And it didn't stop with Abraham.

Moses had to reassure the Israelis during their departure from Egypt. In Exodus 14:13, Moses explained to them, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again” (NIV). And after wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, Moses explained to the people that he could not go into the promised land with them but would place them in the very capable hands of Joshua. Moses states in Deuteronomy 31:6, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you or forsake you” (NIV). God's promise remained true.

A prophecy about the return of the Jewish people to the land of Israel in Isaiah 35 talks about not only the land coming back to life but the fear of the people. In Isaiah 35:4 it states, “Say to those with fearful hearts, be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution, he will come and save you” (NIV). Throughout the Bible, God gives encouragement to His people.

And in Zechariah 8, God explains that although the people of Judah and Israel have been a problem for many nations, He would save them and cause them to become a blessing. God states, “Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong”(NIV). This promise is not just for the Jewish people but for anyone who has given his or her life to the Son, the Holy Messiah, Jesus the Christ.

When Jesus gave His life as the “last sacrifice” He gave us the right to become sons and daughters of God the Father. Jesus said to his followers in Luke 12:12 “Don't be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom”(NIV). God the Father is pleased with us if we choose to become His children. We have been given the kingdom!!

So this week as fear creeps back into your thinking remember what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 8:31, “What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us”(NIV)? So Fear Not!

Please enjoy this music video by CastingCrowns.

Your Sister in Christ,

Jacque Barnes

Reference

Christian Quotes.2018.https://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/22-christian-quotes-about-fear/#ixzz55UkfuKbG

Abba's Character

In Mathew 6, Jesus gives us an example of a prayer referred to as the Lord's prayer, “Our Father who art in heaven, Holy is your name”(NIRV). This is the extent of what many of us seem to know about our heavenly Father's character. He is in heaven and He is Holy. These are excellent characteristics but I want to know more about God as Father.

I really believe that God the Father is good and loves me, but how do you approach the God of the universe? I think this is where Jesus, who called God the Father “Abba” (Hebrew for Loving Father), steps into the picture.

To understand this we have to realize that Jesus is the exact image of the Father. In John 10:30 Jesus stated, “I and the Father are one” (ESV). Jesus was the vessel in which God became human. He was fully God and fully man. Hebrews 1:3 explains it this way, “He (Jesus) is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (ESV). Not only did God. through Jesus. become human, He lived a perfect sinless life.

Through His life, Jesus has shown us the Fathers character through His love for people. Jesus came to give hope to the hopeless. He healed the sick, cast out demons and loved the unlovable. Jesus showed compassion to widows and orphans and forgave the sins of the unforgivable. Clearly, Jesus, being the exact image of the Father, displayed God's character in everything He did.

By living this life Jesus decided to become the perfect sacrifice and pay the price for our freedom. Romans 6:23 tells us, “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”(ESV). Through Jesus' death and resurrection we can truly become the Father's children, the choice is ours. God is a good and will let you make that decision.

By making the decision to become God's child, we can call Him Abba and have rights as a true child. We can have access to Abba anytime. We can come boldly to the throne of our Father Abba!! The writer of Hebrews 4:16 states, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (ESV). I don't know about you but this has to be the Best News Ever!! As Jesus is God's son, we are also children with privileges. We are greatly loved!

So in reality, Abba's character is displayed clearly through the life of Jesus Christ. It can also be shown through His children as we strive to become more like Jesus. As Abba's children. we can love the way Jesus loved, we only need to ask our Abba to help us love others the way He Loves us.
Abba's character is in every situation where love is being shown. So as I see it, my Abba is Love!! 1 John 4:8 explains this clearly, “Anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love” (ESV).

Please enjoy this music video by Chris Tomlin

Have a Blessed Week
Your Sister in Christ,
Jacque Barnes

The End of the Sacrifice, the Beginning of Grace

 Romans 10:4 states, “Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes”(NIV).

Having Faith and believing in Christ Jesus is the point where the law changes to grace. The sacrifice of Jesus did not do away with the law as Jesus stated in Matthew 5:17-18, “Do not think I have come to get rid of what is written in the Law or in the Prophets. I have not come to do this. Instead, I have come to fulfill what is written. What I’m about to tell you is true. Heaven and earth will disappear before the smallest letter disappears from the Law (NIRV). Jesus lived a life that was required by the law and became the sinless and perfect sacrifice for any human being who would accept His free gift of salvation and freedom. God paid a very high price for what His son did, but He is giving the outcome, which is salvation and freedom, to anyone who would believe in His Son as Messiah. 

What Love...

Charles Spurgeon said it best, “Dost thou think that Christ would have come all the way from heaven to keep the law for thee if thou couldst keep it for thyself?” The wording is a little different but the meaning is easy to understand. We humans are not able to keep the law so God sent Jesus, His Son, to live a life that never broke the law. By doing this Jesus became the perfect sacrifice for our sins forever!! I could never understand how much God loved us by giving up His only Son to become our salvation through death on a Roman cross.

The Bible gives many scriptures to support this. Hebrews 9:11 explains, “As the perfect priest, Jesus offered the perfect sacrifice for sin. That sacrifice was his own death” (NIV). Hebrews 8: 6 also states, “It is because of Jesus’ death that God can forgive our sin. And because of his death, God has established a new kind of relationship with his people” (NIV).

The law is still in place and we should strive to obey it, but as Romans 3:20 puts it, “No one will be considered right with God by obeying the law. Instead, the law makes us more aware of our sin” (NIRV). We are free people!! We will not be held up to a set of rules we are bound to break if we have Christ Jesus as our Redeemer. The price was “Paid in Full”. This does not give us a free pass to disobey the laws, but to strive to become more like Christ who did obey every law.

I'll leave you with this beautiful video from Hillsong...

Have a Blessed week

Your Sister in Christ,

Jacque Barnes

Be Still and Know...

I don't know what it is, but I feel stuck! Maybe its the end of the Christmas season or maybe the fact that I am just getting over pneumonia but I'm at a loss for words (Anyone who knows me is laughing right now). I'm not sad or depressed, I'm just at a loss for words. I'm even having a hard time praying right now. Don't get me wrong, I still talk to God, but my prayers are more like, “Why am I not feeling anything right now” or “I know you love me, you are just not communicating with me at this time, why not?” I'm still praying for others and of course my children, but its just so very still and quiet right now.

Have you ever gone through this? I think we all do occasionally. One thing I do know, God is still my Lord and Savior and He is still on the throne. God is a Good and Loving Father. In my opinion, there are times when we need to be still and rest our body, minds, and spirits. God is still there (just look around) but he sends us on a short vacation of sorts. Maybe he is restoring us and strengthening us for the next phase of our life. Like I stated earlier, I know He loves me and I know He is near, but I am just at a loss for words right now. So I am going to leave you this week with this verse.

Psalms 46:10-11

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.”

The Lord Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress" (NIV).

Enjoy this Beautiful music...

Your Sister in Christ,
Jacque Barnes