Mountaintops and Valley Floors

Do you ever feel like you are always either halfway to the mountaintop or sliding to the valley floor? I do, but being diagnosed bipolar many years ago it is normal for me. When I do have those times when everything seems to be leveled out I begin to feel, somewhat, out of place. No really, I have learned to enjoy these times and pray thanking God for the rest He is giving me.

Whether the times in your life is going good and you are making that steady ascend to the top, or you are discovering that life is not fair, no matter the hard work you have put into it, God expects us to appreciate Him. In fact He expects us to praise Him and thank Him. In Deut. 31:8 it states, “The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you. He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed” (NIV). God understands that life can be hard. Isaiah 41:10 states, “Do not fear for I am with you, do not be anxiously looking about you, for I am your God, I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (NIV). People we need to build our faith in God's promises!

Faith grows during times of anticipation. When we are on the valley floor and just can't seem to climb one more step our hope is in our Lord and Savior who builds our faith when we trust in Him. Paul said it this way in Romans 15:13,“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”( NIV). The Holy Spirits will overflow you with that hope if you trust in Him to be there for you!! And when we are on that mountaintop and things can't seem to get better we will enjoy that overflow of hope from the Holy Spirit that built the faith that helped us to keep going, AMEN...

So as you can see, God deserves praise when we are on the valley floor as well as on the mountaintop. As for those times when all is leveled off and things are quiet? Do as I have learned to do, rest and enjoy but always give God all praise.

Please enjoy Tauren Wells preform "Hills and Valleys"

Have a Wonderful week Thanking The Creator and seeking level ground my friends!!
Your Sister in Christ, 
Jacque Barnes

An Everlasting Love Story

When I ask God to forgive me of my sins and accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior, God made a covenant with me. He made a solemn promise to be my Heavenly Father and adopt me into His family. I was bought and paid for by the blood of His Son Jesus Christ, but that's not all. In John 3:16 Jesus explains, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him would never perish, but have eternal life” (NIV).

Since Jesus used the word “world” in John 3:16 He is offering this gift to all people, not just the elect. If we accepted this gift of Love and declared our commitment to God by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord we start a new life with Him forever and ever. This “forever” does not start when we get to heaven it begins the moment we take His hand in faith. Each new life with Christ is the start of a beautiful eternal existence. A true love story begins when we give our life to Jesus. We become, let's say, “Engaged” to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords Jesus Christ.

God begins to prepare us for the wedding to end all weddings. Isaiah 61:10 tells of this great love, “I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels” (Bible). Isaiah 62:5 goes on to state, “As a young man marries a young woman, so will your “Builder” marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will God rejoice over you” (NIV). How beautiful is this image of a bride adorned with the eternal promises of salvation and righteousness and waiting to walk the aisle to meet her bridegroom? These promises are for us when we say Yes to Jesus!!

As we wait to walk that aisle there are a few things you can do to help keep your engagement or love story fresh and exciting. The first would be to take the time to get to know your Lord Jesus Christ. Each and everyday read His word (Bible) and pray asking Him to reveal Himself to you more and more through His words. Next praise Him and thank Him for all the blessings and gifts that He has given you. Sharing with others your love story is another way to give Jesus Glory. Being in love naturally make one want to tell anyone who will listen. Next, meditating on the goodness of God and the beauty of His creation helps to keep your commitment strong through the trials of life.

Now I know there is a bit of difference between an earthly engagement and the engagement we have with our Heavenly Father. Jesus will never leave you or call the engagement off. He is steadfast and faithful to the end. So rest assured, Jesus never goes back on His word. Jesus loved us from the beginning and is preparing a place where we will be with Him forever. The love story will never end. Be encouraged brothers and sister!!

Please enjoy The Casting Crowns Wedding Day!!

The Only True Choice

Whether we realize it or not God is in control. We can make choices, good or bad, but God has His hand in everything. We make bad choices, He gives us options to set things straight. We make good decisions and He is there to put the stepping stones down that leads to other positive outcomes. God is good all day every day!! 

Although we make mistakes that can cause devastation to ourselves and our families God is always there to help us get back on the right track. Psalms 37:23-24 explains it like this, “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him; though he may stumble, he will not fall for the Lord upholds him with His hand” (NIV). God is always there ready to make your path straight, you only have to let Him. Refusing God's help never leads to a good conclusion.

If a person goes through life refusing and ignoring God, he or she cannot expect to have His best in life. In fact, God is such a Gentleman that He would never be so rude as to push Himself on an individual who did not want Him. God gives us free will to make our own choices. The choice is a life without a Savior, or a life lived to the fullest with a Savior. Joshua after finally settling in the Promised Land spoke to the children of Israel about his choice, “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15, NIV). It's really black and white, no gray line here folks. Choose the Lord or keep ignoring Him.

The right to choose a savior was the reason God sent His Son Jesus Christ into this world. John 3:16, which is familiar to many states, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (NIV). Jesus came to this Earth to serve and save us from ourselves. God knew that we could not live a life that would be righteous enough to have a relationship with Him so He sent His son Jesus who was sacrificed so that we would have the right to choose a relationship with God the Father. As you can see, it is a choice.

If an individual makes that choice to let God lead them, He takes over and gives that individual all the mercy and grace he or she will need. Giving God control of our life is not easy at times, but is worth it when the outcome is clear and God's best is front and center. God becomes our main focus and is Glorified through our submission to Him. 2 Peter explains, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own Glory and Goodness” (NIV). God does not make mistakes. God loves us through the storms of life. God is Lord and He is Good. The best in life comes from the Lord Jesus Christ and no other.

Have a Wonderful week being thankful that you have made the right choice.

Your Sister in Christ,

Jacque Barnes

Are You Malnourished?

God uses different symbols to help people understand Him and what He wants for us. Throughout the Bible, God uses symbols to give the main idea a deeper meaning. For instance, a perfect lamb may represent Jesus or the “Prodigal Son” may represent man as he or she returns and ask forgiveness of God the Father. Today I want to look at what bread and wine represented, before and after Jesus Christ.

Bread is food and is symbolic of life, without food man cannot survive. In the Bible, bread represents the promises God made to the Israeli people. In Leviticus 24: 8, God explains, “This bread is to be set out before the Lord regularly, Sabbath after Sabbath, on behalf of the Israelites, as a lasting covenant” (Bible). God made a covenant with Abraham the father of the Israeli people. God promised He would make a great nation through Abraham's seed and gave him the land that would become known as Israel. So as you can see bread represents the promise of life and God's words of truth, which never returns void. The blood represents life as well, but also forgiveness.

In Leviticus 17:11 God explains the meaning of the use of blood, “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life” (Bible). The atonement or forgiveness of their sins would come through the blood of a sacrifice being spilled on the altar.

When God sent His only Son Jesus Christ into the world He sent Him to heal and restore. Jesus Christ had told His disciples on numerous occasions, that the only way to experience eternal life was through Him. After Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected many things started to make sense to the disciples. One of which was the breaking of the bread and the drinking of the cup of wine which was symbolic of the blood of Jesus Christ.

During the last supper, Jesus Christ explained how bread and wine represent His body and blood. As Jesus and His disciples were celebrating the Passover meal Jesus took the bread and broke it and told them to eat. This was to be symbolic of His flesh that would die as a sacrifice for their sins once and for all. By eating the bread, or the flesh of Jesus, the disciples were symbolizing their belief in an eternal life through His sacrifice. Jesus explains this in John 6:51 which states, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever” (Bible). From the beginning, Jesus was symbolized using bread.

Next, Jesus Christ picked up the cup. The cup of wine Jesus raised was to symbolizing His blood that would be spilled during His sacrifice. The blood of Jesus Christ would wash away the sins of the believers who would put his or her trust in Him as their Savior. In John 7: 37-38 Jesus stated, Let anyone who is thirsty (needing forgiveness) come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living waters will flow from within them”(Bible).

The bread and the cup are symbolic of the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus stated in John 6:35 & 55, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. Whoever feeds on My flesh and drinks of My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true (spiritual) food and My blood is true (spiritual) drink” (Bible).

So I will leave you this week with a question. Are you a little malnourished spiritually? Do you need to make some changes in your spiritual diet? By adding the bread of life and the cup of forgiveness you will never be hungry or thirsty again.

Have a Wonderful week feasting and getting your fill of the Word of God, Jesus Christ!!

Your Sister in Christ,

Jacque Barnes

The Only Life-Giving Savior

Mathew 28:6 

He is not here; He has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay

As the two women came closer to the tomb they realized that the large stone had been rolled to one side. The women had been discussing earlier, during their walk, about who would help them roll the stone back so they could enter and finish the job of preparing Jesus' body for burial. As they stood in wonderment they hear a voice declare that the one whom they were looking for, was not there because He had risen from the dead and left the tomb.

Can you imagine hearing those words, He is not here for He has risen from the dead and left the tomb. I would be looking around wondering if I was at the right place. But the words of the Angel rang true Jesus was not there, only his grave clothes were there. Where had He gone? Was this some kind of cruel joke? Had someone taken His body away? As all these thoughts bounced around in their heads a man appeared. At first he appeared as a stranger, but as He continued to speak He became known. The man was Jesus!! He was alive, He had come back from the dead! The one and only God of creation had done the impossible! John explained the encounter in John 20: 14-16, which states. “At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize it was Jesus. He asked her, “Woman why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was a gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get Him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward Him and cried out Teacher” (NIV).

The actions of Jesus that Passover weekend paved the way for our salvation. As Jesus hung on the cross, He took all our sins and sicknesses upon Himself and presented Himself as a perfect sacrifice to God. In the same way, the Jewish High Priests would sacrifice a spotless lamb to cover the sins of the people of Israel every year before the Passover. This custom was set in place by God before the Hebrews were released from slavery in Egypt. The blood of a spotless lamb was to be sprinkled over the door of each Hebrew house to protect them from the Death Angel that would be coming to kill all the firstborn in Egypt. Exodus 12:7 explains, “Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and top of the door frames of the houses where they eat the lambs” (NIV). The “Blood” protected then and it protects now! The precious blood of Jesus is life to anyone who believes in what He did on the cross and in the tomb. His blood has covered us once and for all, for an eternity. No more payment is due, no more lamb sacrifices, Jesus Christ's sacrifice was the last one needed. 

As Jesus Christ walked out of that tomb He defeated the Death Angel who was set to take all life. But the Death Angel would have to “Pass Over” everyone who was under the protection of the blood of Jesus Christ. The ones who call Him Lord and Savior, have ask for forgiveness of their sins and given their lives to Him. Jesus Christ is the only one who can give true life that cannot be taken.

The message of Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection is the most important message anyone could ever hear. Resurrection Sunday is the high holiday of the Christian World and celebrated each year around the same time as the Jewish Passover. It is easy to get lost in the celebration, but if we take anything away from His actions we should remember that although Jesus did this for all of us, we should take it very personally.

Jesus died for... ME. Jesus rose again to defeat death for... ME. He is my personal Savior and He is closer to me than a brother. I love Him more than life itself because He is the only giver of Life. Amen...

Please listen to Elevation Worship preform - Resurrecting (Live)

Have a Wonderful Day and Week making Jesus Christ personal to YOU. He is the Most Precious, Lifegiving, Savior you will ever know. 

Your Sister in Christ,
Jacque Barnes

It is Finished!!

 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. When He had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.- John 19:28-30 (NIV).

The last words that Jesus Christ spoke before He died on the cross were, “It is finished.” Have you ever thought about what those three words meant as the Son of God was dying? I understand that His death was a payment for my sins and that if I would only, as John 3:16 states, “Believe on God's only Son I would not die but live forever with Him, but what did these words mean to Jesus?

Jesus was aware that he had completed the work God the Father had given Him to complete. Jesus knew that all people would now have a choice, to enter into Heaven with Him or to enter into Hell without Him. Jesus also understood the world would never be the same. What I did not understand is the words, “It is finished” meant more to Jesus than I could ever imagine.

Leading up to the death and resurrection Jesus had much to do. He had to prepare and teach the Apostles. Jesus had to speak to the Jewish people about not only loving God but loving each other. And He also had to “Throw a Wrench” into the Pharisees lavish way of life. Although Jesus had many devoted followers who believed Him, He had many enemies. Jesus Christ had to begin a movement that still has momentum to this day. His Love has never died.

So you see, the last words of Jesus Christ were very powerful indeed! Although giving the human race the choice to accept the Son of God as savior or not is of significant importance, the work that went into God's plan that led up to the sacrifice of His Son had to be done. A plan was in place for God's Words to be fulfilled and for His Son Jesus Christ to be revealed as Messiah. From the beginning of Genesis to the end of Revelation, It's all about Jesus!

Have a wonderful week reflecting on the goodness of God the Father and the sacrifice it took to led His Children back home. Thank you Jesus...

                                             The Heart of Worship - Micheal W. Smith

Your Sister in Christ!

Jacque Barnes

Common Decency Where Are You, Or Are You Lost Forever?

What has happened to cause the bottom to fall out of our once moral society? Has the pressure to be “politically correct” caused us to lose our sense of direction? A few examples of this upside down thinking from just the last few weeks are:

1. A glorified porn star taking up every airway to air her deplorable lifestyle.
2. A businessman being saluted for unethical business dealings.
3. Children being used as pawns for political agendas.

Wake up people, especially those who claim to be Christ followers, it seems the bus hauling common decency and Christian morals has left the terminal without us!!

Just a few years ago most people would help a neighbor in need with no repayment expected. Today we tend to use people to get what we want without regard for the harm it causes. Paul explains this phenomenon best, in 2 Timothy 3: 1-5 which states “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people” (The Bible). Think we're there yet? Its beginning to look like it!!

I know that many people will mock this and claim it’s just the world evolving and that Christians are nut cases who are just “scared of the dark”.  Well, the apostle Peter also explained this in 2 Peter 3:3-4 which states, “Knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? Forever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” I am not going to be one of those scoffers who dismiss clear signs of a society that is begging for God's judgment.

I want to ask each person who reads this blog to start praying daily for our society. We need to pray especially for the children who are being taught to dismiss anything to do with Jesus Christ and His messages about loving each other and who He considers to blessed.

Reading the words of Jesus Christ in Mathew 5: 3-10 may remind us of who is truly blessed, the verses state, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (The Bible).

Please enjoy Mathew West's Music Video 

Thank you for letting me vent. Have a wonderful week and remember to start praying for a return of Common Decency and Christian Morals.

Your Sister in Christ,
Jacque Barnes

Never Pray for Patience!!

I have been told all my life to never pray for patience because God will surely give you a trial that will build patience. I have also told others who made comments about not having any patience, “My mothers always said to never pray for patience because if you do you will be given a patience building trial”. Well, I'm here today to prove this wrong!!

If you will notice the disciples and Christ followers from the bible never ask God or Jesus for patience or in fact never struggle with a lack of patience at all. Their prayers never included a plea for patience. The reason for this is in receiving the Holy Spirit. The early Christ Followers understood what happens when you give your life to the Son of God.

When a person prays to God for forgiveness, believes Jesus Christ is the Son of God, believes He was crucified as a final sacrifice for sin, and that He rose again after three days he or she receives salvation. Salvation is in short an eternity with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As a result of this salvation The Holy Spirit or as Jesus referred to Him as The Helper comes and takes up residence in us. When the Holy Spirit lives in us we will begin to produce fruits. These fruits are proof we are children of God. In Mathew 7:16 Jesus states,“You will know them by their fruits”(NIV).

What are these fruits you ask? Well, Paul explained it this way in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruits of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, PATIENCE, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control; against such things, there is no law. These fruits are a product of the Holy Spirit that resides inside every believer. We just need to USE them.

If you are a Christ Follower you already have all the fruits or tools you need, you don't have to pray for any of them. You just need to use what is already there. The Helper will produce the fruits in your life if you are a Child of God. So we can boldly say, “I have plenty of Love, Peace, PATIENCE, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control if the Holy Spirit lives in me!!” An example of this is in Colossians 3:12 which states, “Therefore as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” (NIV). How can we put on something that we do not have!!

So you see we don't need to pray for something that is already in us. We can pray that God would help us utilize the fruits of the Spirit in different situations, but not to give us them or increase them. WE ALREADY HAVE ALL WE NEED. And that's not all we have enough of as Children of God, but I will save that for another day...

I will leave you this week with a music video and a verse from 1 Timothy 1:16 that states,“But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect PATIENCE as an example to those who were to believe in Him for eternal life”(ESV). 

Please enjoy Holy Spirit" by Francesca Battistelli 

Have a Great week using what you already have to help the unbeliever to see Christ Jesus better.

Your Sister in Christ, 

Jacque Barnes

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