Minus the Condemnation!

Romans 8:1 - Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit.

Have you ever had a day that one thing after another seemed to not go as planned? Your "To-Do List" piles up with unchecked boxes, glaring out at you the undone nature of each item! The check-list person in you begins to feel guilty about the list, replaying in your mind whether you could have done something different.

Frustration.

Guilt.

Condemnation.

Well friend… I'm hear to remind you that condemnation is from the enemy. Today is a new day! Allow the condemnation the enemy is trying to get you to accept be washed away. Remember that when you became born again, the blood of Jesus from the cross washed away that condemnation. Romans 8:1 reminds us that for those of us in Christ Jesus, those of us who are born again, there is NO CONDEMNATION!

So today, start anew! Have a fresh new start! Like a blanket of snow before it is touched, while it still sparkles and glitters in the light… allow your day to start anew. Lets wash away the undone checklist and start new today.

One thing I like to do before my day begins is ask one question. "So Father, what should I do today? What should be on my list?" Sometimes my list is short. Sometimes my list is long. But at least I know when I ask, not only have I acknowledged Him so He can direct my day but in doing this it's also a way of applying 1 Peter 5:7, casting my cares (including my schedule) on Him. He cares for me! There is NO condemnation! I refuse to allow condemnation to come down on me because I AM IN CHRIST! What a great feeling! What a great reminder! When a day does not go as planned, I can cast it on the Lord and start anew, start fresh. Cast the day, my list and plans on the Lord and start new minus the condemnation!

#153 - FREE from Condemnation!

Good morning! I pray you are well today. I am! It's going to be a great day! God is good. It should be an interesting topic today.

Romans 8:1 - ... there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus

Luke 4:18 - The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free...

Condemnation. Have you ever walked in condemnation? Guilt? Worry? Self-doubt? Sin? Un-forgiveness? Disappointment? Looking back on it, I can remember MANY times living in a period of my life in total guilt and condemnation on a daily basis. Living in sorrow..... wallowing in sorrow, depression. I remember some days just being depressed. When the alarm sounded in the morning, I just wanted to pull the covers up over my head. I did not want to face the day. Maybe it's condemnation even about "not being happy." You know you should be happy, but you're not... so each day your living in condemnation and guilt because you're not happy.... AND.... that sure hasn't helped making you feel happy. OR... maybe it's condemnation about not hitting your goals... thinking you should be further in life... you should already be in that house you've been wanting, or driving the car that you should have already been able to get but haven't gotten. Maybe you were passed up for a promotion or raise, and that has caused you to loose that hop in your step. OR... maybe it's sin, a continual sin that has popped up it's head more than once causing you to feel guilt.

Well, praise the Lord, Romans 8:1 tells us there is NO CONDEMNATION for those who are in Christ Jesus! That verse alone allows us to be free from condemnation. I know sometimes it sounds easier than it is.... but, when we are walking in guilt or condemnation, we can choose to recognize it and recognize where it is from! If condemnation is not from Christ Jesus, we can pin the blame on the destroyer... the one who comes to steal, kill and destroy, Satan!

I was reminded of the story in the Bible where the adulterous woman was taken to the edge of town to be stoned. The towns people and Jesus were standing all around her, and the towns people were in a rage at her sin, at her adultery. They were ready to stone her to death.  As they asked Jesus whether they should stone her, He simply said, "Whoever is without sin, may he throw the first stone." Gradually, all the towns people left, as they knew they had sin. Jesus was the only one who could have thrown stones at the woman, He was without sin, but even JESUS did not throw stones. He showed mercy and grace.

As I was listening to the Holy Spirit this morning, He told me this, "So many of my children are living in the place of condemnation and it is paralyzing them from being effective for Me! The bondage's, the chains of 'condemnation' ARE NOT LOCKED! My children can walk away from it ANY time they choose, and the sooner the better!"


The enemy is trying to keep us in chains! But the chains ARE NOT LOCKED! That is good news! Walk FREE today! Free from condemnation! Recognize it and refuse to allow guilt to weigh you down!

#66 - The SOLID ROCK will PULL YOU OUT!

Good morning! Wow! It's been a full morning. I have been given a daily assignment to do in the morning. It has been quite fulfilling. So great to see growth, progress, but more importantly, obedience. What a good feeling to be obedient to what the Lord has instructed me to do! What was the last thing He told you to do? Are you doing it? I've went many a times procrastinating on what He has directed, and postponing.... but now that I'm in the middle of it, nothing feels better than daily obedience! :)


Today's Reading Schedule: Proverbs 10, Psalms 10, 40, 70, 100, 130, Proverbs 31:10-31

Psalms 130:3-4 - If You, Lord, should keep account of and treat [us according to our] sins, O Lord, who could stand? ⁴But there is forgiveness with You [just what man needs], that You may be reverently feared and worshiped.  

Psalms 40:1-3a - I WAITED patiently and expectantly for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. ²He drew me up out of a horrible pit [a pit of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay (froth and slime), and set my feet upon a rock, steadying my steps and establishing my goings. ³And He has put a new song in my mouth...

Proverbs 10:25 - When the whirlwind passes, the wicked are no more, but the [uncompromisingly] righteous have an everlasting foundation.

Psalms 100:5b - ...His faithfulness and truth endure to all generations. 

Proverbs 31:30 (NLT) - Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.

What was the reoccurring theme here? What's the story? Because I think it definitely tells a story. 


This is the story... a story of forgiveness and grace. A story of help. Pulling you up when you feel like you are drowning. Throwing you a life-vest when you are just about to sink. Raising you up. It is a story of love, mercy, acceptance, belonging. 


Despite where we are as a Christian, we still may have those days where we mess up. We feel like a failure and a flop. We begin beating ourselves up over messing up again! We feel ashamed and disappointed. And... sometimes our own disappointment can be the worst disappointment of all because we are not easy on ourselves. 


Maybe life is just the day to day for you. Maybe right now, everything about life seems unfulfilling. Seems like you have just failed and failed, or you've started on this path and you don't feel even close to your end destination. You feel destitute, lost, sad, disappointed. Is there any use continuing on in this direction when nothing seems to be happening? 


Friend, let me tell you, you are not alone! You have company that is just waiting to help. You have the company of ALL company who wants to see you be the greatest success ever! Company that has plans for you beyond what you could EVER think or imagine! He has plans for you that He wants to unveil and reveal, He wants you to walk down the path towards the greatness He has in store! 


In this story, what I hear is, Do NOT give up! You may be experiencing life in what has seemed like a pit, but things are changing! Here is my 'revision' for one of the verses above.... 

"Friend, you may have sinned or just began to grow weary. You may be tired, frustrated and discouraged. But, ALL you have to do is GRAB MY HAND! I am PULLING YOU OUT! You have waited. You have been expectant for my help. Emmerse yourself in MY WORD. Ground yourself in ME. Plant yourself firmly in MY PLAN, and let me tell you!!! I AM putting a new song in you! An excitement about life and your purpose that you have NEVER experienced! You will want to shout! People will ask you, 'Why do you always smile? Why are you so happy?' You will just laugh and smile and respond, 'Because My God is SOOOO good to me!' Prepare yourself! The new SONG is here! Continue to GROUND yourself in ME, and we will do great things together! SING YOUR SONG! SHOUT TO JOY! Expect your VICTORY! WE HAVE WON!"

Also, the old hymn enters my mind that just makes me feel happy, "On Christ the SOLID ROCK I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand!"

SIN - DEFEAT - DISCOURAGEMENT
 JESUS - FIRMLY PLANTED - SOLID ROCK

FORGIVENESS - VICTORY - HOPE - NEWNESS! 

Today... PLANT YOURSELF ON THE ROCK. Plant yourself so firmly that you WILL NOT be moved! Refuse to let Satan get you down and defeated. Refuse to give in to him. His tactics are to wear you down. To make you feel like you are a failure and a loser. But GOD'S plan is DIFFERENT! For one, YOU ARE FORGIVEN! Anything you have done in your past, even today, it's as easy as ASKING for forgiveness and it is done! Your slate is wiped clean and you are as white as Billy Graham. You are forgive. Walk in VICTORY today! Rejoice in Victory today! RECEIVE God's plan and purpose for your life! AND DAILY, get more and more firmly planted as you spend time in the Word and talking with Your Father! 

ON CHRIST THE SOLID ROCK I STAND, ALL OTHER GROUND IS SINKING SAND, ALL OTHER GROUND IS SINKING SAND!

PRAISE THE LORD! I'M STANDING ON A SOLID ROCK AND IT FEELS GOOD!!!


XOXO! Be blessed today! :)

#19 - MUFASA! :)

Good Morning! I am on a different porch this morning.... I'm on the balcony off "the boys" room. :) We live in a Charleston style house, so off the front is a porch upstairs, a porch downstairs, then my "normal" place is the screened in back porch. Praise GOD for where we live!!! I truly love it for this season of our lives! We moved here from a 900 square foot apartment, you could see EVERY room in the apt from our living room, not to mention all of our stuff was just "on top of" each other! Crowded! Well, praise the Lord that, "The blessing of the Lord IT maketh rich and He adds NO sorrow to it!" This is a blessing. 

Bella update.... if you were following.... Bella Sue is officially here! :) Jill-da-Thrill (my sister-in-law) gave birth to Bella yesterday morning. She's perfect and healthy. Both mama & baby are doing great! 7 pounds, 21 1/2 inches with a full head of hair! :) The boy & I will be going to stay with them to help cook & change some baby Bella diapers sometime late next week (after Bella's "Grandparents" heads out). Should be fun. Excited to see baby Bella & help out. Tyler made a good point about serving...because we were originally going to head to GA for Father's Day weekend....but he said, "Serving is not meant to be convenient, that's why it's called serving." And another good one is, "Serving is not thinking about what is best for 'SELF', it is thinking about what is best for the person you are serving." So... with all the flexibility & juggling... let me just say this... Praise the LORD that over the last several years Tyler & I have been building & developing a business  & business team that has provided enough income so I have the OPTION & CHOICE to be able to go serve WHENEVER I need to without the restraints of a job or boss telling me when I can go. PTL!

Well, let's dive in... it is some good stuff this morning!

Proverbs 18:14 - The strong spirit of a man sustains him in bodily pain or trouble, but a weak and broken spirit who can raise up or bear? 

Proverbs 31:17 - She girds herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task]...

I know we have used Proverbs 31:17 several times...hopefully you are not getting "bored" with it... but we are not done yet. Today we are going to focus on the "SPIRITUAL STRENGTH".... and one day, we will dive in to the tail end of Proverbs 31:17... that's a whole different subject in itself...but one that I really like.

So... spiritual strength.... what is it, what does it mean to have it and what is the fruit to having it? What is the benefit to having spiritual strength. It can all be boiled down to ONE word: LIFE. LIFE LIFE LIFE! It is LIFE to have spiritual strength. Without it things look pretty dim.

The STRONG SPIRIT of a man sustains him, in bodily pain or trouble.... Let me tell a story that portrays encompassing a strong spirit. My Pastor, an amazing man of God, was having some medical challenges (this has been quite a long time ago). Just to paint a picture, he reminds me of "Mufasa" off the Lion King! :) hehe! For real! Have you ever seen someone take their fist, hit their chest and just say, "Mufasa! I am Mufasa!" Well, my husband does that sometimes.... heck, I do that sometimes. It shows "strength". "I am strong" or "Don't mess with me because I'm 'bad-to-the-bone'" (you get my point - even though I would say 'good to the bone'). Well, my Pastor, he is that kind of guy. He's big, he has broad shoulders. Not big as in 'fat'... he's big as in he walks tall. He stands up straight. He is confident. He has an "aire" about him that makes you know that "the Greater One lives inside of him" and you wouldn't want to mess with him.... like an army of angels would just come up by his side and do some "booty kickin". He's that kind of guy. Not to mention, he is a "brother" too, so that makes him seem even more "bad-to-the-bone". So, Mufasa, my Pastor drives to the hospital. He probably looks a bit pale. He gets there and after checking in, the nurses ran some tests on him. After getting the results of the tests, they just responded, "How did you get here?" He said, "I drove myself." They said, "That is impossible. You can not drive. You should not even be conscience to speak or talk or move." In amazement they said, "You're tests show that your body does not have enough blood in it right now to even be functioning well, let alone talking, walking, driving, sitting, by yourself! For real, how did you get here?!" He responded again, "I drove myself." And I can see it now, the rumbling, loud, solid, strong voice from God come from the depths within Pastor roar, "THE STRONG SPIRIT OF A MAN SUSTAINS HIM!" Medically, when tests, doctors, nurses flood to the room to see this IMPOSSIBLE feat... this IMPOSSIBLE occurance.... a man drained of blood to levels that should not be functionable, and he is FUNCTIONING! Because the SPIRIT OF THIS MAN is STRONG! He is filled up with the WORD! When medicine says, "You are sick." His God says, "I AM STRONG!" When medicine says, "You can't walk." His God says, "The SPIRIT of a man sustains him! I CAN WALK!" The strength of the HOLY SPIRIT within my Pastor SUSTAINED HIM! When the medically impossible said NO, the strength of the HOLY SPIRIT said YES!

LIFE! - IF you were in a similar medical situation. Is your spirit strong? Are you girded up with spiritual strength? Our Proverbs 31 woman, like my Paster, also would have walked in like MUFASA. She would have been able to hit her chest, in strength & say "MUFASA!" Our Proverbs 31 friend is indeed girded up in strength! She has the spirit of the Lord sustaining her!

How? How do you get to that point? How do you get girded up in the Spirit? How do you get that strength? Re-read yesterday's post. It takes time in the Word. It takes devoting yourself to spiritual growth. It takes reading the Word. It takes spending time MEDITATING in the WORD (meditating - aka: listening! what does God have to say about this Word for YOUR life? He has a WORD for you specifically when you take the time to listen.) BUT not out of "condemnation". Not out of putting a guilt trip on yourself and saying, "Man, I'm not this person. I'm not spiritually strong. I would not have been "Mufasa"." Conviction is from the Holy Spirit, conviction pulls you, draws you towards doing what is right. Conviction is the Holy Spirit prompting and drawing you in to spend time with Him. Condemnation is the enemy. Condemnation is Satan telling you, "You are a loser. You don't spend time in the Word. You are too busy. You have too many things going on. All you do is run, run, run. You are too busy. You are a loser. You aren't spiritually strong, and you will never have the time to get spiritually strong." Satan uses condemnation to make you feel bad. To make you feel worthless & useless in regards to spiritual matters. Satan's goal is that you will listen to him calling you a loser. His goal is that you will come into agreement with HIM!! That you will agree that you are too busy, too much to do, too many other priorities. He wants you to agree that you will just never grow spiritually. Like a baby, you will always just be sucking down that bottle.....maybe getting a little Word on the holidays when you attend church. DEFY HIM! When the guilt & condemnation come on, say out LOUD, "GET BEHIND ME SATAN! I WILL NOT HAVE THAT! I AM A CHILD OF GOD! I AM GROWING SPIRITUALLY! I AM MAKING TIME TO SPEND WITH THE LORD! I AM! I AM! I AM! I REFUSE to accept guilt from you! I AM being led by the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit DIRECTS ME what to do! The HOLY SPIRIT directs me what to get done! I am listening to the voice of the HOLY SPIRIT not the voice of YOU!!!!" Get violent with him if you have too! He IS a toothless lion. He has no teeth, he just wants to get YOU to be your worst enemy, and condemnation is his tool to do that.

So today.... begin. Begin the journey of girding yourself up with strength! Begin the journey of developing a daily plan of how you are going to spend time in the Word. What is your SGP? Your "Spiritual Grown Plan"? TODAY, RIGHT NOW, take a few minutes, get out your calendar (phone calendar if you don't use a paper one).... set time now that you are going to make growing spiritually a priority. Write it in your calendar. If you are busy, if you are running all the time, make the best use of your "unexpected wait time"....ie: sitting in the car pool line, waiting at the doctors office, sitting in 5:00 traffic. Whether you have your Bible, a devotional book, Proverbs saved on your cell phone, or a reminder list to pray..... be ready. B.U.S.Y. - BEING UNDER SATAN'S YOKE Take "BUSY" out of your vocabulary and become PRODUCTIVE as you pursue GOD! - Progressing Regularly On: Direct Understanding, Clear Thoughts, In Virtuous Engagement as you PURSUE your relationship with GOD! BE PRODUCTIVE. "Engagement" - Engagement shows being "in the pursuit" of something. BE Purposeful in your Pursuit! (Virtuous = morally excellent, upright, conforming to moral & ethical principles, Engagement = as going to battle) VIRTUOUS ENGAGEMENT = A morally excellent pursuit of battle!

I would say a battle for LIFE is a good one. Mufasa?

And... I leave you with one last thought.... when is the best time to spend in the Word? Yes... you spiritual scholars out there... the Word does talk about "morning", "first fruits", etc, etc. And... yes, morning would be the "best" answer.... BUT it's not neccessarily my answer for you. When is the BEST TIME to spend in the Word? Answer: WHEN YOU WILL DO IT! The best time, is when you will actually DO IT! If you haven't been able to wake up and do it at 5:00 before you leave for work.... just do it sometime. Fit it in. Schedule it. Remember, we don't walk in condemnation. Eventually, I bet, you will end up doing it in the morning. But remember... starting is the most important. I run at NOON every day! Sound rediculous with South Carolina heat. Yes, probably. But... why is that the best time for me? Because that is when I can do it. That is when I can fit it in. (Not to mention, thankfully the sprinklers are running at that time). So, when is the best time to do whatever you want to do? Answer: WHEN YOU WILL DO IT!

Love you all!

Comment today! :) Tell me your thoughts!


___________________________


On a light....fun note.... I have a video that I think is fun! I'm definitely being "ME".... and Tyler thought I might be pushing the envelope here.... but I think it's a fun way to hit home with today's message....Getting STRONGER!!! Over 13 million hits... I think you will enjoy it!


Get STRONG in the WORD! :) You will be impressed with this!! Clean & cute. 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bl6RJyZd


Get strong! :)