He's ALIVE!

Not because of what we did, not because of how good or righteous we think we may be, but because of what He did for us. We are NOT deserving of His grace but He gives it to all who come to Him. You cannot earn your way to heaven, You must believe on Him who said that He and the Father are ONE. You must put your trust in the ONE who said if you have seen me you have seen the Father. He is the great I AM! 

These are the lyrics of the song He's Alive by Don Francisco.

https://youtu.be/NyPBVwOCYmM 

The gates and doors were barred
And all the windows fastened down
I spent the night in sleeplessness
And rose at every sound
Half in hopeless sorrow
And half in fear the day
Would find the soldiers breakin' through
To drag us all away

And just before the sunrise
I heard something at the wall
The gate began to rattle
And a voice began to call
I hurried to the window
Looked down into the street
Expecting swords and torches
And the sound of soldiers' feet

But there was no one there but Mary
So I went down to let her in
John stood there beside me
As she told me where she'd been
She said they might have moved Him in the night
And none of us knows where
The stone's been rolled away
And now His body isn't there

We both ran toward the garden
Then John ran on ahead
We found the stone and empty tomb
Just the way that Mary said
But the winding sheet they wrapped Him in
Was just an empty shell
And how or where they'd taken Him
Was more than I could tell

Oh something strange had happened there
Just what I did not know
John believed a miracle
But I just turned to go
Circumstance and speculation
Couldn't lift me very high
'Cause I'd seen them crucify him
Then I saw him die

Back inside the house again
The guilt and anguish came
Everything I'd promised Him
Just added to my shame
When at last it came to choices
I denied I knew His name
And even if He was alive
It wouldn't be the same

But suddenly the air was filled
With a strange and sweet perfume
Light that came from everywhere
Drove the shadows from the room
And Jesus stood before me
With his arms held open wide
And I fell down on my knees
And I just clung to Him and cried

Then He raised me to my feet
And as I looked into His eyes
The love was shining out from Him
Like sunlight from the skies
Guilt in my confusion
Disappeared in sweet release
And every fear I'd ever had
Just melted into peace

He's alive yes He's alive
Yes He's alive and I'm forgiven
Heaven's gates are open wide
He's alive yes He's alive
Oh He's alive and I'm forgiven
Heaven's gates are open wide
He's alive yes He's alive
Hallelujah He's alive
He's alive and I'm forgiven
Heaven's gates are open wide
He's alive He's alive He's alive
I believe it He's alive

Sweet Jesus

Youtube
https://youtu.be/NyPBVwOCYmM

Colossians 1:3-23
 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant.[b] He is a faithful minister of Christ on your[c] behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12 giving thanks[d] to the Father, who has qualified you[e] to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
The Preeminence of Christ

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by[f] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation[g] under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
See you next blog,
Ted

How To Betray Yourself!

I have a problem...as a matter 0f fact we all have a problem. Because we have a sin nature, that granted is now under submission to whatever degree we understand how to live for God, we Christians still can mess up our lives!

There are so many choices out there today! Have you ever taken a child into Toys Are Us for their birthday and said OK, pick out something you want for your birthday for $25.00...good luck with that! It won't happen unless that child is THE MOST CONSIDERATE CHILD on planet earth or you are a steeled disciplinarian when your child sees THE TOY THEY MOST WANT! We, as adults have so many choices in so many ways to live our lives, but we all seem to have a fatal flaw-WE BETRAY OURSELVES BECAUSE WE WANT AND WE WANT IT NOW! The devil, the enemy of our soul, does a fine job of that all by himself, but there are two more arenas we fight the fight of faith in...the flesh and the world. That's right, we want someone to blame, like the comedian Flip Wilson used to say in his impersonation of Geraldine, "the devil made me do it." We can't always blame the devil when we have our own sin nature to deal with. When we get blindsided by some kind of terrible hurt or sudden success we can betray ourselves and put a limitless God in a box of our own making! That doesn't make God any less powerful, but it does make us shortsighting in seeing the "BIG PICTURE." The worst thing about that is that we create a series of troubles for ourselves and our walk with God that really drags us down. We need to learn to connect the dots that lead to our deceptions or wrong choices before we get there...but that is another blog. 

Because I mainly write to abused women, I want them to understand that wrong choices for marriage make a bed for sins they never even dreamed would become a part of their life as young single girls! The results, are disastrous and lead to a house divided, abuse, pain, confusion, and likewise for your children.

I had decided to do a series on A Guide To Connecting The Dots For Choices That Can Hurt You, but first I wanted to make sure we understand where and what the battle is, and who the real enemy is:

The Battleground:

The World: Sociological Opposition (1 John 2:15-17, James 4:4)

The Flesh: Physiological Opposition (Romans 7:15-25, Galatians 5:17)

The Devil: Supernatural Opposition (James 4:7-10, 1 Peter 5:8-9)
How do they attack Christians?

The World: is an organized system in opposition and rebellion against God. The world system is an enemy of God because it promotes its own philosophy of living over godly living. 1 John 2:16 characterizes the world as: the lust of the flesh (physical desires), the lust of the eye (beautiful externals) and the boastful pride of life (selfish ambition).

The Flesh: is represented as an old nature, the old man or the old self within each individual, including Christians that wants us to pleasure ourselves in ways that are contrary to scripture, which is an opposition and rebellion against God. Galatians 5: 19-21, Colossians 3:5-8, and Mark 7:21-23 provide a partial list of areas that the flesh can easily inflame in this battle.

The Devil: is a real enemy, according to Jesus and the Bible, who is in opposition and rebellion against God. His primary attack against Christians seems to be through debilitating accusations. These accusations are usually mental attacks, in the mind, and are carried out by demonic spirits who faithfully serve the devil. Revelation 12:10 mentions this type of opposition. It is possible that the flaming arrows targeted at Christians which are mentioned in Ephesians 6:16 could also represent demonic accusation or oppresion.

Our heavenly Father did not leave us defenseless. We can make right choices! We can win most of our battles. We will never be perfect on this earth in ourselves but we serve a perfect Lord who offers us battle gear for warfare on earth...the Armor of God in Ephesians Chapter 6.

Our Weapons:

The Armor of God

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For our struggle is not against ^[e]flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ^16 [f]in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

We'll talk about how to connect those dots that lead us to the misery we are in and how to use our weapons in the next blog to get back in the battle. By the way...I speak as an expert at messing up our lives, but I also know the truths that lead us back on track! Ask yourself this question: What am I willing to do to get my life back on track with what my Christian walk should be like? It is a heavy question but the results of that are the beginning of wisdom if you choose wisely.

See you next blog, 
Ted

The Best YOU That YOU Can Be...

#BEINGTHE BEST

There are many ways that you can achieve in such a way that you live to have regrets along the way! Here are a few: 

• You can be overly ambitious and walk blatantly over others' backs to achieve your goals, but you will be hated even though you may be able to sleep at night or shave in the mirror the next morning if you're male. 

• Another way is the underhanded, sneaky way and be a snoop that finds out others faults so you can advise management of their weakness and faults and make a path for yourself. You also will be hated when found out even by those who promote you so that they can get intel on those who might seem to be a threat to weak management. You won't go very far, just high enough to be dropped on your face by your own incompetence. 

• You can be the kind of person that cheats others out of what they really deserve to lavish upon yourself. You might withhold praise when it is due because of your insecurities. You might take the hard work that really shines and change it just enough to make it yours. 

My Dad and I rarely got along but there were things about him that I really admired and tried to emulate. One of the things my father said was "Teddy, I can't tell what it is you will accomplish in life but one thing I want you to hear, just be the best at whatever you do that you can possibly be." My father was a successful car salesman and eventually a manager. He formed his own real estate company with a close friend after being hospitalized with a heart condition and stroke. He had just lost a considerable amount of money by fraudulent partners in another real estate business. Still, undaunted, he worked hard and he played hard too...at times costing himself more than he bargained for. But my Dad was a very generous man with those he worked with. He really did attempt to help people when they bought anything from him. He committed himself to try to do right by others. 

There is also a way to to achieve success that leaves no taint upon you. The best advice I got when became a Christian:

Psalm 37:5-7New American Standard Bible (NASB)

5 Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light
And your justice as the noonday.
7 [a]Rest in the Lord and wait [b]patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
Footnotes:

Psalm 37:7 Or Be still
Psalm 37:7 Or longingly
You see, really, the most successful people are those are committed to something. 
That means you put your heart and soul into whatever endeavor you choose. 
Because I am a believer in Christ I want to do what I can to honor my Heavenly Father. 
Unfortunately, I don't always do that, but the goal remains. 
I don't think everyone that reads my blog is a believer in Christ, 
but I can tell you that if you fully commit to something and put all your energy into the best you can be, you will eventually succeed. 

But if your goal is to be Christ-like commit yourself unto Him and let Him guide you in the way He sees fit your success will be even greater. Why? Because it has ETERNAL VALUE! 

Matthew 7:7

[ Prayer and the Golden Rule ] “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Matthew 7:8
For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Luke 11:9
“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Luke 11:10 For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.

It will cost you something to follow Him and be a success that way He wants you to be. It will cost you your life. You will have to give up your way and commit it to Him. Why trust God?

Isaiah 55:9
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.


Ask Yeshua (Jesus) into your heart, repent of your past misdeeds and accept the finished work of the cross. Commit your way to Him and see what God can do with little.

See you next blog,

Ted