A Heart For Jesus

““When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.””  ‭‭Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭24‬-‭26‬ ‭ESV‬‬ The Sunday before last Pastor Tim’s message made quite an impression on me, especially the lesson of the lizard, and I’ve been busy sweeping them out of my mind ever since! Seems to be a daily and necessary chore:) I even started naming my lizards so I could sweep each one away.  It made me think of the Bible verse previously stated. But it’s not enough to sweep just once, I or we, must stay vigilant or those little buggers move right back in!  Perhaps that is what is meant by, “the last state of that person is worse than the first.”” Even Peter reminds...

  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭ESV‬‬   For fun, I decided to challenge myself to find as many observations as possible in this verse by breaking it down word by word. “For God”…refers to the person or thing that something is sent or given to, intended to help or benefit someone. In this case, the person is God. “So…” means “to such a great extent” or extremely; very much. It evokes feelings of head over heels love. This verse reminds me of two of my favorite verses: “Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you…” from Isaiah ‭43‬:‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬ and “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” from Zephaniah ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬ The next word is “Loved”…a simple word with so much meaning. However, the world has twisted it to...

  Some lessons we can learn from the Kings of Israel I find it interesting that during the time of the Kings there were more bad kings than good! In fact, in my research, after the split in the 12 tribes of Israel, the northern kingdom had NONE and the southern kingdom known as Judah, only had 8! So, to keep this short I’m only focusing on a few from the Kingdom of Judah One of the “bad” kings was King Ahaz, look what 2Chronicles 28:22 says, “In his time of trouble King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the Lord.” This verse stood out to me because in his time of trouble, Ahaz became even more UNfaithful! Instead of looking to the Lord, he turned to idols, false gods for help. And his situation only grew worse. Made me think, who or what    do I turn to in times of trouble? Who do I look to for help when distressed? In my past I have looked to someone or something else to solve my struggles, which only became worse,    but thanks be to God I am steadily learni...

  James 1:27, “…to keep oneself from being unspotted from the world?” This verse really stood out for me, what does it mean to keep myself “from being unspotted from the world?” In Romans 12:2 Paul tells us, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”  ‭‭ I can tend to be easily influenced by others for either good or bad. Too easily have I done what I thought would win friends or make me likable. Too easily have I done what I thought would make me acceptable in their eyes to my own detriment. I tended towards being a follower, didn’t want to seem different, wanted to fit in. Instead of being myself I’d do my best to say or do what I thought others wanted so I would win their approval. Such a trap, life as a people pleaser is a no win battle and for me is a form of idolatry because I’m more concerned about pleasing people than pleasing God!...

  “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who labor in vain build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” (Psalm 127:1, NKJV) Have you ever wondered about the process of building a house? I may not be a home builder, but I can imagine that the first step would be to clear the land and level the ground before laying the foundation. You’d also need a skilled master builder to ensure that the house is constructed properly. Once the house is finished, it requires regular maintenance to prevent it from falling down. Perhaps we are like those new homes or were once in a similar state. Thankfully, we have the Master Builder, Jesus, who can come in and clear the land, removing the “weeds” that have taken root in our lives. We need Jesus to repair the cracks in our foundation and restore us to life. This verse emphasizes that our own strength is insufficient to build our faith. It states, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who labor in vain build it.” ...

“”Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.” Mark 11:23 NIV Sometimes I can take things too literally. Like in this verse, Jesus says we can tell a mountain to move into the sea. Well, maybe not a literal mountain, but what about a difficult circumstance? A personal trial or struggle. What about fear or worry; insecurity or doubt? These could be considered “mountains”. So, what if we spoke to these “mountains”, like David. In 1 Samuel‬ ‭17:45‬ ‭(NIV), David is speaking to Goliath, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” Now Goliath, as we know, was a big man, a giant, maybe even 9 feet tall! But David didn’t focus on the bigness of the giant, he focused on the bigness of His God! I  love how David spoke to his...

  “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”  1 John 4:16 ESV   Have I come to know and to believe the love God has for me?   Why is it so difficult for me to believe I am loved? Is it enough for me to believe that Jesus gave Himself for me? That He took the punishment I deserved for my sins? That He says I am completely forgiven?  What keeps me from grasping this promise and believing? Is it fear? Is it because I have a low opinion of myself? I messed up too badly? How could He love someone like me after all I’ve done?  But the Bible says,  ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John   3 : 16   ESV Am I not part of “the world”; am I not “whoever”?  Then why the underlying fear of rejection? An overwhelming need, at times, for approval from other...