Arise

"My beloved speaks and says to me:
'Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
and come away,
for behold, the winter is past;
the rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth,
the time if singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land."

Song of Solomon 2:10-12

A New Status of Our "Relationship"

I feel a new season coming on like you can feel the the chill of the Summer nights shifting into Fall. The change is obvious, but you don't know exactly what to expect. I know God is calling me to draw closer to Him, but in the midst of so many things happening I do find myself running for cover and trying to find a refuge of my own. It's funny how my relationship with God has gone from Him being GOD (an untouchable and somewhat fierce Judge) to Him being my everything (Provider, Lover of my soul, Banner, Healer, etc.). I can't even remember my life before God; how I dealt with things, who I talked to and even why I did anything. Having God in my life means everything to me and I'm often at a lost for words to how much I mean to Him.

This new revelation of God not only meaning everything to me, but Him being my Abba, Father is often noticeable in my actions, reactions and conversations with Him. I, sometimes talk so softly its a whisper, or I am so giddy to be able to have "us" time that I ramble about everything and nothing or I am like a child coming to my Daddy so He can handle His business on my behalf like a Boss, lol. I want so much of Him, to be like Him that it becomes frustrating at times when I fall short.

For the month of April, I am going to share with you guys my devotional time with Cory Copeland's "We Are Not Hoodlums". Cory has been such a blessing to me in my Christian walk with his honest and candid relationship with God and others, and I pray for his strength everyday. I hope as I share what God has placed my heart that you guys will be blessed as well as receive a word from God for yourselves. I hope your Resurrection Sunday was not only blessed but it reminded you of the freedom you can walk in because of Jesus' death and resurrection. Be blessed.

Put the Stone Down

"When the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery. They made her stand in the middle of the court and put the case before Him.Teacher, they said, This woman has been caught in the very act of adultery. Now Moses in the Law commanded us that such [women—offenders] shall be stoned to death. But what do You say [to do with her—what is Your sentence]? This they said to try (test) Him, hoping they might find a charge on which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger. However, when they persisted with their question, He raised Himself up and said, Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her. Then He bent down and went on writing on the ground with His finger. They listened to Him, and then they began going out, conscience-stricken, one by one, from the oldest down to the last one of them, till Jesus was left alone, with the woman standing there before Him in the center of the court. When Jesus raised Himself up, He said to her, Woman, where are your accusers? Has no man condemned you? She answered, No one, Lord! And Jesus said, I do not condemn you either. Go on your way and from now on sin no more." John 8: 3-11 (AMP)

Challenged. That's how I felt when I read this again this week. I have read this passage many times but this time I felt God speak through His word like never before. I have to admit, I have been one of the scribes and Pharisees that caught someone in the act of sin or been made aware of their sin and felt like it was my right to bring judgement to them. In this passage, Jesus (who has all right to judge and bring judgement) did something that we as children of God are supposed to do everyday: He responded in love.

Jesus challenged the people to look at themselves. When we see other people sin, we react so quickly when its something we personally wouldn't do. We need to start to try to understand them; and even if we don't understand their action we need to understand that we have all sinned and fallen short. When it comes down to it: sin is sin. An adulterer has no right to throw a stone at a homosexual, just like an a gossiper has no right to throw a stone at an alcoholic. 

There is no condemnation. "When Jesus raised Himself up, He said to her, Woman, where are your accusers? Has no man condemned you? She answered, No one, Lord! And Jesus said, I do not condemn you either." Jesus statement is a powerful one that we must remind ourselves everyday: "I do not condemn you either." Jesus Christ who had every right to tell her about herself but instead set her free. Jesus wants you to know He does not condemn you for anything. He paid the price of His life so you can live without condemnation. The word says "...there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1, NIV) Jesus died so everyone can live in Him and in freedom.

Remember: Jesus didn't die so we can judge, but so we can love. We have to represent God in the way He represented Himself: a friend to the friendless and bring hope to the hopeless. Put the stone down and help pick your brother up. Be blessed.

One Day,

source

Live Truly Free

I have a confession, since I was a young child I always try to live up to every one's expectations. I made sure I kept good grades and got into the Honor Roll because my favorite teacher said that should be my goal. I wanted to be the good friend, so I listened to what all my friends had to say about being a good friend and tried to be that. I became the smart one, the hard working one, the mature one...but I never was the one that I wanted to be. Even recently, before I did things I always considered what people would say about me if I did it. It then dawn on me while I could be in a huge field running around and living life the way God intended, I allowed my peers and society dictate the path I should take and it has led me into a prison confined by their words and thought.

But not anymore, I decided to live free like God intended. The Bible says in John 8:36 (the AMP version) "So if the Son liberates you [makes you free men], then you are really and unquestionably free." If I live the way God intended (in Him, being led and directed by Him) then I will be "unquestionably free". This means a life that is focused on God and His love and a desire to reach the lost at any cost. Not a life focused on meeting other expectations on "how a christian should look, act or talk". There is a freedom that will blow our minds when we finally allow ourselves to be "unquestionably free". We will look, talk, feel and even act different because we have finally walked into a life of no condemnation.

I encourage you to ask God to show you the areas you have allowed yourself to stay bound by others expectations and start to live a life that is supposed to be experienced the way God intended. Be blessed.