And the greatest of these is Love ...

And the greatest of these is Love ...
1 Corinthians 13:13

Love Song - Third Day

Saturday, December 20, 2014

I believe ...

I believe The Bible. Every word … from the first word in Genesis to the last word in Revelation. I believe every promise and every truth. THE WORD …

I believe in God, my Abba Father. THE CREATOR. I believe in His holy Word and that it became flesh in the form of His only son, Jesus. I believe Jesus walked on the Earth as a man, a sinless man, and that he suffered and died as atonement for ALL sin – for MY sin. I believe he died on a cross and on the 3rd day, he rose again! I believe one day, I’ll sit at his glorious feet and worship forever and all eternity with praises of love and shouts of Hallelujah! 
Yes, I believe!

I believe HE is my only hope and salvation. He is my rock and my fortress. He will never forsake me. His love is unconditional, His mercy and grace are boundless. His forgiveness is limitless. By HIS NAME ONLY can anyone be saved and enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. EVERY KNEE will one day bow and proclaim Him as the King of King, Lord of Lords, Prince of Peace, The Almighty, Savior, Messiah, The GREAT I AM!! 
Yes, I believe!

I believe the gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 28: “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me …”

We are not promised an ‘easy’ life as Christ followers. In fact, just the opposite … we are told that, like Jesus, we will be hated and persecuted. We will face trials and troubles and tribulations and that we are to “count them as blessings…” (James 1:2) One of my favorite songs goes like this, “He never promised that the cross would not get heavy … he said HELP WOULD ALWAYS COME IN TIME…”

It’s the ‘in time’ that I struggle with. I want, MY time … God says, “in time” which is really HIS TIME!

HIS CROSS WAS HEAVY, but He carried it … for me … and for Tori! 
He carried it for everyone He created – even those that hate Him and those that hurt Him and hurt us. Jesus died so that everyone – EVERYONE – may come to know Him and that ‘none would perish, but all who believe would have everlasting life…” (John 3:16) That includes the drug dealers, addicts, adulterers, and murders … sinners.  I was no better before He saved me by His beautiful grace! And I still fail Him daily! The difference is that now, I know that “though I stumble, I will never fall, for the LORD holds me by the hand. “ (Psalm 37:24) 
Yes, PRAISE GOD, I believe!

I cling to HIM and HIS WORD! I cry out in my distress, all the while, I praise Him for this faith-full-ness and blessings! I don’t understand, but I “trust in the LORD with all my heart;  (I) do not depend on my own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)

See, I’ve read the back of THE Book (God’s Word, The Bible) and we WIN! Satan does not! Oh, that enemy can win a battle and cause pain and torment and sorrow on this Earth but, in the end, HE LOSES the war!

I’ve had to remind myself of this over & over the last (few) years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes!

Satan is tormenting Tori … he is messing with her mind and her body.
He is doing what he does: lying, manipulating, causing pain and strife, destroying … and he may continue to do so for the rest of her days on this Earth… however long or short they may be.
She may leave this fleshly body behind with his ugly sinful self clinging to it … BUT THAT IS ALL HE GETS OF HER! HALLELUJAH!
Her soul belongs to the one that created her … the one that desires her … the one that delivered; redeemed; transformed; saved her soul for ALL ETERNITY … SHE IS God’s child!
She is a ‘princess’ and because her eternal FATHER IS THE KING OF KINGS! YES, I BELIEVE!
Another of my favorite songs goes like this …. “Satan had already picked out my grave; his plan had moved forward to put me away. I'd drifted so far, would anyone care that I'd soon be lost. I knew my destruction was a matter of time but Jesus appeared and said this one is mine. Now I'm safe with no harm, for he walked through the storm when he was looking for me.”  

I fall on my knees giving HIM ALL THE GLORY in this storm! This battle for Tori!
My prayer is that God will bring Tori home! That she will hear his whispers in her soul as He talks to her, or witness Him roar like a lion as He protects her from the hands of the enemy. Regardless of how long that takes! And, even if it doesn’t happen, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3:18, I will still praise and worship my AWESOME GOD for all that HE is!

He has already given up His greatest sacrifice for me … himself in the flesh, on an old rugged cross!
Because of this truth, even if the enemy ‘wins’ on this sinful Earth, one day our soul will enter in the gates of His heavenly kingdom with glorious shouts of adoration praise – not just for a day, but for ALL eternity! 
And, OHHH! What glorious homecoming day that will be!!
No sorrow, No pain, No separation, No sin, No sickness, No longing, No loss, No death, No sadness … just PRAISE!
YES, in the mighty name of Jesus, I BELIEVE!