Thank you Jesus

Jesus, King Yeshua, I just want to tell You thank You!

When I deserved, and still deserve death . . . you instead gave me life. You extend mercy, grace, forgiveness and love to me every single day. Before I even ask for it, it's available to me. Your unconditional love amazes me! That of which I don't deserve and that of which I so eagerly throw away, you STILL so freely give!!

You died on the cross even though you knew all the ways I would turn my back on you during my earth mission. That is mind-blowing to me! How can I wrap my mind around a God who loves me so much He gave up His only child?!?

The very One who made it all with His breath is the One who dwells inside of me. How can that be when at best, I've been unworthy and at worst, I'm a miserable wretch? Lord, I just wanted to tell You how much I love You!! I want Sunday to happen every single day and every single hour in my heart and in my Spirit. I want my heart full of gratitude to serve as my worship to You and the way You love others, through me, to be my praise.

Let my smile shine like the Son, reflecting your glory, let my words bring forth life, my hands be a tangible reminder God is with them and my eyes shine with the hope You have given me!

Who am I that You would walk with me? Who am I that You would want to know me? Who am I that You pick me up and carry me when I am tired, when I fall down or when I throw myself down on the ground, pouting and throwing a tantrum because I don't understand or trust YOUR plan? I could use every single breath, of all the days passing through this dark world, declaring Your love and it would NEVER be enough!

You saved me! You not only died for me, but You forget my sin as soon as I confess it. You don't see how dirty, and destestable I am, you see me as being beautiful, WORTHY and clothed in radiance!! How can I not be amazed Father? Though you knew I would deny you day after day and had the knowledge I would say, 'No, I was not with Jesus. Who is this man you speak of,' You do the exact opposite. At my worst, when I rebel or when I am at rock bottom, You not only say, 'I know him,' but you call me Your son. :o)

People forgive me for smiling so much, but you would smile too if You knew exactly where He has brought me from! If you have seen the way He has made provision for me and the way He shows me daily how much I am loved. If you heard the sweet whispers He has spoken to my heart . . . or felt the warmth of His strong embrace, imparting a peace I never thought was possible wash over me like the sweetest wave, custom-made to fit me and only me. Only just like with waves, they are not just for me . . . but anyone humble and trusting enough to get in the water! Then you would smile too!

Jesus though you know I fail You, You still commission the angels to watch over me. You still protect me from the devil and his henchmen far more fiercely than we would even defend our own children. You guide me, You teach me, You hold me, You talk to me, You let me know how much I mean to You!

You . . . the Creator of the Universe! My mind, my soul, my heart, my mouth cries out in praise!! You meet my needs before I even know I have them and sometimes block my dreams because You know I can't handle them yet or because they wouldn't bring me the most joy . . . not because You are punishing me.

I see SO many people who have far more riches than I'll ever have who have it all EXCEPT You-- they may have a version of You and their lives are certainly coated in Your touch, but they don't TRULY know You. If they did, they wouldn't worship themselves or mistreat others. They would seek Your face and NOT just Your hand-- Your hand is marvelous, but Your Face is the MARVEL!! Yes, they have it ALL, but ALL they have is NOTHING. A void, a bucket with a hole in it that they try to desperately fill with anything they can find and yet nothing works.

I see myself and know there are FAR greater people than me-- they should have the talent You've given me, the gifts You've bestowed, they should have the food You feed me, the roof over my head, the car I drive, the job I do and because of that, I walk in immeasurable gratitude although to the naked eye, by worldly standards, I don't have much at all.

I don't have much money, but I am RICH in the things that matter! I can't even take credit for that . . . it's ALL You-- You come before all things and in You ALL things hold together! From breathing to good works to accomplishments I may achieve, I take NONE of the glory for ANY of it. You're the wires holding me up. I can't 'fly' without You!

Nothing fancy. No flowery language . . . no adorned words . . . just gratefulness from the very depths of my being. Thank You! Thank You while some freak out because the end of this world is upon us, I do not fear, I do not worry for the end of this life only ushers me into Your presence. I will trust in You . . . from the rising of the sun to its going down, You will be my Hope, my Best Friend, my Rescuer, my Strong Tower and Place of Refuge!

You have made me a new man . . . a new creation and I ask every single day while I'm here to turn me into a new wineskin, so You can pour New Wine, Yourself, into me. I walk with GREAT hope and with unfaltering expectancy knowing this life can NEVER bring an obstacle that together I can't overcome through faith . . . for when I can't, I simply KNOW you CAN!!

Thank you King of Kings and Lord of Lords~ every knee shall bow and EVERY tongue WILL confess one day. I thank You for me that is every single day I live.

This Seat's Taken!

Ever feel frustrated?
Ever feel not good enough?
Ever feel like there has to be more to life than this!
Ever wonder why you it seems like as soon as you get focused, you're right back to searching for clarity?
Ever wonder why you feel the need to keep up with the Jones?'

It all comes down to one reason . . . as Christians we have amnesia or maybe it's because we are TOO polite. How? Simple, the one thing we MUST say and remember is, 'This seat's taken!'

See there is a chair, a throne if you will, in your heart, in my heart and there is ONLY ONE Entity who should sit on it. . . Jesus Christ.  The problem is, as believers we have the WORST case of amnesia. Either we have forgotten the seat is taken or we are too polite to pipe up and say, 'This seat's taken!' We not only don't say it to other people, we won't even say it to ourselves in our own spirit.

There is a reason why the Bible tells us 'we must guard the good deposit in our hearts and with the help of the Holy Spirit protect its precious truth.' (2nd Timothy 1:14). In other words, we must learn to say, 'This seat's taken!'

We let way too many things take lordship over our lives: our husband, our wife, our job, our girlfriend, our boyfriend, our money, our family, our reputation and many more. Those are good things, but if we kick Yeshua (Jesus' name in Hebrew) off the throne of our hearts in favor of any of those, we are committing idolatry.

And God's Word is very clear about idolatry. 'Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be their's.' (Jonah 2:8). Or 1st Samuel 12:21, which says, 'Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are worthless!'

We kick Jesus off His throne far too many times and then curiously, and ironically, wonder why where our joy went! Why am I not happy? Why am I frustrated? Why am I not content? The dangerous thing is. . .

Where the Danger Lies

While it's a dangerous enough thing to rob God of His glory, thus, in essence, telling Him something is better, the dangerous thing is when we take sin and make it an idol. When we do that, it becomes a foothold and once Satan gets a foothold, he will soon get a stronghold. What do strongholds become? ADDICTIONS! Think about it. If it's a bad thing for good things to become idols, what is it when BAD things become idols?

Pick lust over Christ enough and sexual sin will wreak havoc in your life! It will run rampant.
Choose alcohol over the Lord enough and sooner than later you find yourself an alcoholic, wondering how you got to this place! Pick the love of money over Him and you will find yourself never satisfied always chasing after the next dollar that with itself will ONLY bring frustration! Pick your job and will always be hungry for status not for knowing Your worth in Him!

What's scary is many of our idols are not things we would think of. . . maybe it's love of a particular sport, movies, music or social media. These things are NOT BAD, but if you give it lordship over your life, they become bad! There are many who exalt people, who have been given exceptional gifts and talents, onto unrealistic pedestals . . . thrones they were never meant to sit on.

There is nothing wrong with being a 'fan' of a favorite athlete, singer or star, but why look to a 'star' when you can look to THE Star . . . the very Creator of the person you look up to! How foolish we ARE! Our adversary is SO slick, he takes good things and turns them into bad things . . . then will just as craftily take bad things and WRECK our lives with them! Through idols he will destroy our intimacy with Christ and leave us so discontent we won't know which way is up.

I'm NOT Casting Stones, but Give Him the Glory!

I have had, and still have, idols in my life. While it may be difficult, in our frail humanity, to completely eliminate them . . . the key is being able to address them and through HIS strength giving Him His seat back!

Our God is a jealous God-- not in a stalker, hiding in your bushes, sort of way . . . but He wants YOU. Your gifts, talents, heart and very life. He wants your attention, your time and your affection. And I think a GREAT adage to keep in mind is this-- Just as quickly as He has given you ALL of it, He can allow any one thing or ALL of it to be taken, so that He gets His seat back! The Lord does not take things away from us because He is a spoiled brat or because He desires to punish us . . . He does it because He LOVES us so much that He knows NOTHING can fill us like Him.

Walk with gratitude, quit walking in judgment, love one another, share His joy and hope with them. Stop acting like you have amnesia . . . We deserved, and still do deserve, death and yet He gave life-- let that be our latest memory and let us extend grace and forgiveness to others instead of the condemnation we so eagerly tend to extend.

Christians often times condemn others for the very thing God delivered them from! Talk about a bad memory! We must cut out this deadly case of amnesia!!

Hear that? That's God knocking on the door of your heart. Feel that? That's Him tapping you on your shoulder. He wants His seat back.

'I am the Lord; that is my name! I will NOT give MY glory to another or my praise to idols!' (Isaiah 42:8).

See that Distraction? No I was Distracted!

We live in a time where technology grows faster than a teenager and social media pops up like zits on their faces. There is MySpace (well kind of), Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumbler, 4Square, GetGlue etc. Seems like every six months a new one pops up.

There are computers, cell phones, computers in cell phones, TVs, Playstations, Xboxes, DVD players, stereos and about anything 'i', you and I can imagine-- iPads, iPhones and iPods. Ever thought to wonder why? Is it man using their God-given ingenuity, creativity and the natural evolution or is there something bigger going on?

The New Slavery

On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln freed all slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation-- a measure that thankfully changed our world for the better! But many remain in shackles, and while it has nothing to do with the color of our skin, it has everything to do with originator of slavery.

Who is that? None other than Satan, the fallen angel Lucifer, the Father of Lies and Ultimate Deceiver. How? What's the No. 1, but least thought of, distraction that keeps us from Jesus and our families? Technology.

Instead of throwing off everything that hinders us and riveting our eyes on Jesus, like Hebrews 12:1 implores us to do, we often times willingly put our shackles on and stop running. Who becomes our new master? Bingo, the Devil himself! No, I'm NOT comparing technology to the heinous, dispicable and evil act of slavery . . . I'm not even saying it is completely bad, but we don't see the distraction because we're too busy being distracted!

We don't notice the forest for the trees.

Don't believe we are in bondage? When is the last time you've gone an entire day without your cell phone? GASP! Many of you shuddered at the very question and propostion. Exactly. . . bondage!


This Isn't the 1950s!

Golly gee, you mean the computer, the phone and iPod are bad? Well shucks, you sound like one of those 'Jesus freaks' to me! None of it is bad, but wouldn't it be swell if we quit letting Satan run rampant in our lives through something that on the surface appears so innocent?

I know in my own life I've been guilty of running to him and begging for my shackles. I couldn't get on the computer fast enough, for hours at a time, and I would be lying if I said I shun modern-day gadgets, but what I've grown more conscious of is, I MUST find balance in using them. I remain a work in progress.

In the 50s, it was common for a family to sit down and have a meal together. No TV, no phone, no distractions . . . just each other. Conversation, laughter and validation were the iPhones, TVs and computers of their day. They fellowshipped, they enjoyed each other's company, they made each other feel important for that hour. It was a special time.

After dinner, they would gather around the TV and catch America Band Stand or listen to the radio, but for that hour parents and children had each other's undivided attention!

And now? We rarely eat dinner together and if we do it's guaranteed at least one person at the table has their cell phone out! Am I judging? FAR FROM IT! In fact, I used to be the world's worst! My Dad, my Mom and my sister made me aware of it and now I'm working on it. Rarely do I have my cell phone out at family dinners, during family time in general and when I'm spending time with my girlfriend and kids.

WATCH THIS VIDEO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLb0KG6Umlw

Satan hates REAL relationships, but LOVES Distractions

The last thing our adversary wants is relationships. He detests us having a relationship with our God, so he encourages us to do ANYTHING but. He gets us B.U.S.Y.-- Being Under Satan's Yoke. A lot of this busyness is found no farther than our fingertips-- technology. See if the Devil can keep us distant from Jesus, isolate us, he can then pounce on us with frustration, sadness, depression and feelings of being discontent.

He first gets us isolated from our Shepherd (Jesus), pulls us away so we can longer hear His voice, causes us to separate from the flock (our family and other Christians) then gets us stuck in a thicket. I'm sure, by now, you can guess the thicket. What happens when we're stuck? He either kills us or nothing at all. In the thicket, he uses our natural tendency of doubt against us, manipulates our fickle hearts and the aforementioned feelings take over from there. We are miserable!

Finding Balance

The Lord asked Moses in Numbers 11:23 if His arms were too short? Do we believe God's arms are too short to help us find balance? Here are some suggestions on how to not find ourselves in the thicket.

Read the Bible.
Pray often~ talk to God.
Hear His voice (John 10:4 and 5) 'His sheep follow Him because they know His voice, but will never follow a stranger because they do not recognize his voice.'
Spend time with our families.
Validate our loved ones.
Cut back on the time you spend on our modern-day marvels.
Put away your phone during meals and 'quality' time.
Use your gadgets against Satan~ tell of God's love through Social Media. (Psalm 63:3 and 4).
Fast from things that have taken over lordship of your life. . . for hours or days.
Pick a day where you do not use your cell phone or computer.
Show the peope you are with, they are worth more (in that moment) than the person on the other end of that phone!

God will arm you with strength (Psalm 18:32). Do not fear for He will help you (Isaiah 41:10) and just go run your race in such a way as to win the prize (1 Cor. 9:24) straight to Jesus. Just put your cell phone down before you do.

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep ~ the SequeL

Now I lay me my faithful Lord
Of all the blessings this life can afford

Knowing You is simply the best
With gratitude as my pillow, I lay down to rest

I fell today, but You helped me get back up
Asking tomorrow that You fill my cup

Keep me safe from Satan's dart
& I ask You Jesus to touch my heart

May my words be soft, but my actions be loud
And each day Father help me make You proud!

John Mark Brooks
Copyright Sept. 14, 2012