Jake Provance's Blog, page 4

The Greatest Gift

This Christmas morning I’m reminded of an interesting story in the Bible, especially interesting considering it’s Christmas:

“ For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs. And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.”

Mark 7:25-30 KJV

As I was thanking Jesus for what He’s done for us, all I could think about was this story, and I saw it in a different light then I have in the past. Without Jesus I’m that Syrophenician woman. The greatest and highest thing I could ever attain would have been to beg for scraps from a Holy God… and yet because of Jesus I get to enjoy the love of God as His child. I can go strait to Him, and I don’t have to beg for help, just ask for it. I can lean on Him when I’m weary, talk to Him in the ups and downs, and enjoy His company year round. He lets me walk with His power and spirit within me. Truly I am never alone, begging for help. All thanks to Jesus. So rather you get any presents, are able to enjoy any family, we have already been given the greatest gift of our lives, Jesus. I wish you a very merry Christmas, love and praying for you, my readers, God bless.

Merry Christmas

With all of the horrible things that have happened this year, I feel as if Christmas holds a special significance to all of us. To celebrate in the face of adversity is one of the most triumphant expressions of faith that any individual can display. The unsaved and the saved have felt the effects of 2020. Many feel betrayed by the issues that arrived in their life this year. God loves you and has not betrayed you. There are issues that arrive in this world, but this world is not all there is. There is a Heaven to gain and a hell to shun. So, take heart, even when you don’t understand why. God has not forgotten about you. It’s in the midst of these trying times that we should not look to a new year to bring about glad tidings, but we should look within each and everyone of us to bring forth the hopeful light that we all desperately need. Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Christ. The beginning of our redemption process. I have had loved ones die, family members diagnosed with cancer, financial crises, and a myriad of other issues that happened to me personally this year. Not to mention all of the other things that we hear about on the news on a daily basis (elections, pandemic, etc.) and worries we must cast aside. Yet I remain steady. Through many tears, heartache, and issues, I’ve ran into the Master’s arms, and can smile this Christmas because I know God as my Father and Friend. This situation I am in, is truly a magnificent one. I will be celebrating Christmas all the more fervently because of what Christ has done is more real to me then what the enemy has wrought in this year. So for this Christmas, I’m not looking to 2021, I’m not looking back at 2020, I’m looking at the Love of a Father, the faithfulness of His Son, and the comfort of the Spirit. I encourage you to do the same This Christmas season. Find time to get away and pray. Worship God with some headphones on, and read His Word. Then, rather you can get gifts or not, give the gift of a cheery disposition, and love on your family with thanksgiving and a warm heart. Merry Christmas friends, God bless, Jake

The Unknown

No one made God, God. God is the Creator and notthe created. Some people struggle with the realitythat there are many things that God does not tell us.He tells us a lot in the Bible, and for those who walkwith Him daily, He reveals more and more. Even still,the vastness of our ignorance is unquantifiable. It’sbecause of this lack of knowledge that many haveleft Christianity altogether. They allow the gaps ofknowledge to breed doubt in their lives, oftenmissing how ridiculous the alternative is. Happily, Ihave none such issues. I have enjoyed spendingtime with God and getting to know His character.Once you get to know God, then all your doubtsabout what information He chooses not to revealdissipates. I know His love for me overwhelminglysurpasses my threshold of comprehension. Hischaracter, morality, and words are pure, unerring,and full of life. He always has our best interest atheart, and if there are questions you have, trust thatHe will reveal to you the answers when you areready. There are no answers that I need down herethat He has not already given. There are answers Iwould like down here, but none that my eternity rests

on that have not been given to me through the Bible.Do not let what you do not know cause you harm. Irecently lost a loved one. I do not have all theanswers in that area, but because I know God, I’msteady. I am not in danger of casting away my faith. Ihave confidence in God. Rather He reveals theanswers or not, I will serve Him, love Him, and tellothers about Him. Why? Because I know Him. I callHim Father, and He calls me son. If you cannot saythis yet then I encourage you, read your Bible. Listento sermons from Bible-based believers. If what theysaid is not backed up by 2 or 3 different Scriptures,then just put it on the shelf until it can be proved outin the Bible. Quit letting that “one” thought crippleyour faith. The simplest form of faith that will saveyour life is this: Faith in God. Believe that God isgood, that He loves you, and that He wants what isbest for you. He is not the author of bad things, onlygood. So if something bad is in your life, then don’tblame God, He doesn’t put bad things on us, onlysatan does that. Instead, run to God, and ask Himfor help. He can get help to you 1000 different ways.So instead of picking 1 way and asking for that, justcast all the weight of figuring out your situation ontothe Lord, and let Him help you. This faith comes onlyby one way, reading and listening to the Word of

God. Get to know God as I have. I can tell you thatJesus was not kidding when He said:“ Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you whoare weary and carry heavy burdens, and I willgive you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let meteach you, because I am humble and gentle atheart, and you will find rest for your souls. Formy yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I giveyou is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)Light and easy is so true. Life gets messy, heavy,and difficult. So I’m so glad that I can come lay allthat junk before Jesus, spend time in listening to andreading His Words, and then pick up His light andeasy promise and carry that with me. You may notknow what lies before you today, but I believe it issomething good. 2020 is going to end GOOD, I’mbelieving that for myself, and for you. Enjoy thequote below, and until next time,God bless,Jake“The sea is dangerous and its storms terrible, butthese obstacles have never been sufficient reason toremain ashore… Unlike the mediocre, intrepid spiritsseek victory over those things that seem

impossible… It is with an iron will that they embarkon the most daring of all endeavors… to meet theshadowy future without fear and conquer theunknown.”

― Ferdinand Magellan

Tragedy

It is the little things that you notice: the quiet hum of the air conditioner, the rhythmic ticking of a nearby clock, the gentlebreeze in the room. Things that can only be observed when absolute stillness isinvoked by the news of a dear loved one tragically passing away. It’s only whenthe shock wears off that the true horror begins. It can seem as if you arefalling in a bottomless pit. The light of the surface gradually fading fromview. The uncertainty of what is below. The uneasiness of losing all control.The cold air begins rapidly displacing all semblance of warmth as the darknessslowly swallows you whole.

It can seem like a hell on earth. You can feel alone in a room full of people. Hungry but the smell of food makes you sick. You become the kind of tired that no amount of sleep can fix. The prospect of doing what you once did turns your stomach. However, we do not grieve as the world grieves. As a Christian, there is one major difference between how we deal with tragedy and how an unsaved person deals with tragedy.

Hope

There is always hope. Always. Regardless of how bleak,how dark, and how cold your life might seem, there is still hope. Tragedy comesto all our lives though we may not wish it. In these moments, there always seemsto be one burning question that many become obsessed with: Why? Why did thishappen? Trying to answer this question usually leads people down a dangerouspath without ever discovering the truth behind why the tragedy happens.Regardless of what you might think or believe, my question to you is:

“What are you going to do when you don’tknow why?”

Will crisis rob you of your faith? Will you fold under

the pressure? Will you allow your circumstance to consume you? Will you runaway from God when you need Him the most?

Regardless of how long you study on this earth youwill never reach the pinnacle of understanding. You can never study enough orpray enough to have all the answers. The Bible says:

“Now our knowledge is partial andincomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the wholepicture! But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things willbecome useless. When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as achild. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we seethings imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we willsee everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial andincomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God nowknows me completely.” – 1 Corinthians 13:9-12 (NLT)

Paul is saying over and over again that we only seepart of the picture down here. In other words, there are going to be a lot ofthings that we don’t understand. So, when a tragedy knocks you flat on yourback and you don’t understand why, what will you do?

Jesus gives us the key to facing down the worst lifehas to offer in this passage:

Jesus called a little one to his sideand said to them, “Learn this well: Unless you dramatically change yourway of thinking and become teachable, and learn about heaven’s kingdom realm withthe wide-eyed wonder of a child, you will never be able to enterin. Whoever continually humbles himself to become like thisgentle child is the greatest one in heaven’s kingdom realm.” – Matthew 18:2-4(TPT)

Kids don’t understand how everything works. They ask questions that they couldn’t

understand the answers even if they heard it. Like how does a space ship go to the moon? They are probably not quite ready for rocket science, and if we were humble ourselves then we would realize that we may not be ready for or understand the “why” of our situation.

Children have two things that almost no adults have: trust and a pure heart. If they need help, they ask poppa or momma for help. If trouble comes their way, and they don’t understand anything that is going on, they don’t blame their parents for letting it happen, they don’t try to figure out why it could happen in the first place; they just run straight into their parents arms looking for help, hope, and healing. Oh… that we could be like a small child with the Lord. Our faith would be so simple that regardless of what happens in life, we’d run straight into the Father’s arms and weep, ask for help, and worship Him in spite of it all. We only see part of the picture down here, and one part of that picture is that God is a good God, He loves you unconditionally, and He never ever wants to cause you pain. Have enough faith in your Father’s love and enough trust in His character that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is for you and does not cause destruction to occur in your life. Let go of what you’ve been holding onto and find rest in Gods arms. In closing, hear the Words of Jesus call out to you in this very moment:

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out onreligion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll showyou how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it.Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fittingon you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” –Jesus

Matthew 11:28-30 (Msg)

Scriptures to encourage:

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.—Psalm 34:18 NLT

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds curing their pains and their sorrows.—Psalm 147:3 AMP

Do not let your hearts be troubled (distressed, agitated). You believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely on God; believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely also on Me.—John 14:1 AMP

God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more, neither shall there be anguish (sorrow and mourning) nor grief nor pain any more, for the old conditions and the former order of things have passed away.—Revelation 21:4 AMP

A Poem I Wrote for Loss:

There is a great darkness that doesn’t wait for night,A cold, empty void that hides the light.It’s the end to every beginning,Feels as if your enemy is winning.

This cancer of the earth,inescapable since birth.We were not made for death,To feel the pain of love’s last breath,

The sin that brought loss to our homes,Has been forgiven but its child still roams,With its claws sharp but its sting removed,The pain cuts deep but its poison subdued,

You have a daddy above,The purest light named Love,Ready to pierce the void,So you won’t be destroyed

Lean on him and the pain will slowly fade,As the darkness turns to shade,And the hope of tomorrow,Begins to lessen yesterday’s sorrow.

Prayer:Lord, I know you know what loss is like. You lost your most beloved Son, for the sake of gaining me. Strengthen me, Lord. Encourage me, teach me how to look to you when my emotions are running wild, and my heart heavy. I know you love me, I know you are a good God, but Lord, if I’m being honest, what I feel and what I know aren’t lining up right now. Lord, I ask you to heal my heart, fill the gaps of my life left by loss with the hope that is found in You. You are more than enough for every need and every void that I’ve have. Thank you, Lord, for your help. In Jesus’ name, amen.

The Pinnacle of High Achievement

If I could get to the end of my days and be able to say onesimple phrase then there would not be a single person on the earth who couldsay that they were happier or more fulfilled than me; they would not be able tosay that they had accomplished more than me. No matter who they were, or whatthey have done, they could never surpass me in honor, worth, or deed. So what isthe glorious accomplishment that I could acclaim to, position of prominence I attained,or the amount of wealth that I accumulated to be able to say that I havereached the pinnacle of human existence and accomplishment?

The simple phrase that I could say at the end of my daysthat summarizes it all would be this:

“I have obeyed God.”

So many have made lofty goals and measure their worth through the achievement of said

goals. Others gain their worth through debased means like comparison and unhealthily competing with everyone else in their small spheres of influence. They may not be the best, but they comfort themselves that they are not as bad as somebody else. So many get lost in their pursuit of doing something grand for God that they stop pursuing God Himself. So many well-intentioned people spend their lives chasing after what God has already provided for them. Your worth is found in God. Your destiny and purpose are found on the path of pursuing God, not on the path of pursuing your destiny. God has given us so many things in the Bible that we can start obeying right now. We can practice our obedience daily and seek God daily. The reason no one could surpass you if you could say that simple phrase is because God ultimately is the only judge. He is the only one qualified to tell you your worth and the value of your life. And the only thing He requests of us is to willingly obey Him. He has your best interests at heart. You will never obey God to your own detriment. It may look and feel unappealing at the time but God always has your best in mind. God is a good God. God is a good Father. God is Love. What indication has God ever given that He would do anything to you, through you, or for you that would cause destruction, death, or pain in your life? At every turn God is showing and proving His great love for us. He did not withhold His only begotten son from us, how will He not freely give us all things for our benefit. We are His kids, and He laid everything on the line for us. All that He asks in return is for you to believe in Him, have faith in Him, and trust Him wholly and completely enough to willingly obey Him.  This is the second reason that no one could surpass you in happiness or fulfillment, because there is no one more happy or fulfilled then they who obey God. It is impossible for anyone, regardless of what they have done to surpass you. Others may achieve the same status and hear “well done my good and faithful servant” but none can go beyond that. We are charged with one simple task on this earth: obedience. In closing, Lets read 1 John 5:1-5 (TPT):

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah is God’s spiritual child and has been fathered by God himself. And everyone who loves Father God loves his children as well. This is how we can be sure that we love the children of God: by having a passionate love for God and by obedience to his commands. True love for God means obeying his commands, and his commands don’t weigh us down as heavy burdens. You see, every child of God overcomes the world, for our faith is the victorious power that triumphs over the world. So who are the world conquerors, defeating its power? Those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. -1 John 5:1-5

God bless,

Jake

God Is on the Throne

I am so glad that God is on thethrone. He is a good God, a faithful God, an all-powerful God, an awesome God,a holy God, a healing God, a miracle working God. He defines Himself as Love.To say that He is on the throne and is reigning on high, is to say that Lovereigns on high! He has protected His throne. Satan and his angels have tried totake it, many have audaciously tried to sit upon it, but it is God’s throne,and He has not and will not abdicate it. There is no higher office than Hisoffice. There is no throne above His throne. His words and decrees are sacred,powerful, and above contestation. He is not an elected official! No oneappointed Him to the throne, nor dictated to Him what His duties are.Regardless of who your boss, governor, leader, or president is, you always cango over their head and straight into the throne room of God! Regardless of whatjudge, jury, and courtroom you are taking your case before, you can alwaysappeal to a higher court! Your hope, your confidence, and your future do nothave to be held in the hands of man; you can place them in the hands of God! Sotake comfort this day. Though many in this nation have feelings of unrest anduneasiness, do not join in with them in their despair, instead enlist yourheart and mind to bow your knee to the King above every king and Lord aboveevery lord. Place your trust in God, not man. God is not moved by what the

Enemy of our souls is trying to do down here. Satan tried to take God’s throneonce before; it didn’t work out too well for him then, and it sure won’t workout for him now. God’s throne is untouchable, not because the throne is imbuedwith power, but because the one who sits on the throne keeps His throne andwatches over all in His kingdom! Whatever you may be facing, take it to thethrone room. Jesus died to give you access. God’s been wanting to hear fromyou. Though He may want to help you, He requires you to ask Him and believe inHim. Hear from Him on what your next step should be, cast your cares on Him,and place your confidence on Him and not in this world’s system. Because thoughthe heavens and earth may pass away, God will remain, Unmoved, Unshaken, andStrong.

Blessings,

Jake

God Is Near To You

Did you know that God is near to you? Rather you are a new believer,or you have been walking with the Lord for a number of years, God is near toyou. Take a second and meditate on these scriptures reinforcing the realitythat God is near to you:

Psalm 73:28

But as for me, the nearness of God is my good;

I have made the Lord God my refuge,

That I may tell of all Your works.

Psalm 16:8

I have set the Lord continually before me;

Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Psalm 34:18

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted

And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 119:151

You are near, O Lord,

And all Your commandments are truth.

Psalm 145:18

The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,

To all who call upon Him in truth.

Isaiah 50:8

He who vindicates Me is near;

Who will contend with Me?

Let us stand up to each other;

Who has a case against Me?

Let him draw near to Me.

Jeremiah 23:23

“Am I a God who is near,” declares the Lord,

“And not a God far off?”

Acts 17:27

That they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope forHim and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;

1 Samuel 14:36

Then Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines bynight and take spoil among them until the morning light, and let us not leave aman of them.” And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.” So the priestsaid, “Let us draw near to God here.”

Hebrews 7:19

(For the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other handthere is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

Hebrews 10:22

Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance offaith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodieswashed with pure water.

James 4:8

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse yourhands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

I especially enjoy this verse:

Jeremiah 23:23

“Am I a God who is near,” declares the Lord,

“And not a God far off?

Because it is coming directly from God Himself.

God declared it aboutHimself. He is always ready to help us, always ready to step into a difficultsituation, always on stand-by for when we open up our heart to Him and ask Himfor help. You don’t have to go at it alone. If you need a listening ear, God isthere to listen. If you need direction, then God is there to give you the bestadvice you could ever ask for. If you need help, God is there to move mightilyon your behalf, just because one of His kids asked it of Him. Whenever you findyourself in a spontaneous crisis, God is near and ready to help. But this isn’tthe true joy of God being near to you… the true joy is spending time with Him.When you are in the car listening to music, you can start up a conversationwith God and it will be as if He is sitting in the passenger seat with you. Heis near when things are good and when things are not so good. You can Lean anddepend on Him when you are in dire need of some help, and He can also be yourbest friend that laughs and rejoices with you when things are going well. It takesfaith to believe that God is right there with you, listening to you, and thatHe will respond to you. So just start including him in all of your goings andcomings. Regularly talk to Him and think about Him. It will be the beginning ofa truly marvelous relationship that will span the rest of your life andcontinue on into all of eternity. This is the wonderful reality of God being near.So rather You need help, a friend, or a father, all you have to do is speak up becauseyou have one that is very close.

Don’t Give Up

There is a war the rages inour hearts and minds that no one can see.

The war that wages in silence,

The war of Self defiance.

Few have the intuition to have guessed or sensed,

The Enemies that many war against:

“A Pain that cannot be readily described.

A Shame on the heart forever Inscribed.

A Loneliness that no friendships can seem to fill.

A Battle that always feels to be up-Hill

A Hopelessness that no good news can alter.

A Strength of will ready to faulter.

A Weariness that can’t be fixed with sleep

A Self-image described as Cheap

A deep scar hidden by fake smiles

A Laugh disguising the hidden Trials

A Sickness that no amount of pills can heal.

A Wound that just won’t seal.

A Weakness that seems to always overtake.

A situation in which there is no escape.”

If you can relate to any or all of the above, then you know the feeling and great desire to Give up. Not all feelings of giving up are extreme, but many of these less intense feelings when neglected morphs into extreme conditions of the heart. Though everything you are feeling is real. The pain is real, and the situation you are in is real. The solution to your condition is just as real and even more potent. His Name is Jesus. There is always Hope, and even when you are faced with immense pressure, and your situation seems inescapable, Jesus will make a way for you. With God’s help there is light at the end of this tunnel.  He has a plan to rescue you. No matter how deep a pit you may be in, He can pull you out. No matter how bad you have messed up or how deep in sin you might have fallen, His love is greater than your mistakes, and deeper than any pit you have fallen into. God knows you, better than you know yourself, and He is not mad at you. He is not disappointed in you, and He’s longing to encourage, comfort, and deliver you from your despair.

Usually when a struggle and challenges come into our lives, how we respond is everything. There are many who never had  a loving parent to step in and give the wise advice and comfort them with a hug and telling them that it is all going to be ok. Others have felt the cold reality in the wake of disaster where Life seems to lose all meaning. Many have given up because the pain was to great, and the burden to heavy. And yet all of them never knew that all the while there was a Loving Father ready to shoulder their burden, and heal their pains…

If you feel like giving up, then know this:

As crazy and far off as it might seem to you, If you’ll get away with Christ, and learn of Him, and humble yourself before him and ask for help, then there is a day coming that you’ll be able to smile without feeling heavy, and laugh with the unbridled innocence of a child.

It is through Christ that you can find your strength. It is through Christ you find your purpose. It is through Christ that the answers you are looking for become apparent. It is through Christ that your heart can begin to mend. It is through Christ that you can have a relationship with God. God is a Father to all who come to Him through Christ. When you come to God, He is the one who will give you the purpose, and hope you are looking for. He created the entire universe, and yet he knows the numbers of hairs on your head. It takes Faith in a Loving father to overcome the pain of loss, the despair of being trapped in a situation, and the emptiness of being alone.

Even still there will be times when you will feel the pressure to give up. There will be times when it seems that God is far, far, away. There will be times where it seems that none of your prayers are being heard, much less answered. But faith is not moved by how we feel at any given moment, Faith is borne of the Word of God. Which simply means, Even if you don’t feel like your prayers were heard, But God said that when you pray in the name of Jesus, He Hears it, Then you have something more solid to stand on then how you feel. When you make a mistake, and you sin, in the same area for the 100th time, and you feel that God doesn’t love you and is far from you. But His Word Says that He Loves you, Forgives you when you ask, and has placed you in right standing with Himself. Then faith rejoices that your relationship and standing with your heavenly father is based on His Faithfulness, not your faithfulness! This is Why the word of God is so powerful to every Christian. It is our guide and our Rock. When we feel shakey, we can go to the word, Find out what God has to say and then base our life on that Solid rock so that when the issues of life crash against us, We may feel the effects of the pressure, but at the end of the day we are still standing because for us to fail, His Word would have had to fail first! And that will never happen!

So even when your faith feels weak and your victory a far off, Hope dares to believe that though you may not know the perfect scripture to stand on, or the perfect thing to say, You do know that God is a Good God, and you will stay on his side no matter what. It is true you may be in pain, But God is just as real as your pain. Friends, God is for you, but our own pride has caused many of us to have the audacity to be mad at God as if we have all of the knowledge, wisdom, and understanding present, to challenge God and assume His throne by making a better decision than Him. We can be so ignorant and yet get so puffed up in pride and shake our fist at God, or even go to the other side of the road and try to rationalize why God could have allowed terrible things to happen instead of Looking to His word for our answers, and trusting above all else that God is a Good God and ALWAYS operates out of Love because he is Love. Hope always stays on God’s side, Always expects a good future, and never gives up.   So.. My encouragement to you this evening is, Regardless of your situation, Look to God for your help, answers, and for your hope:

When you mentally break down… Look to God. When lash out at your loved ones … Look to God. When You have spent most of your life ignoring God… Look to Him Anyways.  When you have run out of hope… Look to God. When you have no more fight left in you… Look to God. When every door seems to shut in your face… Look to God. When You are Confused, Lost, and Hurt, Look to God. When You bury Your Child… Look to God. GOD LOVES YOU. Regardless of what you have experienced, God does love you and will help you if you let Him.

Being a Christian doesn’t make you immune to life’s difficulties, nordoes It make you perfect. We know that crisis is going to happen in life.Sometimes it happens because of our own foolish choices. But don’t let it breakyou. God is ever ready with arms open wide, ready to pour out His Love uponyou. Don’t Let shame or Pain create a barrier between you and Your HeavenlyFather. There is something indescribable that happens When a Child of God comeshome. When you lay down all of your pain, all of your guilt, all of yourfailures, all of your confusion, all that you are, and all that you hold dearbefore God. Your life laid bare before him, looking up through the tears askingfor help when you know you don’t deserve it.

Its then, Because of what Jesus Christ did for you and me, The fatherreaches down inside of you and begins to wash over you with his love, cleaningyou up from the inside out. You emerge with a different kind of disposition, apeace that passes understanding and a joy that rises up from a heart that hasreconnected to His Creator. You weren’t meant to walk alone, nor to bare theweight of this life without support. This is what Jesus Accomplished for us!Christ is Undefeated, and He is on your side. He’s never given up on you. He isnot ashamed of you. So Quit hiding, and instead of breaking under the pressure,Let God do what he does best: Love you.

For we do not have aHigh Priest Who is unable tounderstand and sympathize and have a shared feeling withour weaknesses and infirmities and liability to theassaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as weare, yet without sinning. Let us thenfearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to thethrone of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that wemay receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time forevery need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].

– Hebrews 4:15-16 (AMPC)

Growing Up With God

When I was younger, I wanted to change the world.

I coveted earnestly the power of the Holy Spirit. The ability to face down any situation with the same boldness and unconquerable spirit that Christ and His disciples had. I was drawn to modern day ministers who had such a commanding presence and a captivating vision. I

wanted to see the miraculous performed and learn how to perform it through my hands. There was such ambition to see an unclear future turned into a glorious triumph that would go down in the annals of Christianity. To secure a spot next to all the saints in glory throughout the acts of my devotion and faith. Though these are admirable things to desire, looking back on it, the desire had me front and center instead of Him. As I have grown, day by day, spending time with God, it seems that my ambition has changed, and my perspective forever altered.

It seems that my hearts cry and determination was no longer in the achievement of the ambitious goals that I had set for myself, but rather I desired a much similar, short-term, accomplishment: Obedience.

Pleasing my Heavenly Father seems to be the only thing on my mind. To be seen or known has little to no hold on me now. It’s as if the things I once fought for, seem of little consequence to me. The only thing that I desire is the next word I hear from Him. Many times, I have been asked if you could go back and change one thing in your life what would it be. To be honest I never really new what to say. Until that fateful afternoon spending time with my Heavenly Father, and I finally found my answer. If I could go back, I would fall in love with God sooner. Because once you fall in love with God, all the weight of the world begins to melt away. Your ambition begins to turn into faithful obedience. The people you once overlooked seem to carry so much significance. It’s the unknowns, the hurt, the broken, the down and outs, that seem to capture your gaze more than anything else. It’s no longer coveting a grand stage, but to make the stage He has given you grand. To present His love in places where no reward would follow. To work hard and tirelessly for a cause that is entirely His and not your own. To deny the flesh, not for the accolades of men, but for a greater intimacy with Him. A relationship ever growing, evolving, and developing, starting now and stretching into the ages of eternity.

I wasn’t sure about writing this, I have a hard time sharing intimate thoughts, especially about my God. I like when we have a moment between me and Him, with words spoken to one another that not a single other soul knows about. However, I felt the Lord wanted me to share it, to a person or persons who needed to read this. God desires to have a Real relationship with you. The place I find myself in is a beautiful one, and it wasn’t achieved through “catching up” on prayer by praying for hours, or hunkering down and reading the Bible all the way through in a month. It was cultivated over years of talking with God daily, about anything and everything. By reading the Bible daily, and treating it with honor, by observing it daily and conforming my life to it. By bringing requests to Him but also clearing my schedule just to worship Him, and to be a friend and son to Him. It’s a relationship, its strength is found in its longevity and sincerity. You can’t build a strong friendship in a couple days, or even a couple months, it takes years of faithfulness and care to build a strong relationship. I believe this relationship with our Heavenly Father that I’ve been talking about is What Jesus Died on the cross for, so that we could enjoy, from now, and stretching into all of eternity. This relationship can be found throughout the Word, so over the next couple weeks I’m going to be going through the Word and revealing some of the things God has shown me over the years about this.

Until then, God bless,

Jake

Is God A Liar?

The world is in the midst of a crisis.Some are fighting anxiety, depression, worry, fear, and the overall emotionaltaxation of our current predicament. Some are in financial bondage. They havelost their job, house, and their security. Some are fighting for their livesagainst sickness, disease, and plague. While home, with a plethora of time toconsider their life choices, stare at their declining bank account, and watchthe news spreading fear and panic, it seems we all have experienced some penetratingquestions arise. Why did this happen? Could I have done something different to prevent our personalsituation? How am I going to provide? Where am I going to get help from? Whenis this going to be over? Will I ever be the same after this? How am I evergoing to get out of this mess? Will my family be ok? Is this all my fault? Is itsomeone else’s fault? What do I need todo? … So many questions, and these are just the generic ones that scratch thesurface of the concerns that many are facing. But there is only one question weshould be asking ourselves. I heard a story the other day by a minister that helpsillustrate that questions potency.

He told of how he wasministering in a church and asked if anyone would like to accept Jesus as theirLord and Savior or if anyone who was saved at one point but had backslid out offellowship with God. One man took him up on the offer. This man went down tothe altar and prayed. He came back to the minister with a sad look on his face.The minister inquired about the man’s countenance. The man responded with, “He didn’ttake me back.” The man went up to the altar and didn’t feel anything like hefelt the first time he got saved and came back with the conclusion that theLord didn’t accept him. The minister, recognizing this by how the man responded,asked the man, “Now I don’t mean this wrong, but did you go down to the altarmockingly towards God? Or did you go down sincerely?” the man answered, “I wentdown sincere! The Lord knows I went down sincere!” So the minister said “So youwent down to the altar, repented of your sins, asked the Lord for forgiveness,and He didn’t take you back?” and the man said “yes.” The minister then said, “Ok,that settles it. God’s a liar. He said in His Word He would forgive you and youwould be saved but He didn’t. So God’s a liar.” And the minister turned around andwalked away from the man. The minister only took a few steps until he heard theman behind him start shouting and rejoicing. The minister turned back around,and then the man said to the minister, “You know God forgave me down there atthe altar and I didn’t have the sense to recognize it?”

You see the man placed more stock in how he felt, and whatthings looked like, then he put in what God said. Once he realized that God can’tlie, he finally believed and accepted his salvation! His faith overrode hisdoubt, his fear, and his feelings. He began to rejoice, and the feelings camelater. So then, the only question that we should ask in times of crisis is:

“IsGod a liar?”

When you feel alone in your fight, and the emotional heartachebegins to wear on you, Remember:

“Let your character or moraldisposition be free from love of money including greed, avarice, lust, andcraving for earthly possessions and be satisfied with your present circumstancesand with what you have; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not inany way fail you nor give you up nor leave you withoutsupport. I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave youhelpless nor forsake nor let you down (relax My hold onyou)! Assuredly not!”

–Hebrews13:5 (AMPC)

And then askyourself, “IS GOD A LIAR?” I am not alone, He is WITH me!

When you’ve looked at your declining bank account for toolong, the bills are piling up, and the fridge is running out of food, Remember:

“And my God will liberallysupply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory inChrist Jesus.”

-Philippians 4:19 (AMPC)

And ask yourself, “Is God aLiar?” He said that He willliberally supply all my needs. That is the only truth I will focus on.

When sickness and fear would try to steal your confidence, Remember:

“Surely He has borne ourgriefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and painsof punishment, yet we ignorantly considered Him stricken, smitten, andafflicted by God [as if with leprosy]. But He was wounded for ourtransgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities;the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us wasupon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and madewhole.”

-Isaiah 53:4-5 (AMPC)

And ask yourself, “Is God aLiar?” He bore my grief, sickness,weakness, and distress. He was wounded for my forgiveness, and chastised so Icould obtain peace. He took stripes on His back for my Healing.

Will you believe what God says or what your bank accountsays. Will you listen to what God says or what your worries say. Will you believein the truth of your current circumstances, or the Truth of God’s Word. God is nota liar. What He said is True, it requires us to believe it, and accept thistruth in our life through faith. So, I encourage you, turn off the news andturn on some praise and worship. Quit studying the world’s economic state, andstart studying the Word of God. Stop staring at your bank account and fix yourgaze on Christ. Block out all other questions, and ask, Is God a liar?