Paid In Full

"All the world’s great religions show that people expect to pay for their sins.

Some do penance, while tens of millions believe they will suffer in some future life by reincarnation.

Most expect some awful judge to pass sentence on judgment day and pronounce their eternal destiny.

Some expect to suffer cleansing agonies in the flames of Purgatory.

The Christian gospel has a different message! It says: “JESUS HAS PAID FOR IT ALL.”

That is the matchless glory of the gospel, the gospel Paul and Peter preached.

They took that message into a world loaded with guilt. (Acts 13:38, NIV).

If the blood of Jesus God’s Son cleanses us from all sin, if He has paid the price, as Scripture clearly declares, what need is there for us to pay again or suffer again for sins for which Christ suffered in our place? Isn’t what He did good enough? O yes, it is; praise God, it is!"

(Reinhard Bonnke)

The Most Important Thing

Mind blowing!
God is speaking.
*tongue stuck in cheek for some reason*

God keeps revealing himself to me, and as He does, I find there's even more where that came from.
His riches are more abundant than I ever dreamed of or dared to imagine.
He knows me. Intimately.
HE KNOWS MY HEART.

He knows when I rise, and when I go to bed.
He watches over me, gently steering me along the path that He has chosen for me to walk.
He carries me when it gets tough...

He welcomes me into his loving arms when the walk gets too tough to bear. His embrace is strong, safe, and all-sufficient.
When I can't handle taking another step, even in his arms, he says "stop. Rest. BE. That is enough for now. We will go at your pace, I won't force you or push you, I'll wait for you to be ready before we resume the walk. We have all the time in the world"

He never promised an easy life.
But this is what he DOES promise: a life lived to the full, an abundant life, a life of joy, a life of excitement, a life of more... A radical life.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12:1 NIVUK)

That, my friends, is the Most Important Thing.

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I've just had a revelation!

Things can sometimes seem pretty bleak last thing at night, right??
You've been ok all day, 'demolishing arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and taking captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ' (2 Corinthians 10:5)

But at the end of the day you've lost plot, you've lost the energy and the will to fight. Those thoughts you've been 'taking captive' all day start to get you down because you're all out of strength trying to catch each and every one of them and tell it to submit to Christ.

With all the will in the world, we all still get tired!! 'Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall...' (Isaiah 40: 30)

Well this leaves the door open for waves of negative feelings and emotions to sweep over you and engulf you. You get sucked down into a whirlpool of despair, just like dirty bath water gets sucked down the plug hole once the plug has been pulled out.

So what is the answer, or at least what is one first, little (well - BIG, in my case!) practical thing you, I, can do....??

GO TO BED!!!!

If you know you tend to get down late at night, GO TO BED EARLY :)
'Simples!' (Aleksandr, of comparethemeerkat.com fame)

And actually, heres the next epiphany, right here; you can apply this to any time of day or night.
Because...
What do you do when you go to bed??
You 'do' NOTHING!!
You REST. You sleep.
And you allow your body, your mind and your soul to go on hiatus :)

The next part of that little well-known passage of Isaiah goes like this:

"but those who hope in (...and WAIT on) the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."

BECAUSE.......

"Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak."

So, when you're tired and weary, sick of fighting, just "go to bed" - and let God rest you. Surrender to Him, to his strength. He is Mighty to Save and NEVER SLEEPS!!

He watches over you while you rest, and He fights for you.

Aaaaaaaah - that's better!

Wow. Just WOW

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This Cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone who took on flesh
Fulness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness Scorned by the ones he came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied -
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave he rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine -
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath.
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

Introducing The Lover of My Soul - My Everything

This is who He is, and what He is to me.

He is
1. My creator
2. My Shepherd
3. My Strength and Song
4. My Shield
5. My Portion forever (ie. MINE)
6. My Helper
7. My Life
8. My Deliverer
9. My Provider
10. My Stronghold in time of trouble
11. My Light and My Salvation
12. My Fortress
13. My Father
14. My Healer
15. My Guide
16. My Refuge and my Saviour
17. My Protector
18. My King
19. My Source of life
20. My Comforter
21. My Rest and Peace
22. My Shelter
23. My Shade at my right hand
24. My Teacher
25. My Confidence
26. My Leader
27. My Warrior
28. My Hope
29. My God forever and ever
30. My Defender
31. My Rock and My Redeemer
32. My Joy and My Delight
33. My Power
34. My Inheritance
35. My Maker
36. My True God
37. My Victory

Not putting up with THAT sh*t Satan!!!

No weapon turned against me will succeed.
I will silence every voice raised up to accuse me.
My vindication will come from the Lord himself.

(taken from Isaiah 54:17 NLT)

My Lover's invitation to dance

Behold You have come
over the hills upon the mountain
To me, You will run.
My Beloved, You've captured my heart

Won't You dance with me,
Oh Lover of my soul,
to the song of all songs?

With You, I will go
You are my Love
You are my Fair One
The winter has passed and the springtime has come

Won't You dance with me,
Oh Lover of my soul,
to the song of all songs?
Romance me,
Oh Lover of my soul
to the song of all songs.

No More Vaguebooking

Ok, so....
I need to have a rant and offload.

Now. I would normally default to writing a short and cryptic one-liner on Facebook.
But a very wise and straight-talking friend of mine recently admonished me for using Facebook as a platform to vent my frustration while not actually 'saying' much... This phenomenon is commonly referred to amongst Facebookers as "vague-booking". As I dislike jargon intensely (read 'hate'), I will try and define the term for you. (Hang on haven't I already done that??)

For example, say someone you're close to in real life has done (or said) something that has OUTRAGEOUSLY upset you, vaguebooking about it would probably look something like this: "I wish some people would just grow up" - or: "well I didn't see THAT coming" - or still: "I am so hurt right now I can hardly breathe"

Know the kind of thing?!?

These kind of status updates really make me want to scream - yet sadly (and embarrassingly) I am Guilty As Charged!! Talk about a case of 'pot calling the kettle black'... *cringes*

So, I am hereby officially quitting Vaguebooking.
I am tempted to quit Facebook altogether too, but I don't think I'm quite emotionally mature enough for that. Yet.

I have had too many people worrying about me after a few cryptic updates I posted recently, some even apparently implying I was feeling suicidal, when all I was expressing was a deep frustration with life on earth...

Sorry about that. Not going to happen. Not again. Not EVER.

If I'm going to offload, wear my heart on my sleeve, be all 'vulnerable' and sometimes a bit gloomy, I'll do it on my blog from now on.

Can't say I never do anything for you people.

Show Me Your Glory

I see the cloud, I step in
I want to see Your glory as Moses did Flashes of light, rolls of thunder

I’m not afraid, I’m not afraid

Show me Your glory, show me Your glory Show me Your glory, show me Your glory

I’m awed by Your beauty, lost in Your eyes
I want to walk in Your presence like Jesus did
Your glory surrounds me and I’m overwhelmed

I long to look on the face of the One that I love
Long to stay; in Your presence is where I belong

Oh how we love You, oh how we love You Oh how we love You, Jesus

(Jesus Culture, Show Me Your Glory)

All I Need

Left my fear by the side of the road
Hear You speak, won't let go
Fall to my knees, as I lift my hands to pray

Got every reason to be here again Father's love that draws me in
And all my eyes wanna see is a glimpse of You

All I need is You
All I need is You, Lord,
is You, Lord
All I need is You
All I need is You, Lord,
is You, Lord

One more day, and it's not the same
Your Spirit calls my heart to sing
Drawn to the voice of my Savior once again

Where would my soul be without Your Son Gave His life to save the earth
Rest in the thought that You're watching over me

All I need is You
All I need is You
All I need is You
All I need is You

You hold the universe
You hold everyone on earth
You hold the universe
You hold, You hold

©2004 Hillsong Publishing (Admin. in U.S. & Canada by Integrity's Hosanna! Music) All rights reserved. International copyright secured. CCLI song #4455213