Transformation in the New Year

Have you been waiting for your spouse to come to knowledge of Jesus Christ that will transform his life? 

Sometimes that personal revelation takes awhile...  You can read about Thomas in John 20:19-29. I firmly believe in divine appointments. Thomas was not in the room when Jesus met with the disciples on the evening He arose from the grave. Did you ever wonder why Thomas wasn't present with them?

Remember, this was the same Thomas that asked Jesus in John 14:5, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way"? Jesus then told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me". "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him".

Isn't it interesting that we also often don't recognize the Lord. We know through scripture that Thomas knew Him, but he did not believe that the other disciples saw Him that night in the upper room. In John 20:14 Thomas insisted, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe".

He was basically giving himself an ultimatum! Proof is often needed, even demanded by the natural man. But Thomas was a spiritual man, one who knew the Lord intimately - face to face. What hampered his ability to "see without proof" what he already knew in his heart? Or did he really believe what he had been told?

John 20:26 says, "And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!" Do you think Thomas had peace after the other disciples told him he missed seeing Jesus?

In verse 27 we read, "Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing." Jesus turned toward Thomas and personally addressed him. Isn't that just like our loving Lord, to meet us at our weakest point with His immeasurable grace and mercy?

Your spouse also needs to have a transforming meeting with Jesus - face to face. His doubts and fears can be overcome when Jesus dialogues with him on his level, just like Thomas!

Seek God while He may be found and reach out to Him for salvation and understanding.  He is waiting with open arms. Jeremiah 29:11-13 says, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."

This is a great quote from Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest:

"The experience of salvation means that in your actual life things are really altered, you no longer look at things as you used to; your desires are new, old things have lost their power. If you are born again, the Spirit of God makes the alteration manifest in your actual life and reasoning, and when the crisis comes you are the most amazed person on earth at the wonderful difference there is in you. There is no possibility of imagining that you did it. It is this complete and amazing alteration that is the evidence that you are a saved soul."

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new. II Corinthians 5:17

There are many people sitting in church who are not spiritually reborn. They do not understand the concept of being "a new creation in Christ." They think God welcomes them with open arms because He "loves everyone."  Here is a post I wrote awhile ago on the difference between religion (works) and a real relationship with Jesus Christ (g

                                                                  Click below:

RELATIONSHIP not RELIGION

Deborah is the author of a Christian non-fiction book titled “Mission Possible”. It was written for women who love the Lord Jesus, but their spouse doesn’t share their passion.  It will encourage and challenge the reader to embrace God’s promises for their spouse and future together. Visit  http://www.spirituallyunevenmarriage.com

If you have been encouraged by this post - please take time to share it with others.

Transformation in the New Year

3 Steps to a New Year's Resolution You Can Keep!

This devotion is from Jesus Calling (by Sarah Young) for January 1st...   

   Come to Me with a teachable spirit, eager to be changed. A close walk with Me is a life of continual newness. Do not cling to old ways as you step into a new year. Instead, seek My Face with an open mind, knowing that your journey with Me involves being transformed by the renewing of your mind. As you focus your thoughts on Me, be aware that I am fully attentive to you. I see you with a steady eye because My attention span is infinite. I know and understand you completely; My thoughts embrace you in everlasting Love. I also know the plans I have for you: plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Give yourself fully to this adventure of increasing attentiveness to My Presence.    [Romans 12:2;  Jeremiah 29:11]

So - here you are again... the beginning of a brand new year.  How do you start afresh? What inspires you take that first step towards the goal? Where do you find inspiration to embark on your journey with God?

Here are 3  Steps  you can take towards this year's resolution

1.  Don't make excuses - just move forward

When Elijah threw his mantle on Elisha it caused a brief hesitation. Elisha ran after the prophet and begged him to let him say goodbye to his parents properly. After all - he was the son who toiled behind the oxen plowing the field in anticipation of a harvest for the entire family.

But Elijah rebuked him as he dismissed him to go back to his parents. Elisha then turned back and destroyed his livelihood ( namely the oxen) - providing a meal for the townspeople before committing to the prophet. He had a choice to make that would cost him dearly. However, the reward for obedience was worth it all.

You can't make meaningful progress forward if you are 

constantly looking back over your shoulder.

Jesus said in Luke 9:61-62, "And [another] also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house." But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." 

God's word illuminates our pathway. Psalm 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." There is no need to stumble in the darkness. God will go before you and make a way...

2.  Don't look backwards with affection

Lot, his wife, and his daughters fled Sodom after being warned by the angels of impending doom if they stayed. Lot and his family had become accustomed to the way things were in Sodom. But the Lord's anger had grown against the wickedness there and He would utterly destroy it. During their daring escape to the mountains near Zoar - Lot's wife turned back to look on the devastation after she was directed not to. She was literally turned into a "pillar of salt" for her disobedience. (Genesis 19)

Likewise, when the children of Israel left Egypt at God's direction, they eventually longed for the "good old days". Despite their miraculous deliverance from Pharaoh's enslavement, they murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness and recalled their "pots of meat and plentiful bread". They had an unhealthy affection for the past. They didn't want to let go of their warped recollection of how good things were. (Exodus 16:3) (Numbers 11:5)

Looking backwards can stifle what God has for you in the future. Paul tells us, "...but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 3:13-14)

The Prophet Isaiah declares this in Isaiah 43:18-19, "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."

Satan will always try to keep your eyes focused on the past because 

he knows God has something better in your future.

3.  Don't forget the basics

Root yourself in God's Word. Reestablish the basics by way of recollection and recommitment. Moving forward involves confidence and reassurance of God's sovereignty in your life. His character is the cement that forms the foundation for your trust. Knowing that He has a perfect plan for you, and that He will accomplish all that concerns you should give you the boost you need to persevere in your faith walk. 

Immerse yourself in His love, grace and mercy. Savor His promises and rest in His faithfulness. 

Proverbs 23:12 tells us to, "Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to words of knowledge." A similar passage in Proverbs 4:23-27 says this, "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you. Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil."

You will never regret revisiting the basics of your salvation experience. 
Recall your "first love" and "first works" and you will rekindle 
your "first flame".

Make 2017 a year to remember. Your resolutions can turn into 

solutions for a great new year!

Deborah is the author of a Christian non-fiction book titled “Mission Possible”. It is written for women who love the Lord Jesus, but their spouse doesn’t share their passion.  It will encourage and challenge the reader to embrace God’s promises for their spouse and future together. 

Visit  http://www.spirituallyunevenmarriage.com

If you have been encouraged by this post - please take time to share it with others.

3 Steps to a New Year's Resolution You Can Keep!

Are You A Doubting Thomas? Jesus Is Okay With That...

Have you been waiting for your spouse to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ that will transform his life? Sometimes that personal revelation takes awhile...

Read with me about Thomas in John 20:19-29.  I firmly believe in divine appointments. Thomas wasn't in the room when Jesus met with the disciples on the same evening He arose from the grave. Do you ever wonder why Thomas wasn't present with them?

Remember, this was the same Thomas that asked Jesus in John 14:5, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way"? Jesus then told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me". "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him".

There are times we simply don't recognize the Lord. We know that Thomas knew and loved the Lord, but he chose not to believe what the other disciples saw that night in the upper room. I love how the Apostle John stated in John 20:14 that Thomas insisted, saying, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe".  Thomas was giving himself an ultimatum!  Proof is often needed by the natural man. But Thomas was a spiritual man, one who knew the Lord intimately and face to face. What hampered his ability to see without proof what he already knew in his heart? Or did he really believe what he had heard earlier from the brethren?

John 20:26 says, "And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said "Peace to you!" Do you think Thomas had peace after the other disciples told him he "missed seeing Jesus"? Then in verse 27 we read, "Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing." Jesus turned toward Thomas and addressed him personally. Isn't that just like our loving Lord, to meet us at our weakest point with His immeasurable grace and mercy? Your spouse also needs to have that transformational meeting with Jesus - face to face! His doubts and fears can be overcome when Jesus dialogs with them on their level, just like Thomas.

In this new year, let us rejoice in the newness of life as we are transformed into the new creation Paul describes for us in II Corinthians. Seek God while He may be found.  Reach out to Him in truth and sincerity.  He is waiting with open arms!

"The experience of salvation means that in your actual life things are really altered, you no longer look at things as you used to; your desires are new, old things have lost their power. If you are born again, the Spirit of God makes the alteration manifest in your actual life and reasoning, and when the crisis comes you are the most amazed person on earth at the wonderful difference there is in you. There is no possibility of imagining that you did it. It is this complete and amazing alteration that is the evidence that you are a saved soul." (Oswald Chambers - My Utmost for His Highest)

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new."  II Corin. 5:17

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."  Jeremiah 29:11-13

Deborah is the author of a Christian non-fiction book titled “Mission Possible”. It is written for women who love the Lord Jesus, but their spouse doesn’t share their passion. It will encourage and challenge the reader to embrace God’s promises for their spouse and future together.

http://www.Godmissionpossible.com 

Are You A Doubting Thomas? Jesus Is Okay With That...

Guest Author Angel Brown - "The Great X-Cape"

Book Review - The Great X-Cape

We all have grown-up with superheroes: Superman, Batman, the Lone Ranger, Spiderman, and more. Angel Brown has written The Great X-Cape to showcase her Superhero: JESUS, the King of Glory!

After years of donning her own cape, she came to the realization that, in and of ourselves, we are nothing. Jesus is the rightful owner of that “superhero cape” – one that is supernatural, commanding all of our honor, respect and glory that is due Him. During one of the darkest periods of her life, Angel laid down her claim to her life, and made her great escape. Jesus began a work in her life that is on-going, just as it is with all believers, until we are complete in Him.

The Great X-Cape chronicles a variety of Angel’s experiences, and how God showed her what the “truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth” really was. Living what she thought was the American dream, pursuing a career, and living her life on her own terms brought years of struggle and frustration. As she began to discover God’s perfect plan for her life, Angel grew in the grace and knowledge of Him, allowing her to relinquish control over to her new Superhero.

The author weaves the Holy Scriptures throughout her book in a way that brings practical help and encouragement to the reader. Her biblical applications enable us to understand how God wants to free us from ourselves, in order to bring Him glory. We cannot continue in our own strength for long, without running full-force into our own pride and human limitations. The Great X-Cape brings a fresh, personal look at how Angel overcame herself, and allowed God to showcase her as one of His crowning accomplishments – a true daughter of the King.

Reviewed by Deborah McCarragher, Author of “MISSION POSSIBLE”

                                                                  A little bit about the Author:

Angel Brown was born Catherine Frances Hernandez in Brooklyn, New York on July 23, 1966. After publishing her first book, The Great X-Cape, author Angel Brown joined the ranks of influential groups and people from Tuskegee, Alabama as Tuskegee’s newest author. Author Angel Brown found her God-ordained calling in life as a Christian writer in 2009 after experiencing the most impossible situation in her life. During that time, Angel found a deeper relationship with God and realized that nothing is impossible with Him. The concept of The Great X-Cape is about surrendering our self-made invisible cape to a real Superhero who cannot fail. Angel Brown’s second book, The Great X-Cape II (God’s Amazing Love) is in the process of being published through her own publishing company, Angel Christian Publishing, LLC. To contact Angel Brown email  angelbrown1966@yahoo.com  To view the author’s website please visit:  http://www.thegreatx-cape.com/ .

Tell us a bit about YOU as a person that your readers might not know.
I live in Tuskegee, Alabama. I am 43 years old. I have four adult children and two grandchildren. After working in various professions throughout the years, I became a writer of Christian and inspirational literature in 2009. . I have also started my own radio show on the BlogTalkRadio network called “The Angel Brown Radio Show".  You can hear excerpts from my book and the secret to my success at:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/profile.aspx?userurl=angelbrown1984

What happened in your life that made you want to become a writer?
I experienced the most traumatic and impossible situation in my life, and God used that particular situation to speak to my heart about what He wanted me to do. God first began to change me, and then He began to change my situation. When I found a real relationship with God, I found my calling in life as a writer of Christian and inspirational literature. God has done some amazing things for me and I just “had” to tell the world!
 
What is unique about your book?
My book is unique because it was written in a way that anyone can relate to. Even though my book is a Christian book, everyone can understand that hardships of life, and can be inspired and encouraged by my testimony in it. My book contains life changing messages that are biblical-based and it provides my readers with a unique spiritual message that can change their lives in a positive way.
 
What is the overall message of your book?

The concept of the great x-cape is about escaping from the things that have hindered our success in the past and becoming a different person that will ultimately make the difference in our circumstances. When we change, our circumstances change. Many times, we focus on our outside situations and we fail to see what is going on inside of us. We focus on our outward problems and we do not realize that, many times, we “are” the problem. When we change our problems change. Understanding who God is and who we are is vital to making our great x-cape. Two people cannot drive one car. Someone has to drive and someone has to ride. When we give God the wheel of our lives and we truly surrender to Him, we will find Him to be the greatest superhero that has ever existed. We all like to think of ourselves as invincible at times, but when we surrender our self-made invisible capes to a real superhero who deserves to wear it, we will be on the road to making our great x-cape. Nothing is impossible with God when we allow Him to drive us to the wonderful spiritual places that He intends for us to go.

 

Any last comments for your potential readers?
Actually, I want my potential readers to understand that the concept of the Great X-Cape is about being the Christian that we say we are, and knowing God for who He is.  I strayed away from God because I didn’t truly trust Him as I said that I did. God got my attention and allowed me to experience the worst tragedy imaginable in my life. I called out to God from the bottom of my heart. I didn’t know if God would hear me after I had ignored Him for so long. God is not like us. He is a forgiving and merciful Father who is full of love and compassion. After being delivered from the belly of a whale and the valley of the shadow of death, I experienced the true divine love of God that truly transformed my life. I am not the same person that I used to be and I thank God for everything that He has allowed to transpire in my life. All things truly do work for good when we love God and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28). I made my great x-cape by escaping from the person that I used to be to becoming the person that God ordained for me to be. Who would have ever thought that we could escape from ourselves! If God can help me, I know that God can help anybody!
 
If someone wants to get a copy of your book, The Great X-Cape, where can they find it?

My book, The Great X-Cape is now available nationwide. It can be purchased through Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, Books a Million, Boone Bridge books, Tower books, Powell books, and any other places where books are sold. My book can also be purchased by me directly by contacting me at
 http://www.thegreatx-cape.com/ .

Guest Author Angel Brown - "The Great X-Cape"