Psalm 103

Choose to Believe God's Everlasting Covenant

 

God’s chosen people are the Jewish people. All other people are Gentiles. God adopted the Gentiles and gives them the same gift of salvation that he gives to the Jewish people. Abraham, born a native of Chaldea and in the ancient city of Ur, is the father of the Hebrew nation. Unlike the Chaldeans, who were an idolatrous people, he seems always to have been a worshiper of Jehovah who is God and our heavenly Father. [Genesis 17:1-11 1. And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect (upright; sincere). 2. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. 3. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, 4. As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 5. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. 6. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 7. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. 9. And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. 10. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. 11. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.

Jehovah, God, promised Abraham that he would make him a father of many generations. In Genesis 13:14-16 God tells Abraham that he will make his seed (descendants) as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall his seed also be numbered. The redemptive purpose for God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants was to bring Abraham’s seed a nation through which He would someday bring salvation to the entire world (Genesis 12:3; 22:18).

God made revelations to prophets (spokesmen to God’s people) regarding His will for communication to mankind. There were many prophets prior to the coming of Christ, the Messiah. The Old Testament of the Holy Bible contains the writings of sixteen of the prophets. These sixteen prophets are divided into two groups, four major and twelve minor. God revealed to the prophet’s the coming of Christ the Mediator (I Timothy 2:5) of the new covenant (Hebrews 12:24).

Through Christ God made an everlasting covenant (promise) to man. God promised to confer salvation upon all who come to him through Jesus Christ. By confessing with our mouth the Lord Jesus Christ, and believing in our heart that God hath raised him from the dead, we are saved. For with our heart we believe unto righteousness; and with our mouth confession is made to salvation (Romans 10:9, 10).

Whereas under the old covenant man was to live by the Ten Commandments (Deuteronomy 5:6-22) given to Moses by God, and man made sacrifices of animals to God for remission of their sins; Jesus Christ became sin for us and died on the cross so that by faith in Christ we are forgiven of our sins (Romans 10:11-13). Jesus Christ gave us two new commandments. We are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. And we are to love our neighbor (brother/sister in Christ) the way we love ourselves (Luke 10:26-37). As a reward for believing God and having faith in Christ we are rewarded with eternal life in heaven. [John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.] Through Jesus Christ our risen Lord and Savior we are forgiven of our sins and made righteous to stand before God (Philippians 3:9). And we will have eternal life with him in heaven (I John 2:25). John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

The prophets of old foretold of the Messiah by revelations of God and these revelations have come to pass. It was foretold that the Messiah would be of Abraham’s seed (Genesis 17:7). In Matthew 1:1-17 we see that prophecy fulfilled. It was foretold that the Messiah would be of the lineage of David (Isaiah 11:1, 2). We read about the prophecy fulfilled in Matthew 1:1. It was foretold that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). We can read about that prophecy being fulfilled in Matthew 2:1. It was foretold the time of the Messiah (Daniel 9:25). We can read about that prophecy being fulfilled in Galations 4:4, 5. The mediatorial office of the Messiah was foretold (Isaiah 11:2). We can read about the fulfillment of that prophecy being fulfilled in Luke 9:20, 21. It was foretold that the Messiah would be a prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15). We can read about the fulfillment of that prophecy in Luke 24:19. It was foretold that the Messiah would be a king (Jeremiah 23:5). We can read about the fulfillment of that prophecy in Ephesians 1:20-23. It was foretold that the Messiah would suffer unto death (Zechariah 13:7). You can read about the fulfillment of that prophecy in John 19:1-37. The resurrection of the Messiah is foretold (Psalm 16:10). We can read about the fulfillment of that prophecy in Matthew 28:1-6. It was foretold of the Messiah’s ascension (Psalms 68:18). We can read about the fulfillment of that prophecy in Mark 16:19, 20; Acts 1:9-11; Ephesians 4:8-10; Luke 24:51; and Hebrews 1:3, 4.

It was foretold that the Messiah would make intercession for man. [Zechariah 6:13 Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne: and the council of peace shall be between them both.] We read of that prophecy of the Savior being fulfilled in Romans 8:34 [Romans 8:34 34. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.]

It was foretold that God would lay in Zion the foundation of the church. [Isaiah 28:16 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation; he that believeth shall not make haste (be forced to flee).] The fulfillment of that prophecy can be read in I Peter 2:1-10. [I Peter 2:1-10 1. Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 2. As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3. If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. 4. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 5. Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 6. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. 7. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8. And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. 9. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: 10. Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

Jesus Christ is the Christ, Messiah, Anointed One, Savior, King and Chosen One of God that the trusted prophets of the Old Testament prophesied of. Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, was the Atonement for our sins. Through Jesus Christ we are forgiven of our sins and filled with the Holy Ghost. [Acts 5:30-32 30. The God of our father raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. 31.Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.  32. And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.]

If you are heavy laden with sin and want that God given ability to stand righteous before God, you’ve only to believe that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior. [Romans 10:9, 10 9. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

 

Just As I Am the song

Just as I am! without one plea, But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidd'st me come to Thee, O Lamb of God! I come! I come!

Just as I am! and waiting not, To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God! I come! I come!

Just as I am! Thou wilt receive, Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve,
Because Thy promise I believe, O Lamb of God! I come! I come.!

Just As I Am song and video

Peter

Peter was a fisherman who was called by Jesus Christ to be one of his disciples (Matthew 4:18,19).  Peter was the disciple who walked on the water with Christ (Matthew 14:28-31).  God revealed to Peter that Jesus was the messiah (Matthew 16:16-19). After Jesus was resurrected from the dead, Peter witnessed Jesus talking with Moses and Elias (Matthew 17:1-4). Peter denied that he ever knew Christ (Luke 22:51-62). Jesus knew that Peter would deny knowing him and yet he called Peter to be one of his disciples. Peter was a human being. Just like you and me. He boasted of his love for Jesus, however, at Jesus darkest hour Peter denied knowing him.  Jesus forgave Peter and Peter went on to boldly teach the things that he had seen and heard (Acts 4:18-21). What Peter needed to meditate on and realize in his heart was that Jesus loved him with a perfect love. All things were possible because Jesus loved him not because he loved Jesus. His love for Jesus was necessary but Jesus' love for him was the reason why Peter was blessed by the Holy Spirit. Jesus told Peter by what death he should glorify God (John 21:17-19). Peter wrote in II Peter 1:13 'Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;' You will find in I Peter the scripture that Peter wrote on how to love God as obedient children. [All scripture was taken from King James Version of the Holy Bible.]

Folio's for Christ

I have made available twenty-five folio's on my website http://sharingodslove.wordpress.com/
You can choose one folio a week, every six weeks. $1.00 each. Postage paid.

Silent Night (the song)

Silent night! Holy night! All is calm, all is bright, Round yon Virgin Mother and Child!
Holy Infant so tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace. Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night! Holy night! Shepherd's quake at the sight, Glories stream from heaven afar, Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia; Christ the Savior is born! Christ the Savior is born!

Silent night! Holy night! Son of God, love's pure light, Radiant beams from Thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord at Thy birth! Jesus, Lord at Thy Birth.

View video at http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=silent+night&qpvt=silent+night&FORM=VDRE

View my website at http://sharingodslove.wordpress.com/

Faith Under Fire

                                

 

 I grew up believing in God,  believing in Jesus Christ, believing in God’s love and that we should love God with all of our strength, and love other people the way we love ourselves. When I was growing up I experienced heartache and saw the heartache of others around me. Everyone around me lived in their own world of anxiety and trouble. My grandmamma, Mazie, taught me to apply God’s word to every situation, to everything that happened. At fifteen I momentarily lost sight of that. And in my late twenties to mid thirties I nearly allowed heartache and anger to destroy who I was.

 

Praise God, I gave my heart to Him and believed in what his son, Jesus Christ, did for me and I was saved and started speaking in tongues at the tender age of nine. For as far back as I can remmeber, I have always loved God. But it was He who loved me first and gave me life. After I gave my heart and life to God I became very sick. I was sick with painful urination, blood in my urine, and I was in a lot of pain in my stomach and back. I sat on the commode and cried. I called to my mama who was down the hallway and in bed with my daddy. She asked me, “What’s wrong, honey?” Sobbing, I said to her, “It hurts when I pee and when I pee all that comes out is blood. My stomach hurts bad and I am cold.” She got up to come to me. Daddy said to her in an agitated tone, “Get back in the bed. If she’s sick it’s because she did something wrong.” Mama went back to bed. Then daddy said to me in a gruff voice, “If you are sick then you did something wrong. Go back to bed and think about what you did wrong and ask God to forgive you. Then he will heal you.” When I was able to stand and walk with the pain I went back to bed. I could not think of anything that I had done wrong. And in my heart i knew God loved me and he wouldn't want for me to be sick. I prayed and I asked God to heal me. I remembered my grandmamma telling me about Matthew 7:7-8. I didn’t remember the book, chapter and verse but I remembered the words. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. I thought about God and his love for us and what Jesus did for us and all of the miracles that he had performed.

 When I woke up the next morning I was healed. Praise God. He healed me. There was no more pain. I wasn't cold anymore. I went to the bathroom and peed and there wasn't any blood. Everything was completely normal. I thanked God for healing me. God has healed me many times over the years, including healing my heart and spirit. During my teenage years God healed me from tonsillitis. After being plagued with it for a few years I went to my preacher and he and his wife anointed me with oil and prayed for my healing. Not long after that my tonsils came out in little pieces. It didnt hurt. I never got tonsillitis or strep throat again after that. Also, God healed me from seizures that I had started having after I was anally raped and he healed the pain in my heart and mind that came from being raped. I thank God for healing me from that. I was at my preachers house. I was dating his son whom I married later on. I  felt a seizure coming on and I went outside so that no one would see me. My boyfriend, sensing something was wrong, followed me outside. My body stiffened and I became unconscious. My boyfriend took me into his daddy's house and laid me on the couch. There were several church members there that night. When I awoke I could hear people praying and I could feel their hands on me. They had anointed me with oil and were praying for me. Immediately I felt a stirring in my heart and i forgave the person who had raped me and forgave myself for being in that situation. I had felt hardness in my heart for the person who had hurt me and I blamed myself for letting myself get into that situation. I never had another seizure after that.

 

When I was 20 I had a severe ear infection. The gynecologist that I worked for looked in my ear. He immediately had the office manager take me to an ear specialist. The hour that it took to get there the office manager and my mama and I prayed and sang praises to God all the way there. By the time that we got there I had been healed. There was no sign of me ever having an ear infection. Praise God. In my early years of marriage I was healed from many other illnesses including endometriosis. Thanks be to God for healing me. I no longer needed a hysterectomy and I eventually became pregnant with my third child, a daughter. When I was 22 my first born child was healed from severe chest congestion and a high fever. Without phone or transportation I was distraught. Praise God, by morning he was completely well. He coughed up some mucus and that was it.  Even after all of this I once again allowed my mind to think on things that hurt me and made me angry. I was oppressed. My heart and mind became full of heartache and anger which led to bitterness.

 

 I became engrossed with my bitter thoughts. I became so wrapped up in anger that I stopped living my life for God. I stopped living my life to glorify God. I never stopped loving God but I stopped walking in the spirit. I went from listening to God's word on tape and listening to gospel music and reading the bible to thinking about all the things that made me unhappy. I stewed until I boiled over. I was enveloped with anger. It is as though everything bad that had happened came to a big ugly head and covered my face from the love of God and the memories of what he had done for me. But it was me who let my mind get in that state. God never stopped loving me and thankfully I never lost the hope of Jesus return for the church. My conscience was heavy with every little thing that I did wrong. Every night I prayed. I was doubting everything. Then early one morning something awoke me out of sleep. It felt as though someone brushed their hand across my face and I heard someone say, "Everything is going to be alright." I awoke and everyone in the house was sleeping. There is no doubt it was supernatural. Jesus was letting me know that he loved me and that everything was going to be alright. 

I got back right with God, then, again allowed heartache and anger to consume my mind. And once again I started living out of fellowship with God and I did more things that took me a long time to forgive myself for. But with the prodding and comfort and love that I felt in my heart from God and the Holy Spirit I forgave myself and accepted God's forgiveness. 

 

Glory be to God, regardless of what went on in my life i never lost faith in almighty God and I taught my children to apply God's word to every situation and to love God with all their heart and to love other people the way they love themselves. Sadly, I didn't always teach them by example. At times I had to ask them to forgive me and I told them that what I said or did was wrong. I would rather that they thought badly of the things that I said or did than for them to get the wrong impression about what was right and what was wrong. I praise God that they all have given their heart to God and been baptized and have God in Christ in them. God is great. I am so thankful that he preserved them and their hearts for Him.

 

 I look back over my life and I can see that even when I wasn't living the way I felt like I should be living, God was taking care of me and my family. God is merciful. When I finally came to my senses and realized that I needed to not only put on the mind of Christ, I needed to practice keeping it on. I couldn't keep allowing my emotions to dictate to me and consume my mind with negatives. I was so distraught with guilt. I had lived in sin for so long. I started back reading my bible every day, speaking in tongues and singing praises to God. I started training myself to control my mind and I practiced faithfully at putting on the mind of Christ instead of dwelling on negatives and worldly things. I rededicated my life to God but I didn't feel worthy of his love. I no longer felt worthy of Christ dying on the cross for me. I no longer felt worthy to be blessed by God. I had made a lot of mistakes. I had been so angry. I had been so bitter. But I believe that the worst mistake that I ever made was believing that God could no longer love me. I wasn’t ever worthy of what Christ did for me to start with, that’s why it is a gift, but I didn’t think of it like that until I had made such horrific mistakes. 

Because of my ego I thought that I had been worthy of God’s love and blessings before I got out in left field. I had to realize that it was by God’s grace that I was saved. And it was by God’s grace that I was healed. It was by God's grace that my first child was healed. And it was by God’s grace that we were blessed. Praise God, I am free from the bondage of sin. Once again my mind is clear. And praise God,  he healed me from mitral valve prolapse. There was more blood backing up into my heart than there was pumping through the valve and one side of my heart had enlarged. My heart would start racing for no apparent reason and I would get sleepy and go into a very deep sleep for a few hours. When I would wake up my heart rate would be normal. This went on for a right good while. My heart is completely normal and healthy now. I have test to prove that God healed my heart. Praise be to God and to him be the glory. Praise God, my Father. His love is unconditional. His forgiveness is vast. He is perfect and he loves us regardless of our iniquities. 

 

I hope that by me sharing some of my experiences and the things that I have been through and learned that I will be able to touch someone's heart and make a difference. God will forgive you. Now it's time to forgive yourself and time to accept what God is trying to give you. There is no love greater than God's love. He loves us unconditionally and he wants to bless us out of his riches in heaven. So, give your heart to him. Let him wash away all of your sins. Let him take care of whatever is burdening you. I love you through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the son of God. Romans 10:9-10KJV That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and  shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Written By: Lisa Collier Clewis