Is it possible?

Could you ever think it was possible? God does and Jesus is there to show you.  

1 John chapter 1 verses 5-7.

This is the message God has given us to pass on to you: that God is Light and in Him is no darkness at all So if we say we are His friends, but go on living in spiritual darkness and sin, we are lying. But if we are living in the light of God's presence, just as Christ does, then we have wonderful fellowship and joy with each other, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses from every sin.

I would like to tell you about my experience with coming into life with Jesus.

   In Colossians chapter 1, the apostle Paul, talks about the Good News and how you found hope in understanding God's great kindness. He talks about how everyone has the ability to understand what it is God wants us to do and that we should always want to please the Lord, honoring Him by doing good, kind things for others while learning to know God better and better. 

   He says we are to always be full of the joy of the Lord and always thankful to the Father who has made us fit to share all the wonderful things that belong to those who live in the kingdom of light. For it was God who rescued us out of the darkness and gloom and brought us into the kingdom of His Son, who bought our freedom with His blood and forgave us all our sins.

   My life was a mess. I worked and got by but I wanted happiness. I was caught in a never ending circle of going day to day. I hid from things that hurt me. I did not like losing friends and family to death or relational failure. I drank alcohol and did drugs to cope, but that led to isolation from everyone and everything. The people I knew and associated with lived the same way I did, so the conversations were slurred, with silly laughter followed by sad stories of failure and hopelessness. 

   I picked up the bible to find out what it was about. The stories led me to God, who in turn led me to Jesus. I had to break the strongholds that were binding me. It would be a huge change to the way I lived. What did I want? 

   I liked the people I hung around with, but they were false friendships that were critical and quick to dismiss if they did not like their surroundings. The bible was pointing me to God and the life He was offering. It said that people would not understand my choices and that they would even try to direct me away through the temptation of those things I thought I liked. 

   In Matthew chapter 13 Jesus says, "They hear, but do not understand; they look but do not see! For their hearts are fat and heavy, and their ears are dull, and they have closed their eyes in sleep, so they will not see and hear and understand and turn to God again and let Me heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. Many a prophet and godly man has longed to see what you have seen, and hear what you have heard, but could not." 

   I did not deserve God's grace, but it did happen. After twenty or more years of abusing my body, I stopped drugs, alcohol and smoking cigarettes. I prayed for help, I read the Scriptures and I received the strength and power that I needed---something that I could not see or understand---but helped me to completely walk away from those bonds that held me in such a tight grip for all those years. It was not a pleasant time for my body had to heal and the temptations were strong. That was a long time ago and I give all the praise to God, and to Jesus.

   My friends wanted to draw me back in. They wanted to visit and continue as usual but they did not like my new choices. They decided to go their own ways and after many secluded years of bad choices and mountains of mistakes,  I have found my family. What a difference God has made upon me. 

   Isaiah chapter 53 says, "We despised Him and rejected Him---a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on Him and looked the other way when He went by. He was despised and we did not care. Yet it was our grief He bore, our sorrows that weighed Him down. And we thought His troubles were a punishment from God, for His own sins! But He was wounded and bruised for our sins. He was chastised that we might have peace, He was lashed---and we were healed! We are the ones who strayed away like sheep! We, who left God's paths to follow our own. Yet God laid on Him the guilt and sins of every one of us!"

   Verse 12 says, "Therefore I will give Him the honors of one who is mighty and great, because He has poured His soul unto death. He was counted as a sinner, and He bore the sins of many, and He pled with God for sinners." 

   Jesus did for me more than I could ever have done for myself. I was caught in a mess and by the grace of God, Jesus lifted me out of my mess and I get to pray for others. I get to reflect God's love for all. I get to smile and laugh and have a youthful, inventive, excited mind, filled with wanting to help. 

   I do not know how many people will be touched by the hand of the Holy Spirit, but God knows and I am here to stand out as His child, in a world that can be hard to get along with. God gave us Jesus so that we have a place to go, when we think there is no hope left. 

   Thank You Father for Jesus. Thank You life beyond what we think is possible. You are everything! 😊    

              

In Daniel chapter10, Daniel had a vision and in this vision Jesus came and stood before him. Jesus told him that God had heard his prayers and to not be frightened. Jesus spoke of how His way was blocked by the evil spirits of the kingdom of Persia and that Michael one of the top officers of the heavenly army came to help Him and how He was able to break through the spirit rulers. Jesus told him, "I am here to tell you what will happen." 

   The chapter continues with Daniel saying,  "All this time I was looking down, unable to speak a word. Then someone---He looked like a man---touched my lips and I could talk again, and I said to the messenger from heaven; Sir I am terrified by Your appearance and have no strength. How can such a person as I even talk to You? For my strength is gone and I can hardly breath."

   Then the one who seemed to be a man touched me and I felt my strength returning. "God loves you very much," He said; "Do not be afraid! Calm yourself; be strong---yes, strong!" He asked me, "Do you know why I have come? I am here to tell you what is written in the Book of the Future." 

Ecclesiastes chapter 5 verse 7.

Dreaming instead of doing is foolishness, and there is ruin in a flood of empty words; fear God instead. 

John chapter 8 verse 12.

Later in one of His talks, Jesus said to the people, "I am the Light of the world. So if you follow Me, you will not be stumbling through the darkness, for living light will flood your path."