A PICTURE OF GRACE

I read this little dialogue between two friends once in a newsletter put out by my friend, Gregg Gibbons, who has a wonderful website called "Christ My Heart."  The dialogue went something like this:

Friend 1 had been explaining to Friend 2 about God's grace being free forgiveness and acceptance and right standing with God)..
Friend 2: "But I'm not worthy!"
Friend 1: "Of course you're not worthy!  That's why it's called 'grace'!"

Grace is a special gift, because it's a gift you don't have to deserve or be worthy of..

I don't have to be "good enough" or "strong enough" or "spiritual enough" or "faithful enough" to get grace. I don't have to be ANYTHING to have grace!
Grace is for failures!  Grace is for the empty!  Grace is for the messed up and broken!
Grace gives wholeness, love, favor, empowering, acceptance and blessing for free!

Grace gives JESUS for free, His Spirit coming to dwell in us, bringing with Him all that He is, which is wholeness, love, favor, power, acceptance and blessing!  He is everything we need a God to be!  And it is all ours for free in Christ, through His finished work on the cross that brought all that to us..

So if you don't feel worthy enough, don't feel good enough, feel like too much of a failure or a reject or a ruined person to ever be graced, favored, loved, accepted or blessed...guess what?  You qualify for grace!   Everyone qualifies for grace, that is the beauty of it!  Because it doesn't depend on anything in US, only the love in the heart of GOD -  grace is for all and we all qualify for it.  And it is already given, already released.  God's grace is already all over us, wow!

We may think our emptiness and inability will turn Him away, but no!  Our realization that we are empty and needy simply brings us to be ready to enjoy His grace, because when we finally see we're empty yet still loved, we aren't afraid to come boldly to Him, knowing we'll have all the help we need for FREE (Heb. 4:16!  Amen!

 

Even When You Blow It..

To me, grace means that even when we blow it, we're still blessed!
Even when we ruin everything, we're still built up and supported!
Even when we run the other way from God, He comes with us and still helps us!
Even when we fall flat on our face, He still loves and uplifts and empowers us!
Grace is the best thing going, isn't it?
We don't have to be good to be loved.
We don't have to do everything right to be blessed.
We don't have to have perfect understanding to be helped.
We don't even have to have some perfect faith to be favored.
We don't have to be anything - we can rest in His arms, for because of Jesus, we are blessed, helped and favored for FREE!

Unmerited favor means that everything is freely given as a gift, without our having to do anything to earn or deserve it.  Grace means a gift that is free, with no strings attached.  God's love, acceptance, forgiveness, reconciliation, help, deliverance, blessings, favor and strength all come to us as a free and unmerited gift.

In the land of Grace (God's Kingdom), everything is free for the taking!  He has provided all for us in the Son and His finished work has secured for us this amazing inheritance!

The best part of the inheritance is Christ in us!  His Spirit dwells in us in close, intimate, perfect, everlasting union!  This is how it was always meant to be, the dream that was always in His heart.
Thank You, Lord, for being my Father, Lord, Savior, Helper, Best Friend, Confidante, Protector, Provider, Healer, Sustainer, Keeper, and True Love!  Thank You for Your Grace! 

Posted by sparrow girl  

DAVID'S PRAYER

DAVID’S PRAYER IN THREEFOLD:

1)      “GIVE ME” Prayer is something that every Christian can pray  it is so common that even a cat or a dog can do it.  “Angel” my neighbour's dog looks like a hound – Like the Prodical Son Prayer was give me my inheritance father! Later he went back to His father and say “Make me your sons” Then the father said “Today my son who was dead has come alive again.” Give me prayers have destroy a lot of Christians like the Prodical son who wasted his life away.   

Jesus taught the new born babes in Christ “The Lord’s Prayer” _ “Give us our daily bread” This is where we start. We call this prayer the “milk Christian.”

2)      “MAKE ME” Prayers is uncommon – unless God lays His hands on us and draw us into deep communion with Him we are not able to voice such a prayer – because of our selfish nature.  It is far too costly and alien to the flesh.  This prayer, you are inviting God to make you, mold you and change you.  You are getting into the Potter’s hand. There is abandonment to self.

Psalms 39:4 – Lord make me to know my end ..

Psalms 51:6-8 -  Behold You desire truth … You will make me to know wisdom. (heavenly)

Psalms 119: 27,35 – Make me understand the way of Your precepts.  Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it.

Hebrews 2:9,17 – But we see Jesus, who was make a little lower than the angels .. .  Therefore in all things He had to be made like His brethren.

Hebrews 5:8 – He learned obedience by the things he suffered.

If you seek His hand (Give me) but if you seek His Face (Made me prayers)

3)       “QUICKEN ME” Prayer is desperate

Psalms 71:20 Thou, which has showed me great and sore troubles, shall quicken me again and shall bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

Psalms 119: 25,37,40,88,107,154,156,159. _ Quicken me according to the Word; Quicken me in thy way. Quicken me in they righteousness. Quicken me after thy loving-kindness. Quicken me according to thy judgement.

Psalms 143:11 – Quick me, O Lord, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness sake bring my soul out of trouble.

The word, “quicken” means “to make alive”  Many Christians, lose their will to live because they cannot take the pain and the pressure.  When David lost the will to carry on, he screamed out to God many times, “O God, make me live!”  He would not give way to suicide because he knew life came from God and it was not right for him to end it himself.

Let God live through you or live for Him.  Let His Resurrection Life lives through you. God would give you the strength to carry on with a destiny if you would allow Him to live through you.  To live is Christ and to die is gain.`  

Anonymous

           

THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES

The Feast of the Lord

(September 28^th to October, 2015)

This feast comes 5 days after Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.  There are 7 major feasts in all the Old Testament fulfilled in Christ.  The Outer Court of the Tabernacle speaks of the Feast of Passover – salvation – initial experience.  The Holy place speaks of the Feast of Pentecost, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit – partial experience.  The Holy of Holies speaks of the Feast of Tabernacles – maturity and fullness.

God not just take us out of bondage (sin) but into the Promise Feast.  So the Feast of Tabernacles (Tents) is also known as the Feast of Ingathering, and the Feast of the Lord. 

The Feast of Tabernacles: Jesus Christ Reigns Over All the Earth.  God's plan for mankind involves restoration. The Feast of Tabernacles symbolizes the restoration process. God is going to restore this Feast as we move into the Holy of Holies with Jesus as our High Priest. The Feast of Tabernacles is the greatest feast and is a prophetic feast which speaks of the time of the great outpouring of the Spirit. It’s the greatest harvest and the greatest manifestation of God’s glory. So when we enter into the realm of the Holy of Holies, we will experience the spiritual Feast of Tabernacles.

Amos 9:11  -  King James Bible
"In that day will I raise up the tabernacle (booth) of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:…"

The High Priest of the New Covenant is Jesus  -  Hebrew 8:5-6 ESV

5 They (priesthood) serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” 6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.

John 1:14 - King James 2000 Bible
"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt (tabernacle) among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."

Our body – represents the Outer court, our soul represents Holy Place and our spirit represents the Holy of Holies where Jesus and Holy Spirit dwell.  Bible says you are the temple of the Holy Spirit. When we worship we press in from body, soul, and spirit realm. 

God’s Presence at the Altar of Incense releases great prayers and intercessions on our behalf.

The Altar of Incense is the altar of prayers and intercessions that Jesus now took His place on our behalf.  All we have to do is to put the 4 ingredients – Stacte, Onycha, Galbanum & Pure frankincense into the altar – it speaks of praise, prayer, intercession and worship. Jesus will take all our praise and worship into the Most Holy Place.  Deep worship takes place only in the Holy of Holies that is where we have a personal encounter with God.  In worship the leader may have to sustain worship until he knows that he have entered into the realm of the Holy of Holies. It is the fullness and richest anointing.  To do that we need Jesus – a better Priest and covenant and one who always is alive in us.

Hebrew 7:22-28    22Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant. 23Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25Therefore he is able to save completely^c those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Why? Jesus is the head we are the body. We are one. When the body intercedes the head is involved. The Head Jesus always lives to intercede with us.

26Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. 28For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.

Jesus always lives to intercede for us.  We thought when we come to God’s presence – we intercede by ourselves – the more believers the merrier – we thought we must press on – don’t leave the High Priest out.

God’s  intercession : To ask, speak up, appeal for you and empower on your behalf. 

In O.T. the high priest one a year speaks for the people – so today we got Jesus the Great High Priest who will also speak for us. He always lives to intercede for us.  Many are not conscious of that? Look to Jesus as we intercede for one another. He is the author and finisher of our faith.

Oh! Pastor So and So intercede for me.  Even the high priest have all their weakness what about men but Jesus the perfect forever - one exalted above the heavens – holy, blameless, pure and set apart - will truly intercede and meet our needs. The Word say, "Jesus always lives to intercede with us."

 

The Church now should come to the Throne of Grace - The high priest is for you now.

Hebrew 4:16 – says Let us come - New International Version
Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Let us draw near… don’t draw far away.