Blessed Assurance - Let's count our blessings

Blessèd assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Refrain

This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Refrain

Perfect submission, all is at rest
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

Blessed Assurance - by Fan­ny Cros­by, 1873:

“Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.” Hebrews 10:21-22

Lost in His love - Wow!! A local pastor, Trevor Knight (67) gave us the following sermon (noted down quickly) thought I would share with you.. Trevor listed a few blessings that we can enjoy from Jesus..
1) Forgiveness of sins - undeserved
2) Gift of the Holy Spirit - to guide us, to live in our hearts and transform us so we may come new in Christ every day. What a joy! With the indwelling of the Spirit we don't become sinless but we will sin - less! And grow in Christ as we read His word and live out each day clinging to Him that knows, Him who comforts and Him who guides and protects our lives.

3) Foretaste of Glory

4) Wonderful Future (see song above!)

5) Wonderful foundation in the Bible - we can study this great book - see King James Version and International version Study bible, or get a Christian friend to take you through it. The Guideon bible is printed the world over.... "Seek and ye SHALL find!!"

6) Only become His Children by receiving Christ - try it - ask for forgiveness and pray - say outloud, or to yourself - Help me Lord - I want to give it all over to you. You take the reigns... and just watch how your life will change. Believe in Him - you don't have to know - just believe, at first!

7)Jesus is coming back (Acts 23) - it will be a world shaking day and it is drawing nearer each day...We will be transformed and caught up with Him - what a blessing!

The first public word that Jesus said was (Matthew Chapter 4 v.17) was: "Repent".

The first personal word He told his disciples was: "Follow" and the first pastoral word He told was on the sermon on the mount which was:"Blessed".

Read His word - and give all to Him. Trust in Him. Don't follow what the world tells you - Satan rules the world at the moment. But we know we are in the days of grace, and we can be ASSURED of this! We can stand in grace and walk our next steps in Faith in Him. Join in with your brothers and sisters in Christ. They are praying for you. More fervently each day. Because the door will close one day. His coming is iminent - we Christians can keep our heads up and watch for the signs, knowing we will be protected from God's ultimate wrath.

Repent and believe!!

Amen

Is it not time to give your life to Him?

I want this. I want that, what can I do? What do I like? where do I want to go? This is the throne of SELF in someone who does not know the Lord.
It is easy for days to be lived out with "I" at the centre. But one day and there will come a day if it hasn't already, when you may say:" but I don't want that and I don't want to do this" and you begin a journey into a dark vortex. Somehow you may pull yourself out - but maybe it was Jesus who was lifting you out.... (there is a battle being waged between Satan and The Lord but it has been won already..)

You will not be able to satisfy your own all devouring ego - your self, and you could become dispairing. Because all you've ever relied on is self to show you THE way. In His word, Christ tells us - it doesn't come through someone elses' lips, this truth.... "I am the way..." (from the gospel of John).

Someone told me only recently that "I" was Satan's word and it wasn't used in the bible until Satan said it in Isaiha 14....v. 14 "I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.' The greatest and subltlist copy cat!!

Jesus said," Follow me.." (John) So - simply, ask Him who knows, the one and only true God of the universe, the triune God. Jesus who is the intecessor for you to God but they are all one. His spirit will come in to your self and take the burden of 'self' away and sit on the rightful place in your heart and lead you to life, eternal redemption. At last, you will be able to hand over the reigns - permanently!! What a relief that will be... I pray for this day for you... This REALLY works - I have been there. I know I am still guilty of putting myself before every(one) else - I did it yesterday. But I have repented and Jesus can take the highest honour at the centre of my life and we can start again. He leads me, He shows me the way - see Psalms 25 and 27. These are Jesus's words through David. He will lead you. Just try it... ask the TRUTH ful one who knows - through prayer and His word, the Bible... He is always waiting in the wings. Otherwise Satan will drag you down, repeatedly. You think you will be alright.. I've done this; I have got that; I have this; me, my, me, my, me, my - you then will get fed up and change tack because you are fed up, but then Satan will find you another carrot for your poor little worldly life.... and then that will die.....and you will be depressed again..

But when you surrender to the Lord; Jesus, when you give all to him.... read Paul because he describes it as his life having been poured out for Him as a drink offering...which is really beautiful..... 2 Timothy v 4-6. See also Phillippeans 2. The drink offering refers to the sacrificial duties of a priest. By the way did you know that all who have Christ in them - are priests? Isn't that cool???

Oh the joy of knowing Him, let it never end!!! What is there in this world that could be more nourising to our souls??? Me?????? NO!! Satan - "NO!" - it is Him, He, The Lord of ALL. Not even death can get in the way, once we know Jesus... (Romans 8, v 35-39)The One who lives above, here and in me. Blessings to you. I love you with all God's love. Amen

My prayer today for you - click this after you read the entry below!

THIS ENTRY IS to all who think Christians are narrow minded and don’t see the ‘big picture’.

I used to think like this and saw myself as a 'new ager' – HA! until I knew who Jesus was and is and is to come, who He proclaims to be – Lord of Lords and King of Kings. The God who created the heavens and earth. The God who gave us free will. I am one witness to Him moving in my life..
How many times have I seen the Good News of the gospel greeted with anger and scoffing and scorn? Most people don’t want to hear the truth, let alone embrace it. It is Satan keeping them in the false safety and knowledge of the world’s view, keeping people in their net of ego, (self as ‘king’) and false idols – if they could but see it!

And some of you, you, reader, will see a fresh, when you read this, because I, and others, pray for you. I hope this, with all my heart, so He may have the glory! Just try it – let go and surrender to the God of the Bible – lose ALL of self and gain life in Him, for ever! He wants you for His own because He is a jealous God. He is a loving and patient God. He is a judging God and has plans and purpose - this is his character revealed in the Bible..
To make the act of totally accepting Christ’s gift, of His word, and receiving Him in our heart, means admitting that everything on which we based our lives before has gained us nothing. It means surrendering to a power greater than ourselves. It seems upside down thinking! Few want to surrender to anything outside of themselves. And they go on striving to find their own way when there is only One way. Actually He is IN us and has been all along.

Christians are filled with His spirit, and can claim freedom from sin. But because we are all born of Adam, we still sin. However, we know we are saved and we have a great pardoner, someone to speak on our behalf, because we have repented and will continue to repent and become new each day - so we may rejoice with the heavenly joy in our hearts! What bliss, when this is known!! Joy beyond anything the world could ever give. We pass this on to others who don't yet know Him - by His power and authority. When Christ is acknowledged in us, faith, hope and love are revealed in completeness. Oh thank you God. Go on! Try it! – say to yourself you can now let go. Listen to that small voice inside of you - you KNOW it is there!

“Father, forgive me for going my own way. Forgive me for thinking I know best and relying on what I have learned from my worldly experience and those who have influenced and moulded my thinking. Let me allow your thought, your will, your guidance into my life. I trust in you. Teach me your ways through your living word, guide me in your paths. Let me seek righteousness and give me a pure and steadfast heart from now on. I surrender to you father, and friend, Jesus.

Speak now.."

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory. for ever and ever. Amen"

“I AM the way, the truth and the life.” (John 14 v 6)

“Come follow me”
(Mark 1v17)

“Seek and you will find.”
(Matthew 7 V.7)

He loves you.
(John 16 v27)

May God bless you and keep you today.

David Wilkerson's blog

Friday, October 2, 2009
SEEKING THE FACE OF GOD - by David Wilkerson; his thought for the day.

[Most days David has a wonderful message to give and Friday, his contribution is worth repeating here for you.]

In Psalm 27, David beseeches God in an intense urgent prayer. He pleads in verse 7, “Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.” His prayer is focused on one desire, one ambition, something that has become all consuming for him: “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after” (27:4).

David is testifying, “I have one prayer, Lord, one request. It is my single most important goal in life, my constant prayer, the one thing I desire. And I will seek after it with all that’s within me. This one thing consumes me as my goal.”

What was this one thing that David desired above all else, the object he’d set his heart on obtaining? He tells us: “That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple” (27:4).

Make no mistake: David was no ascetic, shunning the outside world. He wasn’t a hermit, seeking to hide away in a lonely desert place. No, David was a passionate man of action. He was a great warrior, with huge throngs singing of his victories in battle. He was also passionate in his prayer and devotion, with a heart that yearned after God. And the Lord had blessed David with so many of the desires of his heart.

Indeed, David tasted everything a man could want in life. He had known riches and wealth, power and authority. He had received the respect, praises and adulation of men. God had given him Jerusalem as the capital for the kingdom and he was surrounded by devoted men who were willing to die for him.

Most of all, David was a worshiper. He was a praising man who gave thanks to God for all his blessings. He testified, “The Lord laid blessings on me daily.”

David was saying, in effect, “There is a way of living I seek now—a settled place in the Lord that my soul longs for. I want uninterrupted spiritual intimacy with my God.” This was what David meant when he prayed, “That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple” (27:4).

You don't want Him or Need Him

For the past weeks, I have been trying to show a flavour of Jesus to my sister for a long time by sending her texts; snippets through the post etc.. I live in a close, loving family with loving siblins and my oldest brother said she, my sister is perhaps fed up with me doing this and ended his comment ... She neither wants it, or "needs" it.

This struck pain into our hearts. when we all come to judgment day and dare have said something like this before our Lord - that He is not our 'need'.....just dread full.

God's Love

'God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life' (John 3:16 NIV).

God's Plan

[Christ speaking] "I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly" [that it might be full and meaningful] (John 10:10).

Without God, we think we have self to guide us, we have self to give us confidence and we have self to will us forward - but it is all in vain. Hopeless and Dead. Jesus is calling you who don't know him and He wants to keep his loved ones close. One day the door will shut and it will be too late. One day we won't be able to do His work for darkness will have come.
Surrender, child of God - give Him the glory and rest in His arms of love. Listen to the quiet voice through His word. What He did on the cross - that moment was what God planning for all along, so the cross could reveal who Jesus was, why He came and who He is, that we may all be saved. I hope humbly, I can continue to do His work, His will, in His name so He may have the glory.

John 9 v.4 As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.