Mighty God

These words are transforming, life-changing and exciting! These words are to be lived – they are not just words on a page.

“For unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder. These will be his royal titles: “Wonderful,” “Counselor,” “The Mighty God,” “The Everlasting Father,” “The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 TLB

They are words that I have heard every Christmas for as long as I can remember. They are words, not just for the Christmas season, but they are our hope for every day of our lives.

Each “royal” title for Christ deserves to be examined and meditated on; this morning I’ll share just a few thoughts on “the mighty God”.

The mighty God – THE mighty God – the MIGHTY God – the mighty GOD – THE MIGHTY GOD – no matter where you put the emphasis, it means that HE is greater than I am. He is mighty.

From the beginning, God’s plan was to be involved in the daily lives of His creation. He wanted fellowship with the people He created. He walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. He spoke with Noah, Abraham, Samuel, David, Solomon, Ruth, Esther, Daniel, Mary, Joseph and then He came personally to dwell with mankind and reveal His nature – His heart – His plan.

The MIGHTY God made an old couple able to bear a child; shut the mouth of hungry lions, brought victory after victory in battle, fed the Israelites with bread from heaven, raised the dead, healed the sick, open the eyes of the blind, walked on water, defeated Satan and death to rise triumphantly from the grave.

The mighty GOD came to live among us, to experience what we experience and to give us the victory. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”I John 4:4

We have a great high priest who has gone to live with God in heaven. He is Jesus the Son of God. So let us continue to express our faith in him. 15 Jesus, our high priest, is able to understand our weaknesses. When Jesus lived on earth, he was tempted in every way. He was tempted in the same ways we are tempted, but he never sinned. 16 With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:14-16

There is NO situation or circumstance in our life today that “the mighty God” can’t handle. When we give it over to Him, we experience His presence and His peace.

Give all your worries to him, because he cares for you.” I Peter 5:7

All our worries, cares and frustrations need to be given over to our “Mighty God”. He promises to carry the load; to give us His peace, mercy and kind help in our time of need. He promises to never abandon us or leave us without help. He promises to be our help in times of trouble.

He is Mighty God and He is our constant friend and guide.

What’s in a Name?

What are you called?

Do you remember those days when it seemed everyone was calling your name – Mom, Kristi, Honey, Mrs. Wilson? I think every Mom has said at one point, “I’m changing my name”. We say that in jest because we never would but some days we are just tired and out of answers.

How great to know that there is One who is always there to answer when we call. He never gets tired or falls asleep while we’re talking. He’s interested, He’s concerned and He loves to make time for us.

Ask me, and I will tell you things that you don’t know and can’t find out.” Jeremiah 33:3 CEV

His names: Wonderful, Counsellor, Prince of Peace, Mighty God. Also, Maker, Husband, Lord, Redeemer.

” For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.” Isaiah 54:5 KJV

His name is Jesus…Savior

“21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 KJV

He is I AM: bread of life, the door, the good shepherd, the way, the truth and the life, the Word, the resurrection, the vine, the friend that sticks closer than a brother!

He is our intercessor, our high priest, the author and finisher of our faith, our healer, our Savior, the Son of God.

” For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin. 16 Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].” Hebrews 4:15-16 AMP

Who is it you need to talk to today? He is JESUS!

Look Up!

Friday night we drove to the little town closest to us for a Christmas parade. Friends of ours went along. We didn’t know what to expect because as I said it was a little town.

We munched on hamburgers, funnel cakes and kettle corn as we waited for the parade to begin. It was fun to be in such a festive mob all anticipating the parade. What we didn’t expect was what happened next.

The drone parade.

Most of the town lights were dimmed and one by one small spots of light appeared in the heavens. More and more lights appeared drawn together by the intricate programming of those who had much more expertise in technology than any of us on the ground.

For the next bit of time the drones repositioned themselves to form a variety of Christmas images. But if you hadn’t been looking up, you would have missed the show!

It prompted a question in my heart, “how many times do I fail to look up and miss out on what God has planned?”.

So many people spend time looking down. Looking down on others because of their education or lack thereof; looking down on financial status, marital status, political party, skin color, cultural idiosyncrasies, too religious, not religious enough, occupation or even sports team affiliation.

Then there are those who spend their time looking in. Looking in-ward at their mistakes, their failures, their fears, their lack and so they spend half of their lives living in self-pity.

Isn’t it interesting that the angels proclaimed the message of Christ’s birth in the heavens? The shepherds had to look up.

“That night, some shepherds were out in the fields near Bethlehem watching their sheep. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord was shining around them. The shepherds were very afraid. 10 The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid. I have some very good news for you—news that will make everyone happy. 11 Today your Savior was born in David’s town. He is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This is how you will know him: You will find a baby wrapped in pieces of cloth and lying in a feeding box.”

13 Then a huge army of angels from heaven joined the first angel, and they were all praising God, saying, 14 “Praise God in heaven, and on earth let there be peace to the people who please him” Luke 2:8-14 ERV

How much time in the last year have we spent looking down?

Lift up your heads, O gates, And be lifted up, ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in. 8 Who is the King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle.” Psalm 24:7-10 AMP

Maybe things have you feeling overwhelmed – so much is going on in the world. Or maybe you’re looking inward because you’ve been hurt, broken hearted.

I look up to the hills, but where will my help really come from? 2 My help will come from the LORD, the Creator of heaven and earth.3 He will not let you fall. Your Protector will not fall asleep.” Psalm 121:1-3 ERV

Let me encourage you today to look up. Look up and find the One who fills the heavens and also fills our hearts!

Where’s the Baby Jesus?

We used to live near the artisan community of Tubac, AZ. Dave and I loved shopping there – so many beautiful handcrafted items – silver, copper, terracotta and talevera pieces.

One shop we frequented had lovely nativity sets. My favorite.

Most of my decorating at Christmas is done with nativity sets and angels. I would study each figure in the set; their smiling faces, their clothing, the shape of the stall and then I realized there was no baby Jesus! Where did He go? What happened to Him? 

In this shop all the Christ child figures were missing. And then I saw the handwritten sign…If you buy a nativity, ask for Jesus. 

Ask for Jesus!

Wasn’t that the Father’s intent from the beginning? He wanted us to recognize that our lives were not complete without Jesus. 

Ask for Jesus?

When I asked the shop owner why there were no baby Jesus figures he told me this. We never have any problem with theft in this shop except for the baby Jesus. We keep Him in the back until a nativity is sold and then bring Him out and add Him with the rest of the pieces. 

Who would steal the baby Jesus? That is completely counter to the reason He came. When Jesus was born, the angels filled the heavens with the announcement. The shepherds were told to go find Him. The wise men saw and followed His star. Everyone was welcome to come see Jesus!

Jesus came to forgive the sins of all men, even the ones who would steal the baby Jesus.  Jesus wasn’t born in a palace where only a few of the elite would be allowed to enter. He wasn’t born in a monastery where only the religious and the holy would be. No, He was born in a barn; anyone – man, woman, child, elite or poor, educated or unlearned was welcomed at the manger. 

“Today your Savior was born in David’s town. He is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This is how you will know him: You will find a baby wrapped in pieces of cloth and lying in a feeding box.” 13 Then a huge army of angels from heaven joined the first angel, and they were all praising God, saying, 14 “Praise God in heaven, and on earth let there be peace to the people who please him.”

15 The angels left the shepherds and went back to heaven. The shepherds said to each other, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this great event the Lord has told us about.’ 16 So they went running and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the feeding box.” Luke 2:11-16 ERV 

I want to encourage you to put Jesus on display. Don’t hid him, let the world see that He lives in you. Love the way He did; reach out to everyone the Father brings your way. The sign on our lives should be “if you want Jesus, just ask”. 

Wonderful Counselor

I love looking at the names of Jesus that Isaiah spoke of.

“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders.
    And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 NLT

and His name shall be called Counselor – what is it you are needing direction on today?

We have been given a “Counselor” and this one knows the beginning from the end and all there is in between. Nothing happens that He doesn’t know about and He is wisdom. His counsel is faithful and true – He isn’t guessing or offering suggestions – He gives us the right answer every time.

We are a people in search of answers. We have financial advisors, life coaches, fitness instructors, legal advisors, sports trainers, YouTube experts on every subject but there is one who outshines them all.

“These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young. Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles. 7 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” Proverbs 1:4-7 NLT

When we open the pages of God’s heavenly love letter, the Bible, we receive wisdom and instruction in right living.

It’s profitable to receive good advice from a friend or trusted loved one.

My son, obey your father’s commands, and don’t neglect your mother’s instruction. 21 Keep their words always in your heart. Tie them around your neck. 22 When you walk, their counsel will lead you. When you sleep, they will protect you. When you wake up, they will advise you. 23 For their command is a lamp  and their instruction a light; their corrective discipline is the way to life.” Proverbs 6:20-23 NLT

But even greater advice comes from the One who made us and put our world in place.

 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” James 1:5 NLT

What a wonderful gift we have been given. Take time for a counselling appt today. Our Wonderful Counselor is waiting for our call.

Be Overwhelmed by Love

During the night I awaken several times and began to pray for those who feel overwhelmed. Holidays and life in general can do that to you. If we don’t stand guard over our soul the enemy will try to overwhelm us.

Finances, health issues, family, new jobs, finals, relationships, scheduling, legal threats, loneliness…these things can be overwhelming.

“o·ver·whelm – bury or drown beneath a huge mass.

negative synonyms: swamp, submerge, engulf, bury, deluge, flood, inundate, defeat completely.

I’ve been there more times than I would like to admit but that was a long time ago! You see I have found the answer to being overwhelmed by the negative influences of life.

Being overwhelmed by God’s love is positive and uplifting.

positive synonyms: conquer, vanquish, be victorious over, triumph over, overcome, overthrow, give too much of a thing to (someone); leave speechless

God’s love causes us to triumph; to overcome, it leaves us speechless when we view the depth of His love. The purpose of Christ’s birth was to bring God’s love to earth – to us. It was to bring us overwhelming peace.

“Praise God in heaven, and on earth let there be peace to the people who please him.” Luke 2:14 ERV

“O God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer! From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help
when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.” Psalm 61:1-3 NLT

Jesus is our rock or a firm foundation! It’s in and through Him that we will be able to defeat those things that seem overwhelming. It’s His love that gives us the victory, through Him we are more than conquerors in every situation.

“31 What can we say about all this? If God is on our side, can anyone be against us? 32 God did not keep back his own Son, but he gave him for us. If God did this, won’t he freely give us everything else?…37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” Romans 8:31-32. CEV

So. Was it you I was praying for in the wee hours of the morning? Trust God to be your defense. Faith in His overwhelming love will crush the attacks coming against you!

Christmas Kindness All Year Long

All we have to do to find God’s gift of kindness is open the Bible and read a few lines.

The sunrises and sunsets, the dew and the rain, the melody of the birds, the clouds in the sky were all created for our enjoyment by the kindness of the Lord. Then we experience His love, mercy, gentleness and grace. There is no greater kindness than these.

“You are merciful, Lord! You are kind and patient and always loving. You are good to everyone, and you take care of all your creation. 10 All creation will thank you, and your loyal people will praise you. 11 They will tell about your marvelous kingdom and your power.
12 Then everyone will know about the mighty things you do and your glorious kingdom.
13 Your kingdom will never end, and you will rule forever. Our Lord, you keep your word and do everything you say.
14 When someone stumbles or falls, you give a helping hand. 15 Everyone depends on you,
and when the time is right, you provide them with food. 16 By your own hand you satisfy the desires of all who live. 17 Our Lord, everything you do is kind and thoughtful, 18 and you are near to everyone whose prayers are sincere.19 You satisfy the desires of all your worshipers, and you come to save them when they ask for help.” Psalm 145:8-19 CEV

God doesn’t know how to be unkind. Everything He does is thoughtful and kind. He doesn’t do unkind things, His whole being is love and love is kind.

The Lord has blessed us with His kindness so that we can bless others. A word of encouragement, a helping hand, a simple act, patiently waiting in a line without being rude, giving attention and assistance to someone, a sincere compliment. All these acts of kindness are displays of the Father.

I’m hearing these words as I write this, these are the words of Jesus: “The king will answer, ‘Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.” Matthew 25:40 CEV

We are the recipients of God’s kindness but we are also the givers of the same.

The Gift of Correction

I had never thought of “correction” as being a gift until I read these verses in Proverbs this morning.

Don’t ever let love and loyalty leave you. Tie them around your neck, and write them on your heart. Then God will be pleased and think well of you and so will everyone else.

Trust the Lord completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge. With every step you take, think about what he wants, and he will help you go the right wayDon’t trust in your own wisdom, but fear and respect the Lord and stay away from evil. If you do this, it will be like a refreshing drink and medicine for your body.

Honor the Lord with your wealth and the first part of your harvest. 10 Then your barns will be full of grain, and your barrels will be overflowing with wine.

11 My son, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be angry when he corrects you. 12 The Lord corrects the one he loves, just as a father corrects a child he cares about.” Proverbs 3:3-11 ERV

The Lord will lead us in the way that is right. He can be trusted and when He corrects us, it’s because He loves us!

I saw it like this.

Where we live there are a lot of hiking trails. I am not an experienced hiker, and it would be foolish for me to offer to the lead the local hiking group. I could take them on the wrong path, get lost or worse, get someone hurt.

The person to better lead is the one who has gone this way before, the One who knows the trail like the back of their hand. The One who can keep me from going off trail, the One who has the expertise to lead even in adverse circumstances.

Why would I follow such a person? Why would I listen to their correction? Why would I follow their instruction?

The answer to those questions is because that Person loves me and is trustworthy!

God’s gift of correction is not for my detriment; it is for my benefit!

Open the gift of correction that God is offering. It will keep you on the right path!

A Worry-Free Life

It doesn’t sound possible, does it? I mean I can’t just go through life with my head in the clouds, it would be irresponsible not to worry, wouldn’t it?

As I was reading this morning, I felt the Lord wanted me to remind you of a wonderful gift He has given to each of us. The gift of peace – not worry.

“Many thousands of people came togetherJesus said to his followers, ‘So I tell you, don’t worry about the things you need to live—what you will eat or what you will wear. 23 Life is more important than food, and the body is more important than what you put on it. 24 Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or save food in houses or barns, but God feeds them. And you are worth much more than crows25 None of you can add any time to your life by worrying about it. 26 And if you can’t do the little things, why worry about the big things?’…29 ‘So don’t always think about what you will eat or what you will drink. Don’t worry about it. 30 That’s what all those people who don’t know God are always thinking about. But your Father knows that you need these things. 31 What you should be thinking about is God’s kingdom. Then he will give you all these other things you need. 32 Don’t fear, little flock. Your Father wants to share his kingdom with you. ‘” Luke 12:1, 22-31 ERV

Jesus’ instruction is two-fold. Don’t think or worry about all the things you think you need, instead, think about God’s kingdom, He wants to share it with you!

Freedom from worry comes from thinking on the things of God. He has provided all we need. King Solomon put it this way:

 Look for wisdom like silver. Search for it like hidden treasure. If you do this, you will understand what it means to respect the Lord, and you will come to know God.

The Lord is the source of wisdom; knowledge and understanding come from his mouth. 7 He gives good advice to honest people and shields those who do what is rightHe makes sure that people are treated fairly. He watches over his loyal followers. 9 If you listen to him, you will understand what is just and fair and how to do what is right. 10 You will gain wisdom, and knowledge will bring you joy.” Proverbs 2:4-10 ERV

God-given wisdom is a gift. This gift gives us understanding of God and causes us to know Him. Wisdom, knowledge, joy, freedom from fear is like a hidden treasure and so much more valuable than silver.

For the last number of years the Lord has instructed me to take the month of December to remind my readers of the precious gifts He has given us.

Focus today on the gift of wisdom, seek God’s way of doing things and be worry-free. Your Father says, “don’t worry about the things you need to live“.

Beginning the Advent-ure

December 1st, the beginning of Advent. When our children were little, we had advent calendars, the countdown to Christmas and Jesus’ birthday. It was always about Jesus and the gifts we could give Him.

Now that they are grown, the emphasis is the same. However, a few things have changed. Instead of heading to the forest to cut a tree we went to Home Depot. The adventure wasn’t quite the same – instead of facing icy roads and a snow-covered mountain top we maneuvered the freeway and the parking lots.

But opening the box of ornaments and nativities brought back memories of years past. I could almost hear the laughter as I removed the angels from the boxes and hung them on the tree. Each one has stood the test of time – being moved from state to state, surviving the downsizing from large home on acreage to the tiny home in the desert.

This is another adventure that the Lord has led us on. No longer does the tree stand in the living room; this year it’s on the front porch.

But the things that haven’t changed are the eternal promises of God.

Those of you that know me well know I love the Word of God and believe it is to be taken literally. It’s the rock I stand on and has been my foundation through good times and the bad. The thing about the bad times, is when we’re standing on the Word we come through victorious.

My favorite verse in all the Bible is Numbers 23:19-20

God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? 20Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.”

If this verse isn’t true, then we can throw the rest of the Bible out the window.

Since the Bible is God’s word, we need to know that He cannot lie – so if it’s written, He’s holding Himself to it. God has spoken a blessing over those of us who have accepted Jesus as Savior and He’s not going back on it.

 The law says we are under a curse for not always obeying it. But Christ took away that curse. He changed places with us and put himself under that curse. The Scriptures say, ‘Anyone who is hung on a tree is under a curse. 14 Because of what Jesus Christ did, the blessing God promised to Abraham was given to all people. Christ died so that by believing in him we could have the Spirit that God promised.” Galatians 3:13-14 ERV

Jesus took on the curses of sin, sickness, fear, failure, and all the rest so that we could walk in the blessings. See, what He has blessed can’t be reversed. Praise God!

Life with Christ is an amazing advent-ure!