His mercies are new every morning. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

The other day I was asked to pray for someone to be set free from sexual sin. As I prayed I asked the Holy Spirit to direct me, and He revealed to me this person greatly needed to know the love of a father. So I prayed for this and that he be set free from the entire trauma brought on by the lose of his father’s love.

However; I sensed God wanted to teach me more. So this morning as I lay before God, He reminded me that in the Old Testament He instructed the priest to cleanse the temple with the blood. (2 Chronicles 30) 

Also, I was reminded that immorality is sin against the temple of God. 

I Corinthians 6:18 instructs us to “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually, sins against his own body.  Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

Anything we do that destroys this temple is a sin against the dwelling place of the Almighty. It is restored to purity by the blood.

When we are involved in over eating, drugs, sexual sin, pornography, been molested, raped, or in any other way not taking care of this body we cause our temple, the temple of God, to become defiled.

Taking Communion  cleanses this temple with the Blood of Jesus. Most of the time I need a daily cleansing, because I desire the Lord's presence and want Him to feel welcomed in this place. 

When we repent, the Lord takes away the sin. And when we receive the Blood, it restores our temple as the Holy dwelling place of God.

Today I ate of the destroying of the things that have defiled my temple and its restoration by the stripes of Jesus.

I drank of the cleansing blood of Jesus in preparing of this temple anew for worshiping of the Lord, and to invite Him to come in and live.

We are not defeated or condemned. It is a time of new beginnings. His mercies are new every morning. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Blessings on your day!

Karen

Little Talks with Jesus: Kinsman Redeemer (Ruth 4)

Little Talks with Jesus: Kinsman Redeemer (Ruth 4): This morning the Lord showed me a picture of a homeless woman holding tightly to her shopping cart, dressed in a shabby old coat eating a...

Kinsman Redeemer (Ruth 4)

This morning the Lord showed me a picture of a homeless woman holding tightly to her shopping cart, dressed in a shabby old coat eating a piece of dumpster pizza.

A rich man offered her a new coat, a banquet of food, and a home.

She was afraid and held tightly to her cart thinking; “What if he doesn’t give these things to me? If I give up my old coat and cart and he doesn’t do as he said, I will have nothing.”

I realized this is our condition. We are afraid to give up the rags we are holding as our security instead of receiving what Christ is freely offering.

The story of Boaz and Ruth is a beautiful picture of redemption.. Boaz was Ruth’s kinsman redeemer. He married Ruth, took her out of poverty, gave her a place of honor and in the process restored Naomi’s (Ruth's mother-in-law) generations to their rightful inheritance.

Jesus is our kinsman redeemer. Our covenant marriage restores our earthly and spiritual inheritance, not only for me, but also for my generations.

My Covenant Marriage to Christ restores my earthly and spiritual inheritance, and that of my entire family. Remember when the jailer asked, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul and Silas replied, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved—you and your household.” (Acts 16:31)

This promise of Salvation (Yeshua/Jesus, the Salvation of God) includes health, wealth, and restored relationship with our heavenly Father.

We see it again in 3 John 2, "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers."

" Psalm 37:25) “I was young and now I’m old, but I have never seen the righteous forsaken, [and] have never seen their children begging for bread.”

Today I ate and drank of our New (Marriage) Covenant. It is the finished work of the cross and God hates divorce so He will never leave me or my family and He will never forsake us. Amen!

Blessings on your day!

Karen

Little Talks with Jesus: Little Talks with Jesus: Are you like the dog sett...

Little Talks with Jesus: Little Talks with Jesus: Are you like the dog sett...: Little Talks with Jesus: Are you like the dog settling for the crumbs under... : As I lay the communion elements on the table this morning I...

“Not my will, but Thine be done…” (Matthew 6:10)

Many times we can ascertain God’s will from His word, and pray His word with confidence knowing we are praying His will. However; there are other times we can not.

This has been on my mine since the recent protest in Charlotte, NC over a policeman’s trial. Many times I heard people say, “We are trusting God that justice will be done.”

When the verdict ended in a mistrial, protesters were in front of the court house along with their signs and protesting that justice had  indeed not been done.

This reminded me of many of my own prayers when I believed I was turning things over to God, but became upset when things did not work out as I wanted.

In truth, my mouth was saying, “Let Your will be done,” while my heart was crying, “Let my will be done.” In this I was wavering like a storm upon the ocean. How dare I try to dictate to God what I wanted to happen and then hold Him responsible for the outcome!

Luke 9:54 tells us the disciples felt the same way. They wanted to call down fire from heaven and destroy Nineveh when the people rejected Jesus.

In verse 55 Jesus rebuked them saying, “…You do not know what manner of spirit you are of,” and this spirit was not the Holy Spirit.

Again we can see in the story of Jonah how God asked him to go to Nineveh to people he hated and wanted them to be removed from the face of the earth. His assignment: preach repentance, return to God and be saved.

Jonah, the prophet of God, rebelled against God and ran the other way. Then through his encounter with the belly of the big fish he repented and the fish spit him out. He obeyed the Lord, although begrudgingly and Nineveh was saved.

God’s ways are not our ways. His goals are higher and very different from our ways of thinking and acting. In sending Jesus to die for our sins and restore us to Himself we see His will is always about repentance, salvation and restoration.

In Matthew 5:11 Jesus tells us “Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.” (Matthew 6:9-13)

This does not sound like a blessing. However; blessed means empowered to succeed. Who does the empowering? God does. 

In Romans 12:19 Jesus reminds us, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” 

God's got us even when it does not look like things are going as they should. This is where faith comes in. It isn't over until it is over. God is working things out for our good and His glory. (Romans 8:28)

Today I ate of His word, His body that shows me just how much I need Jesus in every situation in my life, and He is here.

I drank of His blood that heals my soul and restores righteousness within my heart. 

May your soul be restored as you eat and drink of the blessed One today!

Blessings on your day!

 

Karen

 

Little Talks with Jesus: Are you like the dog settling for the crumbs under...

Little Talks with Jesus: Are you like the dog settling for the crumbs under...: As I lay the communion elements on the table this morning I asked the Lord how He would like for me to celebrate this time with Him. ...

Are you like the dog settling for the crumbs under the table? (Mark 7:24-30)

As I lay the communion elements on the table this morning I asked the Lord how He would like for me to celebrate this time with Him.

After blessing the communion elements I broke the cracker and the crumbs spilled onto the table.

Looking at the crumbs reminded me of the story of the Syro-Phoenician woman (Mark 7: 24-30) who came to Jesus asking Him to heal her daughter.

Jesus responds that it was not right to give the children’s bread to the dogs (non-covenant people).

She replies with, "Even the dogs eat the crumbs from under the table."

As a believer in Jesus, I am a covenant child and no longer have to settle for the crumbs of pleading, begging and hoping Jesus will hear my prayers. I have been given the bread of life from His table and need to partake of what He has laid before me.

As I ate from His table, I celebrated His broken body that gives healing for my body.

The Old Testament tells us that the life of the body is in the blood. (Leviticus 17:11) The new life that I now live is because of Jesus' life’s blood poured out for me.  So, I drank of His life in me, the life found only in His blood. Amen!

Blessings on your day!

Karen