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

This morning as I was meditating on the blood of Jesus I saw Isaiah 53:4-5 before my mind’s eye.

“But [in fact] He has borne our griefs, and He has carried our sorrows and pains; … He was wounded for our transgressions, He was crushed for our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing]; the punishment [required] for our well-being fell on Him, and by His stripes (wounds) we are healed.”

Then I was reminded that His mercies are new every morning. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

As I continued to drink of the cup of the New Covenant in His blood I decreed that my sins are washed away each and every time I receive the blood of Jesus.

(Mark 11:24-25). “Believe that you receive…” 

I believe I have received, and I have His forgiveness. 

If you are struggling with sin consciousnesses, spend some time with the Lord. Receive His loving forgiveness as you confess them before the Lord this day. He stands ready to forgive you every day, if you will only come to Him. 

Remember, when we mess up, He still loves us and wants to forgive us. However; we must allow Him in.  "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me." (Revelation 3:20 KJV) Amen!

Blessings on your day!

Karen

Forgiveness, a key to having a right relationship with God (Mark 11:25)

“Whenever you stand up to pray, you must forgive what others have done to you. Then your Father in heaven will forgive your sins.” (Mark 11:25 CEV)

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to forgive. In this we have to look to Jesus for help. According to Mark 11:26, it is a vital element of our receiving forgiveness from Father.

Whether the forgiveness is for something small or great it blocks our communication with God.

“You must forgive what others have done to you. Then your Father in heaven will forgive your sins.”

Our Heavenly Father wants to forgive us, but He will not go against His word. John 15:7 tells us that “If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

In order to be Kingdom minded we live by the Kings commands, His way of doing things. God will never go against His word, but He will move heaven and earth to make it happen when we come to Him on His terms. 

Matthew 5:23-24  tells us that even our offerings are not accepted until we forgive.

In Matthew 18:21-35 Jesus is teaching a parable on the Kingdom of Heaven. He tells of a man who owed a great debt and pleaded with the king for mercy. The king grants him mercy. However; this man goes out and refuses to show mercy to one who owes him little. When the king hears of this he brings the man back and hands him over to the tormentors until he pays all that is due. The only thing due is his forgiveness of the man who owes him little.

Not only does unforgiveness hinder our prayers and relationship with our heavenly Father, it also acquires torment.

Forgiveness is not ignoring or trying to forget what happened to you, it is a sin. According to 1 John 1:9 the way we get rid of sin and its torment is to confess it before God. Then we are able to forgive others and be cleansed from all unrighteousness. Our relationship with our heavenly Father is restored.

Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. (Romans 13:8 NIV)

You are not in this alone. Ask Jesus to forgive them through you. “I (you) can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (you).” (Philippians 4:13 NKJV)

Jesus demonstrated this on the cross when, “Jesus prayed, ‘Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they’re doing.” (Luke 23:34 MSG)

Spend time with the Lord today seeking people and situations in your life that needs forgiveness and receive Father’s forgiveness today. Amen!

Blessings on your day!

Karen

Dwelling in the Love of Christ (John 15:9)

In John 15:9 Jesus directs us to a new level of love, His level, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love.”

Dwelling or living in the love of Christ is not automatic and usually not easy. 

In John 15:10-11 Jesus said, “If you keep My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

Jesus continues in verse 12, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

The Greek word used here for love is Agape. It means to give someone what they need, not necessarily what they want. It is the God kind of love. 

The Jews wanted another King David type of savior to free them from the oppressive Roman rule. God sent Jesus, His Son to save us all for eternity.

How did Jesus show His love? He offers us forgiveness without condemnation. He healed all that came to Him, calmed the storm, fed the hungry, raised the dead, had compassion, loved the unlovable, gave His life for us, carried our sins into Hell, and stands ready to enter our lives at anytime we choose to open the door and invite Him in. However; we have to do the inviting.

Some of this I know I can do. I may not accomplish for others all of the ways Jesus chose to love me, but I can do something whether it is taking food to the homeless shelter or to a shut-in, show love to someone that is acting unloving, forgive everyone of everything- large or small, and ask Jesus into my heart each day. Sharing His love must become a conscious part of our everyday life.

I find asking for and receiving a daily infilling of His love is vital before I am capable of showing His love to anyone else. Without coming to Him first I am trying to accomplish sharing His love on my terms which leads to sharing from a deficit and it runs out quickly. I’ve tried this many times and always fail, then I wonder what went wrong.

Jesus has asked us to partner with Him to accomplish His will on earth just as it is in heaven. He is the head and we are His body. The body does not function without the head. 

At best we are like a chicken that has just had its head cut off. It is a crazy sight to see. I watched my daddy do this one time when I was a child. I thought the chicken was looking for it's head. It ran all over the chicken yard. 

I can do nothing without Christ's love infilling me. Today was one of those days I needed to soak in His love. So as I ate and drank of the matchless love He offers me,  I savored my time in His presence. There is always more than enough and it will never end. Amen!

Blessings on your day!

Karen