Do You Hear the Roar? My Covenant Land

 Jesus, the mighty Lion of Judah, is roaring with absolute authority and power today.  A lion roars for three reasons: His roar is to gather His pride.  He roars to answer the challenge of an intruder.  A lion roars to declare ownership of a territory.  Jesus, God's lion, is roaring over America and declaring this is "My covenant land." 

The people on the Mayflower declared their faith toward Almighty God as they placed a cross on the shoreline and released this prayer and prophetic declaration: “We do hereby dedicate this land and ourselves to reach the people within these shores with the gospel of Jesus Christ and to raise up godly generations after us, and with these generations take the kingdom of God to all the earth…from these very shores, the gospel shall go forth, not only to this New World, but the entire world.”  From its beginning, America was established as God's covenanted land for His purpose. 

People in the jungles know that the roar of a lion can be heard five miles away.  It follows that the roar of the Lion of Judah is far reaching, to unite all those who belong to His pride. This coming together will only be produced as a fruit of God's kind of love, loving one another as the Father loved Jesus.  Jesus stated this need to love one another in John 13 as He continued to love Judas who had already agreed to betray Him!  Only through an infusion of the supernatural love of God will all believers demonstrate what Jesus purposed, that we would be one as He and the Father are one.  Even though the world exudes the darkness of division, strife, and hatred, God promises that the light of His love will overcome and be most visible in the midst of the darkness. 

God gives grace to the humble.  When we acknowledge our narrow, selfish motives of only loving those who agree with us and humbly ask for His love toward all believers. we can then receive a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit who plants "the love of God in our hearts" (Romans 5:5).  Jesus came to the world because God loved the world and desired all men to be set free from sin and the consequences of sin, yet we know the world and even His own did not receive Him.  However, the promise remains, as well as the joy that is set before us, that according to John 13:35, when we love each other God's way, the world will know we are His disciples.  He who calls us is faithful and He will do it. 

Secondly, the Lion of Judah is roaring against the intruders.  Sin and rebellion has entered the heart of man.  God, in His gooness and love, created man in His image and likeness and allowed us to enjoy His fullness, His abundant life.  Yet man in his pride has rebelled.  In Jeremiah 2, God asks what injustice has He done that would cause men to turn from Him.  Man has defiled the land by choosing to fall for the temptation to "be like God" and live according to the flesh doing things his own way.  Jesus came to rescue man from the bondage of sin by nailing the consequences on the cross.  He became the Way for all men to repent and be restored to right standing with God forever.  

Jesus defeated the devil who encouraged this rebellion by dying on the cross and then made a public show of him (Colossians 2:15).  Jesus came to destroy the work of the evil one and He did.  In union with His victory, we His saints will likewise overcome "by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives even to the death." (Revelation 12:11)  He is training our hands for war and anointing His church to fight the good fight of faith, by standing in the armor and using the supernatural weapons provided.  The final battle will clearly show that Jesus is Lord of all and no weapon formed against His people shall prosper.

Thirdly, the earth is the Lords's and the fullness thereof.  Jesus, the Lion of Judah, has marked His territory, and even though there is a challenge in the battle ahead, there is none like Him.   Revelation declares "The kingdoms of the earth have become the kingdoms of the Lord."  The book of Revelation is "the revelation of Jesus Christ," who manifests all God is and does.  He confirms His Word with signs and wonders, to keep His covenant forever.  

Therefore, His roar is releasing new victories, new positions of authority, sounds of bones rattling as they come to life to reign on the earth, and the very breath of God in His people.  Jesus exhorts man to "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."  This roar is also establishing the purpose and destiny of America as His covenant land.  God is not mocked, America will accomplish the design and eternal plan for which He founded it.  

The Lion is also the Lamb who is worthy of it all.  Let us rejoice and be glad as we respond wholeheartedly to the roar of our Lord Jesus Christ.      

God Chose You, to be With Him Forever!

Blessed is the man You choose, and cause to approach You, that he may dwell in Your courts.  We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house. Psalm 65:4  A 23-year old young man who died and then came back to life, tried to share what it was like to be before God.  All he could say is that he felt "satisfied" and just wanted to do whatever he could to serve Him.

This morning I had a rough time reigning in my mind and some thoughts from dreamland, but the Word of God proved true as I began to declare God's fresh mercy this morning.  Psalm 59 states "I will sing aloud of Your mercy and loving-kindness in the morning."  So I just started singing that old classic song, I will sing of the mercy of the Lord forever....with my mouth will I make known Thy faithfulness to all generations.  It didn't take long for the Holy Spirit to refresh my mind and help me reflect on all He has done for me.  I am a strong believer in Psalm 92:2 which tells us to declare His mercy every morning and His faithfulness every night.  What a great way to start the day, and what a great way to have peace as you retire at night.  

Part of what the Lord used to refresh me was the gift of realizing that He chose me, I didn't choose Him.  Incredible, that the almighty creator of the universe desires my company and will do anything (including dying on the cross) to make sure that I can be with Him forever.  So my Word today, is to realize and thank God that He chose you and has eternal purpose for you.  Before you were formed in the womb, God already had a definite plan, "for you were created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10   So it is easy to see why He makes all things work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. It's because He chose and loves you, and therefore desires you to fulfill your purpose.  When you know you are chosen by God, the rejection of men can't touch you.  

Just a side thought, He loves you because He is love, not because you are so lovely.  It is fallen man's nature to think you are not "good" or "worthy" enough.  Instead, set your mind on the truth of the Word, humble yourself like a little child, and receive His love.  Isn't it awesome to be chosen and loved by God?  Truly, we have every reason to confess Psalm 21:4, "I am the most blessed forever!"  

Last, but not least, Jesus came to serve not be served.  The Holy Spirit gently reminded me how easy it is to live for what I want, rather than see today as an opportunity to live to bless and glorify Him.  In the John 15 verse that reveals God chose you, Jesus continues to say the reason is to bear fruit and prove to be a disciple.  God even promises to help us do this.  He is the one who enables us  "to will and to work for His pleasure."  The clear goal of Jesus saving us and changing us into children of God is to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, in other words, become like Him. 

In the Luke 18 parable on prayer and the widow woman who kept after the judge, Jesus concludes with the question, "When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"  Faith is shown by obedience, so when we respond to His choosing us, we choose to obey His command, "go and do likewise."  My question, will the Lord find you and me loving Him enough to serve Him (by serving others) rather than just getting caught up in society and spending all our time and effort in taking care of our own needs.  Remember, God chose you to live for His purpose.

Worthy of ALL Glory

"Glory to God in the Highest" were the first words the angel multitude declared when appearing to the shepherds at Christmas to announce the birth of Jesus.  The angels were absolutely right.  Christmas is the beginning of God's incredible gift to man and shows His ultimate and eternal glory.  Simply stated, He is worthy of all glory.

The whole Christmas story only points to the nature of an awesome, amazing God who  
(1) has such love for "all men" that He is willing to become one of us,
(2)  walks as we walk experiencing every weakness, trial, and joy,
(3)  teaches the truth about the nature of God in the midst of man's incredible pride and resistance,  
(4)  demonstrates an all-consuming love that willingly lays down His life and pours out His blood to pay for every sin,           
(5)  concludes with a glorious, definitive resurrection that establishes His total victory over sin, sickness, and death,           
(6)  and rather than condemn man, invites all men to receive His gift and join Him forever in overcoming, abundant life!  Good News of great joy to all men!

Clearly we have a God who shows His greatness (glory) through a completely inconceivable plan that is so beyond the imagination of man, and that only can be humanly understood by God revealing His nature through Jesus Christ's coming and living among us.  Man's darkened mind has a difficult time grasping such a wonderful, loving God paying such an incredible price for us and then, instead of rejecting us, remarkably invites us to receive His Son.  Receiving Jesus and what He did provides complete forgiveness and allows us to be changed into His children, to be like His Son.  To selfish, proud, sinful man, this seems too good to be true, and frankly, so many million times better than we know we deserve.  Only God's glory explains it.

Once man receives this truth and accepts that Jesus is God's lamb, or sacrifice for our failures, that person's heart is changed forever to want to please Him, let Him be Lord.  2 Corinthians 5:14 points out that "He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again."  Now we are able to fulfill God's actual purpose for man, which is stated in Ephesians 1, we are destined and appointed to live for the praise of His glory.  Paul further instructs us in 1 Corinthians 10:31, that "whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

So how do we live for His glory, or give glory to a God who has given us everything?  Jesus answered the question in John 15, 7-8: "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.  By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples."  God wants us to be fruitful.  He is pleased to do things for us, to answer our heart's desires and prayers.  The good soil, in which seeds grow and bear fruit, is the condition of abiding in Him and letting His words live in our hearts and minds. In short, when we desire for and need to have His presence, and choose to let His Word be the truth and standard for our thoughts and actions.

My heart's desire is simply to be fruitful, which gives Him glory. 

Forever, in heaven, as our eyes and understanding are opened, we will join in the chorus, "Holy, holy, holy," and bow before Him in total, awesome worship.  He is worthy!  The challenge is to live by this truth now, by faith rather than sight.  He is worthy of all glory.