Who are we that You would be mindful of us?
What do You see that’s worth looking our way?
We are free in ways that we never should be.
Sweet release from the grip of these chains.

Like hinges straining from the weight,
My heart no longer can keep from singing.

All that is within me cries
For You alone be glorified:
Emmanuel, God with us.

My heart sings a brand new song.
The debt is paid, these chains are gone.
Emmanuel, God with us.

Lord, You know our hearts don’t deserve Your glory;
Still You show a love we cannot afford.

Like hinges straining from the weight,
My heart no longer can keep from singing.

All that is within me cries
For You alone be glorified:
Emmanuel, God with us.

My heart sings a brand new song.
The debt is paid, these chains are gone.
Emmanuel, God with us.

Such a tiny offering
Compared to Calvary;
Nevertheless,
We lay it at Your feet.

All that is within me cries
For You alone be glorified:
Emmanuel, God with us.

My heart sings a brand new song.
The debt is paid, these chains are gone.
Emmanuel, God with us.

Music and Lyrics by Mercy Me, God With Us

The Pharisees said to Jesus, “Who are you anyway?” Jesus responded, “I am exactly what I have been telling you from the first.” (John 8:25) All throughout the ministry of Jesus Christ, you can see the repetitious pattern of Jesus teaching, and the same people just not comprehending the message.

Nothing has really changed with people in the last 2000 years. Sure we have iPhones, and HDTV, and the amazing internet, but as far as our human characteristics go; we are still pretty much the same.

It amazes me how simple the Gospel is. Man sinned, man must be punished, God takes away punishment by becoming a man and sacrificing His life. That’s it! All we have to do is believe that, and we’re saved. Yet, so many people won’t do it. Their stubbornness has made them deaf and blind to the message. Like I said, nothing much has changed.

Jesus performed miracles, lived a sinless life, and delivered words that stumbled and baffled even the smartest religious people of His time. Yet, He still couldn’t get them to believe He was who He said He was. The battle goes on today, and I can’t help but to get frustrated when I see the stubbornness in people. It reminds me of the man that got his sight back after Jesus rubbed mud on his eyes.

So, if you’re reading this now, and you still can’t believe that Jesus is who He said He is, then you have been warned. You’re judgement is out of my hands. You can cry and whine all you want that a loving God wouldn’t send people to hell, but you are sending yourself there by simply not believing in the free gift that God has made available to everyone.

I have some prayer requests, and all those who read this and want the same, I urge you to come into agreement with my prayers, so that our Father may hear and answer us!

Heavenly Father,

I thank you Lord for everything that you have blessed me with. Lord, You are Holy and Righteous, and Your ways are above my ways. I’m coming to you now boldly, and in faith I am believing that I will have whatever I ask for according to Your will. May I have forgiveness for all of those who have done wrong against me. May my heart turn away from every wicked thought or deed, and may I be forgiven for anything that I have done wrong against you. Lord, we need your help on earth…big time.

God, I lift up the country of China. I pray for the protection of Your children there, and I pray for the disciples of Christ that are being persecuted and imprisoned all over the world. I lift up the ungodly and those who don’t know you, and I ask that You send Your Holy Spirit to them, that they may be drawn to You. I lift up the entire Middle East to you Father, and I break the curse of Islam that has these people in bondage. I ask that you would give them a hunger for the Truth.

I pray for the peace and protection of Israel, and I earnestly desire to see Your chosen people return to the land You have given them. I also pray that Jews everywhere would begin to see that Jesus is the Messiah they have been waiting for!

Lord, I ask that You would bring a revival to New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. There is a spiritual drought in the North, and I ask that you would send living water to flow through the streets! I bind the religious spirits that have left your people confused about what is right and wrong. May the spirit of religion be tied up now, and may Your people be set free to worship You!

I pray for the gas prices in America to begin declining at a rapid pace! I ask that if there is sin involved, that You would expose it. If there is deceit, reveal it! It is a bondage, and I break all chains to the gas pump in the name of Jesus!

I lift up the children that do not have fathers God, and I ask that You would be their Father!

I think it’s well known that there is an attack on marriage, and I pray God that you would raise up warriors in the Kingdom to fight for the sanctity of marriage.

God, may those who are struggling financially be filled with peace and comfort, and may they know that You will truly provide them with everything they need!

May the pastors and preachers who are robbing the church be exposed, and may the damage it has caused Your people be repaired by the Truth, and by Your mercy!

May those who are teaching a false Gospel, learn the True Gospel and start teaching that instead!

God, may we all know more of Your love. May we see others as You see them, and may we learn how to have the grace and mercy for people that You have. May we love our neighbors the way You have taught us!

I thank You Father that these things are already being done. I thank You Lord that even now, You are preparing our hearts for battle, and sending out angels to carry out Your will.

In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

I’m coming to you live from my house, where miracles are happening all around me!

My mother called today as the Spirit was hitting her, and she was crying because His Presence was so strong on her. I had never witnessed her receive the Presence of God like that, so it was a true blessing to me. It was a joy to see someone else understand what happens to me! As she was proclaiming the goodness of God, the Spirit was hitting me also. It was an incredible moment.

During the call with her, I was receiving another call from my friend Lisa. I couldn’t answer it (for obvious reasons), but afterwards I checked my voicemail, and again was blasted by the Holy Spirit. Lisa was crying also and saying that “something good just happened to her, and she can’t even believe what God has done.”

Recently, during our prayer time together we discovered that she had a curse of poverty on her life (from her mother’s side). We prayed for guidance in how to break this, and we received the answers we were looking for. I felt that night that it was broken, and that she was free. On Sunday, a lady gave her $50.00 dollars as a gift. And….drum roll please…today she received a call from an unknown woman at our church that they were going to furnish her entire apartment. The lady (God bless her) said that Lisa’s name was on her desk, with a note that said “provide all her needs”. She had Lisa give her a list of everything she needed! Lisa couldn’t figure out how they got her name, and she kept saying, “who is this, how did you know about me?” Finally the lady said, “Jesus told us and He is blessing you today.”

Amen. Praise the Lord!

In Acts 12 we are given an amazing testimony in which an angel comes to break Peter out of prison. I believe it happened exactly as the Bible says, but even still, there is so much more to this story than meets the eye.

Once Peter is in prison, we are told that there is fervent prayer (Acts 12:5) made for him to God from the church. They prayed without ceasing.

Then the impossible happens the night before Herod was going to kill him. Peter is sleeping in between two guards (get a mental picture here), and there are sentries guarding the prison. An angel appears and hits Peter saying, “get up quickly”. Then the angel basically tells him to “get dressed and follow me.” Peter, who had just woken up out of a sleep, did not think what was happening to him was for real, but instead a vision.

Then they pass through the guards and Peter is freed. He then realizes what has happened and in paraphrasing says, “now I really know I was set free by God.”

Let’s change gears a little. Allow me to show you how alive and full of power the Word of God truly is with a little life application. Out of this simple story, this is the revelation that I got:

There are times when we can feel trapped in a situation. We can’t see a way out, and we might even believe that “all things are possible with Christ”, but it doesn’t [immediately] change our situation. Peter was being led out of prison by an angel, and still didn’t realize that he was being set free! It wasn’t until his circumstance had completely changed could he finally say, “now I know I have been set free”.

We do the same thing, even if it’s not to the degree of being led out of jail by an angel. We get stuck in a hole (financial, emotional, etc), and even though God is making provisions and giving us a way out of the darkness, we can’t see the light. We can’t see the finished result of what God is doing.

Knowing that God is going to take care of us might not change the situation that we are in, but it can and should bring peace to our spirit. The goal is to not be moved, but to stay consistent with our faith no matter what tribulations we go through.

If God could use an angel to help Peter almost 2000 years ago, then I’d say He is capable of doing just about anything today. We just need to trust Him, and continue praying!

How long has it been since you have read your Bible? A few hours, days, weeks, etc? I’m not talking about browsing the internet and finding the occasional scriptures posted. I’m talking about pulling out the Great Book and letting God lead the conversation through His Word!

It had been awhile since I had opened my Bible, before last night. I don’t know why, but I just hadn’t been feeling led to read (not that we should wait for a confirmation to read our Bibles), and every time I did, I would get really tired and I wouldn’t get anything out of my reading. That started to frustrate me because the Bible is usually so exciting to me that I’m either laughing, crying, or turning the pages in suspense.

Be on the look out for this kind of sneaky attack from our enemy. A Christian that is not being fed with the Word is weak and helpless against bigger issues. Last night, I said, “God, I’m starving for Your Word. I need to be fed, and I bind any power or principality that would stop me from hearing You. Please let these words bring revelation to my spirit, and let these things take root in my spirit.”

I opened up and went to where I felt God was leading me, and I was not disappointed. I feasted on the Word of God, and I feel much better now. I’ve gotten a little skinny from starving myself so it’s going to take a few more meals to plump me up again, but the main thing is that we are all on a steady diet!

Abundance comes in many flavors or areas of our life. Finances, relationships, and religious experiences are just a few of the main ones. Abundance is something we all pray and hope for, especially when we have been stuck in a season of lack, or drought.

Mostly everyone knows how to deal with the drought season, because we all have areas in our life that are lacking, but do we know how to deal with abundance when it comes? Imagine you were poor your whole life, and then suddenly you inherited millions of dollars. For years, this was only a dream, and then suddenly it becomes a reality.

Sometimes I think we become so attached to our lack, that when abundance does come we get a little scared, and we handle it in the wrong way. The way we handle it might even put us back to the level of lack that we were comfortable with. Someone with no friends, that suddenly starts making friends everywhere, might not know how to balance their time, and the relationships might fall apart quicker than they started.

These are all things that I have been pondering, and mainly because I have recently entered into a season of extreme abundance. I say extreme, because the blessings that are being poured out are like nothing I have ever experienced. It’s exciting and terrifying at the same time. I’m not used to it, so there is a part of me that feels like if I appreciate it too much it will be taken away from me, and I’ll be disappointed. I feel like I’m on top of the world, but the top is scary. When you are on the top, you have a long way to fall. When you are on the bottom, you can only go up.

Is this a fear of success? Should I be casting something out?

One of the things that scares me about money is that it changes you. When I was on the verge of being homeless my relationship with God was intense. Every day He pulled me through, and everyday I clung to His side. I’ve noticed that when we get a little comfortable we tend to get a mindset that says, “alright, I got it from here”. God forbid!

My biggest prayer lately has been, “May I not be removed from this foundation of rock that you have placed me on.” I refuse to let my circumstances change who I am in Christ. I will always need Him, and nothing is going to take me away from Him. Oh, the devil tries hard, but he will not have the victory over me. Victory belongs to the Lord!

I recently read a blog where the writer mentioned something about being ashamed to identify with other Christians (sorry I don’t remember the link, let me know if it’s you). Basically, the point they were trying to make was that the type of people who call themselves Christians are usually anything but.

Many have labeled themselves Christians because they believe in God, they pray when things go wrong, and they want to imagine grandma in a better place. Unfortunately this false view of Christianity has damaged the Truth, and it has made it very hard to reach out to people who already think they are Christians.

I had a Christian man the other day tell me that he doesn’t believe Jesus is the only way to heaven. He doesn’t think it is fair that people who don’t believe should go to hell. His view is very similar to Barack Obama’s who believes his mother is in heaven even though she didn’t share his faith (which is supposedly Christian). It is also very similar to Joel Osteen’s, who recently said in an interview that it is not his place to say whether or not atheists are going to hell.

Unfortunately, all these men are wrong, and unless they believe in their heart that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, they will sadly perish with the rest of them. How can I say that so boldy?

Because it is the clear and obvious message in the Bible! There’s no point on tip-toeing around the harsh reality. Nobody is going to thank you for being gentle about it when they are chained down to the dark abyss, and the place that is completely void of God’s Presence.

The response to these individuals can be tricky, and has to be modified depending on their level of surrender. What I said to the particular individual above was, “if you aren’t going to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, then why call yourself a Christian?” If you don’t know me, now is a good time to tell you that I’m not good at holding back my thoughts. I’ve gotten better, but when it comes to confused Christians…watch out! However, what I was saying was truth, and I continued with, “why don’t you just make up your religion which is basically what you are doing already.”

To which he replied, “I’m not making up my own religion.”

Then I said, “sure you are. You are taking the parts of the Bible that you agree with, and mixing it with your instincts, and a little bit of all the deceptions in the world, and violà! You have got your own religion.” When you think about it is kind of like a Satan Soup, or at least a taste of what He has been doing since his appearance in the Garden of Eden. Twist the scripture, rebel against God, believe a lie, and warm in the microwave for eternity. Yummm…

Anyway, I am starting to wonder if calling myself a Christian is the best label for me. Christ-follower might be better, and is what a true Christian should really be.