What We All Need, Everyday!

Today's post will be short, the message is simple. We all need Jesus. Not one of us are exempt. Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

I recently dealt with a situation in which the other person is not saved, and of course would be so much better off if they were. What happened was I got all "righteous" and I totally looked over the areas of fault that I had. I was guilty of Plank Eye Syndrome...

Matthew 7:3-4 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?"

I apologized to God and to this person. You see God loves with a love that gave everything! His redemptive love is what drew me near to Him, it is what draws most, if not all, of us to Him. There is nothing that can take God's love from us, but first we have to accept it! 

Exodus 15:13 "In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling."
Romans 8:38-39  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Today, let God's redeeming, never failing, never giving up, always and forever love guide your heart, your thoughts and your actions!

~Awake Us~
Brenna Stanford

Fully Awake

One night I was up with my son a few times changing him, feeding him and putting him back down. The last waking of the night it was different. His little belly was hurting him so bad that he became fully awake.

Every other time he woke up he had something that disrupted his comfort but it didn't take much soothing before he was lulled back to sleep again. You see, we can be a lot like this in our spiritual walk, we're nice and comfortable and then something happens and we're jarred awake. But it doesn't take long before we are lulled back to sleep.

The Word of God warns us about the dangers of sleep:

Proverbs 6:9-11 How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.

Proverbs 19:15 Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless go hungry

Revelation 3:15-16 says, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

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There is a story in Matthew 13 about a farmer who planted his wheat, then while he was sleeping his enemy came in and planted weeds to try and ruin his crop! "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8)

Time and time again we see in scripture when Jesus goes up to pray and the disciples sleep and Jesus rebukes them for this. But look at Luke Chapter 9, the transfiguration of Jesus; Jesus had taken Peter, James and John to a mountain top to pray then Jesus transfigured and "as he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning." Scripture says that "Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory"

The world that most of us live in is not one that is ridden with extreme physical possession that we read about or even hear about going on in third world countries. What we face is something that seems so much smaller, but man oh man is it dangerous! We face complacency and comfort. We face mundane, "good enough" mind sets. We are neither hot nor cold, we aren't "terrible" people, but we definitely are not fully awake to the plans and purpose of God. It doesn't take much to lull us into complacency, but that's not what God has for us!

I would never want sleep (of any form) to be the cause of missing out on God's purpose for you and me! let God, breathe his might breath on you! Let his Spirit do a new thing in your soul. Let Him awaken you!

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"...when they became fully awake, they saw his glory"

~Awaken Us~

Brenna Stanford

Know Your Why

Jesus was betrayed by Judas, he was in the temple courts in front of the priests and a crowd of people. They were all accusing him of blasphemy and anything else they could make up. They wanted a reaction out of Jesus. They pushed ad prodded, slapped, hit, spit, and mocked. They wanted to put an end to him. (see more on that here) And yet, Jesus remained quietly confident. He did not have to say a word.

Has anyone ever tried to get a reaction out of you?

This wasn’t the first time Jesus had faced this either.  He was tempted in the desert before he ever even stated his ministry. Then from the time he did start his ministry up until this very day, there has been people mocking and trying to get a reaction. Any yet, through it all Jesus responded diligently and according to God’s will. He was able to do this because of all of the time he spent with God. He knew that he was walking in God’s will, in everything he said and did.

I wonder, what would have happened if Jesus did respond to them? What would have happened if he did just tell all of them off, if he called down heavens armies, if he would have just blown their minds? We have to honestly look at the possibility that Jesus wouldn’t have gone on to be crucified and died as atonement for all of our sins. Therefore we would not have forgiveness and grace.

Jesus knew this. He knew his purpose. He knew his ‘why’.

So I ask you again, have you ever had someone try to get a reaction out of you? Did you give in and react? Did you stand firm in your quiet confidence like Jesus did? Just before he was betrayed ad led away he was with God, crying out begging God if there was another way to please remove this from him. But this was it, Jesus is the ONLY way and he knew it.

In order for us to stand strong against the enemy we have to know our ‘why’. We have to be confident in it that nothing can shake it away from us! Today your challenge is to go to God and awaken to  your why. Develop it into something so strong that you know that you know that you know, and nothing can be said to make you question or waiver from your why.

~Awaken Us~

Brenna Stanford