Happy Dance

"Understanding our identity in Christ is absolutely essential to our success at living the victorious Christian life."

I am accepted...

John 1:12 I am God's child.
John 15:15 As a disciple, I am a friend of Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:1 I have been justified.
1 Corinthians 6:17 I am united with the Lord, and I am one with Him in spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 I have been bought with a price and I belong to God.
1 Corinthians 12:27 I am a member of Christ's body.
Ephesians 1:3-8 I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child.
Colossians 1:13-14 I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.
Colossians 2:9-10 I am complete in Christ.
Hebrews 4:14-16 I have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ.

I am secure...

Romans 8:1-2 I am free from condemnation.
Romans 8:28 I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances.
Romans 8:31-39 I am free from any condemnation brought against me and I cannot be separated from the love of God.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 I have been established, anointed and sealed by God.
Colossians 3:1-4 I am hidden with Christ in God.
Philippians 1:6 I am confident that God will complete the good work He started in me.
Philippians 3:20 I am a citizen of heaven.
2 Timothy 1:7 I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.
1 John 5:18 I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.

I am significant...

John 15:5 I am a branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine, and a channel of His life.
John 15:16 I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit.
1 Corinthians 3:16 I am God's temple.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 I am a minister of reconciliation for God.
Ephesians 2:6 I am seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm.
Ephesians 2:10 I am God's workmanship.
Ephesians 3:12 I may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

"The more we reaffirm who we are in Christ, the more our behavior will begin to reflect our true identity!"

 If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has gone.  The new has come!

2 Cor 5:17

In His love

Les

A couple used to go to England to shop in the beautiful stores. They both liked antiques, pottery, and especially teacups. This was their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. One day in this beautiful shop, they saw a beautiful teacup. They said, "May we see that? We've never seen one quite so beautiful."

As the woman handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke. "You don't understand," it said. "I haven't always been a teacup. There was a time when I was red and I was clay. My master took me and rolled me and patted me repeatedly and I yelled out, Let me alone“, but he only smiled, “Not yet.”

"Then I was placed on a spinning wheel," the teacup said, "and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. Stop it! I am getting dizzy! I screamed. However, the master only nodded and said, “Not yet."

"Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I wondered why he wanted to burn me, and I yelled and knocked at the door. I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips, as he shook his head, “not yet‘“.

"Finally the door opened, he put me on the shelf, and I began to cool.’ There, that is better', I said. In addition, he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. 'Stop it, stop it!' I cried. He only nodded, 'Not yet.'"

"Then suddenly he put me back into the oven, not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. All the time I could see him through the opening nodding his head saying, 'Not yet.'"

Then I knew there was not any hope. I would never make it. I was ready to give up. However, the door opened and he took me out and placed me on the shelf. One hour later, he handed me a mirror and I could not believe it was I. 'It's beautiful. I'm beautiful.'"
"'I want you to remember, then,' he said, 'I know it hurts to be rolled and patted, but if I had left you alone, you would have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled.

I knew it hurt and was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I had not put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I had not done that, you never would have hardened; you would not have had any color in your life. In addition, if I had not put you back in that second oven, you would not survive for very long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. You are what I had in mind when I first began with you.'"

When you are going through adversity, and searching for reasons and answers, remember that it may not be punishment, it may not be your fault or anyone's fault. Adversity is here for a reason; for it is only through struggles, pain and suffering that, we grow stronger and wiser.

Awhile back when my little grandson Jack was three and a half [he is 5 now] he went out on the ocean with his Uncle Paul and his daddy on the boat to do some fishing.

The adults took their expensive rods and baited up, and cast out. They also baited up for jack an old fishing rod that Jack thought was just wonderful, because it was his first fishing rod and his first trip out on the boat, it was an experience and he was over the moon.

Well as all good fisher men do they waited…then one got a bite and a fish was hooked, the first snapper was caught by Jack [with some help landing it by the men] but of course the help was given discreetly so Jack did not realise.

He then went on to catch about four more fish. However, his was the first one. I spoke to him on the phone and he was so excited, he asked me grammar aren’t you so proud of me? I said Jack I am so pleased for you and us that you caught your first fish, but remember that even before you went on that boat grammar was proud of you. He said yes I know, but I am just the best fisherman on that boat, cos we ate my fish for dinner.

My heart is full of love and thanks to God for His blessing to us with that little boy. Isn’t that just a small picture though of how we are with our God? We want so much for HIM to be proud of us, sometimes we strive trying to do all these special things for Him, and He says, “I am pleased that you want to please me. But just remember I loved you before you were even born, I loved you before you even knew me, I loved you before you even got onto that boat.”

There is nothing that we can do for God to make Him love us. He already does love us; He loved us while we still hated Him, before we even knew what love was.

I am learning to stop striving to do good for God to earn His love and to make Him proud of me; He already was before I even got on the boat. Now I will rest in Him and enjoy Him. And please Him best by being obedient to Him.

Jeremiah 31:1

"I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself."

Romans 5:5, 8-11

We know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God's judgment. For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by his life. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God -- all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God.

Romans 8:28

We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love him and are called by him.

In His Love

Les

This is a good thing to do if you have a fundraising stall at a church fair or if you are just wanting to give as gifts... I print this Jelly bean prayer onto some small cards and then I make up bags of Jelly beans with each of the colours in them... fix a card to each packet of coloured Jelly beans and either give away as gifts or sell as a fund raiser on a stall. They are easy for kids to make as well..

Jelly Bean Prayer:

A JAR FULL OF JELLY BEANS
SO COLORFUL AND SWEET
IS A PRAYER, IS A PROMISE,
IS EVERYONE'S TREAT.

You’re growing old when:

Everything hurts and what doesn’t hurt doesn’t work.

The gleam in your eye is the sun hitting your bi -focals.

You feel like the morning after, but you haven’t been anywhere.

You get winded playing cards.

Your children begin to look middle aged.

A dripping tap causes an uncontrollable urge.

You know all the answers, but no body asks the questions.

You look forward to a dull evening.

You need glasses to find glasses.

You turn out the light for economy instead of romance.

You sit in a rocking chair but can’t make it go.

Your knees buckle but your belt wont.

Your back goes out more than you do.

You put your bra on back to front and it fits better.

Your little black book contains mainly names beginning with Dr.

Your house is too big and your medicine cabinet is not big enough.

You sink your teeth into a steak and they stay there.

Your birthday cake collapses from the weight of the candles.

We went to a dinner the other week and there were many people there from the church that we used to go to.

Its interesting at times just to sit and listen to the conversation. There were some people that were talking about their sinful past, almost in a sort of bragging way, and then there were some that were talking as if they never had a sinful past at all.

I sort of can identify with both groups in a way, because I have been guilty at times of talking about my past as if it is something to be proud of or at the least amusing at times.  I can also remember at times sitting there thinking I am so thankful I am not as bad or sinful as that person speaking is, what a joke!   The truth is that we have an old nature and it will act up if we let it.

Speaking from a country that experiences earthquakes almost daily,  I know the tremors after an earthquake are called ‘aftershocks.’  The same is true spiritually, even after we make that decision to follow Christ we will still have those tremors  'aftershocks'  of fear, lust, pride, and temptation.

I have been through some of these just lately and I know that I can either accept them or I can just send them to where they should go, they will and do pass if we stand up to them in the name of Jesus.

Today I verbalized that in God’s strength I will stand until the shaking quits…. Until the thunder stops rolling…. Until the midnight turns to the dawn… Until I feel that peace again…. Until the wave of loneliness passes….Until that feeling of invisability no longer matters... Until that feeling of uselessness goes...Until I stop making wrong choices... Until I see my physical healing…. Until the struggle is over!

Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me” [Phil 4:13] that word strengthens is a continual verb. He does not just strengthen me once; He does it repeatedly. He does it every time I face a difficult challenge, or when a memory comes back to try and haunt me, or when I face a really hard choice, or when I have those moments of self pity over maybe some things I didn’t get.

Some days I need a little more strength than others, but every time I receive it I run to ‘El-Shaddai - the nurturing, protecting One,’ and He is and will always be there for me.

In His love

Les