I am one of those people who take the Bible quite literally. I am a simple person with a simple faith. The Bible is written so that the simplest can understand it and obey. Of course, there are layers, and deeper meaning we can dig for, but I believe that the Bible says what it says. We can believe it. We can live by it. We SHOULD live by it. That’s why God gave it to us!

I was wondering....... do we really understand the authority we have in Christ’s name? It is such an amazing gift, and we don’t seem to know what to do with it. These verses about Jesus help us to understand the scope of His authority.

(Php 2:9-11 NLT) Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Here are some more mind-riveting verses.

(John 14:12-13 NLT) "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in Me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in My name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.

We can do GREATER works than Jesus? We can ask ANYTHING in His name? Yep. That’s what it says. Most of us cannot get our minds around that information! We think there must be some mistake, but the Bible does not contain mistakes. The problem is that we need to come closer to God’s heart. We need to pray with the wisdom and discernment that comes from the Holy Spirit instead of praying from our own want and despair. I am learning that when I line my will/wants up with God’s heart, and ask in Jesus name, that results can be expected.

(Mark 11:22-24 NLT) Then Jesus said to the disciples, "Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, 'May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours.

The conditions for praying the kind of prayer that moves mountains are: 1.) strong, unwavering faith, and 2.) making sure that what you are asking for is for the right reasons and motives. (Selfish, whining, spiteful, angry prayers are not going to get you anywhere!) 3.) assurance that this is according to God’s plan and heart. (He knows what is best for us, and as a loving parent, He is not going to say yes to anything that could hurt us or others.) and 4.) understanding that we have no power of our own, but we have permission to use the name of Jesus which comes with GREAT power and authority.

Sometimes I think of young David choosing the stones for his fight with Goliath. Don’t you think God helped him pick just the right stones – ones that would fly straight and true? Don’t you think He directed that sling and caused the shot to be a perfect hit? I do! I want my prayers to be like that, too! David believed God was with Him. It never crossed his mind that he could fail. THAT IS FAITH!

I believe if we pray according to these scriptures, we can expect to see change. We are learning. We are all growing. There is so much more for us to know if we will seriously pursue God. Isn’t it an exciting life?

Blessings!

Life can be hard. We know there are going to be trials, temptations and heartache. This is a broken, sinful world, and we are imperfect people. The good thing is that if we know God, we have a Savior. We have a Counselor and Provider. We have a Comforter and Healer. He is mighty. He is able do far above anything we could ever imagine. He is loving and merciful. Yes, troubles will come, but knowing HIM changes everything. We can find peace in any storm. We can find hope, wisdom and strength for every problem. We have His promise that He will never forsake us. His love never gives up or runs out.

With all this in mind, I have made a list of things we, as God's children, should be worrying about.

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10.

Yep. That's right. NOTHING.

(Php 4:6-7 NIV) Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Admittedly, I do get anxious about things. I think probably my biggest concerns are about my children. But, I have to remind myself that God is able to care for them without my help. I suppose one reason it is a bit hard for me is because for the first years of their lives, they were entrusted to my care, and I was the one who kissed their boo boos, protected them, rocked them, washed and fed them... all that stuff. But they are capable grown ups now with families of their own. Thankfully, both my girls and their husbands love and serve God. So.... they are in HIS amazing, strong, faithful hands.

So often we think in terms of CONTROL, when God wants us to LET GO! When we keep trying to solve every problem and work everything out, we are not giving God permission to do His thing. We tie ourselves up in knots worrying, scheming, striving, when we should just let go and trust. I am getting better at doing this for my own life, but I admit to struggling over my kids.

Sometimes God has to "smack me up" and sit me down to ask, "DO YOU REALLY TRUST ME? Do you believe I am able? Do you doubt My love or My abilities?"

"No, Lord. I know You love us and You can do ANYTHING."

"All right then. Let go, and let ME."

I love the way The Message Bible translates this portion of scripture. Soak in it today, my friends. Let go and let HIM!

(Mat 6:30-34 MSG) "If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers--most of which are never even seen--don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?

What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works.

Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

Good to know, yes?

The other day a friend and I were talking about all the amazing songs of commitment and surrender which are being sung in churches. I still remember has a child in our little country church singing:

I surrender all.
I surrender all.
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.

But really. Really? It is so easy, in the passion of the moment to sing it and think you mean it, isn't it? I surrender ALL? Everything? God is looking to see if we still mean it on Monday. If we only "feel it" on Sunday, and live any way we want to live the rest of the week, we cannot really say we have "surrendered all," can we? Could it be that we are singing LIES to GOD?

The Lord: I want you to teach the preteen Sunday School class.
Me: God, you know that age group scares me! And think how much earlier I would have to get up!

Yeah..... I surrender ALL. It's hard.

When God made it clear that He was calling my husband and I to move to Denmark, I did NOT want to surrender AT ALL. Nope. No way. I loved my life. I loved my job. I loved my family, my nation and my current way of life. It was really hard. Quitting my job, packing up my life, saying good bye to family and friends.... I thought I was going to die. When I hugged my mom, I literally had to pry her fingers off me. She did not want to let go. It broke my heart. But.... in the midst of it all, there was another song that was going around and around in my head. It's an old one by a group called Anointed.

For the sake of the call, I am laying down my all
No turning back, moving straight ahead
I'm on the right track, and its all for the sake of the call

It was on a day like no other seeking Your face when I discovered
My life was no longer my own, but Yours
But then I heard you say Go and tell them. Open your heart
Let me in and I will supply your every need

Then I cried, Lord, I dont know if I can do it
You will find your strength in Me, only believe
Then I said, What if I fail? I just couldnt take it
He said, I have given you My ability

For the sake of the call, I am laying down my all
No turning back, moving straight ahead
Im on the right track, and its all for the sake of the call

You see, Jesus bought me with His own blood. Literally. So, it is not my life anymore. I don't get to decide everything. Yet, there are so many Christians who don't seem to get that. (Including me, sometimes!) You know, I didn't die. I have thrived. I have grown. It has been so exciting and rewarding! I am so glad I obeyed, even though I did drag my feet quite a lot!

How about this song:

I'm yours Lord! Everything I've got
Everything I am. Everything I'm not.
I'm yours Lord! Try me now and see
See if I can be completely yours.

And God listens while we sing. God watches how we live.

This is the air I breathe
This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me

This is my daily bread
This is my daily bread
Your very word, spoken to me

And I... I'm desparate for you
And I... I'm lost without you

It is incredible how patient God is. It is also incredible how selfish, stubborn and UN-Christ like we, God's own people can be.

Saying no to God has a price. If you do that enough times, God will just stop asking. You will wonder why your relationship with Him has grown cold. Or... maybe you won't even notice.

God wants to be first in our lives. God wants us to BURN for Him. He wants us to love Him with such passion, that there is NOTHING we won't do, and no where we aren't willing to go if He asks. As Keith Green so aptly wrote in his song, To Obey is Better Than Sacrifice, "If you can't come to Him every day, then don't bother coming at all."

We wonder why the world is in such a mess. We "tut tut" at the sin and the scandals and the filth and the lies. Do we ever wonder WHY the world is going down? Do we ever ask why it is that sin abounds? Sorry, it is not the president's fault. It is not the fault of the porn industry or Hollywood. It is not the drug pushers or prostitutes that are responsible. It's only my humble opinion, but I think the problem is Christians who would rather sing about commitment than BE committed -- who would rather sing about serving and loving Him than really doing it. Christians who would rather be comfortable than obey God. Lukewarm Christians.

Please, don't be one.