Week 4

Week 4

There are moments when I read passages like the one from last week that are full of promise, hope, and future, that I find myself doubting and/or anxious. I feel completely inadequate and untrained for the task at hand. I feel there is list of accomplishments that I must achieve in order to be able to live in such a way. The mere idea of being able to live in the fullness of Christ seems impossible to attain. My mind battles desperately with this idea that I must do something to earn this right of Freedom, the right to be one of His children, to live in the fullness of who He is and in the fullness of who He created me to be. I cringe to think of how my living in such a way cheapens the price that was paid for me, like it wasn’t enough that HE died for me and for YOU. I often live in this struggle it seems between pursuit of Him and doubt and fear. So often I get so hopeless that I just turn it all off, give up, and stick my head in the sand. I am tired of this back and forth between being full of faith and hope, and despair and drudgery. I want to be Free from doubt and hopelessness, and firmly planted in Him. However, if I am to be firmly planted in Him I have to know how to seek Him. For me this was not something that I really understood how to do until my adulthood. Of course there are prayer and bible studies, but what I mean is to seek truth straight from His Word. I mean seriously it is called HIS WORD for a reason…Why am I just now getting that???

This week I want you to choose the passage that you will study. It can be a “life verse”, one that has recently spoken to you, or you may take some time to pray and ask the Lord to reveal one to you, but you are to choose it. We need to start running to THE WORD for a word, for life, and to be fed. Far too often in my own life I’ve run to “Godly” friends, pastors, parents, bible studies, blogs, etc, but very rarely to the actual Word of God. This is where He is found, where we will be fed without fail, and where we will find life and freedom. Let us Dive into Him.

Verse :

Day 1:  Initial Read/Context

              - What stands out to you at first glance in this passage?

  

              - Who is this passage written to, what was going on before, during and after, and what is

                 being said and thought?

  

Day2:  Truths

               -What does this passage teach me about the author?

  

                -What does this passage teach me about God?

               -What can I learn about who I am in Christ?

Day 3:  Promises

               -What promises are being given in this passage?

Day 4:  Commands

               -What commands am I being given?

Day 5;  Apply

              -How can I specifically apply what I have learned from this passage to how I am living

               today?

             -What is God revealing to me about Himself?

             -What is God revealing to me about myself and who I am in Him?

The last four weeks of this study has taken us through four very different passages of scripture that have been linked in progression of God’s heart for us. The first one we looked at was the Gospel, God’s gift, our redemption, and a call to be light. The second passage we looked at the cost of following Christ and the reward that He grants to those who lose their lives for His sake. The third passage was a declaration of freedom, hope, and promise...That we are more than conquerors. Lastly, you chose one of your own. Whatever passage you may have chosen, whether Old Testament or New Testament, it all comes back to God’s desire for us to revel in the Gospel, dying to ourselves, and to Rise Up in pursuit of Him, in pursuit of MORE. He desires for us to walk as more than conquerors in all that we do, declaring the Gospel, dying to ourselves, and being FREE. Let us Rise up, Pursue Christ, and be FREE.  

Week 3 Wrap Up

This last week we started out our personal study time with a question.

Do you ever feel held back (possibly by something in your past, fear, doubt, anger, or shame)? If yes, then by what? 

During our discussion time I did not want to linger here. I wrote in the study that we need to lay those things down before the Father and allow Him to redeem and restore those broken areas. We did however listen to "Restoration" by David Brymer. You can find the YouTube video of the song here. God's desire for us is not to remain in our shame, pain, and brokenness, but to take that and give us a new place...to restore us, redeem us, and make us whole. He can...will we believe that HE CAN???

Joel 2:25-27
"I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame." 

The passage that we looked at this week was:

Romans 8:31-39

"31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.[j] 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

On Saturday we talked about the passage from week 2, Luke 9:23-27, where it talked about deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow me, and how after reading that we can be charged up and excited, but then all of a sudden we are stuck with this feeling of why, how, and complete inadequacy. I feel like I'm "doing" so much for "the faith", and how could I add more to my list of "duties". Well, that is not what it was talking about...it is not a list of things to add to our already mundane and tedious task list, but a lifestyle...THE WAY we need to be living. Once we begin to live that "deny, take up your cross daily, and follow HIM" lifestyle everything else will fall into it's place and God will meet the need for the day. 

Romans 8:31-37 starts out with "If God is for us who can be against us?". Honestly, most days I think the whole world is against me, my kids, my husband, everybody, and anybody. I think if we are not careful we can very easily pitch a tent and camp out at our own pity party (poor me nobody likes me) and I've done that more times that I care to admit, even today. I...WE need to live with the mindset of who cares about what everyone might think of us...GOD IS FOR US...NO ONE CAN BE AGAINST US!!! NO ONE!!!!! That pity party that we throw ourselves, yep that one you are finding yourself in repeatedly, is just you listening to the lies that the DEVIL is whispering into your ear right now. QUIT IT!!! GOD IS FOR YOU!!!

The passage continues down in verse 32 "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" Okay, so like the first week in John 3:16 we see again that God gave His only Son for us. He did this because of His great love for us, to redeem us, to restore us, and to KNOW us. He wants to know you not just know about you. I mean seriously He gave His Son for us and we live 1) in pity party mode or 2) in I just can't or I just won't. Whatever the reason is that we either park our rear in 1) or 2) we need to know that He is ready and waiting to give us all things GRACIOUSLY!!! Wake UP PEOPLE!!!! GOD SENT HIS SON TO DIE FOR YOU AND ABOVE AND BEYOND THAT HE WANTS TO GIVE YOU MORE, even though you doubt Him, His nature, His LOVE, and HIS GOODNESS!!! HE WANTS TO GIVE YOU MORE!!! How is it that I stick my head so far down into my own mess and mire that I miss that in my everyday living. Am I so stubborn that I refuse to work this out in my own life? Am I so lazy that I refuse to try and put clothes on this and MAKE it applicable to me? He, GOD, wants to give to ME!!!

As we go on into the passage we see that NO ONE can bring any charge against us (GOD'S ELECT), not even ourselves. So often that pity party gets old and tired, but I don't know what to do. I start to blame myself. I begin to develop a "PLAN" to get out of that pit...a plan to try harder, be better, do more. I'm not the one who has justified me, so I have no right to condemn myself. Moreover, Christ died for us, but even in our muck of a lifestyle He is interceding for us. Christ who died for us is beseeching the Father on our behalf. What LOVE there is in that... in HIM, and there is nothing that can separate us from that LOVE. 

Lastly, we saw that through Him that loved us we are made MORE THAN CONQUERORS. Has anyone's love, affection, or encouragement ever made you feel like you could do anything, tackle, or accomplish anything you set your mind to do? Whether yes or no, this passage should do that for us. We no longer have to walked in the mire of our past, our current pity party, or in fear of what the future may hold. We are made more than conquerors through Christ, and there is nothing...NOTHING that can separate us from that, from HIM, or from HIS LOVE. 

Now, what would our lives look like if we were to shake free, rise up, and walk out of our mire, our dirt, our shame, our anger, our resentment, our self loathing, our own righteousness, and walked in light of HIS LOVE as MORE THAN CONQUERORS. What would it look like if you just radically stepped out in faith and did something bold for JESUS, proclaimed life and liberty to others entrenched in the mire of their DIY faith or MORE SO to those who are LOST and DYING. What if you were to RISE UP and boldly obey what Christ is calling you to do? What if??? LET US RISE UP!!!

Week 3

Week 3

Question:

Do you ever feel held back (possibly by something in your past, fear, doubt, anger or shame)? If yes, then by what?

Whatever you may have written above, before you go any further, surrender that to Christ at the foot of the cross. This journey is hard and scary, exciting and wonderful, but if you have something…something holding you back, weighing you down, holding you captive, I plead with you to surrender it. It is only when we relinquish our hold on things or rebuke those things that have a hold of us that we can passionately, wholeheartedly pursue the heart of Christ. I so often have held too tightly to my anger, fear, and shame, and have allowed those things to become a defining force in my life. Now, as I look back, I see so much time wasted and how much I’ve missed of what Christ has wanted to show me and what He has wanted to bless me with. Please, do not think for a moment that these things that haunt you or that you battle against are insignificant or meaningless, they are not. However, they can be such an incredible part of your story and speak so clearly to the goodness, faithfulness, and sovereignty of God when you let go and allow Him to redeem each and every moment that has been stolen from you.  

Joel 2:25-27

“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame.”

Let us no longer feast on our baggage and condemnation, but let us revel in the Lord, in His Grace, and His mercy. Let us pursue Him. You are made for More than this. Be freed, in Jesus name.

                                                                                                                                                                   

  

Now, after this last week of studying laying aside my wishes, wants, whims and rights I found myself wondering “why”. Why should I deny myself and follow? Even if I don’t verbalize this “why” question to myself I certainly live it out in my day to day routine. I walk in an almost absent minded “Christian” stupor. All is well if I do what I know, stick to my routine and what is on the schedule. On Sundays I go to church and often serve, and I may even attend a midweek bible study. However, my day to day…no my moment to moment lifestyle is not reflective of a hunger, a passion, a desperation, or an unquenchable thirst for Him.

Honestly, most days I’m in survival mode trying to keep all the plates spinning. I think if we look at our lives we will find we live in pursuit of making it to the next thing and miss Jesus. I put Him into my schedule instead of allowing Him to rule my schedule…NO to RULE MY HEART. I remove Christ from the equation of my moment to moment living allowing Him only into the moments that I may have penciled Him in.  I’m sorry but that is RIDICULOUS living!!! No wonder we are tired and worn out. NO WONDER WE FEEL SO EMPTY. No wonder we crave something MORE. We have been missing THE FULLNESS of CHRIST. If we only allow Him into select moments and not EVERY moment to moment breath, thought, and decision then we are simply missing The Fullness that He has intended for us, and that He paid so much for us to experience. Are we taking Jesus’ death for granted? Are we living oppressed? Are we living our lives in fullest appreciation of the price that was so graciously given to us?  Are you ready to be Free, and overflowing with Him, allowing Him to reign supreme in every nook and cranny of your life? I want that…I need that. DO YOU??? 

Romans 8:31-37 (ESV)

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

  

Day 1:  Initial Read/Context

              - What stands out to you at first glance in this passage?

              - Who is this passage written to, what was going on before, during and after, and what is

                 being said and thought?

Day2:  Truths

               -What does this passage teach me about the author?

  

               -What does this passage teach me about God?

               -What can I learn about who I am in Christ?

Day 3:  Promises

               -What promises are being given in this passage?

  

Day 4:  Commands

               -What commands am I being given?

Day 5;  Apply

              -How can I specifically apply what I have learned from this passage to how I am living

               today?

  

               -What is God revealing to me about Himself?

            -What is God revealing to me about myself and who I am in Him?

  

Wow!!! What freedom, promise, and hope are found in that passage! I don’t know about you, but that gets me excited about Christ and all that He has in store for me. Here in this passage we find a place of security, but also a challenge. I am tired of living entrenched in my task list, afraid to veer in any direction, not knowing what will happen to all those spinning plates I’ve got going. I’m so fearful of failing that I don’t even attempt to do anything other than just be GOOD. I try to be a Good Christian, Wife, Mother, and Friend, but all I reap is anxiety and stress and this nagging feeling of loneliness and desperation.

We have got to wake up and live a life based on the truth that “God is FOR us”…NOT “God is sitting in heaven grading every little thing that we attempt to try and do, utterly disappointed with us at every turn”. We are HIS Children, I am HIS. I am Free in HIM. There is nothing that can separate ME or YOU from the Love of Christ. NOTHING!!! We have got to come to the realization that we are free from the law, free from trying to do better and be better.                We, humanity, could not live by the law as we see all throughout the OLD TESTAMENT. There was no being able to keep it all together. That is why Christ paid the price for us. He bridged the gap for us so that we would be free. He died and rose from the dead and made us MORE than Conquerors through Him.

Let us shake free of the self imposed routines, law, and rituals that we root ourselves in and allow Christ to be in our every moment and order our steps according to His will and plan. Let us have faith to allow Him to unfurl His plan for our lives. Let us walk as MORE than conquerors claiming those around us for the Kingdom, setting the captives free. We are Free…Let us LIVE LIKE IT! 

Week 2 Wrap Up

This week we took a look at how we define ourselves and some of our wishes, wants, and desires. I really want to reiterate that some of those things in and of themselves are not wrong or worthless endeavors  However, if we allow those things to cloud our judgment or distract us from the point, from the pursuit of Christ and His call on our lives then we need to lay aside our priorities and allow Christ to realign our hearts, minds, and wills to what He desires for us. Maybe what is needed is to literally write out all that we do, are, want, and wish; then lay all of it before Christ allowing Him to give back those things He wants us to have and even replace some of them with something so much better, deeper, and richer. Many times we are so controlling or afraid of the “WHAT IF” that we cower at this idea??? I’ll be honest…I AM!!!  This is a very tough concept to embrace. I like my way of doing things and the nice little life that I have. I need to believe that God is greater than all my fears, that He loves me in spite of them, and that He is SOVEREIGN, FAITHFUL, and GOOD and that His plan for me is far better than anything that I could conjure or manipulate into being for myself.

Now the passage for this week was, 

Luke 9:23-27
23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and ofthe holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

It talks specifically about Denying ourselves, Taking up our Cross Daily, and following Him. To many of us that seems like a really daunting task. It’s just more to add to our already long list of “TO-DO’s” that we allow to dictate our way of life. However, that is not the case here. This is not a list of things to be added to our List, but of WAY in which we are CALLED to LIVE if we are going to call ourselves HIS followers. I thin in today's age of Christianity we have linked the word "CHRISTIAN" with the idea of being a good person, going to church, etc. We fail to live a life of self sacrifice, of denying our rights, and truly pursuing Christ. We also think the phrase "Take up our Cross Daily" means that we have some burden to bear or a particular ailment or thorn in our side, however this is not what that phrase means. To take up our cross means to literally die to our rights. If we were to truly grasp the gravity of who we are, if we stopped with the self satisfying mindset, and self gratifying lifestyle we live, I think that we would be able to see that we are worthy of nothing more that death and hell. Ha...not so fun to think about...but it's the truth. You and I deserve to die and go to hell. BUT GOD!!! 

As we saw last week He paid the price so that no one would perish. What is our response to that??? What is our response to the fact that Jesus bore the death, the punishment that you and I deserve??? It should be WHOA is ME, as we bow down in Worship, not this self seeking, what more can I get, lifestyle we've embodied for far to long. This kind of lifestyle takes consistent discipline, integrity, and Radical Love. We are going to be one of two 1)Ashamed or 2) A Follower. Which will you be? The choice is yours?

Week 2

Week 2

This week I want to start with a simple exercise. List Ten things below that define you:

They can be titles (daughter, wife, mother, friend, etc.), hobbies (photography, crafting, pinteresting, etc.) or interests (television, reading, facebook, etc).

1.

                                   

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Now if you could do anything without thought of duty, cost, or situation what would it be?

List as many things as you would like.

  

These are a couple of exercises that I had to do myself a few months ago when the verses for this week so clearly interrupted my way of doing life.

I am a friend, daughter, wife, and mother who loves to write, cook, craft, and watch television. I’m addicted to my iphone, and I check facebook at every phone buzz. If I could do anything I’d travel the world and learn the history of places and their significance in time.

That is how I defined myself and my desires in those two exercises. I didn’t take the time to think about my answers; I just shot from the hip. I wanted to be honest with myself and try not to give churchy answers.

Now, none of these things in and of themselves are bad, but they certainly aren’t the point. Everything I wrote was all ME centered. Nowhere did I mention being a follower of Chirst, doing mission work, feeding the poor, or taking care of orphans. Nowhere did I put to surrender to the call of Christ on my life, share the Gospel, or love others selflessly and unconditionally. It is all me centered. When I view my life and how I define it, and what my dreams are, my first inclination is to do it through the lens of ME, MINE, I WANT, and I DESERVE.

As we study this next passage let us pray that our lives would be defined through the lens of Christ’s calling and will for our lives. Let us be transparent before Him, taking time each day to not only pray but to put away anything that may distract. Also, ask that the Lord to guard your time with Him. Satan loves to keep us distracted just enough to miss it, to miss Christ and His desire for us.

Luke 9:23-27 (ESV)

²³ And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. ²⁴ For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. ²⁵ For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? ²⁶ For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. ²⁷ But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

 Day 1:  Initial Read/Context

              - What stands out to you at first glance in this passage?

  

               - Who is this passage written to, what was going on before, during and after, and what is

                 being said and thought?

  

 Day2:  Truths

               -What does this passage teach me about the author?

  

                -What does this passage teach me about God?

                 -What can I learn about who I am in Christ?

 Day 3:  Promises

               -What promises are being given in this passage?

  

 Day 4:  Commands

               -What commands am I being given?

 Day 5;  Apply

              -How can I specifically apply what I have learned from this passage to how I am living

               today?

                -What is God revealing to me about Himself?

  

  

            -What is God revealing to me about myself and who I am in Him?

  

This week has been a challenge for me. Deny, take up my cross, and follow, as we saw in this passage, is not easy and certainly doesn’t come naturally. However, if we truly desire MORE we need to realize that this is the cost. There is a subconscious and often times a conscious exchange going on in our everyday lives; a battle of the will for our hearts and minds. We make decisions to pursue duty, hobbies, interests, dreams, etc. first, and make Christ secondary or last. Honestly, we may not even give Him a thought during our day other than maybe praying at meal time or bed time. I’ll be the first to admit that this happens regularly in my life. Why do you think that we are so hungry, so unfulfilled, and so desperate for MORE? We need to wake up to the fact that the More we are so desperate for is Him and NOTHING is going to fill that space. How heartbreaking it would be to get to the end of our lives having busied ourselves in some of the most spiritual church endeavors and completely missed the point. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to get to the end of my life feeling like it was all for nothing. Yes, we need to be serving but not out of vein pursuit of fulfillment but because we have looked intently into the face of Christ, been changed by Him, and want others to experience the same, to know Christ and be known by Him.

The question is this, are you willing to abandon your wants and wishes…your hopes and dreams in pursuit of Him?

 Do you believe that He has something far greater in store for you than anything you could ever dream?

Will we believe that He is who He says He is, and surrender to His call on our lives no matter the price?

 I’ll be honest that thought scares me to death, but God is Faithful. Will you be obedient?

Week 1 Wrap Up

This last week we looked at:

John 3:16-21 (ESV) 
 “For God so loved the world,[i] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

To be honest when the Lord first placed this passage on my heart I was reluctant to use it. John 3:16 is such an anthem verse for Christianity that I think many of us carry it around with an "I got this" mentality and/or have become desensitized to it's power, promise, and life. In my own life I've taken it for granted. It wasn't until I processed through the before and after, the history, the author, the speaker, the audience, and the implications and applications that it has, both then and now, that new life was breathed into me as I saw this passage in a fresh light.

One of the first things that we talked about was some of the back-story of this passage. The book of John was written by John, son of Zebedee, a fisherman by trade, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus, and brother to James and Peter. It was written between 70-100 AD to both Jews and Gentiles. This particular passage is an account of part of the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. Now, Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Governing body in religious matters. You may recall in Matthew 26:57-67 that Jesus is brought before the Sanhedrin. They were in search of false evidence in order to convict and crucify Him.

Second, we talked of God's love and how He was willing to sacrifice HIS ONLY Son for our Redemption, Restoration, and to so that we could have Relationship with Him. Being a Mom I couldn't imagine sending one of my daughters into a torturous experience to die for people that I love and adore much less people that have rejected me and turned their backs on me time and time again. BUT God in His great love for us DID. He aches to know us, for us to be made whole, and to be Restored to Himself, and to live in the relationship that He originally intended for us to have, as in the Garden of Eden.

Third, we talked about believing. What does it really mean to believe? Would our lives look any differently if we truly believed that He sent His son because of  His love for us and not to condemn us? Would our lives look any differently if we truly believed  that He is the one who saves and gives life? Would our lives look any differently if we truly believed that He is who He says He is?

Fourth, we dove a little deeper into what it is to be condemned. To often we live in a realm of condemnation, I'm not pretty enough, not smart enough, not clever enough, not good enough, not faithful enough.
This is not how God sees us. He did not send His Son to earth so that we might wallow in the mire of condemnation. NO He did so to give us LIFE...ETERNAL LIFE!!! 1 John 4 speaks to the fact that we do not have to fear (condemnation or anything for that matter), perfect love (Christ) casts our fear.

Last, we talked about what it is to be in the light, not just pretending to be in the light, but fully in the light. We shared how we all have places in our lives that we would not want light shined on. I mean for me, I like to watch TV and of course there have been lots of new ones starting up recently and I have to ask myself would I be blameless or embarrassed or ashamed if Christ shined the light on me in this moment watching this. For you it may be a specific type of book, website, gossip column, group of friends, that are not light. Christ is very clear here we need to be fully in the light.

My prayer for us is that we would bask in the FREEDOM we have through the cross, that we would daily live in a way that honors Christ, the gospel, and what was given at the cross. That we would step boldly out in faith BELIEVING in who God is...Believing that He has set us free and live liberated. That we would no longer live in condemnation but in life, being able to pour out life into those around us. That we would be bold enough to look our Savior in the face and ask Him to reveal to us any area of darkness that needs to come to the light and that we would be OBEDIENT to surrender that Darkness to THE LIGHT our Savior...Our REDEEMER...OUR LORD.