Saturday Song – In Jesus’ Name (and a little something extra)

Good morning (or afternoon or evening!), everyone. I wanted to share a couple of things with you today.  

First, I came across a message this morning I wanted to share with you light of yesterday’s blog. It was written in 1980 by a man in Rwanda who was killed for not renouncing his faith in Christ. After his death, this statement was found posted on the wall in his room. He had written it the night before. 

I’m a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I’m a disciple of His and I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure. I’m done and finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, or first, or tops, or recognized, or praised, or rewarded. I live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by Holy Spirit power.

My face is set. My gait is fast. My goal is heaven. My road may be narrow, my way rough, my companions few, but my guide is reliable and my mission is clear.

I will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice or hesitate in the presence of the adversary. I will not negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won’t give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus. I must give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He does come for His own, He’ll have no problems recognizing me. My colors will be clear!

We are the Fellowship of the Son!

And second, because of my fellowship with a beautiful sister in the Lord at church last Sunday, she reminded me of this song that so encouraged me, and I thought was also appropriate to share with you today. 

This life is hard, and sometimes it’s even harder for us who are trying to walk the walk of faith because that makes us a target of the enemy, like the man in Rwanda. I know there’s pain, I know there’s suffering, believe me, I know. But I also know there’s healing in Christ. He wants to heal your heart and mind. It doesn’t usually happen overnight, but if you’ll begin, in faith, offering Him the pieces of your heart, He’ll begin putting them back together. If you’re hurting today, I pray for your healing, in Jesus’ Name. If you would like specific prayer, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or send me an email. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

For Him,
Dorci


In Jesus’ Name (God of Possible)

by Katy Nichole

I speak the name of Jesus over you
In your hurting, in your sorrow
I will ask my God to move
I speak the name ’cause it’s all that I can do
In desperation, I’ll seek Heaven
And pray this for you
 
I pray for your healing
That circumstances would change
I pray that the fear inside would flee in Jesus’ name
I pray that a breakthrough would happen today
I pray miracles over your life in Jesus’ name, in Jesus’ name
 
I speak the name of all authority
Declaring blessings, every promise
He is faithful to keep
I speak the name no grave could ever hold
He is greater, He is stronger
He’s the God of possible
 
I pray for your healing
That circumstances would change
I pray that the fear inside would flee in Jesus’ name
I pray that a breakthrough would happen today
I pray miracles over your life in Jesus name
In Jesus’ name
 
Come believe it
Come receive it
Oh, the power of His Spirit is now forever yours
Come believe it
Come receive it
In the mighty name of Jesus, all things are possible
 
I pray for your healing
That circumstances will change
I pray that the fear inside will flee in Jesus’ name
I pray that a breakthrough
Would happen today

I pray miracles over your life in Jesus name
I pray for revival
For restoration of faith
I pray that the dead will come alive in Jesus name
In Jesus’ name

Saturday Song – Remind Me Who I Am

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!
And that is what we are!”

1 John 3:1a

 
Remind Me Who I Am
by Jason Gray
 
When I lose my way
And I forget my name
Remind me who I am
In the mirror, all I see
Is who I don’t wanna be
Remind me who I am
 
In the loneliest places
When I can’t remember what grace is
 
Tell me, once again
Who I am to You, who I am to You
Tell me, lest I forget
Who I am to You, that I belong to You
To You
 
When my heart is like a stone
And I’m running far from home
Remind me who I am
When I can’t receive Your love
Afraid I’ll never be enough
Remind me who I am
 
If I’m Your beloved
Can You help me believe it
 
Tell me, once again
Who I am to You, who I am to You
Tell me, lest I forget
Who I am to You, that I belong to You
To You
 
I’m the one You love
I’m the one You love
That will be enough
I’m the one You love
 
Tell me, once again
Who I am to You, who I am to You
Tell me, lest I forget
Who I am to You, that I belong to You, woah
 
Tell me, once again
Who I am to You, who I am to You
Tell me, lest I forget
Who I am to You, that I belong to You
To You
To You

Sounds of the Cross

“Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed Him in a purple robe and went up to Him again and again, saying, ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ And they slapped Him in the face.

As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, ‘Crucify! Crucify!'”
John 19:1-3

 

Walking Through Holy Week – 6

“While He was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss Him, but Jesus asked Him, ‘Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?’

When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, ‘Lord, should we strike with our swords?’  And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.

But Jesus answered, ‘No more of this!’ And He touched the man’s ear and healed him.”
Luke 22:47-51

“Come!”

“And because lawlessness will abound,
the love of many will grow cold.”
~Jesus

Matthew 24:12

I’ve been thinking about these words a lot lately. It’s easy to read them and assume that it’s the people who practice lawlessness whose love will grow cold, and that’s certainly true. 

But in my own heart I’ve seen how easy it is to simply sit and watch or read about the wickedness going on around us and become angry. Yes, we should have a degree of righteous anger, but if we’re not careful, that righteous anger can turn into self-righteousness, judgment, bitterness, and with them the loss of grace, mercy, faith, and love. 

We can get our eyes onto other’s sins and off our own, and forget how much we need forgiveness ourselves. Over time, a lack of repentance and the guilt that sets in can keep us from sitting in the presence of the Lord, the Source of the love we so desperately need.  

And slowly, replacing a tender heart of love, anger begins to fester, and the enemy slowly leads us away, not from salvation, but from fellowship with our gracious Heavenly Father. 

“You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.”
1 Thessalonians 5:5-8

Let’s be alert, filled with the Holy Spirit, resisting the enemy, abiding in the love of Christ, the One who is able to rescue us from ourselves, and remember the hope Jesus gives in the next breath after His words we started with at the beginning:

“But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”  Matthew 24:13

That word “endures” means “to stay under or behind, remain, to undergo, bear trials, have fortitude, persevere, abide, patiently suffer…”

Yes, we’re living in hard times, but remember, the things of this life are not the goal, this life is not the end, it is the beginning. It is the training ground for the life to come; it is where we cling to Christ, and even more through those very hardships, receiving His character for ourselves, growing into spiritual maturity, prepared for what He has for us in the next. 

So let us “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2

If followers of Christ should be characterized by anything, it should be by His love. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

So what should our response be to the violence, the hatred, the blatant disregard for life we see around us? Yes, be angry at the sin, yes, be angry at the enemy and the war he’s declared on Almighty God, and then let’s emulate our Lord and Savior who was filled with love and prayed from the cross that His Father would forgive those who put Him there. 

We, too, can let the love God’s given us through the filling of the Holy Spirit lead us to pray for those who are caught in the sin. We can ask our gracious and merciful Heavenly Father to grant them repentance and salvation, pulling them back from the pit of hell, just like He did for us. 

So, if you’ve drifted away from the Lord or you deliberately walked away for whatever reason, and your love has grown cold, or maybe your faith is there but it’s lukewarm, which Christ said was even worse than being cold (because it’s so deceiving), or maybe you’ve never given your life to Christ and you know there is something missing, something you desperately need and have been looking for but haven’t yet found, today is the day.

Christ is ready, willing, and able to forgive you and receive you and fill you with His love, a love that is able to go far above and beyond all other loves, a love that will quench our thirsty souls, renew hearts and minds, and heal us more than we can imagine, and this is what He says to you:

“The Spirit and the bride (followers of Christ) say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.”  Revelation 22:17

“Come!”