Out with the Old. In with the New.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV)

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

The Presence of the Lord

How can you deny God when you see something like this?

There is Always a Blessing on the Other Side of Obedience

Recently, I have received a few offers to work elsewhere and make more money with more desirable perks and benefits. But my spirit was ill at ease with the thought of pursuing those options. I knew it was not the will of God and I would be disobedient to even explore such options. I wanted it bad, real bad. And although my flesh was saying that I wouldn’t hurt to just see what they have to offer, my spirit whipped out the red light and siren, and screamed out “Holt. Do not go there!”

I must admit, it has been hard for me to sit back and wait out this wave. Things have not been good and there have been times that I am shattered in my heart from the constant lashing that seems to go on. My flesh is bruised, beaten and stripped. Pride, what pride? Humbleness has come out of humility and oh how that hurts. IT DOESN’T FEEL GOOD!

“And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice…“ (1 Samuel 15:22). To sacrifice means the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim (dictionary.com). To obey means to comply with or follow (a command, restriction, wish, instruction, etc.) (dictionary.com). My flesh was not happy because I had to surrender or give up something. I had to surrender a higher salary. I had to surrender some of my pride. I had to surrender prized and desirable things, which my mind calculated out to “defeat”. Although my spirit was obeying or following the will of God, my flesh was feeling defeated. I had to surrender my desire in order to follow (another icky word in our vocabulary) Another’s desire. This goes against the grain of our (humanly) well being. After all, it is the “It’s all about me” era.

But oh, what a friend we have in Jesus! Now this is where Jesus is so good. In all of my surrendering, it never occurred to me that I have been accumulating towards God’s blessings. There is always a blessing on the other side of obedience! God will not punish us for our obedience, but He may punish us for our sacrifice (Check out the story of Cain and Abel). YOU CAN’T GO WRONG WHEN YOU OBEY GOD. God is not going to turn His back on us and say “You shouldn’t have listened to me, stupid”. He does not play games. There are blessings in obedience, multiple blessings! When we obey God, he is happy with us; when He is happy with us, we are happy. When we obey God, we receive His favor; we are directly dialed into The Blessing Line. When we obey God, we are protected and secured; no weapon formed against us can prevail. Plus when we obey God, we are helping others; “For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19 KJV)

Wow! I can’t even put into words what this makes me feel. I couldn’t do this feeling justice. What I will say is this, I surrender! There is something better waiting for me behind door #2, OBEDIENCE. Where there is obedience, there is favor. Where there is favor, there is God. Where God is, is where I want to be. Where I want to be is in heaven. There is a higher claim and a higher name! His name is JESUS.

Out-of-Shape

Wow! Signs From Above had practice tonight. I am not ashamed to say that I practice on a regular basis but still take more breaks than these young ladies. I have a decade (whoa! that makes me sound old) or more over them, but I am holding my ground. At least until Sgt. Ariel got to me. She showed me this exercise called "36" and I began to feel 36 after I did only half of one of those.

I don't understand. Ladies, how is it that we can work all day and be so out of shape? I mean, I go to work, I come home, make dinner (this is a random affair in my household), go to the store, go home, clean here, clean there, do dishes, help kids with homework, get ready for the next day, go go go. We are always going, but our bodies haven't caught up with the lingo yet. All the stuff we do, should at least be considered extra credit! LOL!

Don't Play Chicken with God

Have you ever played the game of Chicken? You know, the game where you test your "courage" by playing some crazy dangerous game against someone else. Whomever backs out of the challenge first is considered a chicken. I am sure there is a better way of explaining this game and I am also sure the you probably know what I am talking about. Most people play these games as juveniles, some continue on well past their adolescence. As much as we'd like to think that we don't play it anymore, I'd like to pose this question to you, have you recently played Chicken with God?

You know, "just a little bit more and I will stop". "Well, it can wait until tomorrow". "Really, tomorrow I will change". "I have plenty of time to ask for forgiveness, today is just not that day". This does not have to apply to what we think are "big sins", this can as easily be applied to what could be considered "small sins". Although all sins are viewed as the same in God's eyes, "Big sins" start somewhere. And just remember, the "bigger" our sins tend to get, the less of a sin the "small" ones seem to be.

I know that there are things I am guilty of. And no, I am not going to share. =) However, I do want to say that playing Chicken with God is useless because He always wins. Whether you decide that you are never backing down or that you will just back down for now, YOU LOSE. God has the last call. After all, He is The Judge and has the final call on our eternity.

So, be a wise man, not a fool. Don't go playing Chicken with God. As Mr. T use to say, "I pity the fool!"

The Fire of the Holy Ghost

God is amazing. His power and glory are unfathomable. His favor and mercy are unexplainable and his Love is enduring. While the Fire of His Holy Ghost sweeps over us and consumes us, He fills us with such joy and excitement. The bacteria of fear, sickness, troubled minds, financial downfalls, " " (you fill in the blank) are burned down by the fire of the Holy Ghost and replaced with "Power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7). It is dumbfounding to me how in such an uncontainable and uncontrollable God, we find such peace and order and love.