Resurrection Morning

How courageous were the daughters who had been set free,
How driven with passion and love for their Savior.
They had a plan,
A plan to anoint His body with oil, herbs, spices, perfume,
All with the desire to love on Him, the only way they now knew.

They set out knowing there was a boulder covering the entrance.
But this fact did not deter them.
They only had one desire,
To behold His face again, to touch His garment once more,
To pour out their offerings of oil and incense upon Him
On Him, the One, who had touched their lives and set them free.
They were driven by this desire,
The hindrance of the boulder did not damper their persistence.

Somehow, someway, they knew they would get in.

What joy and excitement filled their hearts when they observed that the boulder had been rolled away.
How fast they ran to enter, to behold their beloved One.
As they entered their joy turned to dismay and sorrow,
As they cried, "He is not Here!"

Suddenly the emptiness of the tomb disappeared as light surrounded them.
In the brightness, they saw two men dressed in dazzling white.
"Why seek the living among the dead?" they heard them say.
Alive, they ponder, our Lord alive?
"He said He would rise from the dead on the 3rd day," the men reminded them

Hope, joy excitement and anticipation returned as they remembered and received those words.

How speedily those daughters ran to their next destination, Jesus disciples.
With joy and excitement they told their story.

But their story of joy and excitement were met with, "Nonsense, silly women telling stories."
Unbelief

Unbelief cannot dream,
Unbelief cannot imagine, cannot run, cannot dance, cannot hope, 
Unbelief cannot receive the promise, cannot receive the gift of joy.

Unbelief remains fearful, hopeless, limited, powerless.
Unbelief closes the provision, shuts the outpouring He desires to give.

Two Choices...what different outcomes!
_________________________________________________________________________________________

The Power of God

The tomb was sealed,
The stone was the sealed,
The guards were posted.
The enemy thought he had won, killed the Son, proven himself a winner.

But, can a sealed tomb stop the power of the living God?
Can a sealed stone stop the destiny of the Lord Jesus?
Can guards and soldiers frustrate the plans of God Almighty?

Absolutely Not!

Our God, not dead but alive,
 Alive with power and glory
Desiring now to indwell me with the same power that caused Him to rise again.
The amazing mystery of Christ in me,
 My hope and glory!
 

That Dreadful Hour

There was the hour when darkness reigned,
When grace was not supplied,
When the heavens were not open with provision and aid.

It was the hour the Son had to suffer.

He had to suffer alone, without the strength of His Father, without the aid of angels, without heavenly manna.
He had to bear the burden alone.
The weight of the sin of all mankind.
The torture was unceasing...yet He remained silent,
He had no condemnation for His torturers

This was the hour He came to earth to bear,
This was the hour He knew He had to endure to bring the peace He desired for us all.

But He knew what was on the other side,
The joy that was set before Him.
As He was whipped...He saw your shame blotted out, your diseases cured, your heart transformed.
As he was spat upon... He saw His love transforming you, His peace enfolding you.
As those nails were driven into His flesh...He saw your chains fall, your burden lifted.

Willingly He laid down His life so we could be whole.

For only a few hours darkness reigned
But when He burst forth from the tomb...that hour ended.
Forevermore now He reigns!
His light, and victory prevail above all!

The veil was torn in two
The door flung open wide
For heaven to come to earth and for us to partake of His gift!!!

Luke 22

Judas's Discovery

The enemy always promises fame, happiness, wealth, friends, acceptance.
But when you get into trouble...and want out... he shows no compassion.
He offers no help, no, he only pulls harder on the chains of your bondage 
    muttering,"What do I care, That's your problem."
His intent always is to steal, kill, and destroy.

Judas discovered this.
He decided to betray his Master in exchange for 30 pieces of silver, acceptance and friends for a moment,
But when he came to his senses, realized his mistake, and asked to get out...
The response he heard was,"We don't care, that's your problem."
Judas was stuck, hopeless, and headed for destruction.

But because Judas's Master, his Lord, Jesus allowed Himself to be betrayed, bound, whipped, accused,
     spit upon, rejected, ridiculed, pierced, wounded, beaten...
We have a way out.
A way out of our pain, our bondage, our shame,
A way out of our rebellion.

Christ's blood paid the price for our sin,
His blood paid the price for our turning away, our rebellion, our failure.

Yes He died,
But Yes, He lives!
The power that raised His dead body to life is the same power that offers me, that offers you
    a SECOND CHANCE, a NEW BEGINNING, CLEANSING, TRANSFORMATION.

Yes, He offers a way out of the darkness into the light!

Matt. 27:3-5

Peter

The fear that I too would be hurt, accused, spit upon, rejected
Rose up in my soul with power and caused me to reject the One I promised I would stand by forever.

How could I have done this?
Don't I have any backbone, any strength to stand when faced with something wrong?
Surely I am unfit to be His.

But as He looked at me, after that cock crowed,
He did not condemn
Yes He knew I would do this,
I remember Him telling me this would happen.
He knew, and allowed this in His grace,
So I could be awakened, 
So I could see my weakness,
So I could see how much I need His help.

He was not angry when He gazed at me,
Just sad.
I think He wants to teach me something through my failure
He wants to teach me something about Himself.
I will wait, I will expect, I will receive.

You want to teach me something through my failure.
You do not reject me
No, You are praying for me, waiting for me to discover Your power, Your love, Your strength,
     Your grace.

You want to teach me about forgiveness,

You want to teach me that when I am weak, You are strong.

I can receive Your strength, Your courage, Your love, Your help.

You want to teach me that You do not reject me, but You accept me.

You are able to change, transform, restore all that the enemy has stolen.

You want to teach me, and overflow me with Your love!!!

Hidden With Christ in God

I hide, under the cover of His wings
When disappointment and sorrow surround me,
Here I can behold the goodness and kindness of my God, the One who loves me,
   the One who created me. 

When the stress of life is overwhelming and deadlines seem impossible,
I hide, take cover under His wings,
There He reminds me that He is big, He is able to sustain me, strengthen me, help me.

When my heart aches with anxiety for a loved one,
I hide, in His arms,
Here He reminds me that He knows all things, He is able, His love is strong enough 
   to deliver, to help, to cover, to protect, to keep.

When the lies of the enemy taunt me,
I run, into the arms of my Daddy,
He whispers His sweet words of truth to me, his sweet words of love.

When the need of provision is great and the natural screams, "impossible"
I run, and hide in His tent,
He surrounds me with His bigness, His promises, and allows me to rest
   convincing me that all things are possible with Him.

Hidden with Christ in God,
What a privileged place to be!!

So necessary for me to stay here.   
      

Me, a Dwelling Place for Your Name, God?

How can I be a dwelling place for Your name God?

I mess up, fail, miss opportunities. become lazy, and so much more.

"That is why I can use you for My dwelling place, my child.

It's because of the testimony of what you are becoming as I dwell in you.

I don't see you as a failure, I see you as learning and having great potential.

I don't see you as messing up, I see you as discovering something new about me.

I don't see you as missing opportunities, but as learning how to be guided by Me.

I don't see you as lazy, but as desirous to discover more.

I see you as clean, holy, covered in the blood of Jesus.

I know what you are made of, I know what I put within you.
I created you, my child.
I created plans and purposes for you.
I have placed you in Christ Jesus where I can provide everything you need for fullness.

So, my child, I see you as very qualified to be a dwelling place for My name.

My light shines from your face,
My fragrance oozes from your personality,
My grace and favor surround you.

You are becoming a most beautiful reflection of me , your Maker!"