The Power Of Gratitude
Filed under: Biblical Teachings, Family Life, Godly Principles, Healing, Inspirational Articles, Miracles, Prayers, Testimonies
Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7 (NLT)
We are all familiar with this wonderful passage of scripture where the Bible tells us; “Be careful for nothing; but in every-thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (KJV) However the New Living Translation gives this Scripture greater meaning as it is written in a more modern vernacular.
Gods’ Word for us is that we are to “REJOICE” in everything letting the World see that even though they don’t believe as we do, that we are and will be considerate of them as well. We are to rejoice, not worrying about anything but praying for everything. I believe that sometimes Christians forget that God has our back. We forget that when God puts us on a path or gives us an assignment that God will be there with us until its completion. After all doesn’t the Bible say; “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble?” Ps. 46:1 (KJV)
The NLT version of the Bible says therefore; “tell God what you need and thank HIM for all that he has done.” Let me ask you a question? When God has done something for you, do you forget to say: “Thank you?” Not just the big things but the (so-called) small things as well. Do we forget that without HIS “Grace and Mercy,” we might have passed away in our sleep? Without HIS wonderful hedge of protection over us we could have been hit by a car, murdered, robbed or so many other misfortunate events could have happened to us. But HIS grace and HIS mercy protected you from all ‘hurt, harm and danger.’
On October 20, 2011 my oldest son who will be forty two years old November 21st was stabbed twice in his chest in New York City, once in this lung and once in his heart. He expired once in the ambulance and twice on the operating table in the hospital. My son and I haven’t had a relationship for several years; however he contacted me October 19, this is something that I’d been praying for, for many years. When I went to see him in the hospital, he had tubes coming out of him in several places including his chest and a ventilator was helping him breathe. I wasn’t overly worried, that is not to say I don’t love my son because I do, if I could have traded places with him I would have gladly done so. Unless you have children you may not understand that when we see our children, even though they are grown, even though they have beards or children of their own, we still see them as the little babies we used to care for (at least I do).
To make a long story short, I wasn’t overly worried because, I KNOW GOD. You see, God would not have put my son back into my life and then take him away. God is not cruel like that. God doesn’t give you something and then snatch it away in cruelty, that’s what the devil does. So I knew deep down inside that my son was going to be alright. That my friends, that is the power of Gratitude in action. When we are grateful and give God thanks, the Bible says; “we will experience God’s peace which exceeds anything that we can understand.” And that; “His Peace will guard our hearts and minds as we live in Christ Jesus.”
Now you might be saying; “This isn’t about you, it’s about your son.” I disagree; God is great enough and powerful enough to take care of me, my son, you, your problems, Israel, Zambia and the problems of the entire world all at the same time. We must remember; to give God thanks in all things, and God will reward us with HIS Peace. By the way, my son was released from the hospital in a record eight days. His life was spared by a loving caring God…
Real Talk Part II
Filed under: Deliverance, Godly Principles, Healing, Holiness & Sanctification, Inspirational Articles, Other, Relationships, Testimonies, The Faith Walk, Words of Encouragement
Current Mood:
Anointed &
Broken
There will be moments in your walk with God when it seems like He’s called you to hardship and keeps putting you in places where you feel alone, forgotten and forsaken. But the words “seem like” and “feels” doesn’t necessarily reflect the reality. Your reality becomes that which you give the greatest attention to, and in this case, it can be your feelings OR His Word. Your feelings change upon situations and circumstances, but His Word never changes regardless of situations or circumstances.
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My child, I will never leave you neither will I ever forsake you!
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Sometimes it feels as though there’s no bit of truth in that statement when you’re looking at increasingly dismal surroundings, and the people you had to leave behind in order to go where God is leading you seem to be doing GREAT! I mean Tony the Tiger Grrrrreat! They’re advancing in ministry or discovering new relationships or their businesses flourished; meanwhile, you’re on the other side of nowhere experiencing pain after pain, heartache after heartache, longing for something that seems close to normal, and wondering how you’re going to make it.
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“God, where are You and what are You doing? When will this be over?” Or better yet…
“God, I thought this part was over!”
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Then the next thing you know, your spirit is compelled to read and meditate on II Timothy 2:3-4:
You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.
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Talk about words of encouragement.
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“Is that all you have for me, Lord? Is that Your encouraging me?”
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No. Remember what I have told you. Remember what I have shown you. Remember what I’ve said to you less than a week ago. Don’t be dismayed nor distracted on the things that are before you. You, my dear, just follow Me.
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Tears fill my eyes.
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But God, I feel so discouraged. I feel completely displaced. I cannot return to Virginia because that’s no longer my home. I can’t return to New York because that’s no longer my home. And here in ATL, this is not my home. God I feel displaced. And though You have given me great words for what’s to come, it is getting increasingly difficult to get past what is now. I’m hurt. I’m bruised. I’m tired.
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Yet, follow Me.
God, all I see is brokenness and loneliness. All that I had is now gone. What I used to have was taken away and what I have now is not good enough.
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Where are you looking at, My child?
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All around – my surroundings. God, I hurt. I’m not strong enough for the task You’ve given me. I’m not the soldier that You’ve called me. I can’t do this!
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You’re right. You can’t. Not without My grace and My Spirit, but because both are within you, you can and will do this. Even if you decided today that you didn’t want to do this anymore, there is something on the inside of you that is more powerful than your feelings, much more substantial and concrete than that which you see, and it is that which drives you, My dear. And that is My Spirit.
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With tears streaming from my eyes….
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I want to give up. But I can’t. Because my love for you is what’s truly real. The ache in my soul for You will only grow more intense than what it already is. But God, sometimes things seem so unfair. Sometimes, I just want what is normal.
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Which is?
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I don’t even know anymore! I know what I used to think, that is, before you corrected my focus from the seen to the unseen. And while yes, I need a HOME and I so need a CAR to live in a county where even public transportation isn’t available, what supersedes these things is You God. A part of me is angry about it, at least at this moment, and I don’t even understand why. All I know is that I love You and I can’t stop. Where can I go? There is nowhere to go. My destiny has been sealed and I am who You say I am, not man and surely not me. God, all I know is the pain I feel right now, God, and I don’t want to feel it no more. I don’t want it no more.
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So cast it upon Me, because My beloved daughter, I deeply care for you.
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God, sometimes it just doesn’t feel that way. I feel so afraid and so alone; as though I am way over my head. But I know that isn’t true because it’s not me who brought me here, but You, so I look to you to sustain me. However, I do know that I am in way too deep to turn around. And even if I wanted to give it a serious thought, to where would I go to?
YOU’VE CHANGED MY LIFE……… FOREVER!
I don’t want to go back even though I don’t like what I see right now nor how I feel. I know too much! I’ve tasted and seen that the Lord is good and that His mercy endures forever. I know who my Messiah is. I have the witness of the precious Holy Spirit residing within me. Your Word …… IS ……My….. Life! I am far from perfect, but my heart is indeed pure, and when You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, LORD, I will seek.” I CAN’T turn back, Lord. My life belongs to You.
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You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.
Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.
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With a tear-stained face and a broken yet determined heart, I say…
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Yes Lord!
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Real Talk Part II - 2011
To read Real Talk Part I written in 2009, go to http://www.naimawilliams.com/blog/2009/12/23/real-talk/
(Last 2 Scriptures – II Timothy 2:3-4, Joshua 1:7-9)
What You Don’t Know IS Hurting YOU!
Filed under: Biblical Teachings, Events, Godly Principles, Healing, Holiness & Sanctification, The Faith Walk, What Does the Bible Say About That?, Word of Exhortation, Words of Encouragement
Current Mood:
Anointed &
Blessed &
On Fire 4 God! &
Prayerful &
Radical
Southside Atlanta, You Don’t Want to Miss This!!! Be sure to be here on Saturday, April 30th @ 1PM.
What You Don’t Know IS Hurting YOU! Come out and learn more about YOU!
The Power Was Already Given to YOU, BUT What Are YOU Doing With It?
Filed under: Biblical Teachings, Deliverance, Godly Principles, Healing, Inspirational Articles, Prayers, The Faith Walk, What Does the Bible Say About That?, Word of Exhortation, Words of Encouragement
Current Mood:
Anointed &
Blessed &
Radical &
On Fire 4 God!
I am convinced that we as the body of Christ tend to travail in prayer over things that God has already given to us or has empowered us to do on our own. It’s like your 9 year old child asking you over and over again for a glass of milk, when you’ve already empowered him to go into the refrigerator himself and pour himself a glass. And because of our ignorance of our godly inheritance as detailed in the Word of God, after spending countless hours and even years praying about the same thing, we grow frustrated, believing that God has ignored our request when that couldn’t be farthest from the truth.
It’s time for us to know, and I mean REALLY KNOW, who we are as children of God and what our godly inheritance entails. Sad to say, many of us only know that when we leave this earth, we’ll be with Christ for all eternity; which is beyond great! However, God gave us things for us to enjoy NOW, while on earth! He’s also given us ALL power AND authority over ALL the power of the enemy. And yes, while we may hear this Scripture quoted during Sunday service and though we ourselves may even quote this Scripture, half of us don’t really believe it while the other half don’t understand it enough to be able to practically apply it to our everyday lives. Lord, help us!
Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing in brief a few facts about WHO we are in Christ and WHAT we have in Him and HOW we can enjoy or deploy these things now, as God intended. Of course, my primary book of reference will be the incorruptible, infallible Word of God. I will also use other books written by trusted Christian authors who may expound upon a particular verse or topic in a way that makes it easier to understand; ultimately making it easier for life application.
To get the ball rolling, I am posting a prayer that I found in a book written by John Eckhardt titled Prayers that Rout Demons (2008). This particular prayer is titled Binding and Loosing, and is a prayer that I sometimes use in my own personal prayer/declaration time. Jesus said in Matthew 16:19:
“And I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
The Word of God also states in Proverbs 18:21:
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”
Beloved, God has given YOU as a believer great power, even right now; for you have your mouth speaking in agreement with the God’s Word which is a POWERFUL COMBINATION! I do recommend that you pray/speak/decree this prayer ALOUD after first reading it so that your mind/heart and mouth can be in agreement as you’re reading. Do know that these declarations are either actual Scripture verses or based upon biblical principles. Nevertheless, for some of you this may be the first time you’re praying such a radical prayer. In such case, if there is any particular prayer verse you don’t feel comfortable declaring as of yet, don’t! However, I do recommend that you research the verse from Scripture so that you don’t give room for the enemy to trick you out of victory.
Immediately following this prayer is my personal prayer for you, in the name of Jesus! Be encouraged and inspired!-
BINDING AND LOOSING
- I have the keys of the kingdom, and whatever I bind on Earth is bound in heaven, and whatever I loose on Earth is loosed in heaven (Matthew 16:19)
- I bind the kings in chains and the nobles with fetters of iron (Psalm 149:8)
- I bind the strongman and spoil his goods (Matthew 12:19)
- I bind leviathan and all proud spirits arrayed against my life (Job 41:5)
- I bind the principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12)
- I bind all sickness and disease released against my mind or body
- Let the exiles be loosed (Isaiah 51:14)
- Let the prisoners be loosed (Psalm 146:7)
- Loose those appointed to death (Psalm 102:20)
- I loose my neck from all bands (Isaiah 52:2)
- I loose myself from the bands of wickedness (Isaiah 58:6)
- I loose myself form the bands of Orion (Job 38:31)
- I loose my mind, will, and emotions from every assignment and spirit of darkness in the name of Jesus
- I loose my city and region from every assignment of hell
- I loose my finances from every spirit of poverty, debt, and lack
- I loose myself from all generational curses and hereditary spirits (Galatians 3:13)
- I loose myself from every assignment of witchcraft, sorcery, and divination
- I loose myself form every spoken curse and negative word spoken again my life
Heavenly Father, I ask that You help the person reading this prayer know who they are in You and all that You have placed within them. Father, I ask that you give them the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of You, and let the eyes of their understanding be enlightened; that they may know what is the hope of Your calling, what are the riches of the glory of Your inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of Your power toward us who believe. I pray, Father, that this day marks the start of sure transformation into Christ-likeness, and that they begin walking in your awesome power, as well as the obedience, humility and love of Christ. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Scripture(s) used in prayer: Ephesians 1:17-19
“But God…!” Testimonial Event 2011!
Filed under: Deliverance, Events, Healing, Miracles, Other, Prayers, Testimonies
Current Mood:
Anointed
Let Nothing Keep You from Your Breakthrough!
The Vault Series: The Fruit of Unforgiveness
Filed under: Biblical Teachings, Godly Principles, Healing, Our children
Current Mood:
Anointed &
Radical &
Triumphant
The entry below is another entry from what I call The Vault Series, which are entries that I’ve written up until about a year on my eJournal at www.NaimaWilliams.com/blog. The entry below was originally posted on December 23, 2008, and though that is the case, the principals and lessons to learn are still relevant to today’s issues. I pray that you’re blessed by it and that the Heavenly Father brings you to a place of fruitfulness, obedience, and an abundant life to the full till it overflows, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
December 23, 2008
“But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:15
By definition, forgiveness means to pardon an offender and to give up the resentment and desire to retaliate or pay the person back somehow. In essence, forgiveness allows for the mistakes made by others. In Matthew 6:14, Jesus tells us how important it is to forgive others:
“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
He also continues in verse 15 saying, “but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” A question to ask yourself is “What would happen to me if my Heavenly Father didn’t forgive me of my sin?
S E L A H
When concluding the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant, Jesus called the forgiven servant who DID NOT forgive “wicked” and proceeded with, “I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” (Matthew 18:32-35)
BE CAREFUL
Do not make the mistake of thinking that you’ve forgiven a person just because you said the words. No, that is very untrue and indeed a misconception. As Jesus mentioned above, we must forgive from the heart. Anyone can say anything; however, saying it doesn’t make it true if you have something completely different in your heart.
YOU CAN TELL BY THEIR (AND YOUR) FRUIT
In addition to forgiveness being the start of the healing process, forgiveness also manifests fruit. In Matthew 7:14, Jesus lets us know that we can tell a truth about a person based upon their fruit. So is the same about forgiveness. Forgiveness exercises the fruit of the Spirit especially LOVE, which covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). Similarly, unforgiveness also bears fruit, all of which are contrary to the fruit of the Spirit. Some of its fruit, as well as the consequences, are:
- Anger
- Self-pity
- Resentment
- Bitterness
- Revenge
- Hatred
- Depression
- Strife
- Unkindness
- Insecurity
- Envy
- Jealousy
- Tormentors are called on those who do not forgive.
- Prayers hindered
- Personal sins not forgiven
- Will call us to judgment on the matter
- Negatively effects other relationships (family, marriage, friends, business, etc)
- Has earthly and eternal consequences
- We block our spiritual communication with God.
NOTHING OR NO ONE IS WORTH IT!
It is better for you to quickly forgive than to jeopardize your own relationship with God.
MAKE A DECISION
Decide that you will forgive EVERYONE who has ever hurt or offended you in your life, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you to do this. For some, you may need to go to the person and let him/her know that you’ve forgiven the offense. This will help release you and that person from the negative feelings they’ve held on to as a result of the offense.
Realizing that some hurts are more difficult to get over than others, another way you can go about forgiveness is to think to yourself, ‘What if I was in the other person’s shoes? Would I want forgiveness? Would I want God to forgive me if I committed the same offense this person did?” Chances are you’ve answered “yes” to these 3 questions. Even unbelievers desire to be forgiven for their offenses—as a bad conscious is impossible to escape. Everywhere you are, your conscious will be, and there’s no amount of alcohol, drugs, or any other self-medicating substances or actions that can completely remove a guilty conscious.
Forgiveness is a choice and decision that you must make; and the initiative you must take each time you are offended – whether intentionally or unintentionally. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you how to forgive quickly and completely, and then allow Him to do what He must do to get you there. Be sure to also forgive those who have hurt you in the past so that you are released from those negative emotion and painful memories. If you need to actually call the offending person or drop by for a visit, then do it! It is far better for you to withstand those few moments of awkwardness than to allow unforgiveness, resentment and other negative feelings to eat away any good things in your life because you’re still locked to the bad things. Unforgiveness robs you from joy, peace, and experience the fullness of love in your life.
In closing, I’d like to say to you if you ever find yourself in a position that the offense was so ‘unforgiveable’ and the hurt was so immeasurable, then I invite you to go into the book of Matthew 18:21-35 (conveniently posted below), and read and mediate on the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant. For your convenience, I’ve posted this parable below and I truly advise you to read it, dissect it, mediate on it and ask the Holy Spirit to help you in this area. Though sometimes it’s hard to forgive, especially in the beginning of your ‘forgiveness’ walk, the rewards of forgiveness greatly outweigh the offense. The flipside to this is that the consequences of unforgiveness greatly outweigh the actual offense itself.
Just do yourself the favor and just forgive!
Matthew 18:21-35
Parable of the Unmerciful Servant
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
“The servant fell on his knees before him, ’Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii (Naima Interjects – far less than the debt he was forgiven for), He grabbed him and began to choke him.’Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”
S E L A H
Original post on www.NaimaWilliams.com/blog on December 23, 2008
Thank You Jesus
Filed under: Deliverance, Godly Principles, Healing, Miracles, Testimonies
Current Mood:
Blessed
2 Cor. 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. KJV
I remember a song that simply says; “When I look back over my life and I think things over, I can truly say that I’ve been blessed. I’ve got a testimony.” Like most Christians, I wasn’t born saved (I say most, because some of you all think you fell out of Heaven), as a matter of fact, I was unchurched for most of my life. When I got saved by the Lord, I was 45 years old. 45, yet God saved me!
I had no right to expect any help from anyone , especially God, because I had lived a life that for all intents and purposes was unacceptable, unacceptable to God, mankind, to my momma and even unacceptable to me. Even though I had an education, I was articulate, had a good job etc, my abhorring lifestyle was the kind of stuff that you read about in cheap novels. People make jokes about sex, drugs and rock and roll, but I was the king of loose living, so I didn’t expect God to do anything for me. I didn’t expect HIM to save my life when thugs came to rob me at the crack house that I ran, or when they put a pistol to my head and one of them said; “Don’t shoot him.” I didn’t expect HIM to keep me from getting AIDS when I’ve had sex with hundreds of women without using condoms, especially when I was about to have sex with a women who had AIDS and just as we were taking off our clothes, one of my girlfriends was outside banging on the door. God does work mysteriously.
God said that if we are born in Christ we become new creatures. How did I know that God would use my past experiences for HIS good? That HE would use me as a witness to HIS Goodness & Mercy. That HE would send me into the prisons and nursing homes, God even took the time and personally taught me how to feed the homeless.
I never saw it coming. People who carried Bibles and talked about Jesus were considered what I used to call; “Jesus Freaks.” These were people, I believed, who didn’t have a firm grasp on reality. Yet one day when I was on the “Run” from the law and from the drug dealers, I met the Lord Jesus. Jesus has a way of helping you to understand that the things that you thought were good like drugs, sex and booze is really bad, and what you thought was bad like going to church, praising God and loving your neighbor was actually pretty good.
The most amazing aspect of my new life in Christ is God’s ability to forget about your past. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” Imagine with all that I had done, God lost my sins. The Bible tells us; “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Because I am now a “Jesus Freak” no one can condemn me for my past, “because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”
Thank you Jesus!




