Brilliant Thought: Branch or iPod?

I love my iPhone!  I use it daily for music, movies, games, and a myriad of helpful apps.  But there is one annoying thing.  As I use it, the battery drains and then I have to plug it in for a while to recharge.  Once the little icon is all green again, though, I get to unplug and am free to use it however and wherever I need it!  Fabulous technology!


In the past I have had this view of my faith-life.  Like my relationship with God is something like the iPhone dock: when I am drained I plug in, fill up, and then I want to be free to roam around and run off of that buzz for a while.  Problem is, I am always using up and running out of the spiritual strength that I get from God and it can fade pretty fast.  I am now aware that this is a faulty perspective.  God is not my dock!  My relationship with Him does not consist of me plugging in once or twice a week to sync and recharge only to unplug again and go about my business!  It must be more than that!
Jesus Himself holds a DTR conversation with His disciples in John 15:1-11:  
 ¹ “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. ³ You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. ⁴ Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. ⁵ I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. ⁷ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. ⁹ Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰ If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. ¹¹ These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full."


Well, if I am a branch then I jolly well can't 'unplug' from the vine, can I?  No, a branch, by definition is connected to the vine.  Otherwise, it is just a stick.  And it is considered dead.  Independence from God renders me useless.  I want to abide in the Vine!  I want to bear fruit for His glory!  So, I must stay connected.  What does the branch do to produce fruit?  Only receive the continual flow of nutritious sap.  Fruit happens!  


Holy Spirit, I reject the thought process that reduces You to a dock.  I accept that I can do nothing by myself.  Abide in me, so that I may abide in You!  I love Your sap!  And I love the fruit of it that shows up in my life!  I am connected...increase the flow!  I want Your joy in me that makes my joy full!  Amen!  


Bliss to you!
Sarah

Brilliant Thought: Against Me

Romans 8:31
If God is for us, who is against us?


I was pondering this today and was struck by how often I am against myself when God isn't even against me!  If God is on my side, who am I to think, speak, or act in ways that are contrary to His love and victory in me?!  Actually, those thoughts originate not in myself (because I have died and Christ lives in me) and certainly not in God (His wrath is satisfied and He sees me as His new creation)...so they must come from the enemy of my soul, the father of lies.  Since he has no part in Jesus, Who is the Truth, he can only lie.  So, no matter how I may feel those thoughts to be truth, if they don't line up with God's nature then they are lies, intended to keep me from walking in freedom and victory.
  
This is why it is so important for me to know, really know Who God is and what He is like.  Learning to recognize influences (even if they are inside my head) that don't align with what I know of His character, and promptly refusing to believe or act on them is vital to my continued spiritual growth and victory.  The fabulous thing is that God is my coach, defense, cheerleader, and referee in this!  Not only that, He has tipped the scales overwhelmingly in my favor!  In Christ, I am destined for victory!  I am, as Graham Cooke says, condemned to conquer!  

This gives me joy in facing my problems and hang-ups....God is smiling over me in this situation, because He knows if I continually realign to Him I will advance!  My problems become a platform for my promotion!  Haha!  If God is for me, who can be against me?!  None!  


Bliss to you!
Sarah


John 8:44
[the devil] was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.


2 Corinthians 2:14-15
¹⁴ But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. ¹⁵ For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing;


1 John 2:12-14
¹² I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake. ¹³ I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father. ¹⁴ I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.


John 5:3-5
³ For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. ⁴ For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
 ⁵ Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Brilliant Thought: Be a Bulb, Shine The Light!

I like Bill Johnson's analogy of a Christian as a light bulb: the bulb doesn't produce light by itself, it only shines based on it's proper connection to the power source.  In the same way, any light that comes from me is a direct result of my connecting with the Source of Light itself.  When I connect to Him, He shines through me.  As the Light illumines, you shouldn't even think about the bulb, only the beautiful, powerful, glorious Light!

The world is dark and getting darker...let's connect to the Power Source and shine like stars in the universe!






Psalm 18:28
Psalm 44:3
Psalm 118:26-27
Psalm 119:129-131
Proverbs 4:18-19
Isaiah 60:1-3
Matthew 5:14-16
John 1:4-5, 7-9
John 8:12
2 Corinthians 4:5-7
1 John 1:5

And one more, just to make you smile...

Matthew 11:29-30

²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” 

Haha!  Love it!  Lay down your heavy burdens and striving...just be the bulb and carry His LIGHT burden!  :)  

Bliss to you!

Sarah

P.S.  If you want further encouragement in this, I highly recommend listening to Bill Johnson's sermon "Screwed In Right", available for free download on iTunes, under the Bethel Sermon of the Week podcast.  

Brilliant Thought: Just Like God Loves God!

I recently heard this line in a live worship set at IHOP-KC's Prayer Room:  "Let this sink into my heart: God loves me, just like God loves God".  At first I was taken aback.  Really?!  Slightly shocked, I began shuffling through Scripture verses to determine if this was a Biblical idea or not.  Here's what I came up with...

*God the Father clearly loves God the Son. 
(Matthew 3:16-17, John 3:35,  John 10:17, John 15:8-10, John 17:22-27) 

*The Son loves the Father, as evidenced by His testimony and obedience. 
(John 15:8-10) 

*The Father loved me, so He sent the Son to redeem me. 
(John 3:16,  John 16:27, John 17:22-27, Ephesians 2:4-5, Ephesians 5:1-2, 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, Titus 3:4-5, 1 John 4:9-11, 1 John 4:16-19) 

*I love the Father, so I believe in the Son.  Because I believe, the Son is in me.  He loves me and I love Him. 
(John 13:34-35, John 14:20-23, John 15:8-10, John 17:22-27, Galatians 2:20, Ephesians 5:1-2, Revelation 1:5-6)

*The Father loves me for loving the Son. 
(John 14:20-23, John 16:27, 1 John 3:1) 

*The Father loves me just as He loves the Son. 
(John 17:22-27, 1 John 3:1) 

So, YES!  God loves me just like God loves God!  

Another truth I cannot ignore from these Scriptures is His repeated command to love others just like He loves me.  I must love you just like God loves me, which is how God loves God!  

Let this sink into my heart!  

Bliss to you!
Sarah

Brilliant Thought: How to Melt a Mountain

Matthew 17:20
"...for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.
Psalm 97:5
"The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the LORD,
At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth."


Why do I focus on the size of my faith, fixated on moving the mountain, when the very mountain itself will melt in God's presence?!  Every obstacle, need, problem, frustration melts like wax at the feet of the Lord of the whole earth.  His presence is the key.  Whether I need a change of heart, change of perspective, or change of behavior....in His presence I will find my answer.  Why is that?  The way I see it is this...


When I come to a mountain (anything that blocks my progress, be it a situation, feeling, habit, hinderance, etc.), if I look only at the tall mountain, I will feel hopeless and powerless to affect change.  But if I lift my eyes to look at my much taller God, I will see His smile, maybe a wink, and His beckon to me that says, "Come up here!"  As I ascend to His side, where I always have a seat with Him in those heavenly places, I am overcome by the love, power, joy, wonder, might, and victory of His presence!  It takes my breath away, relieves my fears, and infuses my being with faith and life!  Then I happen to glance back down to earth.  I catch a glimpse of that mountain, but this time it is from an aerial viewpoint, and it doesn't look so tall or menacing now.  It looks rather flat, resembling a puddle, actually.  A puddle, my mountain has melted in the presence of my God!  

I like that thought!  I am going to live like that today!  


Bliss to you!
Sarah


P.S  The first picture is one of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth.  The second picture is the whole Himalayan range, including Mount Everest, from space....perspective makes all the difference!  And I love how it actually looks like puddles of melting wax!  :) 

Brilliant Thought: Truth

Psalm 51:6
"Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being,
And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom."


John 14:6
"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."


Colossians 3:3
"For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God."


 John 17:23
"I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me."


Psalm 40:10
"I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation."

God desires truth in the innermost being.  Jesus is the Truth.  God desires that Jesus be in the hidden part, my spirit, to teach me wisdom.  I am also hidden in the Truth, Jesus, in right relationship with the Father.  He is in me, I am in Him.  Though His truth and righteousness dwell in my hidden heart, I am not to keep it to myself, but to magnify Him to the world through my life!


Beautiful mystery! 
Bliss to you!
Sarah