Jesus said to those who believed in him, 'If you remain in my word, truly you are my disciples, and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you Free." John 8:31
(True Freedom)
Free to live above things
Free to discover your inheritance
Free to hear what The Lord has to say
Free to live in the Spirit
Free to Rejoice in the Victory
Free to have regard for The Lord
Free to see things from His perspective
Free from the impositions of man
Free from stressful expectations
Free to assess your own walk with God
Free to have your own convictions
Free to speak your mind
You are more aware
Your insight is sharper
You have a better sense of direction
Your thoughts become clearer
You are more at Peace
You have more Joy
You discover the Love of the Father
You have a new appreciation of Grace
You can venture in Faith more
Your Hope is refreshed
This is Kingdom Living
This is the walk we are called to.
Janet Vargas © Aug 2016
Casting Your Burdens
"Cast your burden upon he Lord, and He will sustain you." (Psalms 55:23)
The term 'casting' is used by people who go fishing at the riverside. They take their fishing rod with them that has a long line on a reel. When they are ready to catch a fish, They take a firm hold of the handle of the rod, they release the reel from a locked position and they fling the rod (in their hand of-course) over from behind them (position) to over in front of them, and the line goes into the water. The object of this exercise is to cast the weight on the end of the line as far as they can from them into the water.
Now there is something else to keep in mind here. The 'Riverside is a pleasant and restful place, speaking of the Presence of The Lord. When we decide to “Cast our Cares on The Lord” (onto God) we do this best in the Presence of God. When we are at rest with Him (in His Presence) we find the confidence to let go of our problems – whatever is concerning us. Just like the person fishing, we need to cast the line as far as we can – without restraint, to get the best results. Some of us use a short line, so to speak, when we give our concerns to God. For us, without restraint means without reservation...... to know that He will take care of us.....He can handle it.
God's shoulders are bigger than ours. We don't have to wear a frown.
Confessing God's Word
The word confessing here means assenting to; saying the same thing as. It is translated in the New Testament as both confession and profession (Rom 10:9 10; 1Tim 6:12 13; Heb 3:1; 4:14;10:23). When we confess or profess something we proclaim it to be true; we are assenting to its truth. Confessing God's word means saying the same thing as God's word, the Bible, says. Holding fast our confession means continuously saying the same things as God's word says.
In scripture, Joshua did, David did and Jesus did. The word 'meditate' in Josh 1 actually means to say to yourself verbally in the original Hebrew.......David always practiced the principle of confession and Jesus confessed scriptures many times in the new testament. So there is plenty encouragement for us to do the same. And I pray God's richest blessings for you "this is my God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect" (I just heard these words in my spirit) A song says "yes God is Good, He is Good to me".
Looking not to the things that are seen but those things that are unseen – stay with the Good Report in His Word and keep confessing it – don’t leave His Words dormant but give them a voice…… Rejoicing daily, for this is the language of Heaven. We need to give Praise to Rejoice and it starts with vocalizing His Words…..an Act of our Will. Feelings are fickle and no indication of what Jesus’ plans are for us – so let Faith Reign and keep it Simple.
Do not be worried, uneasy, disturbed, upset, anxious or disconcerted
but rather
be calm and at peace, assured and restful. To be restored to a place of trust.
Protection from The Lord
The Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. May the Lord direct your hearts to the Love of God and to the Steadfastness of Christ.........The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. (2 Thess 3)
These verses speak of The Lord as being Faithful to establish and guard us as we allow Him to direct our hearts to
The Love of God
and
Steadfastness of Christ
The closer we stay to the Father's Love and the Finished Work of he Cross - a protective covering is provided for us.
This does not mean the total absence of pressures, whatever, because we are living in stressful times, but He will fortify
our spirit so things impact us less - especially when we Rejoice and Praise Him!
We have another promise in Psalm 84 "The LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor...... Surely His Salvation is near those who fear Him." Some translations say "Trust in Him" Original Greek and Hebrew
words Scriptures are written in have so much richer meanings usually than English - that's why we will see two or three different words used in different translations.
Building Confidence in God
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose trust the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted
by the waters, who spreads out its roots by the river, he/she shall cease from yielding fruit”. Jeremiah 17:5
Confidence is about a person, it's always about a person – not a theory or a technique. So build your confidence around the Person of God. Spend time in His Presence. This is the way we come to know Him. Acquaint yourself with Scriptures that speak of His Goodness, His Grace and Kindness.
Many of us need a clear picture of Him – situations and circumstances may have clouded our Image of Him. Even lots of sermons can do that. Especially if they don't portray Him well. Don't rely on someone's impression of Him, press in to know Him and you will be GLAD YOU DID!
“SEEK TO KNOW ME, THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE NEED. SEEK MY DIRECTION AND
FOLLOW ME. FOR THERE I WILL LEAD YOU TO PASTURES GREEN
WHERE THE RIVER OF LIFE DOES FREELY FLOW”
(a song He gave me years ago)