Surviving Christmas

How does the Holiday season make you feel?

For some folks, it’s their absolute favorite time of year, but for others, it’s a sad reminder of lost loved ones, broken households and perhaps even being alone.

So, how do we survive the good, the bad and the ugly of the Christmas season?

There really is a simple answer.

Focus on Jesus.

How do we do that in all the hustle and bustle?

Listening to Christmas music that focuses directly on Him.

Unfortunately, secular Christmas music has even invaded Christian radio stations.

But, traditional Christmas carols and modern songs that celebrate Jesus’ birth really can help us stay focused on why we celebrate this holiday.

How do we survive this family oriented holiday if we’re missing a loved one or our family is broken through divorce?

Finding something each day to thank God for will shift our thinking from loss toward gain.

The enemy wants us to focus on what we don’t have (a loved one, a marriage, a happy home, etc.).

This negative focus will suck us down into the pit of despair, and we will bah humbug everyone around us as we wallow in our pain.

Instead, we must resolve to thank God for something or someone each day, and our mindset will shift from the negative to the positive.

Doing this will enable us to stay cheerful and joyful even though our circumstances are not ideal.

Remember that Satan is the ultimate Grinch who wants to steal our joy.

So, beloved, no matter what life circumstances we’re facing this Christmas, let’s purpose to celebrate Jesus and give thanks to God for something or someone, and then the enemy won’t be able to steal our joy.

I hope this encourages you, and have a Merry Christmas everyone!

Robyn Henning

Spiritual Amphibians Part 2

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;  who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”  Philippians 3:20-21

Heshen was a Chinese ruler in the eighteenth century.

He began his career as an imperial bodyguard known for his handsome appearance and charm.

After a revolt in 1796, Heshen was put in charge and, at the same time, he began to put money into his own pockets. His wealth was legendary.

He reportedly owned 8,000 acres of land and 60 million ounces of silver. There were 600 women in his harem.

But his career ended when he was removed from power and forced to commit suicide.

Wealth and power do not guarantee a long and happy life.

We saw in our last blog that it is hard to live like spiritual amphibians, since our main problem is that earth operates in a totally different manner from heaven.

If we are not careful, we can get so involved with the philosophies and lifestyle of this world where we live.

In order for us to be living like spiritual amphibians, we need to focus on 3 realities. We saw in our last blog that We are citizens of heaven, vs. 20a.

We learn in verse 20b that we are to get excited about the Rapture, vs.20b–“from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;”

The phrase “eagerly wait” is a strong compound word and speaks of an attitude of intense anticipation withdrawing one’s attention from other objects.

How about us? Are we just waiting for Christ or are we eagerly anticipating Him?

If we are, it will cause us to live like spiritual amphibians by living in our true identity in Jesus Christ and not out of our own fleshly strength.

“Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” 1 John 3:2-3

Two psychologists at UC San Diego have published research showing that people who read “spoilers”—information about what will happen in a story—actually end up enjoying a story more than people who don’t know what is going to happen.

As believers, we already know the end of the story, so we can enjoy life as we get excited about the Rapture!

Blessings!

Rev. Ken Keeler, Director of Church Ministries

Just Do It

Have you ever sought the godly counsel of another believer only to receive a Bible verse, a pat on the head, and the challenge to just do it?

I call this the Nike approach to Christian counseling.

Having trouble loving your spouse?  Well, just love them.

Having trouble with anxiety or fear?  Don’t worry; be happy; trust God!

Having lustful thoughts?  Don’t think about sex.

Is this bad advice?  No, but it’s powerless and guaranteed to leave the recipient frustrated and discouraged.

If they could do what they wanted to do….walk in victory… they would!  But they can’t.

Why?  They’ve never been taught to plug into the power source of the life of Jesus within them.

Why?  Many churches are content to teach the Nike approach to the Christian life.

So, churches are full of two kinds of Christians:

• Those who think they are doing well because they have most of the Christian check list checked off.
• And those who are really frustrated with not measuring up but are too afraid to ask for help because they know they are only going to hear a Bible verse along with, “Just do it.”

So, instead they hide their struggles or walk away from church and give up altogether.

Remember that Pride says, “You can do it; just try harder.”

Beloved, there is only one Person who ever successfully lived the Christian life:  Jesus.

Here’s more good news: He knows you can’t live the Christian life, and He’s okay with that!

In fact, He’s taken up residence in your skin, so that He can express His life in you and through you.

So, if you’re struggling in an area, consciously engage Jesus in the battle.

Let Him fight it on your behalf.  He wins every battle that we yield to Him.

If someone comes asking for help, do not give them a Bible verse and tell them to just do it.

Give them a Bible verse and share how Jesus can do it through them for His glory.

He is far more powerful than the Greek goddess Nike could ever be.

Our victory has already been won for us by Jesus, and we live out His victory as we walk in total dependence on His life expressed in us and through us for His glory.

Blessings!

Robyn

Friends with Jesus

Last week, we started to look at our new identity in Christ. Remember that mental health comes from seeing ourselves as God sees us.

This week our focus is on the reality that Jesus calls us His friends.

In John 15:15, He states that He considers His followers His friends, and as a result, He shares all that the Father shares with Him.  Now, that’s intimacy.

Do you have any friends that you can share anything with and know that they will share your joy or sorrow?  That’s how Jesus views our relationship with Him.  Why?  Because He loves us with Phileo love — the love of friendship.

For friendships to be what God wants them to be, they have to be rooted in Agape.

Agape expressed in phileo looks like one friend considering his friend’s needs as more important than his own, as he sacrifices to serve his friend’s well-being, no matter the cost or how he is treated in return.

Jesus loved us with Phileo when He died on the cross for us, and He loves us with Phileo every day.

But, here’s something even harder to comprehend: He not only loves us, He really, really likes us too!

Now, He doesn’t like our flesh – the ways we operate in our own strength and selfishness, but we are not our flesh.

We are who we are based on being members of His family.

So, He sees us as we really are: complete in Him.  He sees the finished us.  He sees us in Him, righteous, holy, sanctified, and so much more that He’s given us by His grace.

Beloved, we don’t have to like our flesh; in fact, we shouldn’t.  We should detest our flesh patterns so much that we choose to put them off and put on our new identity in Him.

The more we learn to rest in our new life in Him, the more we will increase in our awareness of His presence dwelling in our spirit as He expresses Himself through our soul/personality.

As we connect with Him, He will speak in our spirit through His Word and through the Holy Spirit and share all the that the Father shares with Him.

Beloved, think about that.  All that Jesus has from the Father, He shares with us.  Why?  Because we are His friends!  How awesome is that!  That’s mind-blowing folks!

So, if you react to this with, “Why would He ever want to be my friend?”  Stop it!

Reset your mind on the reality that He is your friend because you are in Him and He is in you.  You have an intimate friendship with Him!

Blessings!

Robyn

The Kiss Theory

Recently, I watched an interview with Chuck Missler of Koinonia House Ministries. and I marveled at how much he had aged in the last few months.

I learned in the interview that he had lost both his beloved wife, Nancy, and one of his sons to cancer.

I met both Chuck and Nancy in 1998 on their first KH Israel cruise.  They had lost another son just prior to the cruise.

So, that means that Chuck has had two sons and his wife precede him to heaven.

In the interview, Chuck said something that really resonated with me.

When asked what God really wants from us as Christians, he replied, “God simply wants us to trust Him.”

Some of you may know the KISS theory (Keep It Simple… Saint).

I think we often make our Christian walk too complicated.

If you want complicated, try living by the Old Testament Law and then add to it the Rabbis’ interpretation of the Law.

Oy, now that’s complicated!

So much so, that Jesus pared down the Law to two simple commandments, and one flows out of the other.

You shall love your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.  And, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Jesus also tells us that God initiated a love relationship with us.

He loved us before we ever loved Him.

If we are trusting that He loves us,then obedience is simple and easy.

This reminds me of the classic Proverb,

“Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

I know that I can get tripped up into worry when I try to figure life out for myself.

I’ve decided to stop trying to figure it out; I am simply going to rest in His love and trust that He’s got it all covered.

I don’t need to understand anything more than that He loves me, and I am safe in His hands.

I’ve gotten to the point where I can say, “I don’t understand, and that’s okay, because You do, and that’s enough for me.”

So, beloved, Keep It Simple Saint!

Rest in His love.  Trust Him completely.  Love Him completely, and pass on His love to those around you.

That’s what being a Christian is really all about.

Blessings!

Robyn

Keeping Resolutions

So, what resolutions did you make for 2016?

Lose weight, break a bad habit, cross stuff off your bucket list?

The key to making lasting changes is repentance.

Say what?

Repentance is all about thinking differently.

For example, let’s say I want to break the habit of stress eating.

The first thing I need to do is recognize the lie that leads to stress eating, “Eating (carbs) will make me feel better.”

Sugar from carbs creates a chemical reaction in the brain that mimics joy.

So, it’s easy for us to get hooked on sugar and carbs to deal with stress.

To overcome this I need to renounce the lie that carbs will make me feel better, announce that the truth is that Jesus is the only source of joy and not carbs, and that carbs will make me feel worse in the end.

Then, I simply ask Jesus to reclaim the ground that I gave to the enemy through believing the lie about carbs.

Now, as I go through my day, I need to purpose to give thanks in all situations.

Doing this will help me stay relationally connected in my brain to the Lord.

Then, when stressors arise, I can dialogue with Jesus in my mind, as He guides me through the stress.

Jesus turns the stress into a blessing as I get to experience Him and receive the joy of His Presence in the midst of both calm and stormy seas.

Beloved, whatever changes you want to make, start with changing how you think.

So, ask the Holy Spirit to show you what lies you are believing that are trapping you in bad habits, and then, ask Him to speak His truth to those lies.

From there, start each day by greeting Him, giving thanks, and asking Him to do all things through you for His glory.

Purpose to stay relationally connected to the mind of Jesus in you through praise, and you will grow in your awareness of His Presence, as He supplies you with His power to walk in step with Him.

Bad habits will be put off as you put on the mind of Christ and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit!

Blessings!

Robyn Henning

Good vs. Evil Part 1: In the Beginning

Have you ever wondered what life was like for Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden before they messed up?

Imagine being so connected to God that you are always aware of His Presence.

Imagine walking and communing with Him every moment of the day.

Imagine only ever feeling His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control flowing like a river through your body, soul, and spirit.

Imagine not needing clothing because the radiance of God’s glorious presence envelopes you.

Imagine only ever experiencing that which is good, good.

Imagine understanding and communicating perfectly with your spouse.

I wish we could fully imagine life in Eden before the Fall.

The good news is that God is taking His children back to this experience.

Full restoration of our connection to God: body, soul, and spirit; is where we are heading.

Through the cross, Jesus has conquered sin and death, and as a result, by faith in His shed blood, mankind can be reconciled to God the Father.

So, are you ready for the restoration of Eden?  I know I am!

Beloved, take time to praise the Lord for the finished work of the cross.

God has overcome evil through the shed blood of the Lamb!

Blessings!

Robyn

The Flesh Part 1: The Flesh Defined

This is the first in a series of Nuggets that explains what the flesh is and how we each develop our own unique version of it.

God originally designed Man to need love, acceptance, security, and worth, and He meant for us to experience these in their fullness from our relationship with Him.

Unfortunately, Adam’s choice to sin has led to all of us being born separated from the only One who can meet these needs.

From Day 1, we are seeking love and acceptance from our parents and eventually from other family members and friends.

Our Flesh Patterns are established based on the feedback from key relationships and life experiences.

I hope these next few nuggets give you some insights into your Flesh and help to motivate you to learn to live out of your new identity in Christ.

Blessings!

Robyn

 

 

Be Fruitful

Have you ever realized that you needed to be more patient?  Or have you longed to experience more joy in your life?

This devotional builds on the abiding principle and explains how the fruits of the Spirit grow in our lives as we grow in our connection with Jesus.

As His life flows through us, His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control are manifested through us.

As a result, people see Jesus in us and be drawn to faith in Him.  I hope it encourages you and that you’ll share it with your friends.

Blessings!

Robyn

Family and Christmas

Are you planning a family gathering for Christmas?  For some people it’s the highlight of the day, but for others, the idea of dealing with extended family, makes them groan.  Here’s a short devotional that encourages you to spread the Joy of Jesus to all of your family members and friends.

Merry Christmas!

Robyn