It's Already Yours – Ephesians 1:3

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
– Ephesians 1:3

It's Already Yours!
In the movie Trading Places, Eddy Murphy plays a down-and-out street hustler who because of a bet between two wealthy businessmen, is taken from the streets and thrust into the lap of luxury.  He is given a new, fully-furnished luxury town home (complete with butler, limousine,  and chauffer), a new job with a Wall Street investment firm, and enough wealth to sustain him for the rest of his life.  In the scene where he is taken to his new town home for the first time, "Valentine" (Eddie Murphy's character), starts taking the nick-knacks and valuable antiques from around the living room and hiding them in his overcoat – his face is all lit up like he just hit the jackpot or won the lottery.  The two businessmen just look on and chuckle in amusement, and they try to explain that he doesn't need to "steal" the valuables because they are all his to do with as he pleases.  In a classic comedic move, Valentine looks directly into the camera with a huge grin and a "Can you believe this?" look on his face.  It isn't long before we see Valentine fully integrated into his new life and living as a successful Wall Street executive.  He is even giving investment advice to seasoned stock brokers and market analysts.  He is no longer the down-and-out street hustler – he has become a new man – a new creation if you will.

I can picture God standing by with Jesus and the Holy Spirit, chuckling in amusement as we discover the blessings that have always been available to us, and are ours for the taking.  I think that too often we timidly approach God, and with feeble prayers, we ask for a small blessing when all the time there is a huge blessing in the waiting.  God is just waiting for us to get to a point in our lives when we have the faith to take it, and to be ready to handle the responsibility of receiving it.  Like a parent eagerly waiting for a child to open a marvelous gift, He delights when we discover the blessings He has already designed for us.

Scripture tells us that God has already blessed us in the heavenly realms with EVERY spiritual blessing in Christ.  It doesn't say that He WILL bless us – it says that we are ALREADY blessed.  We just have to have the faith to take and accept what is already ours.  And once taken, we have to be mature enough to live the blessing and take on the new life in that blessing.

Example?  You ask for and believe/have faith, that God will bless you with a boldness to preach the Gospel.  God sees that you are spiritually ready, high-fives Jesus, and sends the Holy Spirit to the "Heavenly Storehouse" with instructions to deliver your blessing.  Next thing you know, you receive an invitation to give your testimony in front of the congregation at church.  Afterward, someone who just happened to be visiting your church, comes up to you and says, "You know,  I am headed to India for a missions conference, and I want to pay your way to go with us and tell your story on the opening night of our conference – there will be thousands in attendance!"  You had a small street ministry in mind, but God already had a global outreach blessing ready for you . . before you were even born!

I know not everyone is called to be a speaker or a preacher, but I think you get the idea.  So how do I tap into these blessings that already mine you ask?  It's simple really – you ready for it?  Here it is:

Love the Lord with ALL your heart.
Love the Lord with ALL your soul.
Love the Lord with ALL your mind.
Love the Lord with ALL your strength.
Love your neighbor as yourself.

The key is love – the love OF Christ and the love we find IN Christ.  If we can just figure out how to stop loving ourselves so much, and stop focusing on what it is that WE want, and how WE want our lives to unfold, then we can put our focus where it belongs.  The blessings which are already ours and have always been waiting for us, will be at our disposal and we can realize the abundance of life that God has designed for each one of us.

Prayer
Father, I thank You for the blessings that You have waiting for me.  I pray that I can take hold of the faith to handle the awesome magnitude of Your vision for my life.  Teach me to love with all that I am so that I can claim the  spiritual blessings in Christ that Your Word promises.  Grow me Lord, so that I can handle the blessings once I receive them.  I look forward to seeing the direction my life will take because of Your great love for me.  Help us all Lord, to catch Your vision for our lives and to have the faith to believe in them . . . like You believe in us.

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

The Devil likes to Fish! – James 4:7

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 

– James 4:7

The Devil likes to Fish!

My brother and I used to go fishing all the time when I lived in Dallas.  We would get up so early and we'd be on the lake at sunup.  We had some good times but at first it was just plain frustrating.  You see, before I moved to Dallas, my brother used to tell me about all the fish he would catch – sometimes 30 to 40 in one day!  I don't care who you are – that's good fishing.  The frustrating things is that when I moved and we started fishing together, we didn't catch anything – nothin – nada – zilch – zero!  I began to question his stories of abundant fishing.

After about a month or so of getting "skunked" every outing, we decided to change our bait.  We switched to live minnows on a double rig – in no time we were catching limits of hybrid and small striped bass.  Fishing was fun! 

As we had more and more success, we moved on to Black Bass and we learned all we could about how to catch them – we bought topographic maps that showed the underwater structure where they lived, we could see where water channels and deep  pools were located so we could strategize our trips.  We checked out the different lures and techniques and we learned what was effective and what wasn't.  Soon we were catching good size keepers.  I really miss those days fishing with my brother!

The enemy uses the same techniques on us – trying to lure us into sin by presenting us with things that are appealing and seem good.  He knows what whets our appetites and he watches our reactions to each attempt.  He is patient and quiet, and he knows just how to dangle that hook right in front of our faces so that when we get hooked, we don't even realize what has happened.

The Bible tells us to be big, mature fish (Christians).  A fish only gets big and mature by avoiding the temptation of the lure – in fact, most times, when a lure is dropped in the water, the mature fish will swim the other way.  It won't try to get a closer look (it has already seen others get yanked out of the water too many times), it won't dance around the lure or even try to smell it - the mature fish knows that the lure means danger and it avoids it at all cost.

As you run away from sin, the devil will try to find less experienced fish to prey on – oh, don't be fooled – he will NEVER leave you alone because he wants to bag the trophy fish, but he will turn his attention elsewhere until you make a mistake and he will try out a brand new and shiny lure to get you when you are at your weakest.

So if the devil won't ever completely leave us alone, what chance do we have to get big and fat (so to speak)?  The key is to stay where the devil won't go – in the Word.  You have to be so into God's Word that the devil will run away when you come around.  The power of the Word is such that the enemy MUST flee, he has no choice.  You also have to put on your armor every day – the day you forget is when a dart will come flying in from a distance and you will be vulnerable to attack.

The Word of God and the Armor of God – the best things to put in any tackle box!

Prayer

Father, thank You for Your Word.  I submit myself to You today and I ask that You lead me in the way that I should go.  I look to You for every direction and I submit every thought and every action to You.  I need Your Word to protect me against the attacks of the enemy and I will put on my armor every day so that I can stand with my brother and sisters against his attacks.  Thank You Father!

Have a blessed day my Brothers!

– Richard

I'm NOT "That Guy" Anymore – Genesis 32:27-28

27 And he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." 

28 Then he said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed."
– Genesis 32:27-28

I'm NOT "That Guy" Anymore
Last night I wasn't feeling very well and I was home by myself – so I took the opportunity to have some quiet time with the Lord. In our conversation, He took me all the way back to the events that led up to my accepting His invitation to join Him in this brand new life.  It was kinda cool to relive the way He carefully designed each step of the way so that I could go from despair to a new excitement and a zeal for my new life. I recalled how after the excitement and joy of giving my life to Jesus had a chance to calm down a bit, He came to me and asked "what is your name?" . . . with a sly smile on His face.

I knew my name of course, but I could no longer associate it with the person I was before.  I could imagine Him nodding and smiling as I tried to go through all of the old ways of describing me:
Liar
Thief
Coward
Drug Addict
Sneak
Sex Addict
Damaged
Abused

Angry

Violent

Stupid

No-Good

Worthless

No-Account

Failure

Weakling

Untrustworthy
Flawed
Scarred
Sinner

He was smiling because He knew that that old man didn't exist anymore.  He smiled because He could hardly contain His excitement as I came to the realization that I was walking from death into blessing and that my future was paved with light and grace.  I was about to start on a new journey with Jesus and my new name was Hope, and Peace, and Friend, and Forgiven, and, and Redeemed, and Victorious!  I was a living example of God's Grace in Christ.

I can sometimes forget about that experience – especially when I'm going through tough times.  I can see the old me in the rear-view mirror, you know - appearing larger than I really was, and I know that if I'm not careful to guard the quiet places in my heart, the enemy will find a way to work his way back in.  I am so thankful that Jesus' love is so strong that it keeps me refreshed.  And in Him,  I can keep moving forward and the enemy can just keep chasing me – because I am riding with Jesus, and He doesn't even have a rear-view mirror.

Take some time to remember your salvation experience today.  Thank God for taking the time to wrestle with you as you made the decision to accept Jesus into your heart.  Thank Him that you are no longer who you used to be and the new you is wonderful and marvelous and full of joy and light.  Claim the blessings that are yours and hold your head high because you are a child of God!  Share the Joy of the Lord with someone today!

Prayer
Father,  Thank You for giving me a new name and a new identity.  I pray that I never forget the depths of where I came because I know that it will keep my rejoicing fresh and new each day.  Help me to stay focused on You as I go about the busyness of today – I want to show others just a small portion of the love You showed me.

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard