The Lord is saying: You please me. Not because of what you do, but because of who you are. You berate yourself, Yet I look at your heart. I know that your heart's desire is to please me. Keep in step with me and look upwards, not downwards or within. I am the answer to all your problems.

Dead to sin - Alive to Christ

For years I stood on the scripture, "It is no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me" and the other one "I am dead to sin and alive to Christ". I knew God said it in His word and I was determined to believe it, against all the odds of what I saw in myself and what others said. But its not something that God will give me if I believe hard enough. Its something that is. All I need to do is acknowledge the truth of it so I can rest. Its like being blindfolded and someone saying "there is a chair underneath you, its been there all the time, just sit down"

When we were born again, the old man died 100% and the new man came alive 100%. Our new nature is now all God, not half flesh and half spirit.

Romans 6:9-11 We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him. As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God. Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as (being) dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.

We are not needing to crucify our flesh daily, what we are needing to do is acknowledge the truth daily about our new nature.

An apple tree bears fruit, just because its an apple tree, a pear tree bears pears, You child of God will bear the fruit of the Spirit, just by being who you really are.

Jesus said, You did not choose me but I chose you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit….John 15 16. The word ordained is "tithemi" denotes "to place" "in a passive or horizontal posture"

Well what does a branch do, it lays horizontally, placed in the tree while the sap permeates through all of its being, and therefore it bears fruit, Jesus was talking about a place of rest.

In this same chapter at verse 1. He tells us that He is the vine, we are the branches, that we are cleaned by the word, that if we abide in Him and His word abides in us, we will bring forth much fruit. When we stop negating God's word with our fears, that life of God automatically brings the fruit of holiness into our life. Its just a natural thing that cannot help but happen when we know the truth of who we really are in Christ.

Email: shirleyhowitt@yahoo.co.uk

 

 

Be God or let God. ~Author Unknown

When we rest God works - When we work God rests

Church bulletin bloopers Eight new choir robes are currently needed, due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.

Inspirational Moments from Catherine