A Journey of Living from Glory to Glory

Latest

Your Vision: You Have a Powerful Advocate

You are hereby accused of . . . gossiping, lying, hating your brother, lusting, envy . . .and then there are all of the really terrible things you’ve done. The devil has carefully observed your acts and has dutifully recorded them in a book of charges against you. Every single indiscretion results in one more indictment. And now satan stands accusing you before the Father.

Sin is a terrible, destructive, and deadly act. It gives the devil the opportunity to move against you, bringing a full array of penalties, curses, and perhaps, even death.

If that were not enough, you have another adversary. The world in general is against you—it may even hate you. It doesn’t care if you make it or not—you’re just one more sorry sap among the billions of people taking up space, needing services at someone else’s expense, polluting “mother earth,” voting for the wrong guy/party/cause/initiative, and further burdening the overstretched health care system. The world is randomly unfair. It will “randomly” choose some to succeed and prosper, and others to suffer unimaginable destruction. Almost all will agonize a little under the world system, even if it’s “just” high blood pressure, allergies, addictions, financial troubles, legal entanglements, and numerous estranged relationships.

Who can possibly help your plight? Who can stand before God and cancel the penalties you should be paying for your corrupt ways? Who can be your trusted deliverer guiding you out of the worldly mess you’ve made for yourself? Who can free you from your sicknesses, diseases, poverty, lack, and oppression? . . . Continue reading

Posted by  |  May 16, 2012 | Categories: Abundance, Authority of the Believer, Christian Living, God's Vision of You, Supernatural lifestyle, Victorious Living, Your Identity in the Kingdom, Your Vision - Series | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Your Vision: You are Created to Live from Glory to Glory

Should we live for the glory of the Lord, in the glory of the Lord, or as the glory of the Lord? It certainly seems appropriate to live and do everything for God’s glory. But what about living in and as His glory? This may seem like a small distinction—that I’m thinly slicing a few tiny words, but the difference will have an enormous effect on your life. This may be the key factor in how you see yourself in the Kingdom of God. It may also determine the level of blessings and abundance you establish in this lifetime. God indeed reveals that He intends for us to experience a transformation into His glory.

So what is the glory of God? Well, not to be confused with worldly glory bestowed upon you by other created beings, this Kingdom glory is granted by the Creator of the universe. It is the very pinnacle of glory—being the same glory granted by God the Father to Jesus Christ.

So let’s jump right in by looking at a verse that talks about our transformation into this realm of glory. . . . Continue reading

Posted by  |  May 12, 2012 | Categories: Christian Living, Glory, God's Vision of You, Jesus Christ, Your Identity in the Kingdom, Your Vision - Series | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Your Vision: Seeing Yourself as God Sees You

Is your self-image perverted by the deception and condemnation of the devil? Have other people and the flawed standards of the world given you a defining image of yourself?

How exactly do you see yourself? Do you see yourself as a perfected, unblemished, child of the most high God or someone that needs a lot of work?

These are not easy questions to answer, but most people have some sense inside as to what kind of person they are. Some people see themselves as essentially good, with perhaps a few flaws. Others seem to focus only on their flaws and throughout life suffer under poor self-esteem. Then there are those who seem to portray a sense that they are perfect and have no room for improvement (although inside may be tremendous turmoil and doubt).

For most people these images are based on the standards set by the world and its flawed systems. But they are all distorted images compared to how God sees us. Almost no one sees themselves in the image of God, but that is what He said we are!

God’s system for abundance calls for seeing yourself through His eyes. But how in the world can you find out what God thinks about you? . . . Continue reading

Posted by  |  May 6, 2012 | Categories: God's Vision of You, Victorious Living, Your Identity in the Kingdom, Your Vision - Series | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Your Identity in the Kingdom of God – Your Vision is Essential

Let’s start this series on God’s vision for your life by asking a key question:

Is your life ascending to great heights?

Actually, I should backup and ask a more basic question: What direction is your life headed? And are you excited about getting there? Do you have a clear understanding of your purpose or is your purpose as clear as mud?

Have you ever wondered why some people are able to turn dreams, goals, and ambitions into victorious reality, while others, perhaps even you, get stuck in fantasy land? What is it that thrusts some people into a lifestyle of abundance, peace, joy, and wholeness, and raises mankind to his greatest heights? What is it that keeps others living unfulfilled lives, wallowing in despair, discouragement, turmoil, or the dreaded state of being mediocre? Is it education, knowledge and worldly wisdom? How about wealth or land? Perhaps charm, charisma and good looks? Could it be family heritage, social standing, and political connections? . . . Continue reading

Posted by  |  May 3, 2012 | Categories: Abundance, Christian Living, God's Vision of You, Victorious Living, Your Identity in the Kingdom, Your Vision - Series | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Your Identity in the Kingdom of God – Introduction to the “Your Vision” Series

This is the introductory post in a new series that will explore our identity in the Kingdom of God. The focus is on clarifying, understanding, and possessing the identity God has appointed for us. I say “possessing” because that is the ultimate goal: to possess in the totality of our existence (as body, soul, and spirit) the reality of God’s vision for our lives. This represents the very essence of the three part struggle of life: To somehow transform into a spirit with a soul and body instead of a body and soul with a spirit (sort of the default condition of mankind); to somehow transcend the temporal reality of this world and achieve the vision of God for our lives; And to finish well, having run a “good race,” as Paul describes in I Corinthians 9 and 2 Timothy 4. . . . Continue reading

Posted by  |  May 1, 2012 | Categories: Christian Living, Glory, God's Vision of You, Jesus Christ, Victorious Living, Your Identity in the Kingdom, Your Vision - Series | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Trust, Missed Opportunities, and Angels Among Us

Image is Copyright © 1999-2011 by SermonCentral.com or its content providers.

God will often send situations our way, not to test us, but to tap into our professed love of Him. You see, some of us so-called Christians are pretty sure of ourselves when we profess our faith. We boldly claim to believe the Bible and some of us make a pretty big deal about believing “every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God,” as the Bible commands us to do. We tell God to “use us” for His glory; that we are “here for Him” to mold us and make us into what He wants and needs for us to be. We even profess that “we are the clay in Your hands O, Lord, and You are the Potter that molds us.”

So God seems to say, “OK, I will do as you confess.” The next thing you know, an opportunity to prove our word comes our way, and at the first chance we get to substantiate our confession, we totally blow it.

My family and I live on a farm with a main house and a small cottage. After graduating high school, my twin daughters moved into the cottage while they attend local colleges or pursue their early adult interests. I love having them close by, but being the protective fatherly type, I tend to keep at least one eye towards the cottage and its goings on. I have a small set of rules about what happens on our property which they seem to abide pretty well.

Well, one morning I needed to find something that I thought was in the main room of the cottage and decided to enter the cottage after only a brief knock. To my surprise . . . Continue reading

Posted by  |  February 19, 2012 | Categories: Angels, Christian Living, Christian Love | Tags: , , , , , | 1 Comment

Survival When All Seems Hopeless – Worship

These past several months have been months of many personal trials and tribulations. Most of which have revealed masks and faces of me into whose eyes I would rather not have stared. It is obvious to me that I still have much to overcome in moving from my “old self” into victory and abundance. I have never lost my vision for what the grace of God is all about. I have no uncertainty that God can and will deliver me into a new self as He promises in His Word. What I struggle with is my own walk and ability to just let Him do His work.

You see, I never cease to amaze myself in my efforts to be contrary to God. I know that the struggles we all face in life are the result of our original fallen natures and the world in which we live. But sometimes I look at the lives of even the unsaved of the world and wonder why they seem so well adjusted and at relative peace with the world when my life seems to be filled with a personal war against my wretched self.

I am at the point where the walls that I must overcome are of such magnitude that only God can deal the victory. I require a momentous miracle in my life. Nothing I can do in the natural world can save me. . . . Continue reading

Posted by  |  February 14, 2012 | Categories: Christian Living, Deliverance, Hope, Jesus Christ, Overcoming, Restoration, Worship | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Is God the Healer or the Afflicter?

What if the God that you think you know isn’t the God of the Bible?

Most people spend a considerable portion of their Christian walk wondering about the true nature of God. I’ve been a Christian for 40 years and allowed myself to be dragged through a roller coaster ride of doctrines and ministries. Each one has attempted to reveal to me the persona and nature of God. But these “revelations” were all over the map—some telling me that God tests us, others telling me that He doesn’t; some telling me that God heals people today, others telling me He doesn’t; some telling me that signs and wonders and miracles ceased after the New Testament was written, others telling me about the powerful operation of God’s power in our world today. These different doctrines preached to me over the years kept me mostly in limbo about the truth. But in spite of living a life of worldly worship, pride, willful sin, and belief in my own power, I managed to spend enough time reading and studying the Bible to see, at least partly, who He is. In fact, Jesus told us who God is when He answered one of His disciples who wanted Jesus to show God the Father to them: . . . Continue reading

Posted by  |  December 22, 2011 | Categories: Abundance, Christian Living, Dead churches, Healing, Hope, Jesus Christ, Power of Jesus Christ, The devil, The Power of Your Words, Victorious Living, Wholeness | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

When You’re All Alone, There is Someone!

When the darkest night is closing in and the slightest glimmer escapes;

When despair and heartache are familiar companions;

And your heart of stone is unwelcome—for no heart at all would be better than the pain you’re feeling;

When you’re touching “can’t care anymore” because numbness has overtaken your dying emotions;

And hope caught the last train out of your emptiness;

When you’ve tried so many times but end up worse;

And you simply want to go back; A time, a place that was simpler; better;

When you’re all alone, a life desolate; There is Someone!

When you’ve given up on living on the other side; The impassable canyon between your reality and where you thought you’d be;

You have been overtaken by circumstances, trials, tribulations, entanglements, and hopelessness; You’re captured; Taken;

When the fruit of your life lies as lifeless pits on the barren ground;

And your faith is dazed; It’s not really faith anymore;

Does God even want to help?  How can God fix what you’ve wrought?

Did you misunderstand God?  Did He misunderstand you?  Is He nowhere?

When you’re all alone, a life relinquished; There is Someone! . . . Continue reading

Posted by  |  December 13, 2011 | Categories: Christian Living, Deliverance, Healing, Hope, Jesus Christ, Overcoming, Restoration, Victorious Living, Wholeness | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Placing Your Hope and Care in Jesus Christ

I recently had the experience of getting somewhat involved in politics.  I must say that the venture taught me not a few lessons about politics and Christianity and how they generally do not mix. Now before I get too far into this, I want to stress that I in no way feel that any political party has God on their side.  There is no political party that is “right with God.”  And I won’t begin to try to argue the merits of one candidate over another in terms of their spirituality.  However, several months ago I was drawn to Herman Cain, one of the recent candidates vying for the Republican nomination for president.  I believed that he had fresh ideas that would benefit our country and possibly restore some of the viability and vigor of our economy.  I was also drawn to him, to a certain degree, because he seems to be a man of strong faith.  I was certainly hopeful that his faith would influence his decisions as leader of this nation.

But things quickly changed.  . . . Continue reading

Posted by  |  December 9, 2011 | Categories: Christian Living, Jesus Christ, Overcoming, Politics, Victorious Living | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments