One Last Request...

As I lay me down to sleep
I pray the LORD my soul to keep…

At the end of each day I believe most of us who call God our Father, likely find ourselves at one point or another, pondering the question; who are YOU my Lord? What do YOU feel, what do YOU hear, what does YOUR heart cry out for?
God's word tells us of course, the answer to all of these questions are there, written as finely as the silk on a butterfly, waiting for us to soak in His Spirit greedily. 
There is no place in that book that He is not. He has shared every detail we could ever need to know about Himself and about this life in His word. And yet, He gives us more…

To know the feeling of our LORD, to know His heart and to hear His heart cry out to the Father, of with He is One, we read His very own words. This scripture in John is even more than the precious parables and prophecy given to us in His word (if you can image). 
This is the heart of our Father…


John
17:1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
17:2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
17:4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
17:5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
17:6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
17:7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
17:8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
17:9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
17:10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
17:11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
17:12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
17:13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
17:14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
17:15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
17:16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
17:18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
17:19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
17:20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
17:21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
17:23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
17:25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.
17:26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. 

The unbelievable love so freely given to us through Jesus is almost unfathomable. To share in this sacred and precious moment of time… and to know in His last given hours of life on earth, He prayed not for Himself, but for you and I... oh how He loves us.
I pray we cling to His word, to His example and His commandments.
And I pray that through this scripture, we can begin to scratch the surface in understanding the indescribable love our Father has for us. 

I leave you with the grace of our LORD…

John
16:27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. 

Thank you LORD, be blessed xoxo

Gone Fishin'

One can argue that fishing is not a sport... But there is not a man that will say fishing is not an art. It involves patience, timing, focus and a willingness to follow through. All of these attributes are necessary to catch fish and they're also required to be something higher... being fishers of men!

Matthew 4:18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
4:20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. 

Jesus tells us directly in this scripture the importance of seeking out and guiding the souls of men that the Lord has called AND that the only way to achieve this is through following Him!

So what does it truly mean to follow the LORD Jesus? I guess that begs the question, how well do you know Him, and how well do you desire to….
To follow, in hebrew, means to trail in one's footsteps AND it equally means to cling. So, a literal translation pertaining to this scripture would mean walk as Jesus walked, live how He lived and cling to Him in every way.
Again, I ask you how well do you desire to follow our LORD? Enough to put aside yourself? 

Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
9:24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 

Enough to separate from the wickedness of man and walk righteously in His ways?

Psalm 94:11 The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity. 
94:12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law;
94:13 That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.
94:10 He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know? 

Do you desire His will enough to follow His example, His words, His being? If your answer is yes then the final piece is that we must follow the Ten Commandments! 

1 John 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Oh how He tells us time and again, the only way to the Father is through Him and the only way to Him is to FOLLOW!!!
He calls us to cling to HIS words, HIS walk, and to the commandments HE has set before us if we are to call ourselves HIS own.
God has not forgotten we are sinners BUT He has certainly given us freedom from sin if we FOLLOW His commandments in Jesus Christ. 

I leave you with this…
Dabaq. It means to cling to, to hold close, in the language of His chosen. Know that meaning, study it, breath it into your soul as the breathe of life was breathed into you.

The fish are biting….God bless xo

You are Invited...

There are very few things in man's world that can offer a lasting comfort. Certainly there is temporary fulfillment all around, but this only feeds our flesh. 
There are many moments in life that require a deeper more spiritual kind of healing, a comfort so sure, it cannot be explained, only felt. This my friends, can only be found in the gentle, loving hands of the LORD. But how on earth do we get there, to this place of comfort and peace? 
The words of the LORD found in the book of John, do confirm His promise of comfort and peace given to those who rely on Him. 

                                 John

14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
14:19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. 

Wow. We are so very unworthy to be given the gift of life alone. Then, we are given the gift of our Father in the flesh, manifest through Jesus Christ. As well as we are given the gift of comfort and peace through His spirit and His promise that we shall eternally be His! 
This amazing Father we so humbly thank, has given us the greatest of all gifts, to walk in His will and follow His commandments His only request. 
And it is just that, a request. He will not make us follow, He will not make us love Him. We must want to, desire above all else to live for His will and to walk in His ways. Then He alone, so graciously bestows upon us His comfort, His peace, eternally. 
This Father who loves us has given quite literally EVERYTHING to bring us joy, comfort and peace. He has given us every piece needed to succeed in this life and the next, in giving us His word, His power (LORD Jesus) and His Holy Spirit that is His breath of life walking inside of you and me! IF we follow His commandments and trust Him.

My friends, He alone is there for every moment of fear or worry or stress and He alone is waiting to lift your spirit in His holiness and to give your soul a peace unlike ANYTHING you have ever known. 

I leave you with His words again; 

John 14:18  I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. 

Let Him come... xoxo