Who I Am

    How does one put on the truth when the reality of their life says one thing about their identity yet God calls them something new? What does one do if their feelings never change? What is ultimate Truth? We can argue over these questions all day long, but until we come to a firm grasp of where our foundation truly lies, we will always lack peace. As long as the wisdom of man is the foundation from which you base reality, your foundation lasts until the first failure of that wisdom - and have no doubt, man’s strength always fades. Always. If feelings are what you rely on to confirm your identity, you are still operating from a man-centered worldview. If I identified myself by the way I feel from time to time, I would be an angry, vengeful, wounded, greedy, over-indulgent man, to say the least! Thank God He gave me a brand new identity and reminds me I have no right to call myself something my Father does not call me!

    And just what is ultimate Truth? From God’s point of view it is His written Word. The Holy Scripture. The Bible. As new creations, we are no longer made righteous by the Law of the Old Testament (Covenant). That Law was fulfilled by the work of the cross and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We operate out of a New Covenant. Jesus fulfilled the Law and we are free to approach God through our faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, we are granted all the benefits of that Covenant because we have been made joint-heirs of the Kingdom again through faith in Jesus Christ. Here;s what the Word says in this regard:

The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
Romans 8:16-17 NASB

    If we are joint heirs of God with Jesus Christ, then all that is made available to Jesus Christ is available to us, as well! Do you get that? All that Jesus has, WE have! All the power He has been granted, WE have been granted! All the blessings He has received, WE are able to receive! All the power that raised Him from the dead is the same power God has given us! We have power over sin! We have power over temptation! We have power over our past failures! We have power over our present circumstances! We have power over our own thoughts! We have power over death! We have power over every choice we are faced with! We have the power to love to the degree that we believe we are loved! That is what ultimate Truth grants us! That is utter reality through faith in Jesus Christ! This is who you are, believer!

    Just because we choose to disregard the Truth has no effect on its validity or staying power. My lack of understanding or ability to see what God sees never negates the truth! That brings me great joy and peace as I pursue Him. If I believed everything that was said about me that is contrary to His Word, I would be relegated to deep, dark depression and stagnation! I simply respond to the truth in faith regardless of whether I feel like a new creation or not. That is what faith does. That is how a man or woman of faith responds. We respond out of the Truth in spite of how we feel. And speaking from my own experience, feelings always follow suit when I walk in the Truth of God’s Word. Always. They may not unfold in my being instantaneously, but as I change my thoughts, I give way to new emotions. My attitudes change in the process, and these changes effect the way I behave…and when I have success in my behavior, this produces even more healthy emotions and induces further righteous thinking…and whole new upward spiral floods in to replace the formerly downward cycle of my thoughts!

    The truth has the awesome ability to transcend any feeling or circumstance I face.

    The truth sets me free from the snares of fleshly feelings and actually taps me into the emotions of my Creator.

    The truth sets me free from the snares of hopelessness by taking my eyes off of me and my circumstances and placing my gaze upon the goal of my calling, Jesus Christ.

    As a new creation learning to see myself as God sees me, I must also learn to see others the way hesees them. I can no longer judge people according to all I see, but I choose to judge them according to their destiny and true calling. In other words, when we see someone who is acting in a certain way we deem selfish or sinful, we need to see what Father God sees. He sees a lost sheep in need of guidance and love. He sees a fallen child in need of rescue. We need to view others the same way and as we do, we will come to appreciate all the more who Father says we are. Remember, except for the grace of God, there go I…

For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.
2 Corinthians 5:14-16 NASB

    With other believers I can make appeals for them to put an end to sinful behavior based upon their identity in Christ. When my own children were still at home, if I saw them sin - caught lying, for instance -  I would say, “Son or daughter, you lied to me, but that is not who you are. You are not a liar. A new creation’s true desire is to tell the truth. You are a truthful person. A portrait of God’s grace to the world, like a trophy that declares the power of God to all who see you!” Just as I did with my children, I now do the same thing for those I am in relationship with, regardless of whether they are my children - or grandchildren - or not! That is what Truth and love born out of my identity demand!

    In the last chapter, we focused on Who Father God says He is - what He calls Himself - revealing His character and nature. Let us go to the Foundation of His Word once again and discover some specific things He calls us. Who does Father say you are?

Who does Father say I am?
He calls me a trophy grace. This is my personal interpretation of what my life is to demonstrate about me. While this is not a Scriptural term, it does express Scriptural truth. What is a trophy? A trophy is a tangible reminder of some great accomplishment or achievement. The redeemed life is a trophy or reminder to all who see of one of God’s greatest achievements - you! Paul the apostle suffered much, yet he believed his sufferings and the display of God’s grace to carry him through them had a profound purpose. ‘...That the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God (2 Cor. 4:15).’ We must learn to put off the old and put on the new of who we really are. In that way, we confront and deal with sin, yet we tear down only the sin and not the person. This is how we build one another up. This is how God builds us up! In this way, we each become testimonies of grace.

Who does Father say I am?
He calls me a letter, written to all mankind

You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
2 Corinthians 3:2-3 NASB

    As others see the changes God brings about in our lives, it is as if He has written a love letter for everyone who comes in contact with us to read! My life without Jesus spoke volumes. My redeemed life reads like a letter that was written with the greatest of care. My desire is that God be glorified for all He has done for me - so I open up that letter (my heart) for others to see and read. My desire is that, as they read, their lives are brought to a saving faith in Jesus Christ as well!

What do others see when they read our lives?
    Will we allow others to see and read or will we hide what we have experienced of God? We have nothing to be ashamed of by being honest. Honesty is a byproduct of truth. Truth sets us - and others - free! Let us see beyond our own perceptions and see what we cannot always see. Let us see ourselves as Father sees us. Let us see others as Father does.

Who does Father say I am?
He says I am a winner!
He gives me the strength to fight the good fight of faith and to run the race toward the goal for the prize of my highest calling! Though I fall, I get up and keep running! To win a race I must run that race.

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you win (1 Corinthians 9:24 NASB).”

The Word also says, “Let us lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart (Hebrews 12:1-3 NASB).”

What is a failure?
    A failure is the one who falls and does not get back up. Either freedom is worth fighting for or it’s not! Falling does not determine one’s identity. The Creator does that! I am not defined by past failure; present temptations; circumstances; or other people! I am who my Father says I am!

Who does Father say I am?
    He calls me a fighter! I do not give up - I am tenacious concerning my desire to conquer sin and to glorify my Redeemer. I fight the good fight of faith by taking hold of the eternal life to which I am called, declaring the truth to all who would see or hear - I am redeemed!

Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
1 Timothy 6:12 NASB

    Father delights in me more than I in Him. His thoughts toward me outnumber the sands of the sea. Mine towards Him come nowhere near that!

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You.
Psalm 139:17-18 NASB

    I do not have to earn His acceptance or approval. I already have it by virtue of the redeeming work of Christ upon the cross. God’s Word says that He has made us accepted in the Beloved - accepted in Christ!

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight
Ephesians 1:7-8 NASB

    He calls me His bride and calls Jesus my bridegroom. One day, my truest identity will be fulfilled in the consummation of true oneness with Christ in the eternal glory of heaven. What joy and pleasure to know I do not have to wait until heaven to experience that joy. I am known by my God in a deeply personal and intimate way and He allows me to know Him! This is my destiny: ’…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection...’ (Philippians 3:10)

My ultimate destiny?
    To be all God has called me to be! The overcoming testimony of my life? A fragrant aroma. ‘Thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place (2 Corinthians 2:14 NASB).’

    In am a treasure born of God’s spirit to be given back to Him as a sacrifice of praise.

‘But t we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not ourselves (2 Corinthians 4:7-12 NASB).’

    We will be afflicted in this life - but we will not be crushed. We may be perplexed by the twists and turns of our life - but we will not despair because we have hope. We will be persecuted for the sake of righteousness - but we will never be forsaken. We may even be struck down because of our faith - but we cannot be destroyed! Why? Because this is part of our identity and destiny in Christ. This is who we are!

“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NASB).”

    Believer. This is your destiny. This is who you are called to be. I am so proud of you! Keep your eyes fixed upon Jesus. Enjoy the journey. Enjoy getting to know your God. I cannot wait until we have the time of eternity to share one another’s stories of God’s redemption.  Remember this: Our God wastes nothing! He will not waste one moment of sorrow or suffering or pain or even one moment of personal failure. He is able to take what we give Him, regardless of what it is, and make something beautiful of it.

But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
Genesis 50:20 NASB

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28 NASB

    Let us be constantly on the quest of renewing our mind in Christ. Let us remember the enemy wants our destruction and that destruction begins in the thoughts is is able to plant in our minds. Let us not allow them to take root any longer. Let us make our mind good soil and be good receivers of God’s Word. Let us be transformed!

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:1-2 NASB

Who Father God Says We Are

Who Father God Says We Are

    If we are new creations in Christ, we need to view our life from that vantage point, rather than from any other point of view. This is both freeing and humbling. When I think about who and Whose I am, I think about my childhood and the way I was raised. I think about who my father is and was.  So much about me and the way I perceived my identity was based on what I learned from him. Whether we like it or not, we are heavily influenced by our parents - or lack thereof. Parents - especially our fathers - have great power when it comes to bestowing identity upon their children. That is simply a fact, again, whether we like it or not. If we perceive our father to be proud of us, we tend to walk in confidence. If we perceive him to be displeased with us, we tend to question everything about ourselves. That was my story.

    Everything changed when I replaced my man-centric worldview with a God-centric worldview. Not only did I begin to view myself in a whole new way, I also viewed my perceptions of my father and the way he raised me in a whole new light. I stopped blaming my father for my wrong choices. I stopped blaming him to the way I thought about myself. How did I accomplish that? Certainly not on my own! It was Father God and others who helped me put off the old ways of thinking and replace them with thew new way of thinking that brought me to the place of freedom I have come to enjoy!

    Rather than identifying myself by the way I perceived my earthly father saw me (which was skewed and perverted, to say the least!), I chose to view myself and think about myself from the vantage point of my heavenly Father. In fact, one of my personal rules to this day is that Dennis Jernigan does not get to call himself something his Father does not call him! But, again, just how did I get to the Father’s pint of view? I had to become like a child!

“Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”
Jesus
Luke 18:17 NASB

    What is it about becoming a child that brings us to the place of entering the kingdom of God, of entering into the kingdom point of view, the kingdom way of thinking? Let’s think about the qualities of a child. A child trusts. A child desires to know his or her father. A child pursues his father. A child wants to know her father. A child believes it when his or her father expresses joy over their existence. A child is ready for the father’s embrace and finds joy in just being with him. A child jumps into thin air when they know their father is ready and willing and able to catch them! How did I get to know my Father? I asked Him to reveal to me who He says He is. In so doing, I believed knowing His nature would reveal mine! Jesus, when He was a boy, actively sought to know His heavenly Father, even risking alienation from his earthly parents. Once, he remained behind in the town synagogue when his parents headed for home. After searching high and low, they found him with the church leaders and elders. The response of Jesus?

“Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”
Luke 2:49 NKJV

    A major part of our Father’s business is leading people know Him. That is why He sent Jesus to Earth in the first place! So, let us begin there in the process of renewing our mind. Let’s lay down all our preconceived notions about Who God is and let us be open to having our misconceptions about His character sent packing. Knowing Who He says He is will help us determine who we were/are created to be!

A good name is to be more desired than great wealth,
Favor is better than silver and gold.
Proverbs 22:1 NASB

    In God’s Word, He reveals much about Himself through the names He calls Himself. When I hear my own name, I hear the meaning of my name. Dennis means ‘Follower of Dionysius, the Greek god of wine’. When I was born again, one of the first things I was led to do was to redefine my name. Whenever I hear my name now, I hear ‘Follower and worshiper of the One True God’. That was an is a whole new way of seeing myself! That one mental rethinking moment was a major turning point in my self-thought life! Let’s take a few of the names God calls Himself and then let’s see how they apply to our own existence and identity…and lets’ be open to a change of reality from darkness to Light!

    He calls Himself Jehovah Shammah in Ezekiel 48:35. It literally means ‘The Lord is There’. What doe that mean? Regardless of where we find ourself, regardless of how we feel, and regardless of our pain or circumstances, He is there WITH US! In fact, one of the names by which Jesus is known in Scripture is Immanuel, which means ‘God With Us’ (Isaiah 7:14). We are never alone. When I was bound up in homosexual thought, I felt utterly alone for much of my life! But even in the midst of my feeling alone, reality was that I was NEVER alone. Not even one moment! As I began to look back on my life from that vantage point, I was able to see God as compassionate and always there pursuing me! I was able to find healing for the pain and wounds left by all those times I had felt alone…by simply seeing my God’s point of view! He loved me right where I was even in the midst of depravity, but loved me enough to not leave me there! That changed everything! I would never be alone again! Hallelujah!

    He calls Himself Jehovah-Nissi, which means ‘The Lord Is My Banner’ or ‘The Lord Is My Victory’. In Exodus 15, when Moses and Aaron led the children of Israel against the army of Amalek. The army of Israel was being pushed back, until Moses went to the top of a hill and lifted his arms. As he lifted his arms toward heaven, the army of Israel made headway. As his arms grew tired and fell to his side, they were again pushed back. In order to help hold his arms up, Aaron and a man named Hur helped hold the arms of Moses toward the sy…and Israel defeated the Amalekites! Moses named the place Jehovah-Nissi to remind the children of Israel that their God had brought about their victory.
    
    What that means to my life is this: God is the same God to me that He was in the battle with Amalek! He has my back just as He had the back of Israel! Jesus was victorious over sin! I am born again in Him, therefore I have victory over sin! Before I believed this, I walked in constant defeat, believing my inability to overcome sin and failure was just who I was! I considered myself a complete failure! As I began to proclaim this truth - Jesus is my Victory, therefore I am victorious - over my own mind, my feelings of defeat began to be replaced with feelings of triumph! I did not stop having moments of failure, but I decided to keep getting back up and heading for Jesus! I decided it was better to be a victor rather than to be a victim!

    He calls Himself Jehovah Rohi in Psalm 23. It literally means ‘The Lord My Shepherd’. Whenever I thought of God before I knew Him, I thought of Him as a distant dictator or cosmic policeman. My view was that He waited for me in heaven to see if I would obey Him or not - and whenever He saw me fail, He would swoop down and bop me on the head and beat me back into line. Into submission. This thought was reinforced by the way I treated a lamb I once owned. Her name was Abby. My job was to train Abby for the livestock show. My way of doing this? If she disobeyed, I struck her! I was so perplexed whenever I went for our daily truing session only to find her cowering in the corner, obviously gripped by fear! I felt mortified! Terrible! My solution? I began to take her carrots and other goodies - and began to treat her with kindness. After only a few days, the once-cowering lamb began to greet me at the gate…and followed me wherever I led her.

    When I was born again, I soon learned that Jesus is a good Shepherd! A good Shepherd never beats Hi sheep into submission, but leads them by example! As I applied this to my own life, I began to listen for the voice of Shepherd Jesus. He led me to clear fresh waters of understanding who I was called to be. He led me to fresh green lush pastures of His Word that began to transform the way I viewed reality…myself. He led me through the process of healing as He began to assess my wounds and began to apply the necessary balms of Truth to those same wounds. He led me to a feast of His presence in the very midst of my most dire circumstances.

    Before I saw God asGood Shepherd, my view was pathetic. I saw myself as deserving of only sitting beneath the table of His presence and groveling for any crumbs that fell o my lowly head from somewhere above. All along He had been calling me to sit AT the table and enjoy the feast of His presence - in THIS life! In THIS existence. That is how He sees me…and how I began to see myself! A child of the Shepherd Who is the King seated boldly at the table WITH Him! That was a life-altering point of view for sure!

    He calls Himself Jehovah-Rapha, ‘The Lord That Heals’. In Exodus 15, God reveals His healing nature to the children of Israel who had just come out of slavery in Egypt. In spite of all the miracles God performed to get them out of bondage, they still longed for the security of those old chains - and He still chose to heal them of all the diseases that afflicted the Egyptians! How often do we feel that same way? At least in our old way of thinking we knew our limits! How sad is that way of thinking?! And make no bones about it, it is a way of thinking! The Israelites had been enslaved to the Egyptians for 400 years. That’s a lot of time to build up the thought process that says ‘this is just the way it is and this is just the way it will be’. While that may give you a measure of peace, it does not give you victory. This is a sickness- a wrong way of thinking - that can only be healed by changing the way one thinks!

    If one does not believe they are sick, then one does not seek the Healer. My mental and spiritual healing began to be realized the day I chose to agree with God that I was sick in the way I thought about Him and about myself and then chose to put off the lies He revealed to me and then actively choose to put on the Truth according to His Word. It had taken me 22 years to build up the wall of lies I had believed. He encouraged me with the understanding that it may take time to tear down that wall and rebuild it with the Truth. Some lies have come down instantly while others have been a process. Some Truths have been grasped quickly while others have taken time to take root in my mind. Healing has come as I have chosen to trust my Healer rather than the wisdom of man!

    In Jeremiah 23:6, God reveals Himself as Jehovah Tsidkenu - The Lord Our Righteousness. This is actually a prophecy about the coming of the Savior, Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 1:30, we find this Truth:  “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption…” When I was bound up in stinkin’ thinkin’, I felt (there’s that word again) that my only recourse to my constant failure was to perform my way through life - to gain God’s approval and acceptance and earn HIs love. That is how I FELT about the people in my life as well! The feeling should have given me the clue to the truth. Everything changed the day it dawned on me that there was absolutely no way to ever earn God’s acceptance, approval, or love other than the free gift of simple faith in Jesus Christ! In the most simple terms I can convey this Truth, Jesus Christ exchanged His life for mine on the cross. “He (God) made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” That’s 2 Corinthians 5:21 NASB. In other words, When He exchanged HIs life for mine, and I exchanged my way of thinking/life for His, I effectively became righteous in the sight of God! How could that not rock my world and drastically alter the way I thought about myself? This newfound way of thinking made me want to turn from my sin more than ever…and to seek the Righteous Savior Who set my thoughts spinning in the right direction!

    In Exodus 31:13, Father God reveals Himself as Jehovah M’kaddesh, which means ‘The Lord That Sanctifies You’. When I think of sanctification I think of holiness, but God takes it even further than that. To be sanctified in and by Jesus Christ is to be set apart for a holy purpose! Not only am I made holy by simple faith in Jesus Christ, but I am called into a higher, kingdom purpose! This gave my life an never-before-seen vision and purpose - a destiny - that transcended my humanity! When I was in bondage to my particular sin - way of thinking - I could see no further than the sin could take me! In my sin, there was no procreation. In my sin, there was no hope for true love as God had ordained it. In my sin there was only hope for deeper depths of condemnation and fear of disease and ridicule of men. In my sin, there was no hope or future. To have Father God tell me He had made me holy and that I should see myself as holy and pure was quite revolutionary, but that was only the beginning of my revelation! He had a definite purpose for my existence! This new focus took the wind out of the sails of temptation for me in a dramatic way! My very real needs were now being met in the way God had intended them to be met all along. In relationship with Him! I am holy and set apart because He says so!

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”
Romans 1:17 NASB

    In God’s Word, we find the details of an episode in the life of the patriarch Abraham. Abraham had finally been given a son in his old age…and when the boy, Isaac,  was still a young man, the Lord directed Abraham to sacrifice him on the altar! Abraham, being a man of faith reluctantly obeyed the Lord and took his son to the place as directed by God…and just as Abraham lifted the knife to sacrifice his son, the Lord intervened:

But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." He said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, "In the mount of the LORD it will be provided.”
Genesis 22:11-14 NASB

    But the Lord did not stop there. He went on:

Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, "By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
Genesis 22:15-18 NASB

    When I was confronted with the choice of following Jesus, He asked me for everything. Had I held back from Him, He could not bless me in the area I withheld from Him. When we hold on to lie, we hold God’s blessing at bay in a sense. How can He fill with Truth something we fill with a lie? When I got honest with God about my greatest failures and shameful acts and thoughts, I effectively emptied myself - and He was given the freedom to fill those empty places with right thinking. The more I practice right thinking the more freedom came into my life. The more freedom I experience, the more my feelings changed! Why would we ever want to hide from God when rich blessings are the option of our honest confession? What I discovered in that moment of clear thinking was that the very things the world promised - momentary pleasure, selfish ambition leading nowhere concrete, material possessions that would one day crumble into nothingness - were pathetic counterfeits to the richness of knowing Christ! In His economy, we are granted the riches of heaven by giving Him everything we have and are! God is, indeed, the best Provider!
    
    One of the greatest Truths about Who God is revealed to be to me personally is found in Judges 6:24, where Father reveals Himself asJehovah-Shalom - The Lord Is Peace. In that account of Israeli history, a man named Gideon has been called of the Lord to lead God’s people against the marauding Midianites and Amalekites. Rather than believe God that he could stand against the intruders, Gideon chose to hide in the wine press, choosing to winnow grain in order to save at least the food rather than to fight for the people! He saw himself as something less than Father saw him! This is evident in the following passage:

The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, "The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior." Then Gideon said to him, "O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian." The LORD looked at him and said, "Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?”
Judges 6:12-14 NASB

    Like Gideon, I once believed myself a coward, controlled by fear, frozen by the lies of the enemy into a state of constant panic. Like Gideon, I used to blame God for getting me into the mess I was in rather than to see it was by my own choosing. Like Gideon, everything changed the moment I chose to believe God’s Word. Gideon went on to find peace even before going to battle with the enemy. He and a small number of men routed the formidable foe and sent them packing! Like Gideon, once I believed and received God’s peace, I was able to confront the Liar and rout Him - and send him packing - all by virtue of believing and thinking the Truth of God’s Word to me! I am a mighty man of valor - in spite of the lies of the enemy and in spite of whatever the world and its wisdom may say…or do. I am who Father says I am.

    Of course, these are merely a few of the names God gives Himself in His Word, but they are important beginning steps to understanding Who He is. It is by understanding Who our Maker is that we come to have a roadmap to understanding who we are created to be - in spite of the way we feel. Feelings can change as thoughts are renewed! The name Jesus literally means ‘The Lord Saves’. How cool is that? Every name of God can be summarized in that one name. Jesus. And we need to be saved from sin, no doubt…but we also need to be saved from wrong thinking. Saved from our own self!

    Here is how drastic I became in my assault of stinkin’ thinkin’ as it relates to Who my Father says He is. If I have the DNA of my Father flowing through my spiritual veins, this truth not only affects how I view myself, but it informs me as to the reason of my existence. I am here for His glory and pleasure, not my own! I am to lead others to Jesus. I am to ‘be there’ for others. I am to be a champion for and fight for the victory over sin of others! I am to see myself as a shepherd of those I am in relationship with and seek to lead people to green pasture and fresh water in the Lord. I am f God’s healing power and love. I am called to walk in righteousness and have been set apart for a holy purpose - and am called to lead others to that same righteous and holy identity in Christ. I am to be an agent of provision, meeting the spiritual needs of those I am in relationship with. I am an agent of God’s peace. I am an ambassador for Christ on this planet! That changes everything!

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
Philippians 4:8 NASB

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

     The very first thanksgiving celebration in America took place in 1621 as the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast in Plymouth, MA. This feast was to thank God for His provision over the previous year. Through the years, the memory of that first feast slowly transformed into the celebration we now hold each year in America known as Thanksgiving. Although we, as a nation, have allowed the true meaning of the first celebration to erode - the thanking God part - we still use the day to gather together as families around the traditional feast.

    This year, let’s get back to the basics as the body of Christ. Regardless of whether or not all in your family understand the real reason behind the celebration, you can still direct thee focus of all who gather with simple little redirection.

    As you gather, ask for the opportunity to bless the meal and in that prayer thank God for His bounty.

    As you gather, ask for a short time of expressing thanks. Simply suggest your family go around the room and each person simply express one thing they are thankful for.

    If the first two suggestions are out of the question, consider going to individuals and expressing gratitude for them in some personal way.

    Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit this Thanksgiving and have as your attitude a grateful heart. Express that grateful heart at every opportunity. Your positive thankful heart will affect those around you and will be used of God mightily…because His Word does not return without accomplishing that for which it was sent forth. Read the following excerpts from the Word of God and you’ll see what I mean!

…in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 NASB

…let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.
Hebrews 13:15 NASB

Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.
Hebrews 12:28-29 NASB

…having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.
Colossians 2:7 NASB

     And let us remember this one last passage as we prepare to partake of the feast this Thanksgiving: If we who have been redeemed do not express gratitude for that redemption by ‘saying so’, how will those in the same bondage ever know there is hope? See the power of giving thanks? Walk in that power in attitude and in the expression of that thanks during the coming days.
Dennis Jernigan

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary…
Psalm 107:1-2 NASB

Spiritual Warfare Basics

Spiritual Warfare Basics

The Battle is Real
We have forgotten how vital the concept of spiritual warfare is to the body of Christ. We ARE at war. Not at war with people. People are not our enemy.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:12 NASB

The Enemy is the Enemy
The ENEMY is the enemy. The enemy of God - Satan, the Liar - is who we are at war with. And do not think our battle is not real for one second.

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8 NASB

Where is the Battleground?
And do not confuse the battleground. The battleground is our mind. We are at war for the Truth.

For as he thinks within himself, so he is.
Proverbs 23:7a NASB

We Have Been Given Authority
Jesus, Himself, told us we have authority over the enemy. It is up to us to take up that authority and to walk in that authority.

Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.
Luke 10:19 NASB

How Do We Prepare
We must recognize the particular schemes of the enemy in our own lives; in our own families; in our own cities; states; nations…and come against them with specificity, calling them out by name. For example, in my own life, one of the schemes of the enemy is to play thoughts of irrelevance in my mind. I recognize this lie and denounce it by name, commanding it to leave my mind. Next, I replace that thought with the Truth of God’s Word and claim the victory…as often as necessary!

In my city/region, I have determined there are three main spiritual forces of darkness wielding lies over the populace: 1) Spirit of Religion rather than Relationship with Christ 2) Spirit of Poverty 3) Spirit of Division Among the Races. I attack each with specificity, speaking blessings of Truth over each area of concern, trusting God for the victory.

‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’
Jeremiah 29:11 NASB

Put On The Armor
We take this preparation - putting on the armor of God - for granted. Most of the weaponry is meant for battle in our personal walks with Christ and help us guard over our thoughts. Mainly, they remind us of who and of Whose we are. I urge you to mentally put them on each day because the onslaught - the battle - is as close as your next thought. This battle is real. Read the following passage and ask the Holy Spirit to remind you to use the arsenal at our disposal as believers.

11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,
15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;
16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Ephesians 6:11-16 NASB

Run TO the Battle
David did not wait for Goliath to come to him. He ran toward the enemy. Jesus did not wait for the cross to come to Him. He went TO the cross. We are meant to do battle. Use the armor. Use the weaponry. Use worship and prayer as weapons of warfare against the lies of darkness. Do not be angry with people. Be angry at the Liar who deceives people!

Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
1 Timothy 6:12 NASB

No weapon that is formed against you will prosper…
Isaiah 54:17a NASB

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7 NASB

6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
And a two-edged sword in their hand,
7 To execute vengeance on the nations
And punishment on the peoples,
8 To bind their kings with chains
And their nobles with fetters of iron,
9 To execute on them the judgment written;
This is an honor for all His godly ones.Praise the LORD!
Psalm 149:6-9 NASB

Praying With Vision

Prayer Journal

For an 8 year period, Melinda and I were part of a prayer ministry that took place from 6 to 7 AM, Monday through Friday. We used the Lord's Prayer as a guide...and never ran out of things to seek God in prayer for...and - more often than not - did not have enough time in that hour to cover everything we wanted or needed to petition God for!

How does one pray without ceasing? It is called relationship. We talk with Father God and He talks to us. Reality is, whether we like to admit it or not, that we often run out of things to pray within a few minutes of setting aside time to pray! We often wonder why we do not get what we want in life when the utter reality is that most of the time we do not get what we want or need because we do not ask specifically! Add to that the fact that we tend to make time for what is important to us. Is spending time with Father in prayer important to you? Then make time!

Following are some things to help you build and grow your prayer life. When I am clueless as to what to pray for, I default to the Lord's prayer. I begin with worship (worship and praise IS prayer!). I then ask God to bring His kingdom to pass in my life, my family's life, my church family's life, etc. Next, I seek God for provision for myself and others. From there, I move into asking God to reveal any un-forgiveness in my heart and I repent and ask Father to cleanse me. I then ask Him to reveal to me any lies I am believing and to give me wisdom to replace them with the Truth of His Word, while also seeking Him for protection for my life and loved ones. Then I close my prayer with more worship and praise! You can always practice such prayer regardless of where you are and in spite of circumstances. Read through the Lord's Prayer and remind yourself of its patterns...then apply them to your life.

Lord's Prayer
“Pray, then, in this way:
Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
Matthew 6:9-13 NASB

What is your Jericho?
We tend to get what we ask for. When we ask in generalities, we receive in generalities. Learn to approach the throne of God boldly by virtue of the access the blood of Jesus has afforded you! Want to know the attitude of God toward prayer? Read on...

As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. And two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” The crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”  And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They *said to Him, “Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.” Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.
Matthew 20:29-34 NASB

• We don't get what we want because we don't know what we want
• Define success - be specific

Honi and the Prayer Circle
I visited a local church recently. The pastor shared the following story from Jewish history:

Honi was a Jewish scholar who lived during the 1st century B.C. It is reported that, on one occasion, when God did not send rain well into the winter (in the geographic regions of Israel, it rains mainly in the winter), Honi drew a circle in the dust, stood inside it, and informed God that he would not move until it rained. When it began to drizzle, Honi told God that he was not satisfied and expected more rain; it then began to pour. He explained that he wanted a calm rain, at which point the rain calmed to a normal rain.

• Honi was very specific with Father God                                                                                                                                                                                   • Draw circles rather than blanks...tell Father what you want or need and be specific
• Define a dream desire or promise and match it with God's Word
• Pray for that circle promise every day

Daily Prayer Guide and Journal

Nothing builds up faith like an answer to prayer...so why not document what you are praying for and then document when it is answered? Following are daily suggestions for what to fill your prayer times with:

Sunday - fellowship/communion with Father God
Monday - family
Tuesday - local, state, national, and international leadership
Wednesday - All in All Church and the body of Christ; people you know who need Jesus/ministry/salvation
Thursday - creativity and wisdom
Friday - marriages
Saturday - whatever the Spirit brings to mind

Devote Yourself to Prayer
First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:1-4

God Is For Us
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
Romans 8:31 NASB

You Have Not…
…You do not have because you do not ask.
James 4:2b NASB

The Heart Of A Child

The Heart of a Child

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be fnadded to you.” Jesus
Matthew 6:33 NASB

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:1-3 NASB

We are called to seek first the kingdom of God. How do we do that? We seek the King! How should we seek the King? We seek Him as a child seeks after the arms of his/her daddy!

I pastor a small body of believers in my home each week. Some of my children attend with their children - my grandchildren. One recent Wednesday night during worship, which I lead from the piano, one of my grandsons, Ronald, made quite the impression on my heart. A bit about Ronald…

Ronald (16 months old) is the second-born sibling to older brother, Cullen. Cullen (2+ years of age)  makes a beeline for my outstretched arms as soon as he comes inside the room. Ronald does the same…which makes my heart leap each and every time.

During worship, we allow the children to participate freely…which means dancing around the room, playing away! We have to put up barricades so as to keep Ronald from trying to get to me at the piano. This past worship session I am speaking of, Ronald found a way to get to me! Before his parents knew it he was at my side! I felt a ‘presence’ to my right side…from which Ronald had emerged, having found a way through the barricade! Not wanting to break the flow, I picked him up with my right hand as I played with my left. By this time, his daddy had come to help. I simply passed Ronald behind my back, lifting him over my shoulder to his dad!

The picture of the kingdom was painted indelibly on all our minds in that moment! Ronald sought to get to me, going around barriers, traversing obstacles, and finding a way to get to his objective! Eyes full of wonder and heart full of joy at having accomplished his pursuit - relationship with me via my outstretched arms - Ronald demonstrated the heart of a seeker…and one who finds the kingdom!

What if we sought the kingdom and the King like a child? What would that look like?

We would be laser-focused, just like little Ronald. Single-minded!
We would have hearts full of joy as we pursue our goal. Joy in the journey!
We would be full of wonder and awe in pursuit of relationship with the King…just as Ronald’s eyes were fixed and full of wonder, never taking his eyes off of me!
We would not let anything stand between us and our King.
We would not be deterred.
We would rejoice at every sighting of our King.
We would seek Him as if our life depended upon it.
We would not be satisfied until we found the King.
We would rejoice in the smile of the One we seek.
We would be mesmerized by the look of love and acceptance on His face.
We would have no doubt of the King’s love for us.
We would run to His arms at every opportunity.
We would trust His arms.
We would just enjoy BEING with Him…

Seek the King like a child and find the joy of the Kingdom.
Dennis Jernigan

March 2016 Bible Study

The Kingdom of God - Unshakable

See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.

And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN.”

This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;

for our God is a consuming fire.
Hebrews 12:25-29 NASB

Who is the writer of Hebrews?

To whom was he writing?

Why was He writing this letter?

What parallels can we make about those days and our present days?

What things were shaken before?

What things are being shaken now?

What remains after the shaking takes place?

Why does the kingdom of God not destroyed in the shaking?

What does this mean to our life at present?

Why is gratitude a component of this shaking?

What does it mean for the world that God is a consuming fire?

What does it mean to us that our God is a consuming fire?

How does this affect your view of the kingdom of God?

February 2016 Bible Study

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:1-3 NASB

To whom was Jesus speaking?

What was their previous conversation about that led to this passage of Scripture?

How does the previous conversation apply to the kingdom of God?

What did this passage mean when it said we need to be converted? Converted from what to what?

What do you suppose the kingdom of God is?

What do you think Jesus meant by saying we need to become like children to enter the kingdom?

What does it mean to have a kingdom perspective?

Why do you think that is important?

How does this perspective affect your own life?