Beyond Compare

I say this all the time. God wastes nothing. He does not waste our sorrows. He does not waste our wounds…and He does not even waste our failures. In my own life, I have had to realize that He took even my most shameful failures and used them for my own good and for His own glory. Now it seems I am being taken to a whole new level in this realization as I battle Parkinson’s Disease…but our God is able to take the situations and circumstances of our lives - even the painful ones - and make something beautiful of them.I’d like to tell you a brief story about 2 of my friends whom God used to reveal a greater depth of that God kind of love to my own life…but first, I need to share the lyrics of a song called Beyond Compare.

Beyond Compare
WORDS & MUSIC
Dennis Jernigan
September 17, 1986

Verse
You are so good in Your mercy
Taking what I cannot bear
Taking a heart life that seemed hopeless
And making it beautiful beyond compare

Chorus
And what the locusts have eaten
My Lord can restore
And what the enemy’s taken
My Lord gives me more
And my Father will mend my heart
When my heart’s torn
There’s nothing that my Father cannot restore

Verse
You are so good in Your mercy
You take all I don’t understand
Taking a heart that was wounded and broken
And bearing me up by Your hand

Chorus
And what the locusts have eaten
My Lord can restore
And what the enemy’s taken
My Lord gives me more
And my Father will mend my heart
When my heart’s torn
There’s nothing that my Father cannot restore

Verse
You are so good in Your mercy
Taking what I cannot bear
Taking a heart life that seemed hopeless
And making it beautiful beyond compare

This song is for my friends, Paul and Debby. God brought them into my life after much persistence on Paul’s part, asking and asking for me to come to minister to their church body in west Texas. Once we did, they endeared themselves to Melinda and me very quickly and we became fast friends. Paul and Debby had both been married before they met each other. Through a series of events, their marriages ended and they met. Believing they were following God’s will, they married.

Subsequently, they encountered the wrath of many in the Body of Christ who condemned them for not seeking reconciliation in their previous relationships. Much damage was done and they were emotionally ravaged by the so called ‘love’ the church ‘blessed’ them with. What most people failed to do was to dig deeper into the truth of what both had experienced.

Both desired their previous marriages to work, yet both experienced abusive behavior from their spouses and had to protect themselves by removing themselves from those hurtful relationships. In leaving those relationships, they found renewed hope and life in Jesus…and found each other in the process.

I believe marriage is sacred and that reconciliation should always be pursued…and so do my friends. God hates divorce and so do I. Yet divorce happens…and the church must deal with it redemptively. Nothing surprises God…and He is big enough to handle the biggest messes of our lives…if we let Him.

After Paul and Debby were married, they were confronted with the truth in a harsh way, yet they both allowed the Holy Spirit to cleanse them of sin on their parts, and both received God’s forgiveness. They could not take back what they thought – in their honest sincerity before the Lord – was the right thing to do in marrying.

God is Redeemer, though, and had chosen to bless this union in many ways. Yet the Body of Christ could not seem to meet them in the reality of their situation. This song came as an affirmation of their value to God, and that He could restore even the biggest messes we get ourselves into and bring about an even greater dependence upon Him than before – and a greater testimony than we ever thought possible. Our Father is the God of Redemption. Shouldn’t His children act like their Father?

When I saw how the body of Christ treated them and how wounded Paul and Debby were…how they felt the enemy had won on my fronts in their lives…like a swarm of locusts had suddenly swarmed in and devoured something precious to Father God, those thoughts led me to this passage in Joel 2: 21-25 NASB:

21 Do not fear, O land, rejoice and be glad,
For the LORD has done great things.
22 Do not fear, beasts of the field,
For the pastures of the wilderness have turned green,
For the tree has borne its fruit,
The fig tree and the vine have yielded in full.
23 So rejoice, O sons of Zion,
And be glad in the LORD your God;
For He has given you the early rain for [your] vindication. And He has poured down for you the rain,
The early and latter rain as before.
24 The threshing floors will be full of grain,
And the vats will overflow with the new wine and oil.
25 "Then I will make up to you for the years
That the swarming locust has eaten,
The creeping locust, the stripping locust and the gnawing locust,
My great army which I sent among you.

This song is for all you out there who thought they were broken beyond repair…for all those who feel their lives have been eaten away by the lies of the enemy…for those who need the ash-heaps of their lives to be restored and made beautiful. Here’s wonderful news: if you are breathing, there is hope. Believe it and then receive it…as often as necessary!

[Eph 1:18-23 NASB] 18 [I pray that] the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. [These are] in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly [places,] 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Can Jesus redeem any situation? Either He can or He can’t. Redemption may not look like what you think it should. God’s redemption is always better than what was taken from us…as we learn to see our lives from His point of view. I believe He can and will redeem any situation if we will simply surrender those situations to Him.

His love can reach as far as we can fall. He restores us by blessing us with even greater blessings than we might have experienced had we not gone through our particular situations. We wastes nothing…not even the parts of our lives sin has eaten away. In your brokenness, turn to Him and allow Him to restore what the locusts have eaten in your life…and live an abundant life from God’s point of view that truly is beyond compare.
Dennis Jernigan

To listen to the song and teaching on Beyond Compare, listen to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast at http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/beyond-compare/

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He Did It

Far too often, we assume God is doing nothing simply because we cannot see the end of our pain or the light at the end of the tunnel. Reality is not best seen from a human perspective. Reality - truth - is best seen from God’s point of view. Following are the lyrics of a song declaring the reality of God’s victory in my life. Rather than seeing myself as a victim, I choose to see myself as He sees me. I see myself as VICTOR! Read the lyrics to the song then I will share the story behind those lyrics:

He Did It
WORDS & MUSIC
Dennis Jernigan - May 21, 1998

Verse
I know there’s no guarantee
What tomorrow holds for me,
But I know I have victory!
Life brings sorrow, suffering,
But the journey is such joy to me
For I know One who walks with me!

When I pass through the waters
I will not be overcome
When I pass through the fire
I will not be touched!
Ev’ry step of the way Jesus
Is right here besides me!
Ev’ry step of the way
Come what may He is my life
And victory because

Chorus
He did it! He’s done it
That we might overcome it!
He lived it! He’s run it!
He ran the race and won it!
He ran to win! So I run straight to Him!
And I will win because

He did it! He’s done it
That we might overcome it!
I’ll live it! I’ll run it!
I’ll face the race and run it!
I’ll run to Him!
I will run this race and win
When I run to Him!

Verse
Death has no real hold on me!
Life is more than what I see
For I know I have victory!
Jesus took my place, my sin.
Paid my debt then rose to win,
Assuring me of victory!

When I pass through the waters
I will not be overcome!
When I pass through the fire
I will not be touched!
Ev’ry step of the way
Jesus is right here beside me!
Ev’ry step of the way
Come what may he is my life
And victory because…

Chorus
He did it! He’s done it
That we might overcome it!
He lived it! He’s run it!
He ran the race and won it!
He ran to win! So I run straight to Him!
And I will win because

He did it! He’s done it
That we might overcome it!
I’ll live it! I’ll run it!
I’ll face the race and run it!
I’ll run to Him!
I will run this race and win
When I run to Him!

I received the chorus of this song back in November of 1997 – soon after my pastor’s daughter came home from the hospital after very successful liver transplant surgery. For the first few years of her life, it seemed God was not going to heal her, but then He came through with provision just in the nick of time…or so it seemed from our human point of view. God had seen the need and had already set the steps in motion to see it come to fruition…something human eyes find it difficult to perceive much of the time.

The chorus was a very bold proclamation from my heart as a war cry. The enemy had not won! My God had won over her ailment by providing a new liver….much as He had provided Abraham with a ram in the thicket just as Abraham was about to sacrifice his son, Isaac. At that time, the Lord did not see fit to complete the song so I simply put it aside and waited for a more opportune time – and more inspiration!

In May of 1998 another friend expressed some very heart-rending concerns over his Dad’s health. As I prayed for his Dad and asked God for healing over the cancer that had invaded his body, the Lord gave the rest of this song to me as a declaration of what true victory really is. We win – whether we live or whether we die!

During the same time I was thinking of and praying for this friend and his Dad, I happened to watch the TV show, Touched by An Angel. I had never really watched the show before, but for some reason I watched it this night. The story was of a Chinese dissident, imprisoned then tormented by her captors. The angel sent to watch over her told her of God’s love for her…and stood between her and those who would beat her – receiving the beating in her place! As she was led to be executed, the prisoner cried out to the angel, “Are you there?”, to which the angel replied, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you…when you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched.” (Isaiah 43:2)

This impressed such a vivid picture upon my heart and mind that this is exactly how much God is with us, for us, and desires to help us in this life. God used all of these components to bring this song to completion…and just as with the characters on the TV show, we win! We win! This truth inspired the rest of the song and came as miraculously as that ram stuck in the thicket for Abraham and Issac…

Jesus died that we might overcome the enemy and sin. Jesus died and rose that we might live and walk out this life in victory, no matter what. We all die…but do we all really live? He who dies well, trusting in faith that God is still Champion, also lives well. This song is for every believer, and captures our truest identity – an integral part of our very being as overcomers. We win!

O sing to the LORD a new song,
For He has done wonderful things,
His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.
Psalm 98:1 NASB

I know it can be difficult to look past the setbacks of life…like physical ailments or persecution or conflict or lack…but we must be receivers of God’s grace to look PAST those things that vie for our attention and look to the Lord in the HERE AND NOW, fixing our eyes upon Him and seeing each and every situation from His point of view. From His point of view, IT IS FINISHED! Already done!

I have Parkinson’s but I am daily choosing to see my body as healed by faith in Jesus. He is Healer of our ailments. See yourself healed. I have a testimony I will continue to share in spite of what the world thinks of me - in spite of the world’s constant attempts to silence me. I see myself as victor rather than victim.

Due to my illness, my physical mind is under constant attack, but I remind myself that God’s truth is THE truth in spite of what the illness tries to get me to think! I see myself - think thoughts about myself - delivered from stinking thinking.

He is our Deliverer. See yourself as free in spite of persecution. He in our Peace. See yourself as a man/woman of peace today in spite of what others choose to say and do. If we don’t fix our eyes on Jesus and see life from His point of view, we tend to lose hope…and hope deferred makes the heart sick according to Proverbs 13:12 NASB. Plainly and simply, we must walk in victory as overcomers by God’s grace…and kick the lies of the enemy - and victimhood - to the curb. Just read the end of the Book, ya’ll. We win! ‘Nuff said!
Dennis Jernigan

2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the [spirit] of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. 4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:2-4 NASB

Dennis Jernigan

To listen to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast and to hear the song He Did It, just got to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/he-did-it-1575394806/

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Glory To The King

The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Psalm 19:1 NASB

What do we mean when we say we want to see God’s glory? Generally, that simply means we want to see Him manifest His presence in some way. The word glory literally means ‘the weight of His presence’. We have but to look to all of creation to see and feel the sheer weight of His presence…and even if we feel nothing, our faith steps in and allows us to recognize His presence in spite of our lack of feeling!

I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,
And will glorify Your name forever.
For Your lovingkindness toward me is great,
And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
Psalm 86:12-13 NASB

Understanding that we are able to witness God’s glory leads to the question ‘What does it mean for me to glorify God?’ I believe it means that we are to believe He enjoys the weight of our presence! Sounds a bit crazy, but I believe that this is true. Just how do we give God the weight of our presence? By being present with Him!

When I am with my children or grandchildren, I simply enjoy being with them. I am quite sure I enjoy their presence much more than they enjoy mine…but isn’t that the way it is with Father God and us? I believe He takes more delight in my presence than I take in His! I love ‘being’ with my children! I love hearing them laugh. I enjoy providing comfort when necessary. I enjoy helping them out in times of crisis. I enjoy it mostly when they let me into their lives and allow me to be a part of their lives…and if I, being an earthly father, feel that way, how much more does our heavenly Father feel that same way towards us?!

How do I glorify God? I express my need for Him. I lean into Him. I receive His love for me. I express my love for Him. I express my gratitude to Him for all He has done for me. I revel in His ability to use all things for my good and relish in the fact that He wastes nothing. In other words, I allow Him to bear the weight of my soul…to bear the weight of my identity…to bear the weight of my afflictions…to bear the weight of my suffering and sorrow…to bear the weight of my illness…to bear the weight of my failure. How do I glorify God? I give Him - I trust Him with - all of me.

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have [its] perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4 NASB

When I sense the weight of God’s presence, I find it easier to give Him the weight of mine. When I feel or sense nothing of His presence, that is the point of grace where my faith kicks into gear and I put off the lies of the enemy and replace those lies with the truth of Who God is in that moment.

We are wired, as new creations, to glorify God and we are wired to endure the heavy weight life can bring to our soul from time to time. How do we endure? We glorify God! How do we do that most effectively? We fix our eyes upon Jesus and we receive the grace He has for us in that moment, trusting He causes all things to work together for our good.

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also 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. Hebrews 12:1-2 NASB

When we fix our eyes upon Jesus, we effectively take our gaze away from our problems and transfix our eyes on the author of Hope, Jesus Christ. Perspective changes the way we think. Changing the way we think changes the way we feel. Changing the way we feel changes our attitude and leads us to change our behavior…and always brings glory - the weight of our presence - to God in the form of a grateful heart!

The bottom line is this: we are constantly surrounded by the glory of God in spite of our circumstances. Even when we feel alone or abandoned or feel tremendous pain - or feel completely numb - the weight of His presence is like a heavy blanket on a cold winter’s night to our weary, world-worn souls. We but have to lean into His glory with the weight of our own presence - our awareness that He is there and that we can trust Him - to bring glory to the King.

Let me make this easy for us. When in doubt, worship and glorify God. When you don’t know what to do in a certain circumstance, worship and glorify God. When you feel completely and utterly hopeless and defeated, worship and glorify God. He is our glory. Let us be His…

But You, O LORD, are a shield about me,
My glory, and the One who lifts my head.
Psalm 3:3 NASB

Dennis Jernigan

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To listen to The Dennis Jernigan podcast titled Glory to the King, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/glory-to-the-king/

Glory to the King
WORDS & MUSIC
Dennis Jernigan - May 22, 1997

Verse
I will worship my Redeemer
Just because He first loved me
I will worship my Redeemer
Who gave His life to set me free

I will worship my Redeemer
Who by His blood has washed me clean
I will worship my Redeemer
Bow my life before my King

Chorus
Glory to the King Who died to set me free
With all that’s in my soul
There’s not enough to say or do
The depth of love I feel for You
You took my sin away left me redeemed

Glory to the King Whose blood has washed me clean
And all I know is knowing You has set my spirit free
Joy is knowing You know me
And knowing me I know You’re all I need
I will worship my Redeemer
I will worship my Redeemer

Verse
I will worship You, no other
No one loves me like You do
I will worship You, no other
There is no other God like You

I will worship You no other
I find my hope in Your embrace
I will worship You, no other
Resting in Your saving grace

Chorus
Glory to the King Who died to set me free
With all that’s in my soul
There’s not enough to say or do
The depth of love I feel for You
You took my sin away left me redeemed

Glory to the King Whose blood has washed me clean
And all I know is knowing You has set my spirit free
Joy is knowing You know me
And knowing me I know You’re all I need
I will worship my Redeemer
I will worship my Redeemer
I will worship my Redeemer
I will worship my Redeemer

Overcomer

Even my close friend in whom I trusted,
Who ate my bread,
Has lifted up his heel against me.
Psalm 41:9 NASB

Remember when David's men had become upset with him because while they were away in battle the enemy had stolen their wives and children (1 Samuel 30:1-6)? Though they wanted to stone David, King David encouraged himself in the Lord. I can identify somewhat with David now. Many years ago, I experienced some brothers in the Lord attacking me. Being raised in a certain denominational arena, God had allowed me the opportunity to grow beyond the boundaries of denominational lines in my ministry. In other words, He had called me to the whole body of Christ and not to only one separate part.

Still, I had dreamed of actually ministering to those from my denominational heritage. I had been asked to lead worship at a statewide gathering, and was actually excited about yet another dream coming true. It was not to be.

Long story short: I was uninvited at the last minute because a letter had been circulated which made accusations against me and also against my pastor. The accusations?

1) I have questionable doctrinal beliefs (that pesky Holy Spirit stuff).
2) I cause division in the Body of Christ.
3) I actively proselytize from other churches.

All lies...hurtful for me, for my pastor, and for my family. I (along with my pastor) was able to face my accusers...but the damage had been done. Rather than sulk and fret over these attacks, I decided to ask the Lord for a song of deliverance that I could use to sing over my own soul…to do as David had done…to encourage myself in the Lord! Following are the lyrics to that song:

Overcomer
WORDS & MUSIC - Dennis Jernigan - September 23, 1997

Verse
Warrior, stand up proud
In the name of Lord Jesus
Proclaim your allegiance long and loud
Warrior, stand up proud
Fight the fight, face your foe and put him beneath the knee you bow
To the Lord your God
To the overcoming God Who wins

You will be afflicted on every side
Though not despairing or crushed inside
You will be persecuted but live or die
Your Lord is waiting arms open wide

Chorus
Overcomer, stand up and fight
Stand up for freedom
Lay down your life
Overcomer, stand up and fight
Stand and lead others into the Light
That can pierce any night
And leads with love into the arms open wide
Of the Overcomer, Lord Jesus Christ

Verse
Warrior, stand in grace
When the battle grows so fierce remember Who wins and seek His face
Dear Warrior, stand in grace
Whether living or dying
Remember to reach for His embrace
For the Lord Your God is an overcoming God Who wins

Bridge
Overcome the foe by the blood of the Lamb
Declaring your redemption by faith you stand
And do not love your life to the point of death
True life begins with each dying breath
Enter your rest

1 [A Psalm] of David.
Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me;
Fight against those who fight against me.
2 Take hold of buckler and shield
And rise up for my help.
3 Draw also the spear and the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me;
Say to my soul, "I am your salvation.”
Psalm 35:1-3 NASB

Even in the midst of my battle with the illness of Parkinson’s - a battle that attacks my mind constantly - I do not allow that illness or attack to define me. The truth is still the truth regardless of whether I battle an illness or battle the betrayal of brothers in Christ or battle the lies of the enemy.

God has called us, as new creations, to be overcomers…period! It doesn’t matter if we are betrayed, or mocked, or scorned, or beaten, or cast aside, or forced to stand alone! We are still overcomers! This is simply our spiritual DNA as new creations in Christ!

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the [spirit] of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. 4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:1-4 NASB

Lies will always come. Betrayals are always a possibility. Physical weakness will eventually come to us all…but not one of those things should ever define us or negate the truth! We are who Father God says we are. Period! Be who God says you are today. You ARE an overcomer and you CAN take to heart these words Paul wrote to the church in Rome:

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21 NASB

Let’s do that today, brothers and sisters. Let’s overcome evil with good!
Dennis Jernigan

To listen to a podcast on being an overcomer and to hear the song, Overcomer, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/overcomer-1574180492/

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Like Falling Rain

As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So my soul pants for You, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;
When shall I come and appear before God?
Psalm 42:1-2 NASB

Do you ever go through times of spiritual or emotional dryness? I do. When I pour out of my own soul into my work or my ministry or into other people, I tend to use up the Living Water that God filled me with for that day. Before I know it, I have used that day’s supply and find myself giving out of my own strength - and waking up to find myself stranded in a desert of my own making! What do I do?

In the desert places of life, we still have access to the well that never runs dry…the well from which we draw Living Water…the presence of God in our lives! When I find myself in one of those desert times, I am learning to stop what I am doing and do whatever it takes to refill my soul-tank with Living Water. Sometimes that means withdrawing from people and taking a nap. Sometimes that means worshiping God with my entire being. Sometimes that means a walk in the woods, just me and my God, is in order. Sometimes it means playing with my grandchildren. Sometimes it simply means to cease serving and know God intimately…releasing the cares of the world to Him.

"Cease [striving] and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
Psalm 46:10 NASB

One of my favorite pictures of being filled - being refilled - with God’s presence - His Spirit - is to become like a little child running in a spring rain, face toward the heavens, mouth open wide, arms outstretched, taking in and being soaked with all of God’s presence and love as I can get! That’s what I desire and seek after when I worship God with my entire being.

Living Water brings new life.
Living Water cleanses and restores.
Living Water heals.
Living Water fills us with grace.
Living Water fills us with love.
Living Water is always available to us…

7 There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." 11 She said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? 12 "You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?" 13 Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” John 4:7-14 NASB

Let us not be afraid to take the necessary steps to be filled and refilled with God’s presence as often as needed. Relationship with Jesus is like living life in an oasis that goes wherever we go and that is available in and through any circumstances. We never have to worry about having our thirst quenched if we simply walk in relationship with Jesus and with others. Relationship is life. Relationship with Jesus is water to our weary soul any time, any place, and under any circumstance. Let’s drink deep of His Living Waters today and allow Him to quench the thirst of our soul.

As the deer pants after the water…
As a child running for joy in the rain…
As a vessel of the Living Water of Jesus Christ to the world around us…
Dennis Jernigan

To listen to a podcast with more teaching on this subject, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/like-falling-rain/

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He Was Born To Save Us

Each year during the fall months, I begin anticipating the Christmas season and just how I can remind the world - and my children and grandchildren - of the reason Christmas even exists.

Without the birth of Jesus we would never have been afforded the opportunity for second birth! What a great gift the world has been given. The greatest gift. Salvation from sin and relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ!

As I listen to Christmas songs in the world around me, I was am often discouraged that not one single song the radio stations or TV shows play even mention the name of Jesus. As I think about how we got to this point in our culture, I begin to try and see from God’s perspective on the matter. I am not here for my glory or pleasure - but I am here to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. My prayer is that the world be drawn to the real reason for the Christmas season that many would be reminded of - or learn of - the reality of Jesus Christ. 

…for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11 NASB

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 NASB

Let’s do something about the way the world views Christmas. Let’s simply celebrate Christ and His birth in simple ways that demonstrate His love - His gift - to the world around us. Let’s focus on Who Jesus is and why He came in the first place over the next two weeks.

How is He your Wonderful Counselor? How is He Your Mighty God? How is He your Eternal Father? How is He your Prince of Peace?

Let us make these next two week all about Jesus in our own lives - regardless of what the world says or does. We can do that by celebrating His birth and by giving thanks for all He has done to bless us. How do we do that? Let us make room for Him in the innermost depths of our being…in every area and in every aspect of our lives. He truly and simply was born to save us. Let us never forget that.

Dennis Jernigan

Picture courtesy of https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2015/10/28/15/51/christmas-1010749_1280.jpg

To listen to the podcast version of this teaching, got to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/he-was-born-to-save-us/

Sweep Over Me

Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;

All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me.

The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime;

And His song will be with me in the night,

A prayer to the God of my life.

Psalm 42:7-8 NASB

During the month of November here in the US, we often turn our thoughts toward things we are grateful for simply because we celebrate a day of Thanksgiving. If I could only be thankful for one thing, you know what that one thing would be? The love of God!

When I was bound up in sin, I often felt overwhelmed…like when trapped in the surge of a wave in a stormy sea. As soon as I felt I had found my footing, another wave of temptation and failure would wash over me, and I would struggle all over again. Wave after wave…wave upon wave…of shame and self-hatred kept me from ever getting to shore…to safety.

I found it difficult - impossible - to believe someone could love me. So trapped in the cycle of waves of the lies of the enemy was I that escape seemed always just out of reach. So incredible was this constant bombardment of waves that I decided I could end it all once and for all…by taking my own life. Deciding to asphyxiate myself, I turned on a gas heater and did not light the flame…but after a few minutes, fear overcame me and I turned off the gas…and went right back into the same old cycle of sin…of believing the lies of the enemy.

Soon after, I hit rock bottom. Just gave into the waves and was swept out into the sea of hopelessness, beyond help. Unlovable. Completely self-focused. I gave up and gave into the waves, going wherever they took me…until those waves were met by a tsunami.

That tsunami was the love of God. Like a wave of pure truth, God’s love hit me right where I was and swept me into a brand new identity. In the moment I got honest about my need for rescue and my need for truth - for something real to hold on to for my sanity - God’s love reached me in the depths of my despair and pulled me up and onto solid ground. Waves were still there…but they were not the same as before.

A wave of God’s loved rolled over me in that moment and said, “Your sin is not too vile for me to forgive.”

Before I could even fully apprehend how good that wave felt, I was hit by another one that said, “I’ve been searching for you for your entire life.”

Soon, wave upon wave of God’s love came rolling over me, yet I never felt so safe in all my life! One wave said, “I love you right where you are and I love you enough to not leave you there.”

Another wave said, “I have washed away your past and have redeemed you from every failure and will wash away even your regrets.”

No sooner would I recover from the goodness of one wave than I would be hit by yet another and another and another! Waves that spoke healing and guidance and forgiveness and mercy and mental stability and emotional security and waves that opened my eyes to the reality that I had been lied to my whole life…but that the waves of God’s love - truth - could set me free from anything!

Like an ocean of endless waves, they keep coming over me…waves of God’s love. Waves that sing songs of deliverance to me through the night. Waves that remind me I am never alone. Waves that show me the powerful love of God so great it would not waste any part of my life…even my failures.

Here are a few more waves directly from God’s Word to us:

A wave so massive it covers all my sin…

Hatred stirs up strife,

But love covers all transgressions.

Proverbs 10:12 NASB

The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober [spirit] for the purpose of prayer. Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:7-8 NASB

A wave that tells me I was worth His very life…

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NASB

A wave that tells me I was wanted and that I have a specific purpose and destiny…

'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

The waves of God’s love are always rolling over us. We can either forget they are there or we can choose to not believe they are there. I choose to believe - even when waves of illness wrack my physical body…even when strife raises its ugly head…even when bad things happen to good people…even when the world thinks it gets to define what love is…even when I don’t feel anything. I simply step into the continual waves of God’s love for me and allow Him to consume me with the ride of a lifetime with Him!

Of course, there are tons of tangible ways God’s love rolls over me in waves…

A faithful, adoring, supportive, always-ready-to-love-me wife…

Nine amazing children and their spouses who constantly shower me with love…

Eleven grandchildren who roll over me with the innocence of loving me just because I exist…

Friends literally all around the world who fight the good fight of faith with me and for me…

The love of God is both Solid Rock on which to stand and incredible wave upon massive wave of His love for me. It is the only place in our existence where we get to live a beautiful paradox…being knocked off our feet of self-centeredness by wave after wave of His amazing love and yet always standing firm and safe on the Solid Rock and foundation of Jesus Christ.

I say to the God Who loves me like that, “Sweep over me, Father. I want to be swept over and carried away by the very essence of Who You are within the boundless, depths of the ocean of your love standing firmly on the Solid Rock of Jesus Christ…”

Dennis Jernigan

Picture courtesy of https://pixabay.com/photos/wave-water-surf-ocean-sea-spray-3473335/

For more on this topic, listen to this episode of The Dennis Jernigan Podcast at http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/sweep-over-me/

O, I Love Him!

Why do I love Jesus? The answer to that question is really quite simple. I love Jesus because He first loved me!

We love, because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19 NASB

The next obvious answer that comes to my mind is equally as simple. I love Him simply for Who He is! He is worthy of my love and honor and praise because of Who He is. He is God! He is Savior! He is Redeemer! He is King! He is Lord! He is love!

"Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” Revelations 4:11 NASB

To help me with my own attitude and with the renewal of my own mind today, I decided to make a quick list of all the reasons I have to love Jesus. Here is what came off the top of my head is in the order in which they came to me.

I love Jesus because…

He brought me out of darkness.

He changed my identity forever.

He healed my broken heart.

He is with me always.

He is for me.

He forgave me of my sin.

He rescued me from certain death and destruction.

He broke the chains of sin that used to bind my mind.

He is my best Friend.

He is my Brother.

He carries me when I am weak.

He comforts me in sorrow.

He calls me by name.

He delights in my presence.

He surrounds me with songs of deliverance.

He has blessed me with the perfect wife.

He has blessed me with nine children.

He has blessed me with 11 ( so far ) grandchildren.

He has given me friends to walk alongside.

He fills my heart and soul with music.

He lets me see life from His point of view.

He loves me right where I am.

He loves me enough to not leave me there.

His name causes the enemy to flee from my mind.

He is my peace.

He is my provider.

He is my holiness.

He is my righteousness.

He is my victory.

He is my healer.

He is my shepherd.

He is my all in all.

I could go on and on, but you get the idea! I challenge you to make a list of all the reasons you love Jesus…and then thank Him for all the blessings that list reveals…and then, go and be like Him - imitate that love to those around you - by walking the journey of life in love!

Dennis Jernigan

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. Ephesian 5:1-2 NASB

Listen to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast titled O, I Love Him at http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/o-i-love-him/

Picture courtesy of https://pixabay.com/photos/adventure-back-carefree-casual-2548133/

Seasons

Spring blossoms into Summer. Summer lazes into Autumn. Autumn poetically paints a brilliant display as it fades away into the cold, blustery winter. Winter roars into spring…and the whole cycle starts all over again.

Life is full of seasons. Childhood and the fun memories created by just learning to be alive. We wish those days could last forever. The teen years when our bodies become engorged in the confusing infusion of hormones and the way we can’t wait to grow out of that confusion and into adulthood. Adulthood arrives and the passion of young men and women grows into working to provide, building careers, following our dreams. Marriages take place. Families begin. Children come and grow and leave home. Old age comes in reminding us of winter. So many seasons of life.

Seasons of despair and suffering. Seasons of ecstasy and delight. Seasons of heartache and disappointment. Seasons of joy and contentment. Seasons of sorrow and mourning. Seasons of welcome and friendship. Seasons of betrayal and loss. Seasons of good health and prosperity. Seasons of disease and confusion. Seasons of healing and hope. Seasons of wounds and death. Seasons always change…but seasons always end…and that is good news.

I have enjoyed a very blessed and wonderful life, yet that life has been riddled with scorn and mockery due to my deliverance and faith. My life has gone through periods of wondering where our next meal would come from to having more than enough to share with others. I have known seasons of great success and seasons of great failure. I am currently facing a season of little income yet enjoying the beauty and mystery of God’s always-faithful provision. I am currently going through a season of the very real battle for my life as I learn to navigate the warfare required to battle Parkinson’s Disease yet enjoying the utter joy of knowing my God wastes nothing. As I look back upon the many seasons of my life - the seasons within the seasons - I am buoyed with hope…my soul feels as if it is soaring. How can this be, especially when facing a literal life and death battle? It’s really quite simple. God wastes nothing…and every season must come to an end. After my physical life on this earth ends, guess what? I get to start a whole new season in life with Jesus. If the seasons I have experienced here on earth are any indication, the seasons of heaven will be nothing less than spectacular and glorious and joyful and nowhere near boring!

If you are facing a difficult season of life, know two things. One: God will not waste it if you give it to Him and allow Him to show you His perspective. Two: this season will come to an end. That’s the way it is.

Changing seasons makes me happy. Changing seasons brings growth. Changing seasons ushers in periods of rest. Changing seasons means beauty is about to explode all around me like the blossoms of spring. Changing seasons means a new adventure is about to begin…and that brings joy and contentment to my soul.

Seasons come and seasons go, but one things remains constant. God is with us…

Dennis Jernigan

1 There is an appointed time for everything.

And there is a time for every event under heaven--

2 A time to give birth and a time to die;

A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.

3 A time to kill and a time to heal;

A time to tear down and a time to build up.

4 A time to weep and a time to laugh;

A time to mourn and a time to dance.

5 A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.

6 A time to search and a time to give up as lost;

A time to keep and a time to throw away.

7 A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;

A time to be silent and a time to speak.

8 A time to love and a time to hate;

A time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NASB

I would encourage you to listen to The Dennis Jernigan podcast and the song “I Will Still Be With You”. It is all about the seasons of life and how to live them from God’s point of view. Listen at http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/i-will-still-be-with-you/

Picture courtesy of https://pixabay.com/photos/fall-autumn-red-season-woods-1072821/

Keeper and Sustainer of My Life

I realize it is not the air I breathe that gives me life. It is the One who decides if I get my next breath who gives me life. Apart from Him I am nothing and I have nothing. But thanks be to God! I am His child! What is mine is His. And all the He is is mine! Reality is that I really do need Him and the truth is I need to remember how desperately my life depends on Him.

[Psa 121:1-8 NASB]

1 A Song of Ascents.

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;

From where shall my help come?

2 My help [comes] from the LORD,

Who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not allow your foot to slip;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

4 Behold, He who keeps Israel

Will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD is your keeper;

The LORD is your shade on your right hand.

6 The sun will not smite you by day,

Nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD will protect you from all evil;

He will keep your soul.

8 The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in

From this time forth and forever.

Need I say more? God’s Word says it all and sums it up nicely. God is the keeper and sustainer of our lives. Let’s live like we believe that this week!

Dennis Jernigan

Picture courtesy of https://pixabay.com/photos/sheep-farmer-shepherd-agriculture-690198/

To listen to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast concerning this teaching and to hear the song, Keeper and Sustainer of My Life, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/keeper-and-sustainer-of-my-life/

How to See God

In Exodus 33, Moses asks God to allow him to see His glory and God responds in verse 20, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!”

I believe that if we, as humans, saw the face of God we would not be able to survive the magnificence and majesty and beauty and holiness and glory and redeeming love expressed in His face due to the fact that seeing His face would overload our human minds! Yet, we find in Psalm 11:7 that God’s Word says, “For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; The upright will behold His face.” How can this be true in light of God’s Word to Moses?

On one hand, there will come a day when we see God face to face in heaven…but what about the here and now? I believe both are possible. When I worship God, I believe I see glimpses of His face…His persona. Like catching small glimpses of the Lord’s perfect love or short glances of His amazing grace or stealing a peek at how my Father sees me, I believe - in a sense - that I see and meet with Him face to face as I worship. Although I have not seen Him with my physical eyes, I have seen Him with and through my spiritual eyes!

His Word is very clear: the righteous will see His face. If I am born again, I have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus…therefore I can ‘see’ His face with and through my spiritual eyes!

How awesome to think that we are righteous by virtue of the blood of Jesus – and nothing else. I cannot work for His approval. I have it. And to think He calls me His own? I cannot contain it. Bless You, Lord!

Matthew 5:8 NASB says, "Blessed are the pure in heart [the righteous], for they shall see God.”

It is in the walking out of our relationship with God - renewing our minds with the truth of who Father says we are - that we experience true intimacy with God! And I don’t think that means we have to wait until heaven to experience that! This is here and now relationship with God Almighty!

Philippians 3:8-9 NASB 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from [the] Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which [comes] from God on the basis of faith…

Let’s walk in righteousness by faith today and let the Word of God permeate our hearts and minds this week as we remind ourselves that we are the righteousness of God in and through Christ Jesus by virtue of His blood! Let’s meet with Him face to face - nothing hidden between us. This is the place of abundant life…regardless of our circumstances. Believe it and receive it!

Dennis Jernigan

Photo courtesy of https://pixabay.com/photos/man-face-look-people-sad-emotion-164217/

The Cycle of Gratitude

Enter His gates with thanksgiving

[And] His courts with praise.

Give thanks to Him, bless His name.

Psalm 100:4 NASB

I believe the quickest way to awareness of God’s presence and the quickest way to intimate relationship with Jesus is through a grateful heart. I have long said that gratitude is alike a diving board that launches us into the deepest places of God’s presence in our lives. Who wants to stay in the shallow places of relationship with God?

We never leave God’s presence. We either forget He is here or we choose to ignore Him. We are people of choice. We may not get to choose our circumstances but we always have a choice as to how we will respond to them. What is the proper response to our circumstances? Joy born of a relationship via a grateful heart.

Happiness depends on my circumstances. When I hurt, I am not happy. Joy depends on my point of view. I may be hurting, but God is with me in the moment of pain and offers comfort and companionship.

When are we to rejoice? Always.

When are we to walk in intimate relationship with Jesus? Always.

When are we to give thanks? In and through anything life brings our way. How do I know this? God’s Word!

Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NASB

God’s Word does not say to thank God for everything, but to thank Him IN (through) everything! I do not thank Him for Parkinson’s Disease…but I am thankful He chooses to use even this illness for the kingdom…and that gives me joy.

Even on the days when the effects of the illness seem too much to bear, I talk with Him about it - pray - and acknowledge His presence in the situation…and He gives grace to get me through this rough patches…and this makes me grateful.

I call this the cycle of gratitude within the circle of life. Rejoice. Pray. Thank. And once I’ve gone through that cycle, it produces grace and the cycle starts all over again…and I can repeat the cycle again and again as often as necessary. And then it dawns on me that I am not cycling downward in such moments, but rather, I am spiraling upward…into the higher places in awareness of God’s presence with me.

The Lord GOD is my strength,

And He has made my feet like hinds' [feet,]

And makes me walk on my high places.

Habakuk 3:19 NASB

I have been to Israel and the Nahal David in En Gedde and walked along the pathway up the sheer cliffs of this amazing spring in the desert. While there, I was privileged to see the Ibexes romping around the sheer cliff faces where a man could never walk. Life is difficult for the Ibex, but somehow it maintains its footing. How do we maintain our footing when we traverse the cliffs of life?

This cycle of gratitude - seeing life from the Kings point of view - actually lifts me even when I am weary and worn out. In a sense, facing things like Parkinson’s causes me to pause and wait upon the Lord’s presence

He gives strength to the weary,

And to [him who] lacks might He increases power.

Though youths grow weary and tired,

And vigorous young men stumble badly,

Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up [with] wings like eagles,

They will run and not get tired,

They will walk and not become weary.

Isaiah 40:29-31

Let’s enter His gates with Thanksgiving in our hearts today. Let’s rejoice in the midst of sorrow today. Let’s talk with God throughout the course of our day today…and let’s traverse the cliffs of life…and let’s soar over the cares of this world today…and then start the cycle all over again as often as necessary.

Dennis Jernigan

Picture courtesy of https://pixabay.com/photos/pray-hands-praying-hands-prayer-2558490/

I Can't Wait to Get to Heaven

We often hear people say they can’t wait to get to heaven. Sometimes it is due to chronic physical pain. Sometimes it is due to simply being weary and worn out. Often, it is due to sorrow over the loss of a loved one and a longing to be with them again…but mostly, it’s a phrase people use when they want to be in an atmosphere of peace that heaven promises to believers.

Reality is that we don’t need to wait until we get to heaven to enjoy that atmosphere of peace. All we have to do is understand what the atmosphere of heaven is like, but to do so, we must see what God’s point of view on the matter is. Here is a passage of God’s Word that gives us a big fat clue as to what that point of view might be:

4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, "Amen. Hallelujah!" 5 And a voice came from the throne, saying, "Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.” Revelations 19:4-5 NASB

What is the atmosphere of heaven? Worship! From the least to the greatest, all the inhabitants of heaven are bathed in the glory of God and the glory of God elicits worship! So what does that mean for the believer who is stuck here on earth? It means we can create the same atmosphere found in heaven right where we are! The answer is so very simple. Worship God and you are in the atmosphere of heaven!

When our children were small and all nine of them were creating chaos for their mother, Melinda would simply begin crying out to God and worshiping Him…and more often than not, the children would respond to the peace it brought into our home. Melinda used to call them ‘praise breaks’…and she took them as often as necessary!

When my dad passed away, I was so overcome with grief that I did not know what to do…so I began to mourn to God…and the mourning began to take the form of worship to God. The result? Comfort and peace came over me. Why? Because I was suddenly transported to the atmosphere of heaven…and it dawned on me that what I was experiencing here on earth, my father was experiencing in heaven! How comforting is that?!

The bottom line is simple. We do not have to wait until we get to heaven to enjoy the atmosphere of heaven. We but have to surrender to God in worship and praise as we acknowledge His presence in our life and in the midst of our circumstances. The quickest way to heaven on earth? Praising God! Why? Get this: His Word tells us He is enthroned upon - sits down upon the thrones of our hearts - when we praise Him!

Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel. Psalm 22:3 NASB

Do you want a little heaven on earth today? Do you need a little heaven on earth today? Worship God.

Dennis Jernigan

To listen to a podcast on this subject and to hear the song “I Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven”, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/i-cant-wait-to-get-to-heaven/

Picture courtesy of https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/09/22/14/31/worship-2775770_1280.jpg

The Same God

We often find it difficult to see the hand of God in a culture and a world where humanistic thinking and mankind’s self-focus seem to be the majority worldview. We think we live for and follow Jesus in a terrible time and in the midst of insurmountable obstacles. Believers are ridiculed, mocked, scorned, called haters, labeled as bigots, and generally considered to be intolerant and non-compassionate. Critics constantly try to silence us and render us impotent and, at times, out-of-our-ever-loving-mind freaks. We feel isolated and alone most of the time. Often, I hear believers speak as if no other era in Christian history has been as hopeless as the one we now live in.

Add to the mix the fact that the church has grown eerily silent concerning sin and seems more concerned with what the world thinks of them than what God’s Word says about our role as being ambassadors for Christ and we wind up with a church culture that appears very similar to that of the world. Again, we think there has been no other such era in our history when such things were going on…but we would be wrong to think like that.

The world has always been at war with the enemy. The liar uses the wisdom of man to divide the church and to make us feel ‘less than’ if we disagree with a man-centric worldview. I can think of many other times when all of these things could be said…and I can think of others who stood alone during intense persecution…and I can tell you this: the same God that got them through their trying times and persecutions is the very same God that is with us in the present era of church history! Here are just a few examples off the top of my head:

Daniel

Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, besieged Jerusalem and took many of its people captive and forced them into slavery. Daniel was one such person…a young man, just stepping into the prime of his life. Because of Daniel’s god-centered wisdom, he quickly rose in ranks to a high position in the kingdom. Because of Daniel’s gifts and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, he was given a place of honor and asked to interpret dreams and visions. After one such interpretation, Daniel informed king Nebuchadnezzar that he would be defeated and replaced by the Medes and Persians…and was slain that same night.

Darius then ruled over the land and again appointed Daniel to a high position in the land. Due to leaders jealous of Daniel, these leaders persuaded Darius to decree that he was a god and that no one should bow before any other god than Darius. Of course, Daniel was willing to stand alone and was brought before Darius accused of worshiping someone besides Darius. Darius loved Daniel and did not want to punish him…but the leaders who had devised the plan held Darius to his word…and Darius had Daniel cast into a pit full of hungry lions. The king left sorrowfully and had a fitful night of sleep…yet somehow hoped Daniel’s God would deliver him. Daniel 6:19-23 tells us what happened next:

19 Then the king arose at dawn, at the break of day, and went in haste to the lions' den. 20 When he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions?" 21 Then Daniel spoke to the king, "O king, live forever! 22 "My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime." 23 Then the king was very pleased and gave orders for Daniel to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den and no injury whatever was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

The same God that was with Daniel is the same God we serve in the here and now!

Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego

You may recall that these three young men were captured by the Babylonians along with Daniel. King Nebuchadnezzar built a huge golden image and commanded all in the land to bow before it in worship. Daniel’s co-captives - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego refused to bow down to the king’s idol and responded to his command in Daniel 3:16-18:

16 "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. 17 "If it be [so,] our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 "But [even] if [He does] not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."

Needless to say, they were summarily cast into a furnace of fire…only to be met in the midst of that fire by the Son of God…all walking out unscathed! When the king saw this, he said this in Daniel 3:28, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king's command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God.”

The same God that was with these three young men of God is the same God we serve in the here and now!

Joseph

Jospeh, a young man of visions and dreams, was the son of Jacob. Jospeh had many older brothers who were jealous of him. To make a long story short, Jospeh’s brothers sold him into slavery to the Midianites who then turned around an sold him to an Egyptian named Potiphar who happened to be the captain of the Pharaoh’s body guard. Again, because of his faithfulness to God, Jospeh rose in rank in the land of Egypt…only to be accused of rape by Potiphar’s wife and summarily sent to prison. While in prison, Jospeh became quite known for his ability to interpret dreams…and long story made short (again), interpreted a dream for Pharaoh and was appointed to one of the highest ranks in the land due to the accuracy of his interpretation! In fact, God used what Jospeh’s brothers had meant for evil to rescue those very brothers and his entire family from starvation.

The same God that was with Joseph is the same God we serve in the here and now!

David

The giant, Goliath, held the army of Israel at bay in the valley of Elah. David, a young teenager at the time, came to deliver supplies to his brothers who served in that army and was appalled at the fear the army of God showed against the giant Philistine. In 1 Samuel 17 we find the account of David daring to face the giant alone:

37 And David said, "The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and may the LORD be with you." ... 48 Then it happened when the Philistine rose and came and drew near to meet David, that David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung [it,] and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground. 50 Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David's hand. 51 Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.

The same God that was with David is the same God we serve in the here and now!

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we have no need to fear the world or fear standing alone in the midst of persecution. The same God that was with so many throughout history - much of it as bleak or bleaker than what we face right now - is the same God that is with us! Think about that today…and let your heart be encouraged! We are not alone!

Dennis Jernigan

Photo courtesy of https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/08/16/11/29/lion-2647437__480.jpg

I Belong to Jesus

I used to be so bound up in fear that I was basically immobilized in every way. Immobilized in my emotions. Immobilized in my thoughts. Immobilized from walking in the fullness of my true identity in Christ as a new creation…and that is no way to live…especially as one who has been promised an abundant life in Christ.

This all began to change for me as I learned more about the process of renewing my mind in Christ. Part of the process for me is to declare the truth of God’s Word through songs of worship. One of my favorite songs of this type of worship is a song called I Belong to Jesus. This particular song came during a time of spiritual warfare in my own life on April 14, 1992. My Friend, the Holy Spirit, prompted me one day to remind myself of who I belong to, and to actively take back the ground the enemy had stolen in my life.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have [it] abundantly.” John 10:10 NASB

The enemy is a liar. Deception is his only power. We take back the stolen ground whenever we recognize one of his lies and replace it with the truth of God’s Word.

This song came forth as both a prayer to the Father and a declaration to anyone or thing that might care to listen (or not!) – like my soul, the world, or the enemy! Lift Him up in your minds and in your flesh and in your spirit and with your emotions. All that we are now belongs to Jesus, whether we encounter good times or bad; whether we walk in darkness or light; whether we live or whether we die…we belong to the Lord because He has paid the price and covered the debt of our sin….with, by, and through the blood of Jesus!

18 Flee immorality. Every [other] sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 NASB

In spite of our circumstances. In spite of our trials and tribulations. In spite of the things that tempt us. In spite of even suffering and pain, we have every reason to rejoice because of the fact that we belong to Jesus!

Let’s remind ourselves what that means for us today. All that He is dwells in us and we have been given the mind of Christ. That means we are already being transformed by the truth of who Father God says we are! Let’s simply think and act like we believe it today. We belong to Jesus! Hallelujah!

Dennis Jernigan

To listen to the podcast version of this teaching and to hear the song, I Belong to Jesus, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/i-belong-to-jesus/

Photo courtesy of https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo 2019/03/29/05/12/worship-4088561__480.jpg

I Belong to Jesus

WORDS & MUSIC•Dennis Jernigan•April 14, 1992

Verse

Satan goes around like a roaring lion

Seeking whom he may devour

But he has been defeated so I’m testifyin’

By the blood of Jesus he lost his power

Christ was lifted up with my sin upon Him

His life and blood came flowing down

So hear me I’m declaring Jesus Christ is Lord

I’m taking back his stolen ground

Chorus

I belong to Jesus!

I belong to Him!

I belong to Jesus!

Free from sin!

I belong to Jesus!

I belong to Him!

I belong to Jesus!

Free from sin!

Verse

All sin nailed to the cross and the Lamb’s blood flowing

Meant victory was sealed that day

But when Satan saw the blood he knew that Christ had won it

And he knew that Sunday was on its way

The ground began to quake and all of heaven’s power

Came bursting from the tomb within

The stone was rolled away and Hell was overpowered

By the King Who rose again!

Chorus

Bridge

He was lifted up!

He was lifted up!

He paid a costly price!

He paid a costly price!

He bought me with the blood

He bought me with the blood

Of His own life!

Of His own life!

Christ the King now reigning

Christ the King now reigning

Wears the Victor’s crown!

Wears the Victor’s crown!

Satan was defeated

Satan was defeated

When the blood flowed down!

When the blood flowed down!

Chorus

Who Am I?

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 he sees 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

Dennis Jernigan

Photo courtesy of https://pixabay.com/illustrations/woman-face-head-identity-search-565127/

Listen to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast called “Who Am I?” at http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/who-am-i-1560263105/

Almighty, I Surrender

In Christian circles, we often hear people call us to surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. One of the most cherished hymns of all time is “I Surrender All’, but what does the word surrender actually mean?

According to most dictionaries, surrender means ‘to cease resistance to someone or something and submit to their authority. This got me to thinking. Just how do we surrender - cease resisting God - and just how do we submit to His authority?

These questions were brought to mind by an old song of mine I wrote way back in March of 1993. That song is called “Almighty, I Surrender”. If I surrender - cease resisting Him - in all areas of my life and if I submit to His authority in my life, I need to surrender all or nothing or I have not truly surrendered, have I? I decided I would go through the lyrics of my song, line by line, and ask myself what surrender to God might look like from each point of view detailed in the song. Here we go…

“You are clothed in majesty!”

Majesty denotes Kingship - royalty. I bow my knee in submission to the majesty of the King of Kings by submitting myself to Him as a subject of His kingdom…to seek first that kingdom and His righteousness. The benefits are many. In fact, by doing so, all my needs will be met!

“You are crowned with glory!”

The glory of God is the sheer weight of His presence. I surrender to His glory by simply acknowledging His presence is always with me. I choose to believe that truth even when the enemy would’ve me believe otherwise. The benefits? I am never alone.

“You are pure and holy and God!”

The purity of God is found in the fact that He has never sinned. The holiness of God is in the fact that He is something other than mere human. I surrender to His purity and holiness by recognizing that He has washed me by the blood of His own Son and that He has set me apart for use in His kingdom. The benefits? I am a joint-heir with Christ. All He has in mine!

“Yet You gave Your Son to be sacrificed on Calvary! This, Your greatest mystery, that You could love me!”

I surrender to His love for me by reminding myself that He loved me right where I was in my sin, but that He loved me enough to not leave me there! I submit to this love when I am afraid, and fear is defeated.

“Rushing Wind Who calmed the sea”

Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit as a comforter and as a source of divine power. I surrender to the power of God to fill me to overflowing as often as necessary and I submit to the authority of the Holy Spirit…and I walk in the authority this affords me as a new creation! I have authority over the lies of the enemy!

“Master of eternity”

God transcends time. He knew us before time was even a human concept. He forgives our past failures, our present failures, and our future failures! He walks through each phase of our existence with us and calls us to see and live our lives from His point of view. I surrender to the One Who masters eternity!

“Worthy of all majesty and awe”

I stop resisting His majesty and awe-inspiring presence and submit to the grandeur of life with my Creator. I practice this submission every time I worship Him…every time I praise Him…every time I simply acknowledge Him for Who He is in my life!

“With my life I bow before You, the One that I adore!”

To bow before the Lord physically is one thing. To bow before Him with my entire being is quite another. I can bow on the outside all day long and not bow on the inside. Because He has demonstrated His love for me - even when I ahem turned my back on Him - makes it easy to bow my entire being before Him in submission.

“Faithful Friend and so much more, my Savior, my God!”

It seems I have longed for a best friend my entire life…and I had one all along - especially when I felt the loneliest. I submit to the friendship of Jesus by allowing Him to know me intimately, nothing hidden from Him…and by believing He wants me to know Him in the same manner!

“Almighty God Creator!”

I cease striving for approval and affirmation and submit to His approval and affirmation…and I revel in His love for me.

“Redeemer, Liberator!”

Jesus redeemed me when I thought I was un-redeemable. He set me free when I thought I would remain captive to my own thoughts for the rest of my life. I cease resting these truths and submit to them…and I find redeeming love and freedom in the process!

“Salvation’s Celebrator, God!”

For far too long I felt my life was worthless…nothing to celebrate. And then Jesus set me free and saved my soul and all of the entirety of heaven threw a massive celebration in my honor! I submit to this truth and find great validation!

“My Father, my Defender!”

Every human longs to know and to be known. Every human longs to know whether or not they are were fighting for…worth defending. I submit to the work of the cross and the sacrifice of Jesus as proof that I was worth fighting for.

“My dear Broken Heart Mender!”

In several instances in my life, I have felt used and betrayed…and have had my heart broken countless times. Jesus was betrayed and had His heart broken and completely understands what we face in our human existence. I submit my broken heart to His broken heart and find healing and sending for my brokenness.

“Lord Jesus, I surrender all! You are God!”

If surrender is to cease resisting Jesus and walk in submission, that truth applies to every are of my life. Submitting my physical body to Him and for use in His kingdom…submitting my thoughts to Him…surrendering my feelings and emotions to Him…submitting my senses to Him…surrendering all I am to all He is brings me to one place.

True and lasting freedom…

Submit to God and be free!

Dennis Jernigan

6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore [it] says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE." 7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. James 4:6-10 NASB

Picture courtesy of https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/02/20/10/57/worship-2082141__480.jpg

To listen to the song, Almighty, I Surrender, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/almighty-i-surrender/

Jesus, I Love You

39 And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. 40 When He arrived at the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." 41 And He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and [began] to pray, 42 saying, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” [Luke 22:39-42 NASB]

In 1981, God used the ministry of The Second Chapter of Acts to change my life. In 1992, Buck Herring called and asked if I would mind Annie singing my song, “We Will Worship”. Of course I needed time to pray about it – NOT! One day, several months later, a friend called me and said, “Listen!” What I heard was Annie’s version of “We Will Worship” – as she sang it live on the CBN television show, Heart to Heart with Sheila Walsh. I was so overcome with gratitude to the Lord for bringing this to pass that I went straight to the piano and this song, “Jesus, I Love You”, poured out.

“We Will Worship” speaks of lifting our hands in worship to the Lord. Yet, I realized it was He who first lifted His hands in worship (obedience to His Father) for me! It is out of gratitude of all He has done that I gladly lift my hands as a sign of surrender to and identification with the Almighty God!

This song came as I realized I could never come near to the degree of passion Jesus demonstrated for me when He lifted His hands in surrender on the cross to pay for my sins…when I realized that the lifting of my hands in surrender to Jesus was the least I could do and nothing to be ashamed of! I cannot lift my hands that high…but I will try. I cannot sing a love so as sweet as the one He sang in surrender for me…but I will try.

5 For there is one God, [and] one mediator also between God and men, [the] man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony [given] at the proper time. 8 Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension. [1Timothy 2:5,6,8 NASB]

Let us never be ashamed to surrender to Jesus in physical expressions of worship or in the laying down of life for Him and His kingdom. Let us never cease from expressing our love for Him. I challenge you with this: to the degree that you have experienced the love of Jesus, express your love back to Him with that same depth of passion. At least try…it’ll do your soul good!

Dennis Jernigan


To listen to the song and the podcast version of this blog, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/jesus-i-love-you/

Picture courtesy of https://pixabay.com/photos/cross-christ-faith-god-jesus-2713356/

Jesus, I Love You

Words & Music
Dennis Jernigan

June 9, 1993

Verse

Your love reached to the sky

With arms stretched open wide!

You took my sin and died!

O, how could I ever thank You?

The sweetest melody

In perfect harmony!

A love song just for me!

O, how could I ever thank You?

I want to thank You for my life!

Chorus

But I cannot lift my hands that high!

All that I know is I must try!

You lifted up Your hands to die

To tell me You love me!

But I cannot sing one note that sweet!

Words that I say seem incomplete!

But living or dying I’ll repeat.

“Jesus, I love You!

Jesus, I love You!

Jesus, I love You!

Jesus, I love You!”

Verse

Lord, my heart is longing

To tell You how I feel!

You make my life worth living!

So with my life, I will thank You!

And I am ever grateful

For Your cleansing blood!

No praise would be enough,

So with my life I will thank You!

I want to thank You for my life!

Chorus

But I cannot lift my hands that high!

All that I know is I must try!

You lifted up Your hands to die

To tell me You love me!

But I cannot sing one note that sweet!

Words that I say seem incomplete!

But living or dying I’ll repeat.

“Jesus, I love You!

Jesus, I love You!

Jesus, I love You!

Jesus, I love You!”

Rushing Wind

1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. Acts 2:1-4 NASB

Don’t you wish you could have been there in that moment when that Rushing Wind of the Spirit came blowing through that upper room? I do! In reality, we can have this same experience in the here and now…in the upper rooms of our own hearts and minds…and we can be filled with God’s Spirit daily!

Over the years, I have been learning to rely more and more on the Holy Spirit. He is the best Teacher I could have, the best Friend I could know, the best Comforter and Companion I could ever possibly hope for. And I believe He is more than willing to pour Himself out upon us and through us…if we will simply ask.

He sings to my heart the songs of my Father. He convicts me of sin in such a precious and un-condemning way, how could I resist Him? Yet, at times I know I do. This only reveals just how much more desperately I really do need Him.

When I am empty emotionally, I ask the Holy Spirit to fill me. When I am empty physically, I ask the Lord to fill me. When I am empty mentally, I ask the Lord to fill me. When I am confused, I ask the Lord to fill me with His Spirit.

For me personally, that looks like taking in a long refreshing drink of cool, clear water on a hot day…or like sitting by a warm, soothing fire on a cold wintry night…or like a shoulder to cry on when I am wounded or sad…or like being in the presence of Someone Who loves me simply for who I am.

Mostly, being filled with the Holy Spirit is like letting go of fear and worry and doubt and cares and burdens and choosing to let go of my desire to be in control and release God to be in control of my thoughts. As I release these burdens, God’s presence moves in to take their place. How do I know when I am filled with God’s Spirit? You know a tree by its fruit…and here is the evidence of what being filled with the Spirit is in my own experience:

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 NASB

I know I am full of the Spirit of God when those fruits are evident in my life…in spite of my circumstances!

For me, when I feel the infilling of the Holy Spirit, I tend to speak with the tongue or language of music. That seems to be the best way to describe what being filled with the Spirit of God does in me. I surrender to Him, He fills me with song. I surrender my weary burdened heart and mind to Him, He fills me with rest and peace and absolute love and acceptance.


15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; 21 and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. Ephesians 5:15-21 NASB

Simply put, let’s be filled with the Holy Spirit today…as often as necessary!

Dennis Jernigan

Picture courtesy of https://pixabay.com/photos/tea-lights-church-light-prayer-1901005/

To listen to the song Rushing Wind, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/rushing-wind-1558988343/

What Will People Think?

I have no problem publicly expressing my joy when my favorite sports team scores. I literally scream and shout and jump up and down for joy, high-fiving anyone and everyone in the vicinity….and that’s not even eternal! Nothing wrong with that, but I recall a day in my past when I was fearful to publicly express my joy and gratitude to the Lord for saving me and setting me free. The fear of man is a lie of the enemy and a chain that too easily binds even the most devoted believer/follower of Jesus Christ. Remember Peter’s denial of Jesus?

It took me seven years from the time of my redemption to publicly declare what Jesus had done for me. It was the lie of the enemy whispered in my mind, “What will people think?” that kept me from complete honest confession and complete love and acceptance…from complete freedom. What people think of me is not an indicator of my position in Christ. What Christ thinks of me is the true indicator of my identity…and He sees me as a new creation!

When I publicly worship Jesus, whether in song, or the lifting of hands in gratitude and surrender, or in service to a world-weary person God may bring across my path, I no longer wonder what people think of me. I know. Some think I’m weird. Some think me foolish. Some think of me as fanatical. Some think me odd or old-fashioned. And I am OK with that…because not even one of those thoughts define me! In fact, if I do not express thanks to God for what He has done for me, how in the world are those caught in similar bondage ever going to know there is hope for change in knowing Jesus intimately?

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

He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear And will trust in the LORD. Psalm 40:3 NASB

It is in true intimacy with Christ that I find my identity. No longer am I defined by my past. No longer am I defined by what tempts me. No longer am I defined by circumstances. No longer am I defined by what people think of me. I am defined by my Maker…so what He thinks of me is all that truly matters. Below are the lyrics of a song that express what I am trying to convey to you. Read them and think about what this means to your own life.

Dennis Jernigan

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and [the glory] of the Father and of the holy angels.” Luke 9:24-26 NASB

To listen to the song, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/what-will-people-think-1556643580/

Photo courtesy of https://pixabay.com/photos/question-question-mark-survey-2736480/

What Will People Think?

WORDS & MUSIC - Dennis Jernigan - October 1 & 2, 1991

Verse

What will people think

If they see me gaze into Your eyes?

Does it matter they don’t realize

That someone could really love me like You do?

What will people think

If they see me let You take my hand?

Does it matter they don’t understand

All the reasons that I love You like I do?

And what will people think

When they see that love has made me weak?

Will they see that it’s just You I seek?

Will they see a love found faithful and true?

What will people think

If they see us in a holy dance?

Will they say this is a fool’s romance?

Will they see that in my weakness I need You?

Chorus

Take my hand!

Take my heart in total surrender, Lord, to all that You are!

I give You all of me in total surrender!

Total surrender!

Total surrender of all I am to You!

Verse

What will people think?

Will they see the bride of Christ in me?

Will they understand that You can be

All they ever have desired and much more?

Well, I no longer care

Let the whole world see that I love You

Let them see in me what love can do

Take my life and show them love worth dying for

Chorus