Steal Away

“Look, if I were alone in the world, I would have the right to choose despair, solitude and self-fulfillment. But I am not alone.” Elie Wiesel

“Give yourself a gift of five minutes of contemplation in awe of everything you see around you. Go outside and turn your attention to the many miracles around you. This five-minute-a-day regimen of appreciation and gratitude will help you to focus your life in awe.” Wayne Dyer

So many times in my life I have been confronted with a painful situation and wished I could run away and hide. When I was a boy struggling with same sex attraction, I wanted to be invisible. When I was called names and bullied, I wanted to be anywhere but in those moments. What do I do to steal away when Parkinson’s consumes me? What do I do to steal away when my once strong voice has been reduced to a weak and frail whimper? There have been more times than I care to admit when I wish God could just suspend time or could give me the ability to time travel to a place of future safety…but our God is the God of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He is the God Who transcends time, stepping in and out of it as He sees fit. He has even been known to stop time!
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about God’s ability to suspend time. In Joshua’s day He caused the universe to stand still. Has anything changed in His ability to do so? I began asking Him to take the small portions of the day when I have brief times to spend with Him and multiply His presence. In other words, in a five minute window of time, refresh and restore as if I had just spent hours in rest or sleep. He is faithful to meet with us in our daily rush and hectic schedules. My song, Steal Away, is meant to be a catalyst to help us get away from it all - even when we can’t physically do so!


Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, 
"O sun, stand still at Gibeon,
And O moon in the valley of Aijalon."
So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies.
Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. There was no day like that before it or after it, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel.
Joshua 10:12-14 NASB

What I discovered is that God can meet with us in the middle of nowhere…in the midst of an overwhelming storm…in the midst of a fiery furnace…in the midst of financial ruin…in the midst of unbearable pain…in the midst of unfathomable sorrow…in the midst of the bombardment of the enemy’s lies…in the midst of the most seductive temptation…in the midst of a loud and boisterous crowd…in the middle of feeling utterly and irrevocably alone.

Am I alone in my Parkinson’s? No. God is there with comfort and love.

Alone in the grief of my diagnosis? No. God is there, mourning with me, comforting with His presence.

Alone in my suffering? No. God is there, sharing and bearing the burden with me, giving grace along the way.

Alone in the slow degradation and fading of my mind into the fogginess of Parkinson’s? No. God is literally there holding my hand through the fog, urging me to follow Him and bathing me with the mind of Christ.

My point? With God, time is irrelevant. He is with us in the middle of any circumstance we could possibly imagine…and He can take even a few seconds of our human awareness of time and multiply those few seconds into a day’s worth of rest and refreshment. Just as God caused time to stand still for the children of Israel when faced with the onslaught of their sworn enemy, He can do the same for us. The Deliverer - the God of Israel - is the same Deliverer and God with us. After all, He is Immanuel - God with us.

To everything [there is] a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven…
Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV

Let’s allow God to help us make the most of our time. Let’s just practice doing everything we do with the awareness that we are not alone. We can steal away any time. Any place. Let’s steal away today…
Dennis Jernigan

To hear the song, Steal Away, listen to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast on the story behind the song at http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/steal-away-1598366673/

Photo courtesy of https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2016/01/09/13/35/outlook-1130223_1280.jpg

I've Been Through Fire

“Tribulation will not hurt you, unless as it too often does; it hardens you and makes you sour, narrow and skeptical.” Edwin Hubbel Chapin

I’ve Been Through Fire
Words & Music: Dennis Jernigan
July 3, 2014

I've been through fire
Hot enough to make a grown man
Want to lay down and die
I've been through fire hot enough
To burn away everything
Leaving just a semblance of life
I've been through fire
Hot enough to make me feel
I have no place to call home
I've been through fire but I tell you,
Been through fire, been through Hell
But I have never been alone

Through the fire You have brought me!
Through the fire I have never been alone!
Through the fire You have sought me
In a fashion all Your own
With a passion hot enough to melt a heart of stone!

I’ve been through fire
Hot enough to make me wonder
Where I'd find that next breath
I've been through fire so consuming
Like I had some-one there grooming me
For imminent death
I've been through fire
Where the fury of the flame
Left my heart harder than stone
I've been through fire but I tell you,
Been through fire, been through Hell
But I have never been alone

Through the fire You have brought me!
Through the fire I have never been alone!
Through the fire You have sought me
In a fashion all Your own
With a passion hot enough to melt a heart of stone!

Lord, Your love is like a fire!
The flames keep growing higher to consume me!
Lord, Your love is like a fire!
Your love is my desire!
So consume me!
Burning fire fueled by passion
Where Your love, like waves, comes crash-in'
To consume me!
Burning fire fueled by passion,
Make my heart like You in fashion
And consume me!

Through the fire You have brought me!
Through the fire I have never been alone!
Through the fire You have sought me
In a fashion all Your own
With a passion hot enough to melt a heart of stone!

I've been through fire
Hot enough to make a grown man
Want to lay down and die
I've been through fire

©2014 Shepherd’s Heart Music, Inc./Dennis Jernigan
7804 W. Fern Mountain Rd.•Muskogee, OK•74401
1-800-877-0406•www.dennisjernigan.com
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The following words are what I wrote concerning the initial writing of this song. Since its writing, the fires of my life have only seemed to multiply and grow more intense. Sometimes I feel I will be completely consumed by them…but then I remember how much my God loves me. For each and every fire I have had to endure, what is not of the Lord has been burned away, leaving only what is purely of the Lord standing. As I am able to look back now and see each incident from the Lord’s point of view, I don’t see the ashes of loss. I see the richness of and the abundance of the treasures of my life…and have come out shining like gold.
Yes, I have been persecuted. Yes, I have been dealt the loss of my voice. Yes, I have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Yes, I have been betrayed by friends. Yes, I have been guilty of believing the lies of the enemy from time to time. Yes, I have been wounded beyond what I ever thought I could bear…but I do not see ashes of my life. I see a faithful, loving, beautiful wife of 37 years (as of this writing). I see nine amazing children, six amazing sons and daughters-in-law. I see (so far) eleven mind-blowingly awesome grandchildren who infuse my life with exquisite joy. I see thousands of songs born out of the trials of my life that are now sung literally around the world. What has taken the place of the ashes of my life is a long legacy of testimony to the power and love of our amazing God.
(Here is what I wrote at the initial writing of this song): I have had to endure a lot of fire through the years simply based on my leaving the homosexual way of thinking - my OLD identity - by virtue of my relationship with Jesus Christ. Many people seem happy for me. Many seem appalled. Many seem fearful to take a stand one way or the other. I just want others to know freedom is possible through Jesus Christ - those who desire such freedom. Because of a documentary that is about to be released detailing my story (Sing Over Me), I fully expect the fire to intensify. In my own strength I am not ready, but by God's grace, I will be in the moment. Just as He was in the midst of the fire with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, I know He will be with me. Incidentally, I prefer to hear this song sung from the Father's perspective toward me.
As I have already detailed in previous chapters, I have experienced persecution - fiery trials - on many occasions. What has kept me going in such middle-of-nowhere moments is the understanding that I have never gone through one single fiery trial alone. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were cast into a furnace as punishment for not bowing to and worshiping the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar. Three were cast into that unsurvivable oven but four were seen walking about in the flames unscathed!

But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, [were thrown into] fell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, “Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?” They replied to the king, “Certainly, O king.” He said, “Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!” Daniel 3:23-25 NASB
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were not alone. The Lord was with them IN the furnace, gong through the fire WITH them. He is the same God that walks with us through the fires of our lives! Death by fire is painful. Being burned, period, causes some of the deepest and most excruciating pain any human can encounter. Fires leave scars. Fires burn things away leaving ashen ruins. I have experienced deep excruciating mental and emotional pain to such degree I wish I could have died…but God has always been there to bring comfort. My life has been forever scarred by the fires of this life…but I have chosen to see these scars as the evidence of God’s grace. A scar simply means I have gone through something painful but serves as evidence of the healing power of God. My scars say to the world, “Yes, I have been through fire. I have the scars to prove it…but look what God has done!”
Within the short biblical account of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego I used there is one phrase that speaks volumes to the fiery trials of life. In the words of king Nebuchadnezzar, He said, “Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm!” The key phrase there? “I see four men LOOSED!” Those three men who had been cast into the fire simply for standing alone for God Almighty had been cast into that fire BOUND! Fire is painful…but fire has a way of burning away the things that bind us.
Since the release of the documentary of my life, Sing Over Me, I have received many vile comments and have been mocked and scorned and reviled as if I were Satan incarnate…but all those momentary experiences of pain are soothed by the balm of God’s grace with each person who tells me they have seen the film and that God has used it to change their lives forever. God has taken the ashes of my life and made something beautiful of them. This is the legacy and story behind the song “I’ve Been Through Fire.”

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD [is] upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to [those who are] bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
3 To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”
Isaiah 61:1-3 NASB

To listen to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this teaching and to hear the song, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/ive-been-through-fire/

Edwin Hubbel Chapin quote - https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/edwin_hubbel_chapin_157035

Photo courtesy of https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/08/06/15/53/fire-2593636_1280.jpg

The Middle of Nowhere

“Pray that your loneliness may spur you into finding something to live for, great enough to die for.” Dag Hammarskjold

In 2017, I was asked to minister in the town of Hartley, Texas at Hartley Christian Fellowship. As people asked the question, “Where is Hartley?” I explained to them it was located about 78 miles north of Amarillo. Their response? That’s the middle of nowhere!
As was my custom, I asked the pastor if there was any specific need he wanted me to address as I ministered to his congregation. He wrote me back with “I pray for renewed passion and an openness and love for our changing community culturally.” A return to our first love as followers of Christ.
Taking this to heart, I began to ask the Lord if there were any things He would have me specifically address in relation to what the pastor had written. All I could hear in my thoughts was the phrase ‘in the middle of nowhere.’ I could not shake that thought - and knowing how the Lord operates in my mind, I prepared to receive a song about being stuck in the middle of nowhere.
The more I pondered that phrase, the more definitions I came up with as to what it means to be ‘in the middle of nowhere.’ According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the phrase literally means ‘far away from any towns and cities and where few people live’. Hartley certainly fit that definition, but I knew the meaning would have deeper spiritual ramifications…so I kept meditating on the phrase...and a song was born. Following are some of the thoughts that emerged:
The middle of nowhere could mean being lost in the wilderness. Just as the children of Israel wandered around in a physical wilderness, their wilderness was also one of a spiritual nature. Although they did not always correlate the two, the spiritual was actually more important than the physical. The physical wilderness was provided to show the people of God their spiritual condition.
They had just spent the past 400 years in the wilderness of slavery to Egypt and now they found themselves free from that bondage. It did not take long for attitudes of gratitude to change to second-thoughts and grumbling against leadership. In the very midst of the wilderness of the Sinai, God Himself had led them by a cloud in the daylight and by a pillar of fire by night. He had parted the Red Sea. And on a more personal level for each family and individual, He provided food fresh each morning in the form of manna. Yet, they chose to see the wilderness rather than the love and presence and power of God being demonstrated in their midst!
How often do we gaze upon our circumstances, surmising we are in the wilderness - smack dab in the middle of nowhere - yet we neglect to see the love and presence and power of God being demonstrated in our life daily?
Being in the middle of nowhere can be as simple as feeling alone. In that respect, being in the middle of nowhere can mean feeling alone in the middle of a crowd. The middle of nowhere can be in the middle of millions of people in New York City for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and feeling as if no one can even see you.
The good news is that we cannot possibly ever be alone if we remind ourselves that the God we are in relationship with is anywhere we happen to be. Being alone with God is not a bad place to be. In fact, I - being an introvert aside - find being alone with God rather invigorating. To be with God in intimacy - Him seeing all of me and loving me anyway and me taking the time to gaze into His presence - is to recharge my batteries on every level. Jesus intentionally went into the middle of nowhere for this very reason: to be alone with His Father and to recharge his spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical batteries. In other words, being in the middle of nowhere can be a very good thing.
When we are willing to stand alone for our faith; whenever we are willing to speak Truth to those we love; whenever we risk loving through service; we face the risk of being misunderstood. Because of the nature of my own story - freedom from homosexual identity and now identifying as heterosexual - I often feel as if I live in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of being misunderstood. The simple fact of the matter is that if we pursue Jesus with the passion He pursued us, we will be misunderstood. Each of the apostles had to walk through the wilderness of being misunderstood. They preached love. The world heard hate. The world - thanks to the deception of the enemy - is walking in darkness apart from Christ. The most loving thing to tell someone is that they need a Savior because of their sin. No one wants to be told they are wrong about anything, yet that was one of the most loving things ever spoken to me. “Dennis, you are in sin.”
Just as Stephen who was stoned to death for his faith in Christ, we may be misunderstood to the degree that our very life is threatened. Just as with the children of Israel who had the choice of seeing and experiencing God’s love, presence, and power, Stephen chose to see from the Lord’s point of view while in the middle of nowhere. While being stoned to death for preaching the Truth of Jesus, He chose to look into the heavenly places, ‘but being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”’ Acts 7:55-56 NASB

The stoning continued but so did the faith of Stephen. ‘They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” Acts 7:59 NASB

When finding ourselves in the middle of nowhere, whether in a desert, in a crowd, or being stoned, we must recognize and realize that even there we are not alone. In fact could it be that finding one’s self in the middle of nowhere is a good - and grand - thing? It all depends on the point of view, I suppose.

We can see a cloud of obscurity, or we can see a cloud that guides.

We can either see a fiery trial or we can see a fiery pillar of God’s protection.

We can see a sea raging all around us with no way through or we can see a parting of that very sea.

We can see eking out a bare existence or we can see even the smallest morsel as manna from heaven.

We can either see emptiness or the opportunity to be filled.

We can see brokenness or the opportunity for being poured out.

We can either see a desert or we can see a chance to meet with our Maker in the oasis of His love for us.

We can see wounding or we can offer our hearts and hurts to the Healer.

We can see the middle of nowhere or we can see the love, presence, and power of our God.

Ultimately, the middle of nowhere is a good and grand place - because it is there that we meet the God Who meets all our needs!

Dennis Jernigan
March 8, 2017

The Middle of Nowhere
WORDS & MUSIC
Dennis Jernigan
March 3, 2017

Where can I go from Your presence?
Where can I go from Your grace?
How wounded and how broken must my heart be before
Your healing can't reach that place?
In the middle of nowhere!
In the middle of nowhere!
Where can I go when forgotten?
Where can I go when alone?
How long before my blinded eyes are able to see
This world is not my home?
In the middle of nowhere
In the middle of nowhere!

In the middle of suff'ring!
In the middle of sorrow!
In the middle of pain!
In the middle of heartache!
In the middle of a desert!
In the middle of a driving rain!
Oh, Father, meet me there!
Father, meet me there!
In the middle of nowhere!
In the middle of nowhere!

In the middle of empty!
In the middle of the wilderness!
In the middle alone!
In the middle of the fire!
In the middle of darkness!
Middle of far from home!
Oh, Father, meet me there!
Father, meet me there!
In the middle of nowhere!
In the middle of nowhere!
In the middle of nowhere!
Father, meet me there!

Nothing I go through is wasted
When seen from the King's point of view
My life a grand adventure where I'm never alone
And when I get there I find You
In the middle of nowhere
In the middle of nowhere

In the middle of grateful
In the middle of deliverance
In the middle of joy
In the middle of triumph
The middle of the enemy
In the middle of a lie destroyed
Oh, Father, meet me there
Father, meet me there
In the middle of anywhere
In the middle of anywhere

In the middle of a healing
In the middle of life
In the middle of grace
In the middle of a miracle
In the middle of freedom
In the middle of a King's embrace
Oh, Father, meet me there
Father, meet me there
In the middle of anywhere
In the middle of anywhere

Dag Hammadskjold quote - https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/dag_hammarskjold_130197

To listen to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast and the song, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/the-middle-of-nowhere/

Picture courtesy of https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2014/03/05/21/12/desert-279862_1280.jpg

Overwhelm Me: How to Rest in Jesus

Welcome to the All In All Church Teaching Site. The purpose of this Teaching Site is to help you find healing for your wounds; find hope in your despair; find intimacy in your loneliness; find refuge from the storms of life; Basically, to help you find a deeper walk with Jesus. There is one thing I know after having lived all these years: God wastes nothing. Not our sorrows. Not our wounds. Not even our failures.
Today’s teaching is the story  behind not one, but two of my songs. One is intimate worship while the other is a song of deliverance from Father’s heart to yours. Both songs are from the studio recording Kingdom Come. The first song I’d like to share is called Overwhelm Me and was born on April 18, 2001.
I believe the deepest yearning of every human heart is to know and to be known. We are wired for intimacy…intimacy with God and intimacy with one another. Our deepest needs are met in relationship with our Maker. Many have been the times I have longed to be simply overwhelmed by His presence and by His love…and many times, I have been deeply overwhelmed by both. Like wave upon wave of God’s love rolling over my soul, the overwhelming presence of God brings comfort and shelter in the stormy times of life. Our God is with us…and He hears our cries…

Hear my cry, O God;
Give heed to my prayer.
From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For You have been a refuge for me,
A tower of strength against the enemy.
Let me dwell in Your tent forever;
Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah.
Psalm 61:1-4 NASB

When I was on staff at a church in my home town from the mid 90s until about 2005, once a month during the year our local body took time to come together for a corporate prayer summit. On this particular evening, I was leading worship and flowing in ministry with the pastor. He would lead in prayer and ministry and I would lead worship accordingly during those times. At one point in the evening, the pastor sensed that there were many who felt like giving up. As we prayed and sang over those who stood for ministry during this time, the Lord began to give me a song. This song was born spontaneously and I shared it at the close of the ministry to those who stood. The chorus and verse one are just as I received them that evening. Verse two came a few days later. Allow the presence of Father God to overwhelm you right now as you read the lyrics of the song, Overwhelm Me.

Overwhelm Me
Words & Music: Dennis Jernigan
April 18, 2001

Chorus
Overwhelm me with Your power!
Overwhelm me with Your grace!
Overwhelm me with Your glory,
As I rest in Your embrace!

Verse One
Let me see a light
At the end of the tunnel!
Let me hear Your voice
When alone in the dark!
Let me feel Your presence
Both below and above me!
Let me hold Your hand
So I can know where You are!
I will not give up the battle;
Run the whole entire race!
I will keep my eyes on You, Lord!
I will rest in Your embrace!

Chorus
Overwhelm me with Your power!
Overwhelm me with Your grace!
Overwhelm me with Your glory,
As I rest in Your embrace!

Verse Two
Let me see with eyes
That can see where You're going!
Let me run with strength
To the battle and fight!
Let me feel Your passion
Like a fire that's growing
Strong enough to pierce
The very darkness of night!
I will not give up the battle;
Run the whole entire race!
I will keep my eyes on You, Lord!
I will rest in Your embrace!

When the circumstances of life overwhelm us, there is One Who can overwhelm those circumstances with grace and love and power…Jesus Christ…and we must run to Him and abide in Him during such times. In His presence is fullness of joy and peace that passes our understanding and hope to take that next step.

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NASB

Brothers and sisters, we never leave God’s presence. We either forget He is with us or we choose to ignore Him. Let’s choose to include Him in every area and aspect of our lives today.

The second song of today’s teaching is called Rest. It is a song of deliverance and it was born on September 5, 2007.

I will bless the LORD who has counseled me;
Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night.
I have set the LORD continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will dwell securely.
Psalm 16:7-9 NASB

What do you do when someone you love is hurting? What do you do when there’s nothing you can do…except pray? One of my children called and was in the deepest anguish I had ever felt one of my children suffer. I prayed with my child and fell apart after our phone call…right into the arms of Jesus. And that is how I prayed – that they would fall apart in the arms of Jesus.
Later that same day, I had been with a friend and his wife who were experiencing some deep, wrenching turmoil that was directly affecting their marriage. Seeing my friends in pain, I did the same thing I had done for my child: I prayed for them and then fell apart in the arms of Jesus. This song came as I sang over these situations…and am glad to say that the Lord powerfully intervened in both situations! Use this song to bring healing to those you know who are in emotional pain. Here are the lyrics:

Rest
Words & Music: Dennis Jernigan
September 5, 2007

When everything you are
Just seems to fall apart
And you're alone in the dark;
Sorrow, like endless rain,
No longer hides the pain
And now you've drifted too far;
Come down from the ledge
Of your own broken heart.
Run here to My open arms
Where you can fall apart!

No more tears left to cry.
Wishing that you could die
And make this hurt go away!
This endless raging storm
Has left your heart so torn
You simply can't see a way!
Come down from the ledge
Of your own broken heart.
Run here to My open arms
Where you can fall apart!

I'll be your Light in dark!
I'll be right where you are!
I'll hold you close through the pain!
I'll calm the raging tide!
I'll be right by your side!
I'll shelter you from the rain!
Put your head on My shoulder!
Put your head on My shoulder
…and rest.

So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. Hebrews 4:9 NASB

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Exodus 20:8 NASB

We are spiritual beings in physical bodies that get tired and worn out and weary. Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is to simply rest. After all, rest is part of God’s plan for us. Let us set aside a day each week in which we allow our entire being to just rest. Use the songs from today’s teaching to help you do just that!
Dennis Jernigan

To listen to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast on today’s subject matter, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/overwhelm-me-and-rest/

Photo courtesy of https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2015/08/14/16/30/man-888591_1280.jpg

It's Gonna Be Alright

When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.
Psalm 56:3 NASB

This is the story behind one of my favorite songs of deliverance - a song from Father’s heart to ours. It is one I enjoy singing over broken-hearted people and one I sing over my own soul as I battle with Parkinson’s. The bottom line of what I have come to know is simple. God means Parkinson’s for my good. He wastes nothing. Victory and defeat are determined by the viewpoint I speak to my own soul…and I believe God wants nothing but what is best for me and will use whatever He wants to achieve that end.
Notice the date this song was received. November 7, 2007. This date is the day in 1981 when the Lord delivered me from my sin. Because I spend this day in reflection each year, many songs tend to be born on this date. Mostly they are songs of worship, but this one comes from a different perspective: that of the Father. Because of my needs through the years to hear the Father sing songs of deliverance to me (Psalm 32:7) I have become somewhat attuned to listening for what He sings over certain situations.

You are my hiding place;
You preserve me from trouble;
You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.
Psalm 32:7 NASB

Having 9 children has also helped me understand what the Father must feel towards us, His children, when we go through trying times. As the Lord would have it, the day the day I spent reflecting on God’s grace in my life this year was also a day when dear friends were facing fiery trials concerning their marriage…and a day when I was singing over one of my own children as they were going through their own fiery ordeal in their own marriage. As a Dad, I want to make everything all right…and I can’t always do that…but there is One who can make it all right.

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

Because He is perfect and is utterly concerned with our best, we can rest assured that even the trials we face are going to help us draw closer to Him and heal us in some way. As I sang over these two situations, this song was born. And, by the way, both those marriages are going and growing stronger than ever before. It is one of my favorites to sing in ministry now. To hear the song, listen to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast at http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/its-gonna-be-alright-1596032656/

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:18 NASB

This tells me our Father is a good Father. He’s the BEST Father! Our God surrounds us with songs of deliverance. He wants what is best for His children. In fact, He rejoices over us with singing! He sings for the simple fact that we exist and are His! Need I say more? Listen to the song as often as you need to this week…and allow it’s truth to soak into your soul…allow the deep, deep love of Christ for you to permeate all the wounded places of your heart and mind…just use the song to soak up and in the presence of Father God!
Dennis Jernigan

To hear the song, It’s Gonna Be Alright, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/its-gonna-be-alright-1596032656/

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It’s Gonna Be Alright

It’s gonna be alright, child
Even through the darkest night, child
I’ll even use the darkness
To teach you how to hear Me
It’s gonna be alright now
Even if you don’t see how
I’ll even use your failure
To help you to draw near Me

Hear Me. I am calling,
“Child, come falling deeper in love with Me.”
Trust Me, you must let go
Or you will never know any deeper love in Me

It’s gonna be alright here
If you will let Me hold your heart near
I’ll even use your sorrows
To teach You how to love Me
It’s gonna be alright, child
I’ll hold you really close and tight child
I’ll even use Your woundings
To help you know more of Me

Hear Me. I am calling,
“Child, come falling deeper in love with Me.”
Trust Me, you must let go
Or you will never know any deeper love in Me

Why do you hold on to the things of your past
Let go and cling to Me and love that will last
How can you know Me if you do not trust My love
Let go! You’ll find My love is more than enough


Words & Music: Dennis Jernigan
November 7, 2007
©2007 Shepherd’s Heart Music, Inc.

We Run This Race

Psalm 18:25-29 NASB says,
With the kind You show Yourself kind;
With the blameless You show Yourself blameless;
With the pure You show Yourself pure,
And with the crooked You show Yourself astute.
For You save an afflicted people,
But haughty eyes You abase.
For You light my lamp;
The LORD my God illumines my darkness.
For by You I can run upon a troop;
And by my God I can leap over a wall.

My reason for sharing that passage? It has everything to do with having the endurance to run the race of life well, no matter what our circumstances.
So much of my music and ministry was born at Western Hills Church in Oklahoma City under the pastoral care of Jerry and Debbie Wells. Several months before this song, We Run This Race, was written, I had received word that Debbie was battling cancer. I had written If I Could Just Sit With You Awhile for her father-in-law, Bob Burgess, under very similar circumstances way back in 1991.
In mid April of 2007, I was able to talk with Debbie and as usual it was she who encouraged me. Debbie, a deep worshipper, and one of the most genuine and loving people I have ever known, was a reflection of Jesus whenever she worshipped the Lord. Open and demonstrative, graceful and unassuming, she was never a distraction during times of worship. She always had a way of encouraging me even while I was leading her in worship.
At a time of worship sometime during the spring of 2007, I noticed someone in the congregation, hands lifted, body swaying and commented that his person reminded me of my friend, Debbie – and it was Debbie! How I loved when she worshipped because I felt so blessed in every way. That was the last time I experienced worship with Debbie Wells on this earth.
Her mother-in-law, Joy, called with the news that Debbie was with Jesus…and she asked me if I thought she was marching around heaven with a banner or if she was dancing. I know she was dancing. Joy then told me Jerry (Debbie’s husband) had asked if I would sing at her memorial service. This song was born after Jerry called me a day later and asked me it we could do like old times again – he had a word and asked me to meditate on it. The word – running the race - Debbie was a marathon runner.
As she ran in a physical sense, she ran in a spiritual sense. She ran well and finished her race, hearing her Father say, “Well done.” I received this song on May 5, 2007 after meditating on what it means to run one’s race of life well…and I shared it at her memorial celebration. You should have felt and seen the response as I shared this song with the 1500+ worshipers. I ended the song and went right into You Are My All In All as every person stood to their feet in honor of God and in honor of a life well lived.

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

Brothers and sisters, we have not been guaranteed an easy life, but we have been guaranteed that we would never be alone for even one step of the journey…for even one step of this race we call life. Debbie understood that she was not running a sprint, but she was running a marathon…and she ran to win! Even though battling cancer, she ran with the attitude and thoughts of one who ran to win!

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 may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then [do it] to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NASB

Let’s take the words of this song to heart this week. Let us remember that we may not have a choice as to our circumstances or the length of our life, but we always have a choice as to how we will respond to those circumstances. Because I am suffering with Parkinson’s, I have an entirely different perspective on life than I once did. I do not want to waste another second worrying about my physical wellbeing or one more second fretting about my circumstances. I choose to run the race to win. Period. That’s my choice! What do you choose? Let’s choose to run to win!
Dennis Jernigan

To listen to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this teaching, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/we-run-this-race/

Photo courtesy of https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2014/01/24/13/32/marathon-250987_1280.jpg

We Run This Race
WORDS & MUSIC
Dennis Jernigan
May 5, 2007

Verse One
Let us run the race.
Let us gain the prize.
Let us run with grace
To where we fix our eyes!
Let us all endure
Storm and fiery wind.
Let your gaze be sure.
Run your race to Him!

Chorus
We run this race!
We run to win!
We run this race!
We run to Him!
Our race is done
When we have run so far
That we have run
Into His arms!

Verse Two
Let us look to those
Who ran before with praise,
Running like we know
The outcome of this race!
Run, though weak, be strong.
You belong to Him.
Sing your victory song
And run this race to win!

Bridge
The legacy of every runner
Is to run this race
In such a way that others come
To know His love and grace!
So run through sorrow!
Run through trials!
Run with joy through pain!
Run with all your heart to Him
Whose life He freely gave!

Our Calling as New Creations in Christ

Matthew 18:11 in the NASB says, “…the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.”

Jesus came to save that which was lost - mankind - and He has called us, as new creations, to be ambassadors for Christ and to declare salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. When the Lord set me free in 1981, my heart was on fire to do that very thing.
As a new creation in Christ, I am called to the ministry of reconciliation. Since I was reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ, I am to lead others to do the same…to use my life to call others around me to be reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ.
As a minister of reconciliation and as a new creation in Christ, I am called to be an ambassador for Christ. What does an ambassador do? An ambassador represents the interests of those they are in service to. What are some of the interests of Jesus Christ? To seek and save those who are lost. To tell the world that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life they need. To tell the world He loves them so much He laid down His own life to make them His own! To tell the world there is a way out of sin!

In 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 in the NASB, God’s Word says, 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, [he is] a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all [these] things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made Him who knew no sin [to be] sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

We are all called to the ministry of reconciliation, calling others to find reconciliation with God through faith in Jesus Christ.

Luke 4:18-19 in the NASB gives us specific ways in which to be ambassadors for Christ. It says, 18 "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, 19 TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”

If you still don’t know what to do to be an ambassador for Christ, make it simple. Tell anyone who will listen what Christ has done for you!

Psalm 107:1-2 in the NASB makes it very plain. It says, 1 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say [so,] Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary…

Let’s spread the name and love of Jesus to the world around us…one person at a time!
Dennis Jernigan

To listen to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast in this subject and to hear a song inspired by this material, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/jesus-1594739144/

Photo courtesy of https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2019/03/18/12/09/cross-4062996_1280.jpg

Hallelujah! He Reigns In Majesty!

The LORD reigns,
He is clothed with majesty;
The LORD has clothed and girded Himself with strength;
Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved.
Psalm 93:1 NASB

Today’s teaching is actually the story behind one of my oldest worship songs called ‘Hallelujah! He Reigns in Majesty’. I wrote the song on May 27, 1986. You did not misread the date this song was received. It is one of the first praise choruses I received when the Lord began showing me how to lead out in worship while we were still in Oklahoma City.
If you have been around me or know of my early recordings, you will have heard this song before. Since I have never put it on one of the ‘big’ recordings, I thought it was a shame to not have this beautiful and simple little song out there blessing the Lord. In the early days, we would sing this song with all our hearts, people would dance. People would kneel. People would shout at the simple joy of exalting God.
In accordance with the simplicity of the song itself is the simplicity of what the word hallelujah means. It literally means ‘praise the Lord’ . It is not an empty, meaningless word meant to take up musical space. It is one of the most profound words in all eternity. It is being uttered in heaven around the throne of God right now!

Then I heard [something] like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.” Revelation 19:6 NASB

Praising our God will never go out of style! The word hallelujah and the depths of the richness of its meaning will never grow stale or overused. The quickest way to make one’s self aware of the atmosphere of heaven is to worship God!

And all the angels were standing around the throne and [around] the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, "Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, [be] to our God forever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 7:11-12 NASB

Let’s do this in the coming days. Let’s purpose in our hearts to exalt the Lord by using the simple word ‘hallelujah’ whenever we are made aware of His presence or His goodness or His love for us. He is enthroned on the praises of His people. He is worthy of our praise. Let us use praise to help us fix our eyes on Jesus. Hallelujah!
Dennis Jernigan

To listen to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this teaching and to hear the song, Hallelujah! He Reigns in Majesty, just go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/hallelujah-he-reigns-in-majesty/

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Reign, King Jesus

Psalm 146:10 NKJV SAYS,
The LORD shall reign forever
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the LORD!

Over the past few months of 2007, the Lord had been leading me to remember my calling and my first love as it relates to the Kingdom of God and to the body of Christ. In my view, we sometimes separate the two – but the Lord never intended that separation. We are to seek first the Kingdom of God and we are to be a living thriving relational body within that kingdom. As we walk in a relationship of intimate worship with Him, that relationship permeates our human relationships. As we exalt Christ in all we do and lift Him up, He draws men to Himself.
For the past several years, Melinda and I had been involved with the body in a place we always thought we would be for the rest of our lives, but on January 6, 2008 it became apparent to my wife and I that the body of believers we had helped establish so many years ago was no longer the place the Lord would have us call home. The grief I felt at leaving was helped somewhat by the truth that it was indeed the Lord calling us away…but that didn’t bring a stop to the pain.
The next day, my heart was in turmoil as I wrestled with the Lord as to whether or not I was hearing/sensing Him correctly. As I learned to pray a long time ago, I began to pray again….”My Father in heaven, Holy and exalted is Your name. Your Kingdom come. Your will be done…on earth as it is in heaven.” As I began to ask the Lord to show me what His kingdom truly looked like in my particular ‘calling away’ this song began to fill my heart.
Even when staying put where I had been for all those years would have been a good thing, I desired God’s best and asked Him to show me what His kingdom coming in this part of my life could possibly mean. All I can hear these days is to remind the body of Christ that Christ is King and is to be praised regardless of our situations. The world will see and hear and know that God is on the throne when we, the believers, act like it. My beliefs transcend my human ability to understand a God even our best theology isn’t adequate to fully explain. He‘s so much more.
My faith transcends my human need to be understood by those around me (or to even understand everything myself!) because man’s attempts at religious institutions aren’t adequate to fully explain a God who is unexplainable. My hope transcends the written Word of God in the sense that, while I love the Word of God, I do not have a relationship with a book. The Book guides me to the living, breathing, intimately indwelling Word of God – Jesus Christ! He lives in me. The King of the Universe lives in me! And if He is King, I will follow wherever He leads!
In what areas do you need to see His Kingdom come? In what areas in the life of the flock you lead do you need to see His Kingdom come? use the Word of God to remind yourself and others that there is one King and that He rules over every circumstance of life…if we will let Him.

Revelation 19:11 NKJV says, “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him [was] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.”

Let us bow our knees to the King Who is called Faithful and True this week. Let us seek first His kingdom and His righteousness…by seeking intimacy with Him. The truth is, He reigns regardless of what our circumstances might be and in spite of how we might feel and in spite of what the world around us is doing. Jesus is King of Kings…and He reigns! Let Him reign in you today.
Dennis Jernigan

Listen to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast dealing with this subject matter and hear the song, Reign, King Jesus, at http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/reign-king-jesus/

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If It Means More Glory

Very often - more often than we like to admit - we hold on to the things of this world and deny the deeper places of intimacy with Jesus Christ. We hold on to possessions as if they would save us from pain. We hold on to the desire for fame or recognition and deny the very existence of God in every area our life. We hold on to what others think of us and miss the rock solid anchor of our identity in Christ.
Reality is that anything we hold on to in place of Jesus is like holding onto absolutely nothing. It is when we place everything we have and everything we think and everything we hold dear upon the altar - or upon the cross - of Christ that we find what we were always looking for. Far too often, we fear loss of the things we hold on to and miss the One Who holds onto us!

[1Peter 1:3-9 NASB] 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to [obtain] an inheritance [which is] imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 so that the proof of your faith, [being] more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

The song this teaching is based on - If It Means More Glory - was born for a church Melinda and I helped found and were members of for 10 years. As is often the case, God brings about change and change brings about growth…even if it means momentary pain. After 10 years, God called our founding pastor away and we were left facing the departure of our pastor and his family. It felt sorrowful and devastating…and the dreaded day was drawing ever closer when we would have to say goodbye. As I sang over our little church one day, I saw us placing our pastor and his family on the altar. I was also facing some shifts and changes in my personal life and ministry and felt God calling me, once again, to place everything upon the altar. This song was born as a cry of my heart to give God glory in all circumstances…no matter what. We sang this song as a body for the first time just a few weeks before our pastor and his family left…and we corporately laid him and his family on the altar….and he and his family laid us there as well.

What do you need to lay on the altar today?

[Phl 3:7-11 NASB] 7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 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, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Jesus Christ gave Himself on the altar for us…and all He asks is that we do the same for Him. Not always easy but always worth it. It is a wise person who takes inventory of their life and willingly places each facet of that life on the altar of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a sacrifice of praise and a sacrifice of self…a denial of self…a giving away of self to gain what is even more real and more tangible than any earthly possession…to gain ever-deepening intimacy with Christ.

[Mat 16:24 NASB] 24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

Let us do that this week…deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Jesus. Following Jesus always leads to growth and always leaves us enveloped in the very glory of His presence.
Dennis Jernigan

To hear the podcast version of this teaching and to hear the song referred to, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/if-it-means-more-glory/

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A Work of Art

I originally wrote this as a gift for my wife on her birthday in 2019, but felt it was appropriate to share with you what it means to me to have her in my life as we celebrate our 37th year of marriage today.

A Work of Art
I will never forget the first time I ever saw you. With one glimpse of your beauty my breath was taken from me and my heart nearly stopped beating…yet I knew you were far, far out of my league. I saw you and your radiance as something more captivating and exquisite than the Mona Lisa. Saw myself as a formless lump of clay that could never be worthy of even being in the same room as such an amazing work of art. You were at once a complete mystery to me yet a mystery that intrigued me enough to consider pursuing…
When you spoke, all I could hear was the most melodic and romantic symphony that could have only been created by a master musician, such was your wisdom and knowledge and charm and grace. When I spoke - or attempted to speak - all I could hear was the banjo theme of a country bumpkin attempting to sound like he had never seen even one episode of Hee Haw…yet my ignorance always gave me away.
Still, you began to let me into your heart - into your world. Most of the time I felt absolutely overwhelmed at the sheer lack of sophistication I saw in myself but stood amazed at the sheer sophistication and confidence in which you seemed so comfortable magnified a thousand times in you. It was almost too good to be true - that someone like you could even acknowledge the existence of someone like me. A work of art caring for a lump of clay. Sounds so ridiculous when I say it out loud, but that is how I viewed us.
I had absolutely no framework of reference of how to treat such a priceless treasure as you seemed to me, much less a frame of reference as to how to properly and sufficiently navigate any type of romantic relationship with you. Yet, you saw something in me that I could never see. I saw it in you in droves. Worth. You were worth more than me risking hurting you by speaking the words, “I love you”, just to gain physical touch. I saw you as a fine piece of alabaster, fragile yet strong, beautiful beyond measure…to be cared for and valued above all else. I wanted you to feel treasured and valued…yet found it difficult to communicate that to you because I possessed neither in my own life. The lump of clay.
That you would even attempt a relationship with me made me love you all the more. The closer we became, the more fear gripped my heart and mind. How could I ever possibly give you what you needed when I felt so absolutely needy myself? I felt like a ping pong ball, bouncing from ‘could it be possible to love someone like you the way you deserved’ to ‘if she sees me as I truly am, she will reject me’. By the time we were seniors in college, I knew a day of reckoning was coming.
I will never forget the look on your face when I told you I never wanted to see you again…how broken your heart seemed to be. My reason? Better to break her heart once and for all than to drag her through years of torment and insecurity and failure and pain. After all, a work of art deserved to be displayed with other works of art…and I was no work of art. In that moment I felt more like a shapeless, formless, worthless lump of clay than ever. You seemed more exquisitely beautiful to me than ever. In my heart, I felt I had done the right thing.
Funny how God uses the brokenness of our lives to bring about the most exquisite works of art. The heartache of losing you sent me into a downward spiral that ended in a miry pit of self-loathing mire…and Father met me there with love like I had always imagined possible but never thought possible for myself. By the time I hit rock bottom, this lump of formless clay had become so hard and brittle that it had finally shattered…but the Master Artist began to put me back together, piece by broken piece…until a mosaic that looked a lot like redemption began to take shape.
With a stroke of masterful genius, the Master Craftsman used a feeble prayer to lead me back to you. “If you want me to be married, Lord, speak that through my parents.” The very next week, my parents told me they always thought I would be the first of their four sons to marry, to which I flippantly responded, “Who do you think I should have married?” Without one moment’s worth of hesitation, they both said, “Melinda was the one for you.”
That moment sent me reeling with hope yet simultaneously sent me careening through my thoughts with fear! Reeling with the hope that someone like you could love someone like me…and careening through my mind at the same moment the fear of being rejected by someone like you! So I asked the Lord to speak through your parents if this was truly his will…and He did.
Your mom answered the letter I wrote her and gave me permission to pursue you. A month later we were engaged. Almost a year later we were married. The complete fulfillment and contentment and satisfaction and pleasure of knowing you in every way filled my heart with more joy and hope than I thought I could possibly ever experience in this life. I thought I knew you…but the mystery was just beginning!
God was transforming me into a work of art and He was doing the same in you. I was learning how to be a man. You were learning how to be a woman. But more importantly, He was teaching us how to be a son and a daughter first…to know our identity. It was like starting at ground zero and working our way through a grand adventure of discovery…a thrilling journey called life, chock full of twists and turns and tragedies and triumphs, an epic saga and greatest love story ever told.
Still as opposite from one another in almost every way possible, yet still both valuable works of art in the Master Craftsman’s hands, He was slowly teaching us the dance of romance…a divine and diverse set of steps and motions that we are still attempting to learn to this day.
We danced through the season of raising our nine children with many trips and falls along the way, but what was left in our wake - nine magnificent children - was worth every misstep and challenge along the way.
We now dance into the latter years where children begin to marry and begin dances of their own. We are learning the precious dance of grand parenting that we get to pretty much make up along the way. What an adventure! Such adventures are always more joyful when shared with another…and I am so grateful I get to share these adventures with you!
You are still a mystery to me. A mystery I feel even more challenged to unravel with my final days. Though we face a season where my health has become the major challenge we face - we face it together. Without you, I would not…could not last a day longer.

You are priceless to me…

You are a precious treasure to me…

You are the obsession of my heart…

You are the perfect fit for me in every way…spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically…

You are a symphony straight from God’s heart to mine that declares, “See how much I love you, son?”…

You truly are a work of art…and you helped transform this former lump of clay into something I never thought I would or ever could be…whole…

You are the wind beneath my wings…

You make life feel like an intricate dance that truly captivates my heart…

You are the muse that inspires beauty and melody and music to my soul…

You absolutely complete me…

Though the seasons of our lives change, these things I have spoken will always remain…always…

I absolutely and honestly love you…

Happy 37th Anniversary…

DJ

Your Majesty

Psalm 93:1 NASB says:
The LORD reigns,
He is clothed with majesty;
The LORD has clothed and girded Himself with strength;
Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved.

When I saw the movie trailers for the movie “The Princess Diaries”…and saw that it was actually rated “G”, I planned to take my 5 daughters to see it with me. Little did I know but this was to be a very profound moment in my life. The movie’s premise is this: the Queen of a small European nation comes to America to ask her granddaughter – the rightful heir to the throne – to come and take her place as princess of the realm. Of course, the young girl feels inadequate and very unqualified to be the princess…unworthy and incapable to rule as a royal princess. As the story unfolds, circumstances warrant the girl’s eventual realization that, even though she may not feel adequate to reign, this is ‘who she is’.
Do you see where I’m going with this? The moment comes when the queen is to present her princess to the world. Oh, did I mention that Julie Andrews plays the queen? Her very presence commanded our attention...our awe. The queen steps out into the ballroom in splendor...and slowly reaches her hand out for the princess...whom we see for the first time in her princess gown...looking like a transformed person. In that moment, the movie soundtrack goes silent to heighten our sense of awe. The queen proudly takes the hand of the beautiful princess and promenades her (in slow motion, of course) around the room. Tears began streaming down my cheek as I realized that this is exactly how Jesus presents us to all of heaven when we are saved. He takes our hand...cleans us up...and presents us to the hosts of heaven as royal heirs to His Kingdom...regardless of our past...regardless of who we used to think we were. Pure majesty.

Psalm 96:1-6 NASB says,
1 Sing to the LORD a new song;
Sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing to the LORD, bless His name;
Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.
3 Tell of His glory among the nations,
His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.
4 For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the LORD made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before Him,
Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

After I watched this movie, I was so moved by the spiritual ramifications that I wrote a song called ‘Your Majesty’. It is a song detailing my deliverance from sin and shame and my restoration into my rightful place as child of the King of Heaven. The lyrics are as follows:

Your Majesty
WORDS & MUSIC
Dennis Jernigan
August 4, 2001

Verse One
As the King enters the room
A very reverent hush fills the air
As I look all around
I see knees bowing down
All left speechless at the glory everywhere
For the King was standing there

So unworthy - not wanting to be seen
I was so amazed to see Him gaze at me
As He held out His hand 
I was too weak to stand
So He picked me up and held me - 
Washed me clean
In the presence of the King!

Chorus
Your Majesty! Hail the King!
Your majesty! Who bled and died for me!
I will magnify Your name! Unashamedly proclaim!
Jesus Christ my King Who reigns in majesty!
Your Majesty! Hail the King!
Your majesty! Who rose and set me free!
I will glorify and magnify And testify with all my might
That Jesus Christ is King of Kings Who reigns in majesty!

Verse Two
In the presence of such majesty
I thought this surely must be a dream
But I still knew somehow it is here It is now
That I’m standing in the presence of my King!
He is standing here with me!

Help my weak and feeble eyes to see
A glimpse of who You called me to be
I will stand here unashamed 
As I proudly proclaimI’m a servant of the King who ever reigns!
Jesus Christ is His name!

We, as new creations, have every reason to sing to the Lord a new song each and every day of our existence! We have every reason to proclaim His salvation and goodness…to proclaim His splendor and majesty…and why is that?

Romans 8:16-17 NASB says, 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 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.]

You and I, fellow new creations in Christ, are born again children of God…and that means we are joint heirs with our Brother, Jesus Christ. And what does it mean to be a joint heir with someone? That means we share His inheritance! All that he is and has is ours! He is righteous. We are made the righteousness of God through faith in Christ Jesus! He is the Answer the world needs and we are His ambassadors to the world around us! Ambassadors of His saving grace! Ambassadors of the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Ambassadors of His amazing, redeeming love!

1 Peter 2:9-10 NASB says, 9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR [God's] OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.

Brothers and sisters, we are who our Father says we are. Whether you feel it or not, you are chosen of God. That means He wanted you! You are of the kingly priesthood! That means you can approach the throne of grace with boldness! You are a holy nation! That means you have been set apart for a special purpose on this earth! You belong to the Lord God Almighty! That means you were bought with a price - the shed blood of Jesus Christ - because He wanted relationship with you that much! He brought us out of the darkness of sin and into the marvelous light of His salvation! We are subjects of the Kingdom of God who rule and reign with Him. If He is clothed with majesty, so are you because you are filled with His Spirit…with His presence! Need I say more?
Let’s live like those who believe they are servants of the King of kings and allow the majesty of His presence to clothe us with His glory in every area of our lives…and let me close with this:

[Jude 1:24-25 NASB] says, 24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, [be] glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Dennis Jernigan

To listen to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast on this subject and to hear the song, Your Majesty, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/your-majesty-1591715059/

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Come, King Jesus

Psalm 24:7-10 NASB says
7 Lift up your heads, O gates,
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in!
8 Who is the King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
The LORD mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O gates,
And lift [them] up, O ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in!
10 Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts,
He is the King of glory. Selah.

As new creations in Christ, we are to seek first the Kingdom of God…and just how do we do that? We seek first the King! Jesus! What does seeking Jesus look like to a new creation? It looks like a subject of the King acknowledging the King’s place in every area of that subject’s existence.
As I think about these things I realize that my life has many areas where the average person would not be able to see the Kingdom of God in my life. What this meant to me was that I needed to allow the king to rule in each of those areas, thereby giving Him His proper place as ruler over every area of my life.
Imagine what our lives would look like if Jesus truly did rule and reign over us. He is a good King – a just King – Who enjoys His subjects. He is a mighty King Who rules even when the world around us seems to be turning further and further away from Him.
As I began to ask the Lord to reveal places where I do not recognize His Kingship, I felt led to make a simple list off the top of my head of places where I need to allow Him to rule and reign. It is not the entire list, but you will get the idea!

King of my spiritual life.
King of my physical body.
King of my thought life.
King of my marriage.
King of my friendships.
King of my relationship with my children and grandchildren.
King of my creativity.
King of my work.
King of what I speak.
King of what I put into my body.
King of what I watch and listen to.
King of my hobbies.
King of…

Matthew 6:31-34 NASB says, 31 "Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' 32 "For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Let’s welcome King Jesus into every area of our life - right now - by simply trusting Him to be Who He says He is…by trusting Him to be faithful to His Word to us…by casting all our cares, fears, worries, and burdens upon Him.
In Revelation 19:11-13 NASB we find a description of what the King of King looks like along with a description of the nature of His character as faithful and true. It says this:

11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it [is] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes [are] a flame of fire, and on His head [are] many diadems; and He has a name written [on Him] which no one knows except Himself. 13 [He is] clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.

When we welcome Jesus as King of our lives, we are accepting the abundance of His life. We have One who will never ever leave us…in fact, His very name is Faithful and True! We also are granted the power - the grace - to put down the lies of the enemy by virtue of the Truth of God’s Word. I think it’s so cool that another name of Jesus is The Word of God! When we are confronted with the lies of the enemy today, let’s remember that we have been given the mind of Christ and that His Word is written upon our hearts! We have everything we need to be more than conquerors through faith in Jesus Christ!

Hebrews 10:16 NASB says it like this: 16 "THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM,”

Let’s seek first the kingdom of God this week by seeking first the King. Let’s purpose to begin and end each day by welcoming Jesus to come into every area of our lives. This will also lead to us being better able to see life from the King’s point of view. I want to see what Jesus sees in every area and in every circumstance of my life. How about you?
Dennis Jernigan

To listen to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast and the song, Come, King Jesus, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/come-king-jesus/

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Holy Is Your Name

Psalm 105:1-5 NASB says:
1 Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples.
2 Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;
Speak of all His wonders.
3 Glory in His holy name;
Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad.
4 Seek the LORD and His strength;
Seek His face continually.
5 Remember His wonders which He has done,
His marvels and the judgments uttered by His mouth…

When I think about giving God the glory due His name, I often think about how limited our capacity really is in the grand scheme of things. I can get pretty loud, but when I hear the wind whistling at night or hear the roar of the waves at a beach or hear the lightning and thunder of one of our springtime storms here in Oklahoma, the level of sound I make is muffled compared to these great noise makers. I wish I could declare His name with the volume of thunder. But since I can’t, I will use all at my disposal to make his holy name known. Reality is I could never glorify Him to the degree He really deserves…but I can try.

1 Chronicles 16:29 NASB says:
29 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come before Him;
Worship the LORD in holy array.

Let’s worship Him and His holy name…and may I suggest that you remember He has clothed you with the garment of praise? He has clothed you, His new creation, with His glory and with His holiness and with the capacity to praise Him with all that you are…and might I add this? New creation, praise looks good on you!

According to Revelation 4:8, worship and praise are the constant around the Lord. It says this: day and night they do not cease to say, "HOLY, HOLY, HOLY [is] THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME.”

Let’s live a life of praise and honor to the Lord each and every day of our lives. We are wired for this very purpose as new creations. Let’s just be who He says we are and give Him the glory due His name. This should be the lifestyle of every new creation. Worshiping our God with our entire being. Such a lifestyle comes with countless benefits to our soul and to the world around us.

C.S. Lewis said it like this: “In worship, we enter, touch and are touched by the presence of God Himself. We have been created to live like that.”

So let’s do that today. Let’s simply live a life of worship unto our God by ascribing to Him the glory due His name!
Dennis Jernigan

To listen to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast on this subject and to worship along with a song called Holy Is Your Name, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/holy-is-your-name/

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What's In A Name?

We often talk about praising the name of Jesus, but what does that really mean? To better understand what it means to praise the name of Jesus, should we not know what the name Jesus means? Jesus - Yeshua in Hebrew - literally means salvation. Salvation from what? Salvation from eternal separation from God due to the debt we owed for our sin! Salvation from the lies of the enemy that lead us into sin! Salvation from fear and doubt and salvation that brings with it purpose and meaning to our very existence! Salvation in the day to day storms and circumstances of life! Of course, that is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to fully understanding the meanings of the name of Jesus…but it’s a great starting place!

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalm 18:2 NASB

Jesus is my Savior and, oh, so much more. Jesus is simply THE Answer to the questions of life! He is God. We are not. It is when we know Jesus intimately that we find light in the dark times of life, shelter in the storms of life, comfort in the grieving times of life, and hope in the confusing times of life. It is faith in Christ that I find my identity and my purpose and every need of my life met. Does that mean I always understand why He allows certain things in my life? No. I have learned to trust Him even when I don’t understand. Again, I remind myself, He is God and I am not! That is the perspective of true freedom. I no longer have to perform for His acceptance. I perform BECAUSE I am accepted. I am not here for my glory…but for His. That is why I praise the name of Jesus with my life.
We are called to be ambassadors for Christ. We are called to live our lives in such a way as to draw others to the same loving and redeeming Savior we have come to know. There is no shame in admitting what God has brought us out of - a past of sin - and what He has brought us into - a brand new identity and life. If we don’t declare the Good News of Jesus, how will those who Need Him ever hear or see?

Romans 1:16 NASB says, 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

We should never be ashamed to utter the name of Jesus. After all, He is THE Answer for the world…THE Answer for sin…THE Answer for restoration…THE Answer for sorrow…THE Answer for suffering…THE Answer for everything we need. We were not promised an easy life when we came to know Christ. After all, He asked us to take up our cross and follow Him, but He did say He would be with us through the course of our life, promising to never leave us and to never forsake us. We can take that to the bank!
After His resurrection, Jesus came to his eleven disciples and said this in [Mat 28:19-20 NASB] 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Jesus is our hope. We must learn to seek Him and His kingdom first in all areas of our lives. When we do that, we come to the place of being able to see life and its circumstances from His point of view…and in the process of living out that relationship with Christ, all our needs will be met.

Matthew 6:33-34 NASB says 33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Let’s not waste another second worrying about the circumstances of our lives. Let’s not waste another second walking in fear or dread about what tomorrow may or may not hold. Let’s simply do what Proverbs 18:10 says:

The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
The righteous runs into it and is safe.

Let’s call upon the name of Jesus and watch Him live up to HIs name in our lives. Let’s trust Him to be Who He says He is. Just live your love for Jesus out loud by extending that love to those around you. That is what an ambassador does. He/she represents their Savior to the world around them!
Dennis Jernigan

To hear a song about the name of Jesus and to hear more about the meaning of His name, listen to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast at http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/yeshua-1589902882/

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How Great Is Our God

Today, I’d like to tell you the story  behind my song How Great Is Our God from the studio recording Kingdom Come. This song came to me on August 3, 2006.

Psalm 95:3 NASB says,
For the LORD is a great God
And a great King above all gods…

This song came to me after a great spiritual triumph I had just experienced 2 days earlier. Although I do not recall the specific victory I experienced, I do remember it having something to do with helping my soul rejoice in spite of my circumstances. Because joy had come as result of this spiritual victory, I began playing a simple drum pattern on my recording software and then let my heart go. This time, I focused on the greatness of God and upon His goodness. The song is self-explanatory. God is great and He made a way for me!

Psalm 8:1 NASB says
O LORD, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth,
Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!

When we find ourselves in the midst of spiritual warfare, we must always remember that one of the most potent weapons in our spiritual armor is the simple expression of worship to our God. When we declare the lordship of Christ in praise it cleanses our soul by helping us focus on what is truth. Simply declaring the name of Jesus causes the enemy to shudder and flee.
 
Lord, our Lord,
How great! How mighty
Is Your name in all the earth!
Mighty is the name of Jesus!
There is none of greater worth!

Another facet of praise as an act of spiritual battle takes place when we declare who we are in Christ and declare the fact that there is only One Redeemer and He is Jesus!

When I consider 
The works of Your hand
I simply stand in awe!
Creator and Maker!
Redeemer of man!
You are the greatest God!

The chorus declares the greatness of our God…the greatness of His mercy…the greatness of His grace…the greatness of His forgiveness…the greatness of His love for us! When we declare the greatness of our God - which is simply declaring the Word of God - we know it brings about the truth of our God. Here’s what the Word of God says about itself:

Hebrews 4:12 NASB says, 12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Here is what I wrote in the chorus of this song as a demonstration of the power of God’s Word to set my soul free from the lies of the enemy:

How great is our God!
His mercy makes me stand in awe!
Amazing grace that broke my fall!
Amazing! Amazing God!

How great is our God!
His love broke through 
Sin’s cursed wall!
Redeeming love for one and all!
Amazing! Amazing God!
How great our God!

Greater and higher 
And deeper and wider!
Greater and higher 
And deeper and wider!
Greater and higher 
And deeper and wider Your love!

Knowing God loves me sets me free…casts out fear…leaves no room for doubt…brings me to a deeper awareness of His presence in my life…makes me feel like giving that love to as many as possible while I am on this earth. Here’s what the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus about the greatness of our God:


Ephesians 1:18-23 NASB says, 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.

Even when we do not feel like declaring the greatness of our God - declaring the truth of His Word - it is a good thing to do in the midst of any circumstance we may face in life. I am battling Parkinson’s disease…and I declare the greatness of my God as my Healer and as the Keeper and Sustainer of my life. Even saying those types of things out loud to my own soul does my mind good even in the midst of physical suffering. It is just one more indication that the battleground of our lives is indeed our minds. Let’s focus each and every day on the greatness of our God. It’ll do our souls good.
Dennis Jernigan

To hear to the song How Great Is Our God, listen to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast on the subject at http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/how-great-is-our-god-1589380923/

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I Believe

I would love to have seen Jesus when He walked this earth fully man yet fully God. I was not afforded that honor…yet I believe in Him - place my faith in Him - having never ever laid eyes on Him. The old adage ‘seeing is believing’ makes many believers and followers of Jesus seem as fools to those who demand proof that Jesus was nothing more than a mere mortal.
When Jesus was crucified, the disciples were shattered. The one they had placed their faith in, the one for whom they had forsaken everything, was suddenly slain right before their very eyes. Yet, Jesus rose on the third day and began revealing Himself to many. In John 20:25, the disciples tried to persuade one of their own members - a man named Thomas who had not yet laid eyes upon the Risen Christ - that Jesus was alive and well. They said to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But Thomas said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
When Jesus rose from the grave, many saw Him - but most simply heard the story and believed in the name and power of Jesus anyway. While with the disciples, Thomas, being one who had not seen the risen Savior, allowed doubt to rule his view rather than faith. When Jesus came to the disciples again, Thomas could not even believe his own eyes. The one in their midst looked like Jesus but still Thomas was full of doubt. We find what Jesus did to prove Himself to Thomas in John 20:27-28:

27 Then He said to Thomas, "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing." 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"

We may not be able to see the physical Jesus but we can all testify to spiritual sightings…spiritual evidence of the fact that Jesus is risen and alive and well even today - right in our very midst. This is simple faith! And it does not take much faith to believe that Jesus is alive and well and at work in and around us. We simply need the faith the size of a mustard seed!

Hebrews 11:1 NASB says, 1 Now faith is the assurance of [things] hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Whether people admit it or not, everybody worships something. If worship involves the loving of or bowing down to something or someone else, everyone worships something. That is just reality. Some worship power. Some worship money. Some worship prestige and popularity. Some worship the wisdom of mankind. Some worship science alone. Some worship themselves. Some worship other people to the degree that they build their entire lives around the object of their affection. My point? Everybody has faith in something.
Where we place our faith strongly influences our world view and helps us determine the choices we make in this life. The sad reality is far too many people place their faith in something or someone that cannot possibly last. Power can be gone in an instant. Money can be gone in a flash. Popularity can fade in a moment. People can fail us and be gone like a mist in the wind. The wisdom of man is only as good when it aligns with the Word of God. Anything or anyone we place our faith in can be gone like ashes scattered to the winds. There is only One we can place our faith who will not leave us high and dry…only One Who will never let us down. His name is Jesus. We tend to worship that which we put our faith in. What we believe and Who we believe in could mean the difference between victory and defeat…the difference between life and death. Where does your faith lie? Who do you believe in? I believe in…I worship one alone…and His name is Jesus.

John 20:29 NASB puts it simply, 29 Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed [are] they who did not see, and [yet] believed.”

Let’s declare our belief in Jesus during the coming days and encourage our own souls in the Lord…in the hope we find in a deep and intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Dennis Jernigan

To listen to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast on this subject and to hear a song to help bolster your faith, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/i-believe-1588703025/

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What Time I Am Afraid

When I am afraid,
I will put my trust in You.
Psalm 56:3 NASB

Have you ever been afraid?  Have you ever been overcome by your own thoughts or the lies of the enemy?  Well, I have!  The enemy wants me to doubt God at every turn of my life. Wants me to doubt God’s power and love for me. Wants me to doubt my own identity in Christ. Such doubt can lead to fear…and fear leads us into some dark places. These dark places require us to do spiritual battle by bringing Light into that darkness.

I realized one day that if God is Who He says He is then who am I to question His power?  My job is to simply trust…at ALL times – not just when I am afraid!  You see, when we question His care for us this simply reveals a lack of trust in our own hearts…a spirit of unbelief.  Jesus could not always do what He came to do because of unbelief…and that still holds true today!    

“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who SEEK Him.”  Hebrews 11:6

Let’s put some spiritual warfare into play right here and right now. How do we do that? We seek Him. We proclaim the truth of God’s Word by focusing all our attention upon Him as we worship Jesus right smack-dab in the middle of whatever darkness we are facing in the here and now.


There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 1 John 4:18 NASB


As I have said before, there is a healthy kind of fear…like when a tornado is headed our way and the fear leads us to seek shelter. We need to have a plan for such times. In Oklahoma we have our ‘fraidy holes’ - our storm shelters - and we seek them out as needed. As it is with our physical fears, we need to have a plan in place for our spiritual and mental and emotional fears. We need a shelter where we can run to and be safe. We need to run to Jesus.

A simple way to do this is tor remember  Proverbs 18:10 NASB which says,

The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
The righteous runs into it and is safe.


When we fear due to our finances, we need to run to the name of the Lord Who calls Himself our Provider. When we fear due to a lack of knowing what our next step should be, we need to run to the One Who calls Himself our Shepherd and trust Him for guidance. When we fear due to our health, we need to run to the One Who calls Himself our Healer and trust Him to be with us through the process. When we fear the chaos and confusion of the world, we need to run to the One Who calls Himself Prince of Peace and rest in the truth of His calming presence. When we fear being alone, we need to run to the God Who never leaves us or forsakes us, no matter what. When we feel unworthy or like failures, we need to run to the One Who calls Himself our Holiness and our Righteousness and see ourselves through HIs eyes. When we fear defeat in some area of our life we need to run to the shelter of the One Who calls Himself our Victor.

When we fear, we must become as little children who know they can trust their father to catch them if they leap out in faith for His arms. Our God - His presence - is the shelter we need in the storms of life. Someone to just be there. Someone to just hold our hand through the long dark nights of the soul. Someone Who is as near as His name being whispered in the stormy darkness. Jesus.

What time I am afraid, I will trust in Him. How about You?
Dennis Jernigan

To hear The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this blog and to hear a song to inspire you when you feel afraid, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/what-time-i-am-afraid-1588100278/

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I Trust In Thee

“Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it [at all.]” Mark 10:15 NASB

There are times in my walk with the Lord that I feel like a little child….and give myself up to His arms completely. A little child surrenders completely to his father because he trusts him so much. In my own relationship with my sons and daughters as they were growing up - and now with my grandsons and granddaughters - God shows me this truth over and over.
One summer day, we took our children swimming in a friend’s pool. My oldest son was just 2 years old…and very afraid of the water. Yet when I was near the edge of the pool and called him to jump to me, he quickly overcame this fear…because he knew I would catch him! How much more our heavenly Father loves us! When we come as He calls, He never lets us down…and He is ALWAYS there! One of the greatest tools of the enemy is the lie that says we are unlovable or that God could not possibly love us or that we are beyond the reach of God’s love. The remedy for such lies? Believe and receive God’s love right where you are - whether on a mountain top of life or in the lowest point of despair. His love can reach as far as we can fall! Allow God to love you as a Father loves His child. And you simply yield yourself to Him!

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 2 And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, 3 and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 "Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 "And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Matthew 18:1-6 NASB

No matter how old I get, I will never stop being my Father’s son. No matter how mature I become in my faith, I will never stop being my Father’s son. No matter what I must face in this life, I will never stop being my Father’s son. It is my personal belief that to be the best husband, the best father, the best granddad, the best friend, or the best minister, I must walk as the son of my heavenly Father. To walk relationally with our Father as His son or His daughter is the best way to realize an abundant love-fueled life on this planet. Yes, when I became a man, I put away childish things…but I did not stop being my Father’s son. Never will.
I encourage you to nurture that son or daughter relationship with our heavenly Father in the coming days…or better yet, trust Him and allow Him to nurture YOU…
I am so proud of every one of my children and every one of my grandchildren. I adore them! I cherish them! I burst with joy at the thought of them…and I am merely an earthly father! If the pride I feel toward my sons and daughters is any indication of how our heavenly Father feels toward us, we should all be overwhelmed with the passionate love of our Father toward us and walk in the assurance that He is proud to call us His own. We should see how proud our heavenly Father is of us…see that He sees each and every one of us as the apple of His eye. Believe it and receive it and walk it out in this life. Just go and be His son or daughter today…and leap out in faith into His ready and waiting arms of love!

Keep me as the apple of the eye;
Hide me in the shadow of Your wings…
Psalm 17:8 NASB

Dennis Jernigan

To listen to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast on this subject and to hear a song inspired by God’s love for His children, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/i-trust-in-thee/

In The Shadow Of Thy Wings

We all - whether we like it or not - will go through many and varied storms of life. What do we need when storms come our way? Here in Oklahoma - Tornado Alley - we prepare ahead of time knowing full well that at some point we will be faced with the threat of a tornado. I have personally witnessed many. How do we prepare?
First of all, we have a plan in place. Many homes have installed storm shelters either in their garage or just within a short distance of their homes. Melinda and I have a basement we go to when necessary. Many homes have stockpiles of food and water and other necessities of life that would last them several days should the damage a tornado could do became a reality. Many in the city limits have designated storm shelters they can easily get to. Basically, one wants and needs shelter when faced with going through a storm. As in real life, so it especially applies in our spiritual life.
When the storms of life blow through, Satan would like us to think that we are all alone…and have nowhere to turn…to believe we have no shelter - because he knows that when we are overcome by these feelings that we begin to walk in the flesh.
Satan is a liar! The truth is this: even if we’re beaten, thrown in prison, or killed…we have a hope and a refuge in our Lord Jesus. As David walked in an intimate relationship with God, so we, too, can walk in an intimate way – and because of the blood of Jesus, we can walk even more intimately with God! David put it like this:

Keep me as the apple of the eye;
Hide me in the shadow of Your wings…
Psalm 17:8 NASB

What does it mean to hide in the shadow of God’s wings? When a mother hen is raising her brood of chicks, they are programmed to run to her for safety when threatened in any way. A hawk flies over, she clucks and they all run to her wings and tuck in beneath them. When caught in a sudden rainstorm, they do the same. When the night grows cold, they nestle deep beneath and within the shelter of her wings.
Let us rest in the shadow of His presence every moment of every day. When I am being attacked, all I have to do is cry out to Him and He spreads His wings and takes me into the shelter of His presence and truth.
When hard times come, what are we to do? Remember the shelter and foundation of God’s Word:

2 Corinthians 4:6-10 NASB says, 6 For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; 8 [we are] afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

My plan when the storms of life blow through? Seek shelter in Jesus. He is a firm foundation that cannot be moved - regardless of our circumstances! Run to the shelter of His mighty wings - as often as necessary!
Dennis Jernigan

To listen to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast on this subject and to hear a song to help reinforce this truth in your life, just go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/in-the-shadow-of-thy-wings/

Photo courtesy of https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2016/06/03/08/57/chicks-1433016_1280.jpg