ASKING IN FAITH
Here is a painting in oils which I drew of cliffs by the sea.
Matthew 11. 12- 14, 19 - 25
Jesus had entered into Jerusalem the day before. He had entered triumphantly, and then went to the Mount of Olives. In coming from Bethany, the Scripture tells us "he was hungry. And seeing a fig tree afar off, having leaves, he came, if haply he might find anything thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it. ......And when evening was come, he went out of the city. And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter, calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them, HAVE FAITH IN GOD. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses, but if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
Ephesians 4.32, Ephesians 5.1,2
And be ye kind one to another,
tenderhearted,
forgiving
one another,
even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Be ye therefore followers of God,
as dear children,
and walk in love,
as Christ also hath loved us,
and hath given himself for us
an offering and a sacrifice to God
for a sweetsmelling savour.
In our lives the mountains which face us
are sometimes quite
in the way
formidable
and
look like they are unmoveable.
WHEN PEOPLE HURT US
WHEN THINGS HAPPEN THAT HURT US
WHEN LIFE THROWS INTO OUR LIFE
THINGS THAT
KEEP US FROM GOING FURTHER
FROM CLIMBING HIGHER
FROM GOING FORWARD
Then Jesus calls us
TO FORGIVE
Psalm 119.165
Great peace have they which love thy law, and
nothing shall offend them.
Here again, I painted this scene
of rocks and cliffs by a riverbed.
When a person admits to God
and agrees with God
that
ALL HAVE SINNED AND COME SHORT
OF THE GLORY OF GOD
Romans 3.23
and
when a person sees that Jesus
has paid the penalty
for sin
and become our offering and sacrifice
that we might be saved,
FOR THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH
BUT THE GIFT OF GOD
IS ETERNAL LIFE
THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD.
Romans 6.23
AT THAT POINT IN TIME
WHEN I BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
I BECOME A NEW CREATURE
2 CORINTHIANS 5.17
Therefore if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creature:
old things are passed away,
behold, all things are become new.
FOR THE FIRST TIME
I can stand before God
and
pray
FORGIVEN
CLEAN
PURE
DRESSED IN THE RIGHTEOUSNESS
OF CHRIST JESUS HIMSELF
II Cor. 5.20,21
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ,
as though God did beseech you by us;
we pray you in Christ's stead,
be ye reconciled to God.
For he hath made him to be
sin for us who knew no sin,
that we might be made
the righteousness of God
in Him.
Mount Hood OR is a lovely spot
many people seek to climb
My husband would drive the outward rim of
the Valley to show me where he was busy
working for the U S Forest Service
planting trees,
managing the forest,
and setting plots aside
for planting
for pruning
for inspections
and
for recovery
after fire or flood.
The mountains in our life
are not there
to
keep us from moving.
They are there
to challenge
our FAITH.
THEY ARE THERE
TO GIVE US GROWTH.
In John 12.44 -48
Jesus cried and said, He that
believeth on me, believeth
not on me
but on him that sent me.
And he that seeth me, seeth
him that sent me.
I am come a light into the world,
that whosoever believeth on me
should not abide in darkness.
And if any man hear my words,
and believe not,
I judge him not:
for I came not to judge the world,
but to save the world.
John 12.48
He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not
my words, hath one that judgeth him:
the words that I have spoken,
the same shall judge
him
in the last day.
Jesus said for us to forgive.
When we have come to know Him
then we must
grow
and growth
can only come
as we look at the MOUNTAINS
IN OUR LIVES
and put our roots down deep
into the soil God has given us
for that growth.
HOW IS THIS DONE ?
WE NEED TO ASK GOD TO FORGIVE US
WHEN WE
LOOK AT
WHAT HAPPENS
AND BLAME HIM
OR BLAME OURSELVES
OR BLAME OTHERS.
WHEN WE
FORGIVE,
THEN WE TAKE REGRET
AND BURY IT.
WHEN WE
FORGIVE,
THEN WE TAKE BLAME
AND BURY IT.
WHEN WE
TAKE OUR HEAVY BURDEN
OF
GUILT
OF
REMORSE
OF
ILL WILL
OF
RESENTMENT
OF
JEALOUSY
OF
ENVY
OF
HATRED
OF
HURT
THEN GOD CAN MOVE THE
MOUNTAINS
OF UNFORGIVENESS
DOUBT
LACK OF LOVE
HURT
SHAME
CONFUSION
REGRET
HE WILL MOVE THAT MOUNTAIN
WHATEVER IT IS
WHERE EVER IT IS
When I was born in 1933,
my Mother and Daddy
had many mountains
before them.
But they had this little girl.
They named her JUNE ESTELLE
I can joyfully tell you today
that in my life
there were lots
of
mountains
in front
of
me.
Problems
Poverty.
Difficulties.
Prejudice.
Hate.
Hopelessness.
Doubts.
Fear.
Yet, somehow because
JESUS CHRIST became real to me
at the age of 11, in the fall of 1944,
I was able to learn
to
trust
God
for the biggest mountain of all,
UNFORGIVENESS
AND
HATE
Why don't you try Jesus' way
of forgiveness?
In Proverbs 20.27 declares
"The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD,
searching all the inward
parts of the belly."
Again, in Proverbs it
tells us that our lives
and
our households -
OUR FAMILIES
are
possible storehouses
of rich treasures
and rich abundance
"THROUGH WISDOM IS AN HOUSE BUILDED; AND BY UNDERSTANDING, IT IS ESTABLISHED,
AND BY KNOWLEDGE
SHALL THE CHAMBERS (the rooms)
BE FILLED WITH
ALL PRECIOUS AND
PLEASANT RICHES.
Proverbs 24.3,4
Here are three Links
which will
help you
find a way
to move the mountains
in your life.
JOHN 15.7
Jesus said to his disciples
and he says to us today
"If ye abide in me,
and my words
abide in you,
ye shall ask
what ye will,
and it shall be done
unto you."
PRUNING IS ESSENTIAL IN
THE GROWTH OF A TREE.
If you are planted
as a tree
in the forest
you would
find
soil that is rich in nutrients
air fresh and clean to breathe
and your roots would
go down deep
to find water
in the soil.
Meanwhile
as a tree in
God's planting
I need to expect
to be pruned
sometimes fiercely
to bring forth more fruit.
JESUS PROMISES
JOY TO THE ONE
WHO ABIDES IN HIM.
JOHN 15. 11 THESE THINGS HAVE I SPOKEN UNTO YOU, THAT MY JOY MIGHT REMAIN IN YOU, AND THAT YOUR JOY MIGHT BE FULL.
BEFORE MOUNTAINS CAN BE MOVED,
YOU MUST BE PLANTED
IN THE SOIL OF GOD'S LOVE.
