Fighting Temptation!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  JESSICA HONC  is the wife of 14 years to Will, and homeschooling mother of three children (and one on the way! YAY!).  She is the Director of Freedom Fellowship Home School Co-op.  Jessica has served in many different capacities at Freedom Fellowship in Silsbee, Texas, such as librarian and children's teacher.

 

 

 

Fighting Temptation

 

I was recently in battle.  That is, I was recently tempted in an area where the enemy knew it was difficult for me to withstand the urge to sin. 

We are all sinners and fall extremely short of the Glory of God.  Coming out of a sinful life and accepting Jesus as your Savior is only the beginning of your walk with God.  I have been saved for over 10 years now and still, I battle with the enemy.  I am certain there are others who may be reading this who have been saved much longer then myself who are still battling with the enemy on a daily basis.  He is the Thief of Hope, the King of Lies, the Great Deceiver, and the Dark Magician who enjoys either hitting you when you are down or puffing you up with pride.

I remember my husband once told my daughter, “Satan already knows he’s got a hold on the drunkard.  He will spend more of his efforts trying to cause the person going to church every day to sin then the person who walks daily into the bar.”

This is so true! Our enemy is a devious little pill.  If you are a recovering addict, he may wait until you are suffering heartache and BAM, you run into one of your old “friends”.  If you struggle with lust, he may try to fill your mind with all kinds of ideas after an argument with your spouse.  If you have a tendency to be prideful and your friend reveals to you they need help with their own battle, you may be tempted to think you are better than them.  The list of the devil’s sneaky ways can go on and on.

When you recognize you are a sinner, repent, accept Jesus as your Lord and begin your walk in the other direction, it is only the beginning.   Life on earth is difficult, Jesus told us it would be.  John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart! I have overcome the world!”

As Christians, we must have a battle plan, not just a good defense, but a GREAT defense. The battle strategy that works for me is to:

1. KNOW my temptations and weaknesses
2. PRAY daily for God’s guidance and strength
3. When the enemy attacks, to know how to FIGHT BACK WITH SCRIPTURE OR SONG.
   (Yes, I said song.  Praising our Lord is a POWERFUL weapon.)

No matter how long you have been walking with our Lord Jesus, please know that you are not alone if you continue to struggle with temptation and more importantly, please know that you can WIN!  Have a battle plan.  Practice it.  Be prepared when the enemy thinks he’s going to strike you down and be ready to fight back!

Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

THE BIG REVEAL!

It has been a while, almost 2 months to be exact, that I have written on my blog.  I didn't just disappear off the face of the earth, but the Lord had me in a place where He could work on me.  We all need that from time to time, especially me!  In God's graciousness, He has "removed the veil" so that I could see who I am, and worked on "transforming me into His image" (2Cor.3:18).   I have put a lot of thought into how I might describe this journey I have been on.  Hopefully, today's post will encourage you, as the Lord has encouraged me.

I am a sucker for "all things Makeover", especially television shows that are about makeovers.  It can be anything from being made over for a wedding, bad wardrobe decisions, to home makeovers.  I just love them!  (I mean doesn't your heart beat faster as you watch the crying family say, "Mooovve that bussss!!!!"??!?!?!? : )  

These shows normally start out by showing you the thing or person that is in desperate need of a makeover.  Generally, those of us on the other side of the screen are in total agreeance.  (I know you never think someone needs a makeover! You are too sweet for that!)  I get drawn in when they begin telling the story behind the people that are getting the makeover or own the house being remodeled. (You know, the one that makes you cry, but if someone asks, you act like you got something in your eye!) Then, the rest of the time is spent showing the process it takes to get to the final product, which you only get to see at the very end for a minute or two....AND THAT'S MY FAVORITE PART! 

When I watch these shows I start out really excited to see what is to come, but after a while, my mind starts drifting.  I find myself flipping through the channels until I know it is time for the "Big Reveal", and hurry to get back to the right channel.  Personally, I think I would just like to skip seeing the whole process.  Maybe I would enjoy it more if I saw a little less of the process, and a lot more of the finished makeover.  What about you???  Are you with me?

That is how many of us are about real life.  I admit it.  I AM! 

As Christians, we are in a constant state of being "made over" by the Holy Spirit.  Salvation is the moment where we are invited to be a part of the Greatest Makeover EVER!  (We are dead in Sin, and then made alive in Christ. We were slaves made into children and heirs...no other makeover can boast that!)  The trials we face and the journeys the Lord allows us to walk through, is the process.  It is the longest part.  The "Big Reveal" does not come until the end of our life when we see that through the process God has made us in to His image. 

Sometimes, I wish I could skip the long process and just get to the new me.  The me that is the best me I can be to serve my Savior, Jesus Christ!  The me who doesn't doubt God's ways and never lacks faith.  The me that ALWAYS loves others unconditionally.  The me who can discern things for what they really are and not what they appear to be.  The me who ALWAYS faces trials with a joy, peace, and hope that is absolutely unshakeable.  That me sounds really good! 

At 33 years old, I feel like I have a ways to go yet through the process of God making me into the me I described above, but I am encouraged by Philippians 1:6 that says, "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."  There is still hope for me because He's going to keep working on me until He has made me who He created me to be!
 
Who really wants to go through hard things in life?  Who really wants to face grief, disappointment, doubt, sickness, and so on?  Who wants someone to point out our faults, bad characteristics, or sins to be dealt with?  I doubt you raised your hand.  I didn't.  My first instinct is to say, "NOT ME!", but in order for the Lord to bring about the "Big Reveal" in our lives, He must reconstruct our hearts.  The process is vital to who we will become for the Kingdom of God.

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you;

I will remove from you your heart of stone

and give you a heart of flesh.

Ezekiel 36:26

The Holy Spirit sometimes has to rip out a few walls, change up the floor plan, and paint the walls of our heart a different color!  It can take longer than you think sometimes, and it will probably hurt at times.  It will be most humbling as the Lord shows you who you really are because it does not always line up with who you think you have been.  If we will allow ourselves to be patient and willing to go through the process, the story of the process will be just as valuable to us as the "Big Reveal!"

 
No matter what we face we must remember that it is all a part of God's greater plan to make us the Man or Woman of God that He would have us to be.  Our Creator uses the good, the bad, and the ugly of this life to work an extreme makeover in our hearts, and I look forward to seeing the "Big Reveal" of what God works in you and me!  : )

Grow UP!

This weekend, we had the privilege of participating in the 2014 Walk for Life to raise funds for the Hope Women's Resource Center.  Our team from Freedom Fellowship had a great time!  We love babies, as you can tell from our ever growing nursery.  We think this is a cause worth supporting!

We won this prize for "Team that raised the most money!"

My daughter, Kelanie,  won a door prize!

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you

again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,

for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness,

since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature,

for those who have their powers of discernment

trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

Hebrews 5:12-14

This past Friday I ate dinner with two of my favorite people - my sister, Amanda, and my close friend, Melissa Powell.  You can never be around Melissa without getting a good word straight from scripture.  She was discussing the fact that Christians need to mature and grow.  We can not be the same today as we were the day we were saved and be effective for the Kingdom of God.  It is all about getting yourself into the Word of God and growing.  AMEN!  Trust me, she could preach it!

This morning I was thinking about our conversation.  The truth of the matter is that a lot of Christians do exactly this.  They are saved........and that is it.  They believe in Christ, but never read and learn the Word for themselves.  They are content to be on spiritual milk supplied to them Sundays and Wednesdays. 

I will be the first to admit that I have been this childish Christian.

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.

When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

1 Corinthians 13:11

I grew up in church.  I knew Bible Stories that I learned in Sunday School.  I memorized a few scriptures like Genesis 1:1, John 3:16, 1 Timothy 4:12, 2 Timothy 1:7, and a few of the verses from the Roman Road.  I tried to start reading the Bible for myself when I was in high school, but my schedule was crazy with all my extracurricular activities and work (My thoughts on this is a whole other post! lol), and it had not yet become a priority.  My reading was sporadic at best.  Didn't I get the Word every Wednesday and twice on Sunday?  Surely I was growing!

Since I got married at 19, I have done countless Beth Moore/Priscilla Shirer/Christine Caine Bible Studies.  I have taken leadership classes at church.  I am an avid reader and read books about Spiritual Growth that has tons of scripture.  I read my Bible if I was studying something specific. And still, I didn't feel like I was growing to a maturity level I should be at for someone who was in leadership and had been saved practically my whole life.

I used the age old excuse that I wasn't educated enough to rightly divide The Word for myself.  I needed someone to teach it to me.  (Hello.....I have the same Holy Spirit as any other saved person.  He is my teacher!  Thank goodness, I know that now.)

It wasn't until about 2-3 years ago, that I became serious, I MEAN SERIOUS, about knowing the Scriptures for myself.  I wanted to know what and why I believe what I believe about everything: marriage, children, abortion, modesty, finances, salvation, baptism, gifts of the spirit, etc.  I became so convicted about what I had let become a part of my beliefs just because I was taught it and never looked it up for myself.  I was amazed how much of my beliefs were solely based on what was the norm or acceptable in the culture.  How scary! 

I have grown up spiritually in the last few years.  I am not easily persuaded to jump on any fad teachings or readily accept just anyone's teachings without lining it up with the Word of God myself. 

 Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God,

to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by

every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him

who is the head, into Christ. 

Ephesians 4:13-15 

I am fully persuaded that there is an answer for everything in the Bible.  Now, I do not understand how we (Christians) could look like the world AT ALL.  I do not believe that in 1 Corinthians 9 when Paul says he became all things to all men, he meant that he started dressing like, listening to their music, use their slang, and rearrange what God outlined in the Bible so those people would come into the church.  God's Word gives us clear guidelines for how we should dress, how we should govern our houses and finances, what our priorities should be, how valuable our children are and how we should disciple and discipline them.  You name it, it is in there.

As I have learned to study the Bible, I have learned that I was not created to just live and get through life.  I was made to live life with purpose - to live life intentionally.  I learned my purpose in the Word.

I would like to encourage you, as Melissa encouraged me.  Get in The Word of God!  It is time for the Church to mature from milk to solid food!  We need to GROW UP!  

 

 

 



 

 

Praise His Holy Name!

It is my great pleasure to share today's post with you.  It is written by my wonderful friend, Tonya Sanchez.  I have already read it twice and cried both times.  If you know Tonya, you know she is a beautiful, quiet, reserved woman of God.  As she will tell you, this is out of her comfort zone to share.  This testimony is very encouraging.  As my friends, I'm asking that if you read a something on my blog by a guest writer that touches, encourages, or speaks to you, please leave them a comment, email, or send them a text and tell them what it meant to you. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11              

I ♥ y'all,

Tera

Tonya and Mitchell Sanchez! 

I am a follower of  Tera's  Blog.  She's quite inspiring and an Amazing Friend.  I've never done this before but here I go... I might be all over the place so I'm sorry in advance!! :)
 
Well, as I sit here, there's so many things I want to write about.  How the Lord has changed me, Set me free, Healed me, Saved me, Delivered me and Restored my Life.  How he's wiped away my past and made me NEW!!  Wow I sit in Awe of His Goodness!!!  He truly makes my heart Burst with Joy when I think about the things He's Done!!!!! 
 

Praise the Lord Oh My Soul

all my Inmost being,

Praise His Holy name! 

Psalm 103:1

 

Brother Shannon was preaching at the end of service last night.  He was talking about how Satan tries to keep you bound in your past.   Well, I was one of those people he had bound for a long time.  Satan IS A LIAR and the father of Lies.  John 8:44.  He had me believing I wasn't good enough to be around certain people at church, then I'd feel intimidated.  But Gods Mercy and Grace is so Great.  His word says in Psalms 103:12,  "As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us!!!" 

 

Psalm 103 is my most favorite scripture to read.  I've read it over and over.  I went up to the altar at church one night for prayer.  An amazing lady was praying for me.  I didn't tell her what I needed prayer for, and she said as I was praying, "For you, The Lord gave me this scripture." and it was Psalm 103.  She quoted some of it to me, and it was the very thing I went up to get prayed for.  God knows just what we need!

 

2 Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and a sound mind.

 

I was bound up with Anxiety.  I was searching for a way to fill the emptiness I felt.  I tried to fill it with drinking and going out with girlfriends.  Of course that didn't work.  My husband passed away suddenly on Aug 9,2006.  It was a hurt like I'd ever felt.  I had an 18mth old and a 5 year old.  I remember thinking how in the world am I going to do this?  Satan was trying to destroy my life.  The thief comes only to kill, steal, and destroy,  But I have come that you may have life and Have it more abundantly - John 10:10.  Then, in Aug of '06,  I gave my heart to Jesus.   Oh how He Rescued me and Set me free!!   He came in and gave me a peace like nothing I've ever felt before, healed this broken heart, and Redeemed my life.  I found what I had been searching for, my Jesus!  

 

In him, we're made whole.  Jesus is  all we need!!  Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all things will be given to you as well! Matthew 6:33

 

The Lord is so Faithful!   He has Blessed me with this man I'm So crazy in Love with.  Mitchell is an Awesome husband and father,  most of all He Loves the Lord!  I would have to agree with Tera, Mitchell and Bill are quite the pair!! LOL!  I had to throw that in there!   I don't know what we did to deserve him!  There's not a day goes by that I don't Thank the Lord for Him! 

 

Oh I could go on forever!  I just want to say no matter what it is we go through in this life, God is with us!!   Never will I (Jesus) leave Nor Forsake you!  Hebrews 13:5

 

For I know the plans I have for you",

   Declares the Lord , plans to prosper you and not harm you 

Plans to give you a Hope and a Future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with you all your Heart.     Jeremiah 11-13

 

  

^{Psalm 103}

 

¹ Praise the Lord, my soul;
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
² Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits—
³ who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,
⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

⁶ The Lord works righteousness
    and justice for all the oppressed.

⁷ He made known his ways to Moses,
    his deeds to the people of Israel:
⁸ The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
    slow to anger, abounding in love.
⁹ He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;
¹⁰ he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;
¹² as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

¹³ As a father has compassion on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
¹⁴ for he knows how we are formed,
    he remembers that we are dust.
¹⁵ The life of mortals is like grass,
    they flourish like a flower of the field;
¹⁶ the wind blows over it and it is gone,
    and its place remembers it no more.
¹⁷ But from everlasting to everlasting
    the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
    and his righteousness with their children’s children—
¹⁸ with those who keep his covenant
    and remember to obey his precepts.

¹⁹ The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
    and his kingdom rules over all.

²⁰ Praise the Lord, you his angels,
    you mighty ones who do his bidding,
    who obey his word.
²¹ Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
    you his servants who do his will.
²² Praise the Lord, all his works
    everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

Cross references:

1. Psalm 103:1 : Ps 28:6
2. Psalm 103:1 : Ps 104:1
3. Psalm 103:1 : S Ps 30:4
4. Psalm 103:2 : Ps 106:1; 117:1
5. Psalm 103:2 : S Dt 6:12; Ps 77:11
6. Psalm 103:3 : S Ex 34:7
7. Psalm 103:3 : S Ex 15:26; Col 3:13; 1Pe 2:24; 1Jn 1:9
8. Psalm 103:4 : Ps 34:22; 56:13; Isa 43:1
9. Psalm 103:4 : S Ps 8:5; 23:6
10. Psalm 103:5 : S Ps 90:14; S 104:28
11. Psalm 103:5 : Job 33:25; Ps 119:25, 93; 2Co 4:16
12. Psalm 103:5 : S Ex 19:4
13. Psalm 103:6 : Ps 9:8; 65:5; Isa 9:7
14. Psalm 103:6 : S Ps 74:21; S Lk 4:19
15. Psalm 103:7 : Ps 99:7; 147:19
16. Psalm 103:7 : S Ex 33:13
17. Psalm 103:7 : Ps 106:22
18. Psalm 103:8 : S Ex 22:27; S Ps 86:15; Mic 7:18-19; Jas 5:11
19. Psalm 103:9 : Ps 30:5; 79:5; Isa 57:16; Jer 3:5, 12; Mic 7:18
20. Psalm 103:10 : S Ezr 9:13; Ro 6:23
21. Psalm 103:11 : Ps 13:5; 57:10; 100:5; 106:45; 117:2; La 3:22; Eph 3:18
22. Psalm 103:11 : S 2Ch 6:31
23. Psalm 103:12 : S 2Sa 12:13; Ro 4:7; Eph 2:5
24. Psalm 103:13 : Mal 3:17; 1Jn 3:1
25. Psalm 103:14 : Ps 119:73; 139:13-15; Isa 29:16
26. Psalm 103:14 : S Ge 2:7; S Ps 146:4
27. Psalm 103:15 : Ps 37:2; 90:5; 102:11; Isa 40:6
28. Psalm 103:15 : S Job 14:2; Jas 1:10
29. Psalm 103:16 : Isa 40:7; Hag 1:9
30. Psalm 103:16 : S Job 7:8
31. Psalm 103:17 : S Ge 48:11; S Ezr 9:12
32. Psalm 103:18 : S Dt 29:9
33. Psalm 103:18 : Ps 119:52
34. Psalm 103:18 : S Nu 15:40; Jn 14:15
35. Psalm 103:19 : Ps 47:8; 80:1; 113:5
36. Psalm 103:19 : Ps 22:28; 66:7; Da 4:17
37. Psalm 103:20 : Ps 28:6
38. Psalm 103:20 : S Ne 9:6; Lk 2:13; Heb 1:14
39. Psalm 103:20 : S Ps 29:1
40. Psalm 103:20 : Ps 107:25; 135:7; 148:8
41. Psalm 103:21 : S 1Ki 22:19
42. Psalm 103:21 : S Ne 7:73
43. Psalm 103:22 : Ps 19:1; 67:3; 145:10; 150:6
44. Psalm 103:22 : ver 1; Ps 104:1

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am ALL He says I am!

Do you ever need to be reminded of who you are?  No, I don't mean literally like your name or who your parents are.  Those things are just a fragment of who you really are and what you are really capable of.  Your name, your past, your family tree, your career, your church-those are all just pieces of who you really are.  They don't define you if you are a Christian!

Coming from a divorced family or having gone through a divorce yourself, does not define you as broken.  If you are adopted, that does not mean you are Fatherless.  If your family has a long line of mental illness or depression, that label does not belong to you.    

I, often, need to be reminded of who God says I am.....because THAT IS WHO I AM!  I am nothing else the enemy tries to label me as.  I love the song by Cody Karnes and Kari Jobe from Gateway called All He Says I Am.  The chorus says, "I am ALL He says I am!  I am ALL He says I am!  I am ALL He says I am, and He says I am His own!"  Yes, Sweet Jesus, I am yours!  (How quickly tiny reminders from the enemy of my soul makes me lose sight of the truth.)

I have made a list of some of the things the God says I am in His Word.

-I am chosen by God. (Ephesians 1:4)
-I am new and my past is gone. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
-I am His Child (John 1:12) and His heir (Romans 8:17, Galatians 4:7).
-I am His friend. (John 15:15)
-I am not fatherless. (Psalm 68:5)
-I am whole and healed. (John 5:11)
-I am not a slave to sin. (Romans 6:6)
-I am accepted by Him. (Romans 15:7) 
-I am FREE! (Galatians 5:1)
-I am alive. (Ephesians 2:4-5)
-I am made to do good works. (Ephesians 2:10)
-I am a temple and dwelling place of the Holy Spirit! (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19)
-I am not controlled by fear or depression. (2 Timothy 1:7)
-I am the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
-I am NEVER ALONE! (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Today, I am just going to read through this list a couple of times and just proclaim it over my life and to remind the enemy just who I am.  Because God sent His only son, Jesus, to take my place, I can be all that He says I am.  Glorious Day!

I have sincerely missed you guys the last two weeks.  I know I say it frequently, but I appreciate you spending even this tiny portion of your day with me and calling me friend.  I feel blessed beyond words to belong to a community, a family, of believers that believe they are that He says they are.  Each one of you are precious to me!  Hugs!

This Is Amazing Grace!

This post is by my sweet friend, Missy Nicholson.  She is married to Danny, and is the homeschooling mom to Jessica, Matthew, and L.J. (who is in Heaven now).  She is the Nursery Director at our church, Freedom Fellowship.  I could make a list a mile long of all the things she does, but I think you catch the drift.  Most importantly, to me, she is a woman who has walked through trials, and allowed our Savior, to be her strength and peace.  What a great testimony she carries!

 

As I sit at the computer, type recipes, and listen to THIS IS AMAZING GRACE, I have to think about just exactly what JESUS and GOD did for me.

1. God gave his only....repeat only son... to die for us

2. JESUS willingly.... repeat willingly..... died on the cross so we could have everlasting life.

How worthy are we? Well, I know that I’m not worthy, but I praise GOD for His grace daily.

 

In April of 2013, I lost my oldest son (and I miss Him). It would be easy to listen to the devil and curse GOD, but instead, I found peace knowing that my son is in Heaven right now jumping in that river, talking with JESUS, and walking those streets of gold. Praise the LORD.   Peace knowing that a little seed was planted in his heart when he was little.  This caused him to be able to serve GOD when he was older. The point to all of this is all it takes is one little seed in a child's heart. If you plant that seed in a child, it will filter down to the parents and that’s where it starts.

My 9 year old daughter is typing on Facebook how much JESUS loves us and how much she loves him. We must be like a child. Praise him with a child like heart. Be humble unto him.

My 6 year old son wants to give his heart to the LORD Sunday. Together, we will make that walk.

“And Jesus took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, He said to them, ‘Whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me’.” Mark 9:36-37.

Without the grace, peace, love, mercy, and the blood of JESUS, where would any of us be?

I know I am grateful for all that Jesus has done for me, and that he carried my cross , so I could be set free.

You need to find a church! Without JESUS, we have nothing

John 8:36, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed."

Jeremiah 33:3 Call unto me, & I will answer thee, and shew thee great & mighty things, which thou knowest not.  (Just believe and have faith!)

Amazing Grace!

Ephesians 2:4-9  But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.


It occurred to me that the song that was being sung when I was saved is pretty much my testimony:

Amazing Grace, How Sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me!

 

Grace, it is amazing. Grace is God's favor.  How could a person like me, who had done so many terrible things, be deserving of anyone's favor?  Let alone, God's?

 

A Wretch?  Yes, I was.  I had hurt and disappointed everyone who loved me.  Burned bridges and deserved the absolute worse life had to offer.

 

I once was lost, but now I'm found

Was blind, but now I see

 

I was selfish and untrustworthy.  I was full of shame and disgust for myself.  Then a total stranger reached out to me.  They saw a glimmer of hope for me and led me to the moment where I was open to God.  Jesus rescued me and opened my eyes so that I could see a glimmer of hope for my future.

 

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear

And grace my fears relieved

 

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed

 

Fear of the Lord is indeed the beginning of it all.  Before the moment I received The Lord's Salvation, I felt the entire weight of my sin-filled past growing heavier and heavier.  I was drowning under it.

 

Accepting His invitation, fearing His great presence and humbling myself before Him made it possible for His grace to remove that weight of guilt, shame, despair, and hopelessness from me.  I no longer needed to fear the future.  He was with me.

 

The Lord has promised good to me

His Word my hope secures

 

He loves me, no matter what I did in my past.  His promises ring truer and truer with each passing day.  The security I have in knowing Him and His unending love is beyond what words can describe.

 

He will my shield and portion be

As long as life endures

 

He not only cleansed me of my past, He fights my battles for me and He provides me with everything I need.  He has restored me!  I will praise Him forever with a thankful heart, because He has given me so much more happiness than I would have ever imagined possible.



 

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow

The sun forbear to shine

But God, Who called me here below,

Will be forever mine.

Will be forever mine.

WILL BE FOREVER MINE.

 

I will not be here on earth forever.  We are all mortal.  I will however, continue to do the Lord's work as long as He needs me to. 

 

I can sing this part from the mountaintops!!!!!!

 

 

My chains are gone

I've been set free

My God, My Savior has ransomed me

And like a flood His mercy reigns

Unending Love, AMAZING GRACE!



 

 

This was written by Jessica Honc.  She is a wife and homeschooling mom of 3, President of Freedom Fellowship Co-op, Church Librarian, and 1st-3rd grade Girls' class teacher.