“The Great I Am”

Who is the great “I Am”? In Exodus 3:14 scripture tells us who the great “I Am” is; “And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.”

The name “I Am” points to the self-existence and eternality of God. There is no one before Him neither shall there be anyone after Him. In John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Because God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are one, the great “I Am” is part of them all. In Ephesians 3:9 (Amplified Bible) scripture states, “ Also to enlighten all men and make plain to them what is the plan [regarding the Gentiles and providing for the salvation of all men] of the mystery kept hidden through the ages and concealed until now in [the mind of] God Who created all things by Christ Jesus.”

What does scripture say about the great “I Am”?

John 8:58 – Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

John 6:35 – And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

John 8:12 – Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

John 10:7, 9, 11, 14 –   7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. – 9  I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 11  I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. – 14  I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

John 11:25 – Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

John 15:1, 5 –  1  I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. – 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Revelation 1:17-18 –  17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: – 18  I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Revelation 21:6 – And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

Revelation 22:13-16 – Amplified Bible (AMP)

13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last (the Before all and the End of all).

14 Blessed (happy and to be envied) are those who cleanse their garments, that they may have the authority and right to [approach] the tree of life and to enter through the gates into the city.

15 [But] without are the dogs and those who practice sorceries (magic arts) and impurity [the lewd, adulterers] and the murderers and idolaters and everyone who loves and deals in falsehood (untruth, error, deception, cheating).

16 I, Jesus, have sent My messenger (angel) to you to witness and to give you assurance of these things for the churches (assemblies). I am the Root (the Source) and the Offspring of David, the radiant and brilliant Morning Star.

THE GREAT “I AM”

Life and Death – What are you speaking?

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life]. Proverbs 18:21 – Amplified Bible (AMP)

Be careful what you put out in the atmosphere because it will come back to you. Think, speak, and be positive.

Here are a few phrases you can count on to keep you speaking life instead of death.

I am a child of God.

No weapon formed against me shall prosper.

The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

I am more than a conqueror.

I am a friend of God.

Weapons…

We (the believers) are in a war. The enemy attacks daily. He uses weapons of mass destruction by attacking the mind. His main goal is to deceive the believer into thinking what is wrong is right and what is right is wrong. His weapons can be subtle, yet powerful. Our battle is against rulers and authorities (the powerful forces of fallen angels led by the devil). The devil’s goal is to defeat Christ’s church and to turn us away from Christ back to sin. Some of  Satan’s attack strategies are:

Discouragement

Disillusionment

Depression

Anxiety

Doubt

Sickness

Lust and worldly desire

Despair

Emptiness

We will be in this struggle/battle until Christ returns. In order to defeat the enemy, God provided the Holy Spirit to us. He is our defense against the enemy. We must also put on the armor that God has given us. In Ephesians 6 the writer Paul, tells us what we need to fight the battle.

Ephesians 6:10-18 (Amplified)

In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].  Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil.  For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.

Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].    Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God,  And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace.   Lift up over all the [covering] shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one].  And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God.  Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people).

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Weakness…Strength

Struggles, heartaches, hurdles, storms, distress, health problems and obstacles, seem to be the norm these days. But don’t despair, God has not forgotten us, He has given us these unlovely situations to help us grow and mature in Him. If we lean on Him and seek strength and power through Him, we will become better, we will grow in grace. In 2013 don’t give up and don’t give in. When you fall down, get back up again. Look to Jesus because He will never leave you alone, even when it doesn’t feel like He is there.

In 2 Corinthians 12, the writer, Paul, talks about an infirmity that he has. No one knows exactly what the infirmity was, but it caused Paul some stress to the point where sometimes he could not work. He asked the Lord to remove the infirmity three times but God did not. Paul learned that the limitations from his infirmity caused him to depend more on God for his effectiveness in his ministry. He learned that God’s grace was and is always sufficient. We too must learn to depend more and more on God and not our own strength, efforts, and talents.

2 Corinthians 12:6-10 (NIV)

“Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

 

Power in Words

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life].

Proverbs 18:21 (Amplified)

Because life and death are in the power of the tongue, we need to be mindful of what we speak. We need to be accountable for the words that find their way from our lips.

Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.

Psalm 141:3 (King James Version)

In order for good things to come from our mouth, we must constantly think on good things, positive things, and those things that the Word of God says we can do and who we are. Philippians 4:8 (KJV) says, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

• I am more than a conqueror.  (Romans 8:37)
• I can do all things through Christ. (Philippians 4:13)
• I am a child of God. (John 1:2)
• I can find grace and mercy when I need it. (Hebrews 4:16)

Be mindful of the things you say to family and friends.

• I appreciate you.
• I love you.
• Thank you.
• I am sorry.
• Can I help you?

REMEMBER WORDS ARE POWERFUL, THEY CAN BUILD UP OR THEY CAN TEAR DOWN.

 

 

 

 

Happy or Sad

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What makes you happy and what makes you sad? Have you ever experienced true happiness? Here are a  few steps that can lead to happiness.

• Love the Lord with all your heart.  Mark 12:30-31 (NKJV) says, “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” Proverbs 16:20 says, (Amplified) – “He who deals wisely and heeds [God’s] word and counsel shall find good, and whoever leans on, trusts in, and is confident in the Lord—happy, blessed, and fortunate is he.” Ecclesiastes 3:12 (Amplified) – “I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.”
• Be a giving, caring and unselfish individual. God gave us the greatest gift of all, He gave us His Son, Jesus Christ.
• Connect with others. Relationships are important. Ecclesiastes 4:12 (Amplified) “And though a man might prevail against him who is alone, two will withstand him. A threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Take action to strengthen your relationships with family and friends.
• Have an attitude of gratitude. Be thankful for the sunrise and the sunset. Be thankful for fragrance of the flowers. Be thankful for the beauty that God has created for us to enjoy. Colossians 3:15 (Amplified) “And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always].”

Finally, our joy and happiness should come from knowing that we have salvation (we are saved) through Jesus Christ. True happiness can only be found in Godly contentment. Acts 17:28a (Amplified) says, “For in Him we live and move and have our being;…” and for this reason alone our happiness should shine forth like the of sunshine.

Whom have I in heaven but You? And I have no delight or desire on earth besides You.

Psalm 73:25

“Thankful Tuesday”

 

Today is “Thankful Tuesday” because to be thankful is to be happy.  Psalm 107:1 says, “O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!”

Today I am thankful that I woke up and was able to dress myself.  I am thankful that I had food to eat. I am thankful that I arrived at work safely. I am thankful that I can see, hear, feel, walk, talk, and think. Today I am thankful that God allowed me another opportunity to share His word with others.

“It is a good and delightful thing to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises [with musical accompaniment] to Your name, O Most High,” Psalm 92:1 (Amplified)

“Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (Amplified)