You Gotta Know When to Hold ‘Em…

Posted on December 15, 2019 by PJ

If you’ve ever played poker, there may have been times you’ve had a bad hand and had to fold. I’ll be honest, I’ve felt like folding lately.

If you play often you might know some people who bluff really well. I’m not one of them. They say everyone has a ‘tell.’ A physical sign that they may be bluffing about a good or bad hand. It could be a twitch, a giggle, nervous hands, but whatever it is, if you can find the pattern you will know when they are lying.

Well these weeks have sort of been like playing poker with the Devil. He’s bluffing about his hand, trying to convince me to fold. But he doesn’t have the winning hand.

How do I know that I have the winning hand? Well there’s the Words of Promise from the Lord, but honestly, I’m not sure which to apply here. Which to discard, which to pick up. Are the promises I’m standing on the right ones? Does my opponent have a hand I can’t beat?

Well, it turns out I figured out his ‘tell.’ Yes, when he has a losing hand he pushes extreme hopelessness. If I watch him, that’s what I’ll see. But that’s a sure sign he’s trying to get me to quit because he knows I’ve got the upper hand.

If I stay focused on my hand, I’m going to see a Royal Flush: Father, Son, Holy Spirit, Me and the Faith card. I’ve got all the Hope cards, he’s got none. So I stay in the game and do what I was called to do before the onslaught.
If I continue in the Faith then I win, raise the stake called the cross and he has to fold.

So if you’re feeling an extreme case of hopelessness it’s a sign that you are on the edge of breakthrough. Don’t fold, keep playing knowing Christ is the hand you’ve been dealt. And He IS the overcoming Right Hand.

But if we hope for what is still unseen by us, we wait for it with patience and composure. So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance.
Romans 8:25‭-‬26 AMP

For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons. For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One),
2 Corinthians 10:3‭-‬5 AMP

Let There Be Light..,

Posted on July 19, 2018 by PJ

Worried the world is getting darker? There’s an answer for that…

In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without order, and empty; and DARKNESS was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be LIGHT!” And there was LIGHT… 1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with the God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the LIFE was the LIGHT OF MEN. And the LIGHT shines in the DARKNESS, and the darkness apprehended it not.

That Word was the TRUE LIGHT, which lightens every man that comes into this world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, who are not born of blood, nor of the will of flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.”2

Then Jesus spoke again unto them, saying, “I AM the LIGHT of the world; he that follows me shall not walk in DARKNESS but shall have the LIGHT OF LIFE.”3

“As long as I am in the world, I AM the LIGHT OF THE WORLD.”4

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”5

“YOU are the LIGHT OF THE WORLD. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives LIGHT to everyone in the house. In the same way, let YOUR LIGHT shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”6

The people walking in DARKNESS have seen a great LIGHT; on those living in the land of deep DARKNESS a LIGHT has dawned.7

Arise, shine, for YOUR LIGHT has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, DARKNESS covers the earth and thick DARKNESS is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to YOUR LIGHT, and kings to the brightness of YOUR DAWN.”8

(But) Anyone who claims to be in the LIGHT but HATES a brother or sister is still in the DARKNESS. Anyone who LOVES their brother and sister lives in the LIGHT, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who HATES a brother or sister is in the DARKNESS and walks around in the DARKNESS. They do not know where they are going, because the DARKNESS has BLINDED them.9

For God, who said, “Let LIGHT shine out of DARKNESS,” made his LIGHT shine in our hearts to give us the LIGHT of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.10

STOP HIDING YOUR LIGHT IN LIT PLACES! GO INTO DARK PLACES AND SHINE!

1. Genesis 1:1-3

2. John 1:1-5, 9-14

3. John 8:12

4. John 9:5

5. John 14:12

6. Matthew 5:14

7. Isaiah 9:2

8. Isaiah 60:1-3

9. 1 John 2:9-11

10. 2 Corinthians 4:6-7

Shred Day

Posted on May 29, 2018 by PJ

I am so thankful that according to 1 Co 13, God keeps no record of wrongs. And when the accuser comes to the bar with blame, Jesus, my advocate, stands before God presenting an empty evidence file folder.

So, why am I still accepting blame as part of my identity? And why is my identity still defined by those who hurt me in the past?

Where exactly is the enemy getting these accusations from?

If I have repented, God can’t remember them. And if I have truly forgiven those in my past I shouldn’t be recalling them to bring my own accusation, right? Does the enemy keep a record of the wrongs done to and by everyone on earth? He’s not omniscient, or omnipresent. How does he know everything I’ve done wrong?

I’m wondering if the only records of blame the enemy can use are coming from the files in my own soul. I know what I’ve done and have felt the sting of shame many times over them. I’ve gone to the Lord to forgive me for the same past mistake over and over. And I’ve had the Lord say to me, “I thought we settled this why do you bring it back up?” I seem dredge up more stuff from that sea of forgetfulness than bluegill from the local stocked pond.

I can blame the enemy for bringing it back up, but I don’t think he has books titled “Everything Pj has Done Wrong” or “Everything That has been Done to PJ.”

Nope, I do believe there’s actually a filing cabinet in my mind and heart. I have indeed kept chronological records of my own wrongs as well as those against me. So when the enemy comes to accuse, he just goes to that filing cabinet, pulls out a fully stuffed file folder and recites the contents to me and the Lord in accusation before God.

The word FORGIVE means to let go. Let go of offense I have with others and myself.

If I need to take every thought captive, that means thoughts of shame and blame too. If I bring my thoughts in alignment with the knowledge of Christ, I know that he cannot blame me if I have repented and accepted His sacrifice. And I am a new creature in Christ, so how can the old damage done to me define this new person?

So the minute I feel shame or blame, I need to get that file out and have a ‘shred day,’ so the accuser has nothing more to indict me with.

The scriptures below say it better than I can:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight… (Ephesians‬ ‭1:3-4‬)

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and HE will do it.‭‭ (1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:23-24‬ )

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. ‭‭(1 John‬ ‭4:16-18‬)

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.‭ (‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:4-7‬)

… Because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. (‭Hebrews‬ ‭7:24-25‬)‬‬

…as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.‭‭(Psalm‬ ‭103:12‬)

Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. (Is 43:16)

And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Rev 21:5)

We shred arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. ‭ (2 Corinthians‬ ‭10:5‬ )

Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. (‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:37)

I Am Yours

Posted on March 28, 2018 by PJ

Artwork and video editing by Me,

Poem and reading by Tara Lancaster

Nothing But A Mist

Musings about life for life

I Am Yours