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Who is Jesus?  Why is he honored and worshiped?

Jesus was born in Bethlehem of parents having poor to average income.  His family wasn’t special nor were they royal or popular, yet we worship him.  Why is Jesus special?

Jesus is special because of his Father.  His father was not Joseph but was Almighty God.  At the age of 12 Jesus revealed his real father was his Heavenly Father (Lk. 2:49).  Angels from heaven revealed to Mary she would become pregnant, not by a human male but by the Spirit of God.  We should not question how this could happen if we believe God is the creator of all that exists.  Gabriel, the angel who stands beside Almighty God and was His messenger declared, “with God, all things are possible” (Lk. 1:37).  God is God, He is Almighty and Most High, there is none like Him in heaven or on earth.

Why is Jesus to be honored and worshiped?  Because Almighty God said so.

Jesus is the image of God (Col. 1:15).  He is not the Almighty Most High God; he is the image of the Almighty Most High God.  It is the Father, the Almighty Most High God who gave Jesus, His beloved son that position, elevating him to have equal authority.

Jesus, from God’s perspective, is a package of two separate entities being one in position and authority.  Jesus is the human version of God but equal to God because God elevated him to that position.

Jesus is like any other son.  A son is lower in position and authority than the father but is given the position of being equal to the father when either the father dies, or the father transfers the authority to the son before his death.  God is eternal and will never die so God transferred His authority to Jesus making Jesus equal to Himself, but not greater than Himself.

Why did God make Jesus equal in power and authority?  He was 100% submissive and obedient to the Father.  He was faithful unto God the Father even unto death (Ph. 2:8).  He humbled himself to God the Father.  Jesus ALWAYS pointed to the Father, gave credit to the Father, asked the Father, deferred to the Father, worshipped, praised, and gave thanks to the Father.  He reflected all the attention he received back to the Father.  He reflected the Father, therefore becoming the image of the Father.  Because of this, God raised Jesus to the position of having equal position and authority as Himself.  Jesus is, because God made him (Ph. 2:9-11).

Because of Jesus and his perfection in the eyes of God the Father, he became the perfect sacrifice to satisfy God’s requirement of the death penalty for sin.  Jesus obeyed and complied.  Jesus 100% trusted the Father.  Because of this, God resurrected Jesus back to life by the power of His Spirit and declaring Jesus to be Lord and King over his Earthly Kingdom.  Therefore, we worship Jesus.  Thank God for his coming and his obedience; God’s gift to us!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

This is from: (Sapphires@hopeoftheworld.org)

TODAY’S MISSION – Whatever guilt, shame, or sin you’ve been dealing with, release it to God. It has His name on it.

The above is from (Sapphires@hopeoftheworld.org)

TODAY’S MISSION – Stand firm against the enemy. Rebel against

Football is not only a sport of strength and endurance, but also a sport that requires strategy.  When there are only a few minutes left in the game and the final play can either win the game or lose the game, a lot of pressure is on the head coach to make the right call.

The coach is the one the team looks to for leadership.  The coach better make the right call!  If the team with the ball is winning and wants to maintain the lead, is it better to run-out the clock or attempt another play, risking a fumble and potential loss of the game.  If the team is losing which “Hail Mary” play should be attempted.  The coach has a great deal of responsibility.

Team members are dependent on wise leadership which usually comes with experience.

The game of life is no different in many ways.  We The People rely on good leadership.  We rely on wisdom and experience.  We need to have confidence in the leader trusting they have our best interests at heart.

More often than not our leaders stumble and fall, failing to put the interests of We The People first.  They are not always the best coaches.  The plays they call are sometimes in the own self-interest.

When it comes to the “Game of Life” we want a strong leader, one we can trust, a good coach who knows what plays to call.  God would seem to be the best choice for position of Head Coach when it comes to the “Game of Life”.  Who knows better than God?

The truth is, God does not want to be the coach of our life.

A coach stands on the sidelines and watches the game closely.  The coach has a good perspective of what the other team is doing and how they are reacting to the plays he is calling.  A good coach will identify the weakness of the opposing team and call plays to counterattack the opponent.

God is different.  God does not want to call in the play; He wants to participate in the game.  He wants to be the captain of the team, call the play, and participate in executing the play.

We often want God to stay on the sidelines in the “Game of Life”.  We want to be on the field, observe the coach call the play, but we want to execute the play with possible modifications.  Some games are played that way.  The “Game of Life” should never be played that way.

Men’s failures in the “Game of Life” are because we want to call the play or modify the play.  God needs to be God of our life NOT the coach of our life.  He needs to be in full control AND captain in the game; Only then will we win the “Game of Life”.

Unforgiveness is something we do that God does not do.  Unforgiveness causes shame, the feeling of being guilty.  Shame is a tool of the devil because it makes us feel guilty.  Real unforgiveness is damnation, condemning to punishment for a wrong committed.

The penalty for sinning against God is death but the gift of God is Mercy, the sparing of death.

Satan, that serpent, lied and deceived Eve when he said, “You will not die” if you sin against God (Genesis 3:4).  Satan lies by telling partial truths.  He told Eve, “God knows, if you eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, you would be like gods (Genesis 3:5)”.  Satan knew this was true, but he downplayed the major consequence for eating of the forbidden fruit, death.  He tried to get Eve to focus on the benefit, the pleasure she would experience if she partook of the forbidden fruit.

Sin can have its benefit which appears as good from the beginning but leads to dire consequences.  Satan hates, God and Jesus, the Messiah.  His way for revenge is to destroy God’s creation, God’s “stuff”, hoping to make God feel misery.  Satan knows his destiny and he has chosen NOT TO REPENT but to seek revenge by destroying and killing God’s creation.  He still has the desire to “rise up and be like the Most High”.  This is his downfall.

Satan wants us to feel shame, feeling guilty, to take our focus and attention away from God.  Satan is the great deceiver.  The best way to deceive is to present half-truth and to distract.  His goal remains the same, to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10).  He is a thief.  He is a thief because he owns nothing of himself, so he takes it from the one who owns it.

Unforgiveness leads to death.  God forgives us, so we need to pass that forgiveness on to others and forgive them.  Forgiveness does not mean the natural consequences for bad behavior is eliminated, but forgiveness can be extended.  Forgiveness, removes the shame of guilt even if consequences for bad behavior is negative.

Jesus tells us if we forgive others, God will forgive you (Matthew 6:14).  Does this mean our forgiveness is dependent on our forgiving others?  No, it’s Jesus telling us God releases us from the shame, feeling guilty.  By forgiving others, we release them from shame, feeling guilty.  There may be natural consequences for their bad behavior, but the shame is removed.  There is liberty in forgiveness and the removal of feeling guilty.  Forgiveness, pass it on.

Shame is another term for feeling guilty.  It is not guilt but the feeling of being guilty.  This is a tool used by Satan to discredit Jesus.  It is a tool to discredit Jesus as Messiah, the one who saves us from sin.  It is a tool used to discredit Jesus as the perfect Lamb of God who “takes away the sin of the world” (John 1: 29).  It is a demon.

Shame is the demon that makes us feel we are the “center of attention” with all those around pointing the finger and shouting “guilty, guilty, guilty”.  We know we are guilty, but we don’t need others to “rub it in our faces”.

In essence, shame is a form of pride but from a different perspective.  It’s not the perception I am better than everyone else, the most common form of pride; It’s the perception “Why don’t people respect me the way I should be respected”.  Shame makes us feel disrespected, unimportant and not valued.

What seems to be the best defense is to shout back, “what about you?  You too are guilty”.  That reaction gives us a sense of reprieve and solace.  All that reaction does is make us like our accusers.  They are accusing us while we are accusing them.  We’re both doing the same.  This makes us equal to them – guilty!

Feeling guilty is a handicap.  It can paralyze us or make us truly ineffective and unproductive in our life.  We become focused on our guilt and our shame and takes away the focus on God.  In essence we are “missing the mark”, we are “sinning”.  The focus is oneself instead of God.  The focus is “what others think about ME” versus “What does God think about ME?”.  God is not the focus, Others, our peers, is the focus.  It is a great tool by Satan and a very effective demon to haunt us.

Shame is an energy drainer.  A lot of time and energy is spent feeling sorry for oneself, how to defend oneself, and how to avenge being accused by those who themselves are guilty.

There is an opposite to shame – mercy.  The Most High God, loves those He created and He cares.  Sin is turning away from God while repentance is turning to God.  When we turn to God, we have a better view of Him.  When we look to Him we can see His outstretched hand as He calls us to Him.  He wants to be our Father.  He doesn’t need us, He WANTS US.  Because He wants us, He forgives us by His mercy.  When we accept His mercy, there is no room for shame (Psalm 103: 12).

Demon is a term we most often refer to as being minions of Satan, those who do his dirty work.  They are believed to be fallen angels who joined Lucifer in the rebellion to overtake heaven and Almighty God’s kingdom.  Demons do a lot of dirty work but sometimes the term demon is referred to as “struggles” we deal with when we are trying to do good.  These struggles prevent us from accomplishing our goal to do good.

When people do bad things, they sometimes say, “It wasn’t me, the devil made me do it”.  This is a good way to avoid taking responsibility for wrongs committed.  It is a way to deflect responsibility of one’s bad behavior.  It is a way of avoiding self; “It wasn’t me”.

With pride, oneself is the central figure of everything; It’s all about me, “What about me?”.  The avoidance of responsibility is NOT what we are talking about when we call pride a demon, something evil.  Avoiding responsibility is NOT avoiding pride.  Taking responsibility is often the right thing to do.

Evil pride is pride that seeks to draw attention to oneself for the purpose of elevating oneself.  The sin of Adam and Eve was seeking to be equal to God so they could live life independent of God, not needing Him.  Lucifer and a third of the angels rebelled against God because Lucifer desired to be equal to God (Isaiah 14:13,14).  In both these cases, the created ones were seeking to be EQUAL to God, not necessarily greater than God.  Nevertheless, they were attempting to elevate themselves, that is evil pride.

Pride is the greatest demon that haunts, and it is the most common demon we deal with.

Pride is also the most subtle demon.  It is difficult to recognize.  God created humans to be in His image.  We were created by Him to enjoy His Creation and His Fellowship.  He is the Most High God.  When we read our bibles, we find there is only one Most High God who is referred to as Yahweh.  Before Jesus was born in Bethlehem an angel appeared unto Mary telling Jesus would be the son of the Most High God.  There is no one or nothing higher, more sovereign than Him.

Sinning is “missing the mark”.  When Almighty God is not our focus or we are not “hitting the bullseye” we are missing the mark because the focus of our attention is even the slightest bit off.  Jesus, our Lord, Messiah and example ALWAYS deferred to his father, the Most High God.

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.  It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think, say or do.  It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill.  It will make or break a company… a church… a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we embrace for that day.  We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.  We cannot change the inevitable.

The only thing we can do is play the one string we have, and that is our attitude… I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.”   Charles Swindoll

The above quote is by Charles Swindoll.  It is one of the most profound statements that could make one enjoy life if heeded positively.  A person with a bad attitude lives a miserable life full of regret.

The most important point of this statement is that the individual has complete control over their attitude.

Attitude leads to behavior.  One’s behavior defines their character.  Character is defined by those who interact with you.  Others see the good, bad, and ugly.  The workplace, where one spends a large portion of the day, is where one’s attitude is witnessed consistently.  The place where one’s true attitude is witnessed is at home with family.  Home is where people let down their guard completely.  Family witnesses one’s attitude most clearly and consistently.

Attitude is developed by one’s thoughts (mind) and feelings (spirit) both of which are influenced by their relationship with God who created them.  A good relationship with God spills over resulting in good relationships with people.  A poor relationship with God spills over resulting in bad relationships.  This is fact.

A good relationship with God is centered around love.  Love is what fills our emotional “cup”; when it is full, it overflows with love to others.  A bad relationship with God is centered around “self”; when it is full, it overflows with self to others.

Filling ourselves with God and His love gives us an attitude that spills over to others representing our relationship with the God we serve, the Most High or ourself.

Believers in the one and only Almighty God are often warned of the dangers of eastern philosophical religions and the New Age movements.  We are told they are un-godly and of the devil.  Examples of these philosophies that are characterized as evil or un-godly include the use of energy from crystals, light, sound, fragrance, and vibration.  Yoga, Tai-Chi, and the idea of yin and yang are demonized by religious Christians, BUT what is the TRUTH?

God lets us know EVERYTHING IS THE HIS.  The earth is the Lord’s and its fulness; the world and everyone on it (Ps. 24:1).  We are foolish to think Satan, or the devil owns anything; he owns NOTHING.  Satan takes what is God’s, he steals it, and attempts to use it for his glory; this is what Satan does. (Is. 14:13,14).

Eastern philosophies and New Age practices utilizing energies from the universe such as crystals, light, sound, fragrance, and vibration can be very effective.  Meditation, acupuncture, Yoga and Tai-Chi can be healing.  Why?  Because it is based on the science of God who created everything.

Why is it demonized by churches, religious leaders, and Christians?  Most of these just mentioned don’t realize the eastern philosophies and New Age practices are really based on the science of God’s creation, the Almighty Most High God’s creation, not the false god, Satan.

What makes eastern philosophy and New Age evil is, they DO NOT give the Most High God the credit.  God created light on the first day of creation.  God created ALL energy.  He is not energy, He is the source, the creator of it.  That is true POWER.

False religions are false because they give credit to humans, or little “g” gods, the fallen angels and Elohim.  When a religion or philosophy teaches “it’s within you to do it; you have the power”, they are teaching humanism, making humans god.  This is the evil.  When they teach “you have the power” BUT add through the Most High God, giving Him the praise, worship, thanksgiving, and credit, they are legitimate TRUTH tellers.

God is everything.  All things become evil when God is removed from the equation.

Whether you eat, drink, or whatsoever you do; do all for the glory of God (I Cor. 10:31).