God's Exchange Policy

September 5, 2010

~Denise Grant

"To all who mourn in Israel he will give: Beauty for ashes; joy instead of mourning; praise instead of heaviness..."

Isaiah 61:3

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When one of my favorite clothing stores had a sale recently, I rushed to take advantage of the bargains. If you're a woman, you will agree, there are times we find it difficult to contain our excitement at the mere mention of the words, "clearance" or "sale". Even one of my personal favorites, "50% off", is no match to one men and women both embrace, "free".

The shoes were really cute. They came in both black and brown. I knew they would go perfectly with so much in my closet. Why would I not buy both pair, right?

The navy jacket seemed like such an incredible bargain. Even before I took it off the rack, I mentally pictured four or five outfits I owned, in which the jacket would coordinate well with.

However, this particular navy was such the wrong color of navy, I found nothing it would match. Oh, and the shoes, well, -I learned a valuable life lesson that day. Just because you try on one pair of shoes and they fit, does not mean the same style - even in the same size - will fit identically!

There was no other option. I knew the two must be returned. So there I stood in line. Not just any 'ol line mind you - but the kind I like to call, an "eternity" line. I'm sure you're aware of the type - they stretch for what seems like an eternity. The minutes ticked by and before I knew it, twenty minutes had passed with the line not budging much at all. While I waited, I pondered if the store would accept a return on a clearance item. As I finally approached the return desk, I suddenly realized the receipt was in my other purse! If the store did accept my return, would they do so without a receipt? Oh, I failed to mention, one of the bargains that day was a new purse. I can't begin to explain my obsession with handbags - so I won't start - just know it was half price and one I did not resist.

God willingly and lovingly accepts our returns - no receipt needed, simply a desire to follow Him. "Let me tell you how happy God has made me! For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and draped about me the robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels." Isaiah 63:10.

God's exhange policy - as recorded in Isaiah, is somewhat like my recent seems-too-good-to-be-true experience. He offers; no standing in line. No hassles. Satisfaction guaranteed. And the best part of all - it is absolutely, 100% F-R-E-E !!

We must all wear robes of righteousness if we are to enter God's Kingdom. Christ has provided these garments for everyone, but each person must choose to put it on in order to enter eternal life.
For the ashes of our pasts, He offers a beautiful future.

We've grown accustomed to dark, depressing clothes, but He points us to a dressing room where a new outfit awaits: a garment of praise - light, radiant, and one that fit perfectly. It's designed by the Master Designer Himself; made totally and completely in His image. With Him, you will never wish a return, the colors will match perfectly and the fit - oh the fit - nothing is more tailored made for you, than Jesus.

Won't you try Him on today?

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Lord Jesus,

What an exchange You offer us; our dirty, rotten and grimey sins for a life of glory, honor and praise. We are all sinners and once saved, become completely redeemed by Your grace. Lord, help me wear Your garment of praise every day so that people see You in me in everything I say, do and think. Clothe me with Your goodness today Father. Thank You for accepting my ruined existence and lovingly exchanging it for eternal life with You. In Jesus name, Amen !

The Great Deceiver

The Great Deceiver

September 1, 2010

~Denise Grant

"For you are the children of your father the devil and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning and a hater of truth - - there is not an iota of truth in him. When he lies, it is perfectly normal; for he is the father of liars." John 8:44 TLB

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Satan is a fallen angel. He is real - not symbolic, as some people would like to believe - and is constantly fighting against those who follow and obey God (that's you and me). His temptations are very real, and he is always trying to get us to do things his way or ours rather than God's way.

Jesus had a mission on earth - to die for our sins and give us the opportunity to have eternal life. If Jesus would have given in to Satan's temptations, His mission would have been lost. When temptations seem especially strong, or when you think they can be rationalized, consider whether Satan may be trying to block God's purposes for your life.

The devil lies. In fact, he doesn't even know how to speak the truth. There's not one iota of truth that lies within him - not from the beginning - not now - not ever.

Even though we, as Christians are aware of that fact, we still find ourselves, listening to the evil words taped to the skirt-tail of his evil plans. Oh, we don't mean to - It just seems his lies pop into our minds for no apparent reason. He's notorious for sliding critical cries or hurtful hurls into the minds of others - even other Christians - and in turn, they speak them out for us to hear. When we listen taking what we hear to heart, our enemy rejoices in his success. Should we listen long enough to his deceptive garbage, then there's a pretty good chance, we'll even start to believe it - creating serious problems for ourselves.

Satan often tempts you when you are most vulnerable; when you are tired, lonely, weighing big decisions or faced with uncertainty. He also likes to tempt us through our strengths, especially where we are susceptible to pride. Just as he tempted Eve in the garden, he tempted Jesus - but unlike Eve, Jesus never sinned!

Let's take a look at what Jesus did when tempted by Satan and follow the example I believe He set for us. He used three crucial areas from where to tempt Jesus:

Physical desire: After fasting in the wilderness, Satan tempted Jesus three times; "For forty days and forty nights he ate nothing and became very hungry. Then Satan tempted him to get food by changing stones into loaves of bread. 'It will prove you are the Son of God,.'" - Matthew 4:1-3. But Jesus told him, "NO! For the Scriptures tell us that bread won't feed men's souls; obedience to every word of God is what we need." - Matthew 4:4. Did you read what Jesus said? He said, "No!". We should always say, "No", to Satan.

Pride: Again Satan tempted Jesus by prodding Him to jump off the roof of a Temple, "Jump off and prove you are the Son of God, for the Scriptures declare, 'God will send his angels to keep you from harm, they will prevent you from smashing on the rocks below.'" - Matthew 4:5-6. Jesus then retorted, "It also says not to put the Lord your God to a foolish test!" - Matthew 4:7.

Possessions and Power: Then again, Satan took Jesus to the peak of a high mountain offering to give Him all the nations of the world (as if they were his to give in the first place - NOT!), "I'll give it all to you, if you will only kneel and worship me." - Matthew 4:8-9.

Satan offers you and I the same world by trying to entice us to sin with materialism and power. When you find yourself craving something the world offers - be assured it doesn't come from God, but a winsome wile from the wicked one. No matter how glorious, perfect, right and good Satan's words and plans may seem, they will always be downright lies and never be meant for our good. In fact, as the master deceiver, his schemes are only designed to bring us torment, pain and anguish.

So every time Satan whispers in your ear, be prepared to shove Scripture back in his face. In other words, back talk the devil! Jesus did and we would do good to be more like Him: "Get out of here, Satan," Jesus told him, "The Scriptures say, 'Worship only the Lord God. Obey only him.'" - Matthew 4:10 The Bible says, "Then Satan went away, and the angels came and cared for Jesus." - Matthew 4:11.

Many Christians, even after accepting Christ as their Savior, are unaware the devil can still attack their minds with negative or, as my pastor, Dr. Keith E. Carroll, likes to calls it "stinkin' thinkin'". After all, it's his nature to lie. Truth or honesty are attributes he can never possess. You do not stand alone in your spiritual battle. Satan deceives everyone. He is wicked and fierce - hateful and unkind. He came to kill, steal and destroy, but Jesus came that we might have and enjoy our lives abundantly -(John 10:10). By making ourselves more conscious of spiritual weapons the Lord has made available to us, and learn how to use them, we can gain victory and break the strongholds the devil has built into our minds.

My friend, Jesus CHOSE to die on the cross, suffering tremendous pain for you, just so we can withstand the enemy of this world. As you develop a closer relationship with God, you will learn how to equip yourself with the necessary skills and through dedication to prayer, you can win the raging battle for your mind. When negative, mean, or ugly thoughts surface in your head, stop them with this thought: "Jesus would not talk that way, and would not be this critical or judgmental, so these thoughts and feelings are simply the devil fighting for control of my mind.I refuse to let him win." Strengthen your mind's armor to fight the great deceiver. With every battle's victory, the next gets easier.

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Heavenly Father,

I thank You for giving me the weapons I need to defeat the lies of the devil. Help me to always make right use of them. Thank You Jesus, for being my friend and for being with me through every one of my difficulties and life struggles. Help me always learn to recognize the evil lies of the enemy. In Your precious name, Amen.

Misleading Invitation

MISLEADING INVITATION

August 31, 2010

~Denise Grant

Imagine opening an envelope with your name written in beautiful calligraphy on the outside. Inside is an invitation which reads: "You are hereby invited to enjoy a life filled with misery, worry, anger, and confusion."

Would you be so eager to respond, "Yes", to such an outrageous request? Of course not! And yet, many of us choose such a life every day. Oh, not that we blatantly make that choice, but unfortunately too often we surrender - even temporarily - and at times, even unknowingly - to Satan's misleading invitation to such a life.

The enemy bombards our minds with every weapon at his disposal. We are engaged in a raging warfare that never ceases. Although we can put on the whole armor of God and stand fast on the Word of God, we will never be able to put a complete end to this war. As long as we are alive - our minds remain Satan's battlefield.

Satan comes seeking to destroy and has been quite successful since the Garden of Eden. His first real victory was when the serpent asked Eve, "Really, none of the fruit in the garden? God says you mustn't eat any of it?" Genesis 3:1. Satan was suggesting God was strict, stingy, and selfish for not wanting Eve to share His knowledge of good and evil. This sinister way, made Eve forget all that God had given her and focused on the one thing she couldn't have.

Eve could have rebuked the tempter; instead, she told him, "Of course we may eat it. It's only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not to eat. God says we mustn't eat it or even touch it, or we will die." Genesis 3:2-3. But the serpent said to the woman, "That's a lie! You'll not die! God knows very well that the instant you eat it you will become like him, for your eyes will be opened - you will be able to distinguish good from evil!" Genesis 3:4-5.

What we seem to often miss about temptation and the battle the enemy levels against us, is that he always comes to with deception. With him, there is no other way. Suppose he had said to Eve, "Go ahead, eat of the fruit. Once you do, you'll bring misery, anger, hatred, fighting, poverty, and injustice into the world." What do you project Eve would have done? Right - she would have bolted and ran away. He tricked her by lying and telling her exactly what he knew would appeal to her. Doesn't he do the same to you?

The evil one promised, "You will be like God. You'll know the difference between good and evil." Satan used a sincere motive to tempt Eve. "You will become like God!" Isn't that really the goal for all of us - to be more like God? It wasn't like He was tempting Eve to do something bad - he merely phrased it in such a way that what she heard sounded too good. Satan misled Eve. He led her to believe she could defy God's authority by taking God's place and deciding for herself what was best for her life. We sometimes have the illusion that freedom is doing anything we want. God says true freedom comes from obedience and knowing what not to do. Such restrictions are given to us for our good, showing us how to avoid evil.

You see, this is the appeal of sin. The temptation is not to do evil or to cause harm or even bring injustice in the world. The lure is that we will get something outta the deal for us. We're a selfish and prideful people and Satan knows it.

It worked on Eve, and it works on us today. "The woman was convinced. How lovely and fresh looking it was! And it would make her so wise! So she ate some of the fruit and gave some to her husband, and he ate it too." Genesis 3:6. Unfortunately, our sins do not always appear ugly to us, and the "lovely" sins are always harder to resist. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us, "The wrong desires that come into your life aren't anything new and different. Many others have faced exactly the same problems before you and no temptation is irresistible. You can trust God to keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it, for he has promised this and will do what he says. He will show you how to escape temptation's power so that you can bear up patiently against it."

Eve lost the first battle for her mind, and we continue to fight for the same since that time. But because we have the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we can win - and we can keep on winning! Don't be misled by the master of deception.

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Heavenly Father,

It's a constant battle I admit, to consistently resist the onslaughts of Satan. He attacks my mind and even sometimes, makes evil seem worthwhile and something good and fun. Help me to win against the enemy's temptations, no matter how deceptive they appear. Help me to see through them and recognize the sender. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

SHAKEN BUT NOT STIRRED

August 2, 2010
~Denise Grant

I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken."
Psalm 16:8 NIV
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What shakes you? For parents, the list can be unending. From the loss of a child, the death of a parent, unemployment, financial failure and marital woes; our lives are so often battered and bruised. But whatever the circumstances, remember that the Lord your God, is always at your right hand.

In the Bible, the "right hand" symbolizes the Kingship of God. He is the King of all kings, the Ruler of all rulers, and the absolute authority over all things.

I particularly enjoy, The Living Bible's interpretation of the above Bible passage; "I am always thinking of the Lord; and because he is so near, I never need to stumble or to fall."

In this passage of Psalms, I believe David was talking about the unique sense of security felt by believers. We are human, and can't resist being shaken by tough times - but as believers, there's little cause to be stirred by such times.

God is accurately aware of what you can handle (and acutely aware of what you can't). He will never allow even the slightest smidgen more than you can take. You see, God sees the big, bigger and biggest picture of your life. My favorite Christian author, Max Lucado writes, "God has not only read your story, He wrote it." He sees and knows all, even your future.

Those who seek after God can move ahead confidently feeling secure in the knowledge God is holding our right hand as He steadies our steps.

Now, this doesn't mean that God will sweep away all the hard knocks of your life, as if they never happened, but it does mean that at just the perfect time, He'll arrive on time, and will supply exactly what you need to get through the earthquakes of life, and usher you safely to a solid and firm place of relief.

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Father God,

I know we all make plans for our lives, yet so do You, Lord. Help me to let go of my own agenda so You can be in charge. Take my right hand and steady my walk - every day - all along the way. When my life circumstances become shaky, as they so very often are, be my firm foundation, so I may bask in the peace Your love and guidance brings. In Jesus' name, Amen.

CAUGHT IN THE STORM

August 1, 2010
~Denise Grant


"Pile your troubles on God's shoulders, he'll carry your load, he'll help you out."
Psalm 55:22 MSG

While waiting for lunch to be served at our favorite restaurant recently, I was telling my three small grandsons the story about Jesus and His disciples caught in the storm on the Sea of Galilee. After painting a descriptive picture of the terrible weather that rocked their tiny boat that day, I asked them if they would be afraid in such a storm like this. Undaunted by the scenario, the oldest now seven, immediately replied, "Not if Jesus was in the boat with me."

You know my friends, during the horrific storms that often dot the landscapes of our lives, we must remember that Jesus IS in the "boat" with us. We are never in danger of being separated from, or deserted by him, just because the "atmosphere" around us appears life-threatening. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, can ever separate us from the love and protection of God.

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Heavenly Father,

Help us always be mindful no matter how the wind threatens to shove us from our foundations, or as the waves crash heavily against us, You refuse to leave us unprotected. You remain lovingly present inside our "boat" and promise to calm our storm. Thank You Jesus for Your love and protection as the weather of life rages against us. Amen.

1-19-2010 HELP! HELP!

Help!  Help!   January 19, 2009 ~Denise Grant   A DEA officer stops at a ranch in Texas. He tells the rancher, "I need to inspect your ranch for illegally grown drugs." The rancher says, "Okay, but stay out of that field over there," as he points far to the right. The DEA officer verbally explodes saying, "Mister, I have the authority of the Federal Government with me."  Reaching into his rear pants pocket, he removes his badge and proudly displays it to the rancher.  "See this badge?  This badge means I am allowed to go wherever I wish - on any land - no questions asked – no answers given.  Have I made myself perfectly clear?" The rancher nods politely, apologizes, and goes about his chores. A short time later, the old rancher hears loud screams and looks up to see the DEA officer running for his life - chased by the rancher's big Santa Gertrudis bull, who happens to weigh as much as most cars. With every step the bull is gaining ground on the officer, and it seems likely that he'll get gored before he reaches safety. The officer is clearly terrified. The rancher throws down his tools, runs to the fence and yells at the top of his lungs, "Your Badge - Your Badge. Show him your Badge!"          Whether we think we have everything under control or secretly admit, we need help – all too often we wait until the last available moment or when we're deep in trouble, to call upon God for help.        Jairus, was a synagogue leader who did not seek Jesus' help until after his young daughter had died. "A ruler came and knelt before him and said, "My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live." Matthew 9:18. When Jesus entered the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd, he said, "Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep." But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up." Matthew 9:23-26 NIV   A woman who had a bleeding issue for twelve years, sought to simply touch the edge of Jesus' garment, and in doing so, was instantly and forever healed. Immediately, Jesus turned to her and said, "Take heart daughter, your faith has healed you." Matthew 9:20-22  I find myself pondering why this woman had not sought Jesus' help long before this problem grew into twelve, grueling, out-of-control years?   In this same chapter, Jesus is reluctant to heal two blind men. "When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, ""Do you believe that I am able to do this?" "Yes Lord," they replied. "Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; and their sight was restored."  Matthew 9: 28-30. It wasn't that Jesus didn't want to heal them–he only waited to see how earnest the men were. Not everyone who says they want help really wants it badly enough to do something about it. Jesus may have waited and questioned these men to make their desire and faith stronger. If, in your prayers, it seems as if God is too slow in giving His answer, maybe He is testing you as He did these blind men.   Got a problem today? Do you believe God can help you? Do you really want His help – or do you feel you have it all under control?   These blind men were persistent. They knew Jesus could heal them and they refused to let anything stop them – now that's faith! How's yours? If you believe Jesus Is the answer to your every need, don't let anything or anyone stop you from reaching Him.   We feeble minded humans attempt to manage our own problems until there's neither relief or remedy in sight, before we call out to God for help. In times of desperation – and the bull is quickly gaining momentum– we don't have to worry about the correct way to reach out to God - simply reach out in faith. He will respond.     Father God,        You are only a breath away. At the mere mention of Your name, You are ready, willing, able and present to help. I praise You that You care so much about me that all my problems and difficulties matter to You. Teach me to run to You first with everything believing I can do nothing without You. I love You Jesus. In Your holy name Jesus, Amen. Denise Grant - Just "clay" in the Master Potter's hands. Life is too short for drama & petty things, so laugh loud and hard, love deeply from the bottom of your heart, and forgive quickly from the depths of your soul.   Live while you are still alive - you may not be tomorrow.   Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity- there may never come another opportunity than right now.   Forgive now those who made you mad and made you cry. Tomorrow, later, & another just may never come.  And Always remember - - "If you're not happy with what you have . . . Just imagine not having it."