Blessings in disguise!! And perfect Love ....Part 3

And Perfect Love Drives out all fear....for fear has to do with Punishment and the man or woman that has been set free need never fear such punishment.  

When we have spent time working for the Lord...sometimes..we serve and we listen to not God alone..but the people that God has called us to serve...!! Jonah...forgot something very important..something that Jennifer forgets time and time again: It matters not the thoughts of man...but only the one who Calls you, His name is Jehovah Jireh...His name is Elohim.. His name is Jahweh...His name is The Eternal one...His name is Almighty God..!! He who calls you is the same one the only one to whom you need to listen. 

Doubting the Blessings...??? Doubting the goodness of God's Love...?? Then you've been influenced by a love that is not the Love of God..!! Rather, we have been listening to nothing but a poor imitation..and a poor reflection..and a deception of the worst kind....!!!! Yes, even in Christian Ministry..like Jonah..we serve more the people God is mighty to save and not God alone..the God who saves!!

I have good news for you today....All the feelings of rejection you have had a the hands of man are not even close to God's plan!!!

All the fears caused by a lack of acceptance from this world or the people in it have everything to do with the fact that Man is evil and does fall Short of the Glory of God...

Romans 3 tells us that all have fallen short of the glory of God.

All the feelings ...yes all the deceptive feelings...are not the promises of God's love...His Perfect Love!!

His promises never fail..His mercies don't fall and His words don't ever fall void or prove untrue..they are new ever morning..Great is His faithfulness. Lamentations 3

Just like His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways... Isaiah 55 so too...Our View of God is so very off sometimes isn't it? KNow why??

 Because we focus on the plans of Man and Leave the plans of God in a desert waste land..!! 

Jonah..son of Amittai...Go to the great city of Nineveh...

Perhaps if Jonah thought more about God's eternal understanding of life and His massive, supernatural love..He would have easily left behind his thoughts..all his thoughts about Israel...about his enemies, about all that could have harmed him...about the punishment he might have had at the hands of his people, Israel for preaching it to the arch enemy!!

Oh Jonah...Oh Jennifer.....!!! God does not want to punish you or harm you...Jeremiah 29:8-11  

⁸ For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Let not your [false] prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you; pay no attention and attach no significance to your dreams which you dream or to theirs,

⁹ For they prophesy falsely to you in My name. I have not sent them, says the Lord.

¹⁰ For thus says the Lord, When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you and keep My good promise to you, causing you to return to this place.

¹¹ For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. 

Is your final outcome resting in His hands today?? Oh jonah...don't be deceived by that which you think you know...We must be resolved to know nothing..only that God is Good and He truly is the only light that shines to guide you to the truth to His everlasting goodness..His light is perfect..it's honest, and it's so full of warmth and comfort...Lonely?? Run..Run..Run fast into His light..put off the darkness that so easily entangles and run your race according to His great love..

Principle...His great plans always in the end will save...Man's plans always end up in the grave!!

God always seeks your good..Hear this!! God always seeks your good..even when His plans don't make sense..He's your leader...Are you following the leader or not???

Oh Precious Lord...take my hand and lead me beside quiet waters!!! 

Exodus 14:14 tells us that the Lord will fight for us and we need only to be still!! 

Oh Dear Lord...Hear my prayer...give me your eyes...and your light..shatter my darkness that I may see..and accept the freedom from sin you offer..the freedom from punishment that you promise..the Love that moved you to lay down your life to save me...to free me..to love me...!! I praise you for the rescue...To rescue me...the way you did Lord and the way you still do...just moves me Lord and motivates ;me to follow your light...even to the way of the cross..!! Oh my heavens...the beautiful cross...the biggest blessing of all...!! Lord...let me embrace the cross and know that your plan is good and your love is perfect!! Even Lord for those of us that feel the pain of this world tonight...!! Oh Lord...sometimes is the pain that produces the cleansing of our sins...of our regrets..of our resentments...but Lord let the pain last only long enough to produce the joy that comes in the morning...May our struggle be for your glory that in the morning..we too overcome!! Even for those of us in agony as a result of sin...The ashes..oh the ashes...we don't have to fall down and die...for the cross brings greater glory and the blessings always come to revive and restore God's children.  But only, remain in Him..don't give up...Only remember, First the cross and then the victory...!! First the rain and then the rainbow...!! Please worship with me as we listen together to a beautiful song that truly illustrates the way the Lord..even through suffering...always works in mercy and always abounds in compassionate, perfect Love...

Principle..Even when we don't see it, or feel it...God is merciful and Loving and yes, he's working on our behalf: Our God will stop at nothing in order to save us and to shower down on us His greatest blessings...

And Perfect Love drives out all fear... part 2

"I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, 'you are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.  So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41: 9-10).  

I felt led at nearly 3am this morning to write part 2 of Perfect Love...!! I've been thinking a lot about why we don't trust God..why we run!! If you are battling rejection..remember that you are not alone..!! You just need to be reminded of the Love that waits for you, the perfect love of God.  

Interestingly, we often ask the questions...oh you know..the infamous questions??? The big ones...!!! "God are you really there for me..?? Are you really listening?? Do you really know me?? Do you really love me?  Lord, did you die for me?? Lord...why did you die for me??? Lord why do you love me?"  In fact, if we're honest, sometimes the questions become a little bit more personal: "Lord, you know I'm worthy of nothing..I'm not lovable...so why exactly is it that you claim to love me?" Have you ever felt that way???

Principle: when you trust in the thoughts of man you rest your worth at man's hand.

Your worth has been downgraded from an uncreated, everlasting, steadfast love of the Father to a created, fallen, imperfect and fading chasing after the wind!!! You've given yourself over to a love that is not love at all..it's an imperfect love..a failing love that cannot sustain you..Yes,...this worldly love will let you down..Yes, this worldly love will reject you..Yes, this worldly love can and will die, will deceive and will harm you...!!! How absolutely perfect is His indescribable love...!! Yet, we somehow let it evade our grasp!! How?? How do we miss the mark??? When we take our eyes off of the Lord, when we fail to gaze into His words of life, when we forget to seek His face in prayer..we seem to forget His perfect love!! So, what do we do??? We seek love in other places!! After all, we need God's love..so desperately...so completely...to breathe, to live, to thrive, to praise!!! Therefore, if we have lost connection with the head..the Christ, we attempt to connect to another source..as if there were any other fount of great blessings...Friends...if you are wondering how God could really love you..or how God could really have died for you...then you must ask yourselves, In whom have I been trusting?? After all, the Bible is clear...God is love and God is light, in Him there is no darkness at all...!! God has died for you..make no mistakes about it and His plan is loving..and on purpose..!! God, on purpose is pursuing you..!! He pursues you to the cross, He pursues you to the darkest of caves and to the highest of heights..to the deepest of depths and He has chosen you to be His bride...His hands remain outstretched!!   God has not rejected you..and do you want to know why??? God, not man..is not full of a love that fades!! God loves you..and He created you for Himself..!! God wants you, and calls you and does not reject you!!! When we forget that, we've been chasing after the wind and the wind has died...!! Sadly, we then doubt not just man..for man has failed us..but we doubt God..the one who saves us!! 

Perhaps Jonah had been listening for far too long to the responses of Israel..!! Perhaps Jonah had been placing his life at the hands of man?? When God asks you to follow his plan and you falter, or hesitate to follow Him, you have forgotten His love..!! His perfect love is behind His call..His beautiful irrevocable call always comes from arms of eternally faithful love and absolutely perfect Love...!! When God calls and you fall..you've not been listening to God at all!! When God calls and you say no..it's off to tar shish you go!! When God calls and you run, it's not going to be fun!! When God calls and you fail..Praise the Lord for the whale!!!! Amen!! Praise the Lord for the storm..!!! Praise the Lord that He will not give up on you..praise the Lord that He waits for you!! Praise the Lord that He Loves you..that His love doesn't run, doesn't reject and doesn't fail...!! Let's just run back to Him shall we??? Let's just listen at His feet as Mary has done..??? Let's just hear the Word of the Lord..a word that is trustworthy...!!

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. ¹⁷ 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. ¹⁸ 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.

¹⁹ We love because he first loved us. 

Punishment has to do with death..!! Judgement is scary to the guilty..!! And you don't have to be guilty!! Man will confuse you on this point..You will confuse yourselves on this point..Jonah was confused on this point. 

 Man will fail you every time..Friends..when you rely on man's thoughts..on your thoughts..you've taken a great risk...!! Rather, 

Roman's 13 tells us

¹¹ And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber,because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. ¹² The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. ( oh my heavens..don't give up)¹³ Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. ¹⁴ Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.<sup>[c] 

Put off man and put on Christ...</sup>

 Man will fail you.."You" will fail you!! God will never fail you!! God does not wait to punish you..but rather stays faithful to His covenant with you!! Remember that He loved you first...!! Remember that He created you first!! Remember that He is the only one who died for you!! So, have you been fearing punishment?? Have you been listening to an imperfect love?? Are you afraid to fail..afraid of being unaccepted?? Dear precious child of God...In whom are you trusting?? Have you found yourselves at the hand of man..at the scheming of His imperfect plans? Have you been touched by the nasty entanglements of sin's lies?? No wonder you are failing to grasp how love is even possible...!!! But the Lord has another love..a righteousness that comes from God..a plan that will not fail...!! 

Romans 1:17

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,^[a] just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”<sup>[b]

Faith understands that we cannot see God's plan..but we know that it is Good and that His love seeks not to harm us..but to Love us eternally!!</sup>

Yes..you need His rescue and Yes, the Righteousness from God that is by faith has nothing to do with your performance or man's opinions of you. It's a gift...a precious gift that God waits to give you..something purchased at the cross..!! Friends it's your pardon..and it's a plan..it is always available..and it's a plan that will not fail..it's a love that will not fail...!! Ask Him today to teach you all about this love of God..a love that does not disappoint...a love that is safe to trust in..a love that does not reject you..!!

I have chosen you and have not rejected you.  So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. Isaiah 41:9

Lord, perhaps like Jonah..we run from you, fearing what punishments might come our way..fearing what man might do to us..forgetting that you oh Lord have not harmed us..!!

Jeremiah 29:11

New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

 Lord, send us the rain..!! Lord, send us the whale...!! Lord intervene and take us back in your great rescue..Lord, help us to remember your great love is nothing like man's love..It's best example is Jesus..and may the prayer of our hearts been once again, "Just give me Jesus"

Please worship with me and may the words of this hymn speak to your soul as it does to mine...I'd rather have Jesus..Ask the Lord to renew your hope in the one that will never leave you!!

And Perfect Love drives out all Fear...

Lord..why?  Seriously!! Lord??? Why this road??? Why Nineveh??? Why this pain...??? Why this hurt??? Why this betrayal?? Ever felt some of those questions just pour over your face and heart like hot tears as you attempt to rely on the Savior's words of promise amidst a storm???? Well, Jonah, below the deck of a great and mighty ship, lets the waves roll, asleep!  Yes, Yes, our Jonah is ignoring the pain and the rebellion of his questions about the Lord's plan; Jonah is attempting to accept his resistance to trusting God's plan!!

Principle...when we fail to trust God's plan..we have taken things into our own hands...!!! Aha!!!..the infamous question: How's that working for you...???

Once again the clay..has forgotten who is the potter, and who is the clay...Oh Jonah!! Oh Jennifer...!! Jennifer was asked to go as an on-call missionary as a Junior in College in the yr. 2000!! The plan, to head to a French speaking post over the summer before my Senior  yr. at Northwest Nazarene University.  The time, 6 to 8 weeks assisting at a Nazarene post on foreign soil! The reason, to fulfill an internship needed for my major, Special Missions for the Church of the Nazarene! The purpose, to make sure that I, Jennifer, was cut out for the role of foreign missionary, to define the call I had from God!

Are you kidding me..??? Party..!! Party..!! Party...!!!! This was the plan and the chance that I'd been waiting for my whole college career!! Ohhh Baby..!!! Just get me on that plane and let's go fulfill God's call like yesterday!!!  Have you ever thought you just had things all figured out and then found your self completely questioning what on earth you were doing??? Have you heard the voice of God and then wondered, "Lord, are you even the one who talked to me?" Or,  perhaps you have wondered, "Lord, I know you're calling me, but perhaps you've intended me for something else and I just hijacked your plan?" Fear, Chaos, and insecurity have no place amongst the fully persuaded....right?  Well, if you've felt fear, chaos and insecurity, then there is a very good chance that you are questioning God's plan and God's goodness like all the great cloud of witnesses before you, so don't beat yourself up...!!! Don't do it...!!! Yes, take captive every thought and give them to God, but don't beat yourself up for being human...No, you cannot save yourself from your depraved ways of thinking, but God Almighty can redeem your thoughts...!! His precious Holy Spirit is always interceding for you in words we cannot even fathom and the Christ, your messiah sits at the right hand of God cheering for you to succeed...not fail...!!! Praise the Lord,  His perfect Love will always come down and drive out all fear, if we'll turn to Him and Live!!
I have some great news for those of us that don't like to question God and then hate ourselves for it when we do: He, can take it and Love us and Lift us up for He uses the broken hearted...He breaks the insecurity..He reassures you with His love..He smashes fears with His mighty power and tender mercies...and most precious promises....and finally, He is the missionary in every calling..not you!!! God always equips and reassures and transforms those He calls...!! Praise His Holy name!! We are about to get seriously into a  5 part series about the Perfect Love of God and the Perfect Plan He wants us to walk in while we tarry awhile here on Earth..longing for our heavenly dwelling...

For now, let's worship?? Please enjoy this video about the Promise of God's totally awesome Love....

1 John 4: 7-19

God’s Love and Ours

⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰ This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

¹³ This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and testifythat the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵ If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,God lives in them and they in God. ¹⁶ 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. ¹⁷ 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. ¹⁸ 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.

¹⁹ We love because he first loved us. 

We will be using this text to reveal some powerful principles for saying yes to God and understanding that it's His plan, not yours and His power, not yours, and His love, not yours that will breakdown walls, shatter shadows and change lives forever...I ask you dear Lord to take my heart and to fill it with your love and that your perfect love might transform this crazy, dark world...by your strength and power..May this be true in my life..May I walk with you in full surrender, knowing that your perfect Love will drive the clouds away..and fears will fade in the light of your glorious face...Praise your Holy Name..