The Abundant Life

"Kristus har befriat oss för att vi ska leva i frihet. Stå för det! Låt ingen förslava er igen."

Galaterbrevet 5.1/ Galatians 5.1 (MSG)

Something has been weighing on my mind a lot quite recently to the point where it's been dominating my thinking, distracting me and worrying me. The root of it is the fact that I just don't seem to trust God with it, I've been enslaving myself to worrying about something that is out of my control when God has fully assured me He has my back in ALL things.

You ever done the same?

John 8.36 says that 'He who the son sets free is free INDEED." Jesus died for a lot of reasons, most importantly to make a way for us to have a relationship with the father, but He also died so we wouldn't have to live as the bible puts it 'in the way of the flesh'; struggling and failing daily as we try to do things in our own strength, but we could live in the way of the Spirit; knowing God is our strength and support.

Have you, like me, been living in your own strength, going back to the way of the flesh when God has empowered you for supernatural living?

If it's worry you're dealing with...tell Jesus about it and let yourself relax in the knowledge that He has it under control and knows what He's doing.

If it's something else...see what God has to say about it...but don't just return to the stressful earthly way of living. God wants us to live a better life, an abundant life, full of Him, full of hope, miracles and excitement, not to be sat at home rocking back and forth worrying about things that in reality we have no control over.

Trust Him and walk in the freedom He called you to, remember that He who the son sets free is free INDEED.

God bless x

Why there is power in the name of Jesus

If you are a Christian, you have probably heard the phrase 'there is power in the name of Jesus' many times. As a non-christian, this probably makes no sense. I think I finally understood it a bit more today, and I wanted to try to explain to you why Christians say there is power in the name of Jesus.

In the old testament of the bible (the first half of the bible if you will, before Jesus coming to earth as a man), we read in Genesis (or 1 Moseböken, if you're Swedish) that God created the heavens and the earth. If you read the first chapter, you'll see that God created through His word. He spoke things into being and they happened. The power of His word brought things into being.

In the Old Testament you see many times that God spoke to people, sometimes directly, other times through prophets, or happenings, such as the burning bush.

In the New Testament, the phrase 'God said' appears only once, in a parable Jesus uses to simplify a lesson He is teaching. Aside from that, the phrase never appears, quite strange compared to the forty-five times it appears in the Old Testament.

You have to wonder why after speaking so much to people in the time before Jesus came to earth, God suddenly seems to stop communicating with them. Or does He stop?

In John 1 (New Testament) verses 1-14 we have an another, slightly brief note on creation. 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life and the life was the light of all men.'

The Word being spoken about is the powerful word that God used to create the world in the beginning. The word God used brought the earth into existence and created life simply by saying so.

The writer continues in verse 14, 'And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us...' This verse says that the powerful word God used that created life itself in the beginning, became human just as we are, and lived humanly like the rest of us.

The Word is Jesus. And when Jesus came to earth, He said all that God had been saying in the Old Testament simply by living and dying and rising again as He did.

Jesus is all God has ever said and will ever say. He is the the final word. The curtain closer if you will. So that, where in the Old Testament God spoke, as it says in Hebrews chapter 1 (New Testament) 'by the prophets' (verse 1), He has 'spoken to us by His son...through whom also He made all the worlds.' (Verse 2).

Now try to understand all of this. The power that God used to create the world was harnessed if you will, in Jesus, who was sent to the earth, being life itself, and that life being a light which was so powerful that darkness could not overcome it (John 1.5), which is why when life (=Light=Jesus) was crucified on the cross and put to death (=darkness), death couldn't overcome it.

You see the life and light that Jesus is, is so powerful that no death, no darkness, no sin, no curse, no emotion or situation of any kind, is any match for it.

When we say Jesus name, we aren't just saying a name, we're declaring power over all things. There is power in the name of Jesus because Jesus is power itself. He is the very Word by which all things came into being.

A beautiful an amazing force to be reckoned with.

For the Gospel of the Cross is of mercy, grace and forgiveness

"Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots."

- Luke 23.34

It amazes me to know that even as Jesus died, nailed to the cross and soldiers dividing up His clothes between them, mocking Him, He pleaded with His heavenly father to forgive them in their ignorance.

Would you? Think about it; if someone had taken away your clothes, whipped you and made fun of you, would you want to plead on their behalf? Would they even deserve to have you plead on their behalf?

The most obvious and natural response is no.

And yet, this is what Jesus did for us. He died once and for all [Hebrews 9.28, Romans 6.10] for the people that daily mock Him, ignore Him, call Him a fraud, torture Him.

While we were still sinners Christ died for us [Romans 5.8], so that in divine sacrifice, He would take our sin on His shoulders and the suffering that came with it [John 1.29], so that in exchange we could inherit the kingdom of God; mercy, grace and forgiveness, once and for all [Hebrews 4.16, Hebrews 10.10, Proverbs 8.35].

I've played the song below on the blog before, but really feel it laid on my heart again. The lyrics are beautiful and I have posted them below the video:

To bring this world to life

To heal this heart of mine

Your grace enough

Your grace enough

To mend this world in need

To break the chains in me

Your grace enough

Now this means love

The weight of all our sin upon His shoulders

That we should all be called Your sons and daughters

Father,

Let heaven and earth collide in the endless wonder

Of Your love upon the cross

We will follow

And offer this life forever to see Your love unfold

Adopted as Your own

Alive to make You known

Now this means love

This means love

For the lost and for the broken

For the slave and for the orphan

For everyone to realize Your love

From the famous to the faceless

From the beggar to the king

For everyone to realize Your love

You restore the broken hearted

You bring freedom to the captive

For one and all

Forever this means love

All Your children come together

All Your sons and all Your daughters

Your grace enough

Forever this means love

My Vision - "Your Kingdom come... on Earth as it is in Heaven"

Have you ever thought about what the last part of the prayer in Matthew 6 is all about?

"Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven."

-Matthew 6.10

It's about bringing heaven to Earth. It's about doing things on Earth, the way God does them in heaven. As I move abroad to start a church with others, here are some of the ways I would really love to see heaven come to Earth:

1. SELF SUFFICIENCY WITHIN THE CHURCH - Acts 4.32: "Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common"; Acts 4.34-35: "Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need."
2. LOVE DEMONSTRATED, ALWAYS - John 13.34: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another"; John 15.12: "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you"; John 15.17: "These things I command you, that you love one another."
3. GRACE OVERFLOWING - Colossians 4.6: " Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one"; Proverbs 16.24: "Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body."
4. MARRIAGE AS GOD INTENDED - Ephesians 5.25: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her"; Ephesians 5.28: "So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself"; Colossians 3.19: "Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them"; Ephesians 5.22: " Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord"; 1 Peter 3.1: "Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives"; Titus 2.4: "...admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children..."
5. MERCY AND FORGIVENESS - Matthew 6.14: "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you"; Luke 6.37: "Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven."
6. SELF-DISCIPLINE, RATHER THAN OVER-INDULGENCE - Proverbs 25.28: "Whoever has no rule over his own spirit Is like a city broken down, without walls"; 1 Peter 1.13: "So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world"; 2 Peter 1.5-6: "And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;"
7. HONESTY - Ephesians 4.25: "Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,”for we are members of one another"; Proverbs 12.17: "He who speaks truth declares righteousness, But a false witness, deceit."
8. DEDICATION AND COMMITMENT - Deuteronomy 6.6: "And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today"; Deuteronomy 11.18: "So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders."
9. LIVES TRANSFORMED - Romans 12.2: "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what isthat good and acceptable and perfect will of God"; 2 Corinthians 3.18: "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."

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Psalm 147.3

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds"

We all suffer disappointment, anger, upset, and hurt in this life. God says that we will (John 16.33), but also that He has overcome the world.

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

- Matthew 11.29-30 [The Message]

The Solution

"God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."

-2 Corinthians 5.21

Here's mathematical problem for you to solve:

God likes ONLY 100% Righteousness/Goodness, Humankind = 97% Righteousness/Goodness

If God wants to be friends with Humankind without going back on His standard, how does He do it?

God puts himself, in the body of a man, Jesus = 100% Righteousness

God takes all of humankind's unrighteousness and swaps it for Jesus' righteousness, so that now it looks like this;

Humankind through Jesus = 100% Righteousness

"...the LORD has laid on Him
the iniquity of us all."

-Isaiah 53.6

This is salvation.

God can't fellowship with anything that is not 100% good, even if it's only 3% bad. [2 Corinthians 6.14]. But God wants to be in a relationship with us. So to provide a solution to this problem, He sent Jesus who is fully good, to take all our sin, so that we could be 100% good, and He could have a relationship with us.

And because of this; because of Christ's atonement for our sins, no matter what our past before Jesus, or what sins we have committed or even have yet to commit, God extends the arm of kindness, love and graciousness to us, so that instead of perishing and facing eternal separation from Him, we have eternity with Him.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

-John 3.16

Godly Obedience - A Change In Heart

At the very beginning of Earth's history, God gave two people an instruction. These two people were Adam and Eve, and God told them one thing; not to eat from a tree in the garden of Eden. As it happens they ate from the one tree they were told not to eat from, and mankind has had to live with the consequences ever since.

If you aren't a Christian, this sequence of events seems almost inconsequential; why should it matter that these two random people ate from that one tree? Why did God tell them not to anyway? They should have been allowed to do whatever they wanted anyway shouldn't they?

Here's the issue. God said to Adam 'Don't eat from that tree or you'll die.' Adam never questioned it because He accepted that God knew what He was talking about. He trusted God and His judgement. It was only after the snake in the garden sowed seeds of doubt into Eve's minds that she began to consider that maybe God wasn't being one hundred percent honest. In other words, she stopped trusting God. She began to think she knew better. It was a change in heart that spurred her into action.

You see with God, it isn't so much what we do on the outside that is significant to Him. What He cares about is the status of our hearts. When God tells us to do something and we do it, we do it because we trust that 1)He is good, and 2)He cares about us and won't ask us to do something that will harm us. The moment we feel we can't obey God, we are ultimately telling Him we know better.

So what happened to Adam and Eve after they did the one thing God asked them not to do? They were thrown out of the garden of Eden, they were given an expiry date, and life became harder for them.

And this is why God is so concerned with the condition of our hearts. It's not whether we walk here or there that He cares about. It's why we're walking here or there. God doesn't care if a guy looks at a girl, by all means look. God cares about how the guy is looking at her. If He's looking at a girl who is not his wife lustfully, he's committing adultery in his heart (Matthew 5.28).

Obedience is an act of worship to God. Worship is all about letting God know how awesome He is, bringing glory to His name, showing the world how great He is. But if God gives us an instruction and we can't follow it because we don't trust Him enough, our words and songs are useless. Luke 6.46 says this;

'Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not do what I say?'

Godly obedience starts with the heart and ends with the action. Godly obedience acknowledges God as supreme and the standard of Goodness in the universe, and therefore obeys Him.

So when I say I won't have sex before marriage, I'm not saying it because I don't have a sex drive or think sex is boring or anything like that, I'm saying it because in my heart I have chosen to live God's way (John 14.6), and I trust that as my father who is Good and who has Good plans for my future (Jeremiah 29.11), He has a reason for telling me to wait till marriage. The most important thing about Godly obedience is not how I feel - because my feelings change daily, hourly even; the most important thing about it is that I trust God with my life and future completely and therefore will show it outwardly in behaving in obedience to Him.

The reason why Godly obedience is so hard is because it's something that has to be done daily. You don't obey God once and that's it. It isn't like your mum telling you "wash the dishes" and you doing it and it's done; it's more like you everyday having to make a decision to do things God's way, the way that might not seem the most natural to you. It's a daily sacrifice. And that's why God says that we should offer up our bodies to Him as 'living sacrifices' (Romans 12.1-2).

It's in this way that we show ourselves to really be God's people; a testimony to Him and who He is.

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."

-Romans 12.1-2

"I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life." - John 8.12

For those of you reading who don't know me too well, I'm hoping to move to Stockholm next year after graduating. I've loved the place for some time and am teaching myself how to speak the language (slowly but surely). Somebody I spoke to today mentioned that Sweden has a very high suicide rate because of the darkness, and is slightly communist, and I don't know if it was an attempt to discourage me from going or just an offhand comment, but I immediately felt God's reassurance and the gentle reminder of the Holy Spirit that light casts out darkness.

The number one reason I plan to move to Stockholm is because I feel it's God's plan for me, and the second is that I know that it is a place where a lot of people still need to know who Jesus is.

Getting home this evening, I opened my bible and ended up at this verse:

"...God is light, in Him there is no darkness at all."

-1 John 1.5

There's reassurance if I needed any!

All I Need Is You - Jesus Culture, We Cry Out

"For who is God besides the LORD?
And who is the Rock except our God?"

- Psalm 18.31

The act of pressing into God produces a dependency on Him that is vital for healthy Christian life [John 15.5]. Living life independent of God is essentially saying that we all alright on our own, doing our own thing [Isaiah 53.6]; when actually the act of wrestling with Him in our darker moments produces a blessing that we could never receive otherwise [Genesis 32.22-28].