All posts by Sarah Jane Kellogg

Dedicated to helping believers discover their own Holy House Guest, who lives within all of God's children.
Vision

Goals ~ Do They Matter?

5 Comments

“If you want to succeed,” our teachers, coaches, and mentors tell us, “setting goals is essential.” We are taught to define our goals in some sort of mission statement, write them on brightly-colored post-it notes, and stick them on the refrigerator door, the bathroom mirror, or anywhere we can read them often. It is believed this repetitious programming of our minds actually works.

 

I can mostly relate to that scenario in the area of dieting. God only knows how many times I’ve set a goal for weight loss, either with an organized group of dieters or by myself. I learned early on not to set my goal too aggressively, because experience had taught me that I probably wouldn’t make it.

 

Throughout my life I have been a goal-setter, and I have both successes and failures. But whether our goals are major life-changing measures or simply something to amuse us—like New Year’s resolutions—how seriously we take them determines our chances for success. If we take a casual approach to them, failure is inevitable. I believe that in today’s culture, we increasingly embrace an “It’s OK to fail” policy, and toss our goals out the window.

 

One place where it is definitely not OK to fail or take a casual approach is in our relationship with God. There we should have clear goals, take them seriously, and recognize that failure will have consequences. Does it seem to anyone else that we’ve lost all sense of consequences for our choices or actions? I’m not talking about criminal actions; however, it is not uncommon these days to see people getting by with murder and walking away scot-free. What I am talking about is a trend in our Christian beliefs that God loves us so much that it doesn’t matter what we do. Thus, we take casually our actions and sometimes even our commitments to God, and then assume that He does too. We assume wrong. (See Deuteronomy 23:21; Ecclesiastes 5:5.)

 

So what are the right goals for Christians? Should we view them with a “hit or miss” approach to success? Does God care what our goals are? Does He want us to succeed? Will we be better Christians if we have the right ones? Those are all questions we will tackle in the coming weeks. But first I want to share with you the goal of one of the most admired Christian authors/teachers of modern times—Oswald Chambers.

 

            My goal is God Himself, not joy nor peace,

            Not even blessing, but Himself, my God.

 

I have been a reader of Oswald Chamber’s best-selling devotional, My Utmost for His Highest, for 10+ years. I read it every day, realizing that much of it goes poof—straight over my head. But because his writings speak to my thirst for God, I’ve stuck with it. Anyone familiar with his works recognizes that he was a rare saint who had an exceptional walk with God. Next, we will breakdown his goal statement and compare it to the goal of the Apostle Paul and also to our goals as 21st century Christians.

 

Goals matter. Having the right goals will make a difference in how we approach God and our ability to discover His vast treasures for our lives. God wants us to succeed at the right things. It helps when we know what they are!  ~Janie Kellogg

Vision

Ask Gabby Douglas

Leave a comment

Not long ago I wrote this statement in my journal: What did the Apostle Paul know that I don’t? That was three months and the 2012 Olympics ago. Today I think I know the answer. The Apostle Paul clearly knew the goal of Christianity, as well as his own personal goal. They were the same for Paul, and that fact alone is part of our problem with goals—we have too many!

 

If we were to ask Gabby Douglas what goal brought her to victory in the 2012 Olympics, what do you think would be her answer? Would she tell us that she didn’t have a goal? Not likely. Would she say that her goal was to visit London? I doubt it, since anyone can buy an airline ticket to get there. Could it be that her goal was to be a celebrity? I don’t think so, because doing even senseless things can elevate a person to celebrity status. Was her goal to be on Television? Probably not. We can see people who commit heinous crimes on TV every night of the week. I doubt she would even say that her goal was to possess a gold medal—as you can likely buy a replica. While I don’t know for sure, I suspect that Gabby would say her goal was to be the best gymnast in the world! All the other things are mere by-products of reaching that goal. I dare say that had she been focused on any one of those other things, she would not have won the gold medal. I think Gabby clearly knew her goal, whatever it was, and she never strayed from it, drifted off on some lesser vision, or yielded to thoughts that it was too difficult. That is how I believe Gabby won the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics.

 

I also believe that most modern-day Christians, including me, do not have a clear idea of the true goal of Christianity. And not only do we not have a clear idea of the goal we are supposed to be striving for, I believe we have had our eyes on the wrong goal altogether. When the prosperity—live-the-good-life-now—message hit the airwaves several decades ago and Christians bought into it, we made a huge mistake. We settled on the wrong goal, and we’ve been paying the price ever since. We have actually attained some of these wrong goals. For instance, we look prosperous, alive, and busy, but we don’t look like Jesus. Why? We have the wrong goal. It seems that God has blessed us abundantly and we appear to be spiritual, but our lives are void of God’s power. Why? We have the wrong goal. We can quote scriptures about God’s promises to us, but our words don’t match the reality of our lives. Why? We have the wrong goal. There are convincing arguments for these statements in the book of Revelation Chapters 2 and 3, Christ’s letters to the churches. I challenge you to read them.

 

If we are genuinely thirsty for the times of refreshing that come from the Lord, we must find the right fountain to drink from. Drinking from other sources simply will not quench our thirst. My feeling is that the church has been drinking from the wrong fountains for a long time, yet we are starving for the living water that Jesus spoke about. Finding that fountain of living water has everything to do with having the right goal.

 

Can we learn something from Gabby Douglas? I think we can. I believe it will benefit us to take a clear look at the superficial goals of the church today and then define what the right goal is for the church and for us personally. Until we have the right goal, the goal of the Apostle Paul, how can we possibly “go for the gold?” We can’t. Anyone thirsty? Stay tuned! ~Janie Kellogg

Encouragement

Some Refreshing Please!

3 Comments

I recently heard someone say they are tired of politics as usual. My first thought was: Who isn’t? At this point, I’m wondering if I can simply endure until the November election is over. Are we not all tired of the blame game, the partisan hullabaloo, the despicable name calling, and the smear and slam strategy? And where has it gotten us? We are a nation more divided than ever before, and at a time when we most need to stand arm-in-arm against the enemies of our freedoms, our values, and our heritage.

 

But then I am also bold enough to say that I’m tired of Christianity as usual. Do we not have some of the same blame-game characteristics in our ranks? How about the denominational hullabaloo or the despicable name calling among Christians, not to mention the smear and slam strategies used against our own church members? Is it possible that the Church of Jesus Christ is more divided today than ever before? And is it not at a most critical time in which we should be standing arm-in-arm against the enemies of our religious freedoms, values, and heritage?

 

I am personally ready for some refreshing from the Lord! I’m ready to be part of the Lord’s army fighting to win the battle against the devil and not against my fellow Christian soldiers. Let’s take a look at a refreshing promise found in Acts 3:19 ~ “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” (NAS)

 

When I first read this, I didn’t think it was the verse I was looking for. I searched for others, but the Holy Spirit brought me back to it encouraging me to take a closer look. Finally, I saw it. Read it again. There is a prerequisite to getting the times of refreshing from the Lord—repent and return.

 

Does Christianity ever feel like a set of rules to follow or some formulas that only work part of the time? Ever get thirsty for something fresh from God? Do we not long for a cool drink of spiritual water for our dehydrated souls? If so, we have a clear directive: repent of our sins and turn away from them. But you say, “That is a hard word.” Maybe not. It could be a loving and encouraging word. Think about it—what if you are lost in a desert without water and growing weaker by the minute? Suddenly you see a sign pointing in a clear direction that reads: “Water well ahead.” Would that not be a loving and encouraging word? Certainly! So it is with God’s Word pointing us to His refreshing.

 

Tired of politics as usual? There’s not much we can do about that except to pray for godly leaders and vote accordingly. Tired of Christianity as usual? There is something we can do about that: repent and return! Repent of how we’ve judged others. Repent of things that cause disunity in the church. Repent of our acceptance of sin in our culture. Repent of our slackness in worship and reverence of God’s house and His Word. Repent of following after other gods. Then turn to God, draw close to Him, get into His presence, ask for cleansing, and pray until you feel His love and forgiveness flood your soul. Let Him refresh you with the life-giving Spirit, and don’t stop short of the rivers of living water that flow out of your innermost being  (John 7:38).

 

God’s presence is the only place to get the refreshment we so desperately need—the refreshing our hearts cry out for. He has clearly told us how to get it, and now the rest is up to us. Why, I already feel a cool splashing of spiritual water on my dry and thirsty soul! ~Janie

Reflections

Where Did the Summer Go?

2 Comments

Where in the world did the summer go? You are probably saying, “My thoughts exactly!” WOW, it skimmed by me so quickly that it nearly left my head swimming. Well, it’s either that or my age that makes me a little light-headed these days. Now let’s see, there was Vacation Bible School, Youth Camp, Kids Camp, Family Reunion, and by now you’re thinking my list sounds a lot like yours. I have news for those of you who haven’t quite reached my age. In just a few years, you are going to look back over your entire life (like you now look back over the summer) and ask “Where in the world did my life go?”

 

I love the credit card commercial on TV that says: Life comes at you fast. Boy does it ever! Yet, memories were made, accomplishments celebrated, friends and family cherished, and I wouldn’t take nothing for any of it. Would you? Life is to be lived and that is what we did.

 

However, I must admit my writer’s blog has been rather stagnant. One precious friend called to ask if I was still writing. She thought perhaps she had been dropped from my distribution list because it had been so long since she’d seen anything from me. The truth is that time simply was not available for such luxuries. Now don’t get me wrong. I have been writing, and writing a lot, but not perfecting anything well enough to publish on the world-wide-web!

 

It has been a summer of learning and growing in my relationship with my Savior, and I trust it has been for you, too. Time is too precious and certainly too short not to be growing closer to Him. My hope is that none of us left Him at home while we were having our fun, nor ignored His gentle calls to speak with us in the quiet moments. If any of us did, now is the time to renew our relationship with our Lord. Any time we come to Him, as He always bids us to do, we only have to turn towards Him, admit our failures, and ask for His forgiveness. He is always faithful to forgive us (I John 1:9), and the next thing you know, we are back into that wonderful life-giving relationship right where we left off. Oh how He wants us to turn to Him and let Him renew, restore, and refresh us. The truth is, He has missed you too.

 

I have written much throughout the summer that I will be sharing with you in the coming weeks. As usual, it concerns that secret meeting place with our God that I am learning—ever-learning to access and enjoy. It all hinges on a powerful word called “surrender.” I can’t wait to share it with you. My heart is heavy for the bill of goods that God’s people have been sold. Actually, you could say that the church has been scammed by many of the religious teachers of today. But God always has a plan. God always has a people, a remnant that hasn’t bowed down and worshiped the gods of this world.

 

So stay tuned for more. I am ready for the times of refreshing that come from the Lord. How about you?  ~Janie

 

“Repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19 

 

Reflections

Reflections ~ The Race Called Motherhood

Leave a comment

We just celebrated Mother’s Day, and I like to think that we genuinely celebrated Mothers—young and old alike. During a beautiful day spent with my children and grandchildren, I had some time to reflect on this incredible journey of motherhood that I’ve been on for over 40 years. In some strange way, it feels like I’ve been running a race—with all the components that a race entails.

 

The young woman who thinks motherhood ends after nine months of pregnancy and a traumatic trip to the hospital is in for a big surprise. That is only the beginning. Actually, it could be considered the starting gate for the horse race of her life.  It is a race that lasts for many years, and around each turn lays yet another stretch of track with totally new challenges. And I think she probably won’t cross the finish line until she says her final good-byes to her offspring here on earth.

 

This is a race in which she will not compete against other runners—she simply strives to run the best race she can. There will be many winners standing in the winner’s circle, holding the winner’s trophy, and wearing the winner’s wreathe. Like all races, this one also requires strength and endurance, the desire to win, and the willingness to pay the price for preparation and readiness. She needs to know in advance that the condition of her heart is highly important, as a weak heart will never do. Only a strong heart can endure the stress, the work, the sweat and the tears that motherhood demands.

 

The prize in this race of motherhood is neither money nor fame, but it is more akin to a deep sense of accomplishment—although the benefits and the glory will go to someone else.  A successful race may even go unnoticed by many; her hard work passed off as expected, or simply, as her duty. But she will know when she has run a good race. No one will have to tell her anything. It’s a calling fulfilled and an assignment completed. And when at last she reaches the end of her race, the next step will be to hear her Lord say those most desired words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” ~Janie Kellogg

Poetry

Mothers

1 Comment

In the beginning God made the world, and said that it was good.

All things worked in perfect order, just as He knew it would.

To be sure His creation was complete, God looked all around.

But in all that He had made for man, a helper was not found.

 

 

God decides to make a helpmate, who’ll be the Mother of mankind.

He’ll create her with rare qualities, like jewels hard to find.

Loving-kindness will crown this woman, which so carefully He will make.

He knows that He must make her strong, for the times her heart will break.

 

 

This woman will wear many different hats; be everything to everyone.

She’ll tenderly care for her family, from the time her day’s begun.

Her role will be an unselfish one, as she gives herself to others.

But then that is what God expects, of those He will call Mothers.

 

 

Bearing children will be her greatest task—carry a body inside her own.

Yet God will give her sacrificial love, which comes from Him alone.

She will rock a crying child to sleep, and dry each tiny tear.

She’ll know how to comfort a little one, whose heart is filled with fear.

 

 

Her gentle kiss will soothe the hurts, and help to make them well.

She’ll bake them homemade cookies, and bedtime stories tell.

At night she’ll tuck each child in bed, and teach them how to pray.

And tell them of God’s perfect love, so they will never stray.

 

 

The family chauffeur she will become; between siblings, a referee.

She’ll be asked to help with homework, when she is too tired to see.

With nightlight on she’ll be waiting up, as her teenagers start to date.

And prayer will become her closest friend, when they stay out too late.

 

 

She will help her children to succeed, as she gives to them her best.

With pride she’ll stand to cheer them on, as each one leaves the nest.

They’ll grow up and call her blessed, and this will be rightly so.

She’ll have given them great values; taught them most all they know.

 

 

This special creation that God did make, has blessed the entire earth.

For nothing else that He created, compares to a Mother’s worth.

Her qualities are unsurpassed—her patience, her love, her smile.

So in His vast eternal wisdom, God gives a Mother to every child.  ~Janie Kellogg

Faith

Who Said Whitney Houston Couldn’t Sing?

2 Comments

I was recently shocked and saddened by the death of Whitney Houston, perhaps the greatest female vocalist of our time. I was even more shocked to learn that for much of Whitney’s career she struggled with thoughts of inadequacy, such as “I can’t sing good enough,” or “I’m not pretty enough.” Someone tell me how that happened.

 

As a singer and choir director who barely makes the grade—that would be me—I can’t even go there. Those thoughts are absurd. Whitney Houston had a voice to die for! You know what I mean. It’s the same thing those of us who are cheesecake lovers say about cheesecake—cheesecake is to die for! We say that about something we really desire. I can’t help but wonder how many young girls around the world would give their two front teeth to sing just half as good as Whitney Houston, me included.

 

A Whitney-Houston-kind-of-voice will come along perhaps only once or twice in our lifetime. Her perfect pitch, sharpness of tone, incredible range, and the soothing melodious sounds that came from her voice were unmatched. It was angelic in many ways—perhaps the greatest vocal gift God ever bestowed on a human being. And it was truly that—a gift from God.

 

Why then did Whitney think she couldn’t sing good enough? Good enough for what? When you are the best, who is there to compare yourself to? Would you like to know who told her she couldn’t sing? There is simply one answer to my question:  a gross lie of that magnitude could only have come from the father of lies—Satan himself. Yet, it seems impossible that someone as talented and beautiful as Whitney Houston could have doubted her amazing gifts. If we do not yet grasp the power of Satan’s lies, we need only to look at the tragedy of Whitney Houston’s life.

 

Remember that we are in a war—a war of words. God speaks words of love and life to His created sons and daughters, and Satan comes along and announces that God is not believable. As it was with Eve, the resulting outcome of our lives depends on who we choose to believe: God or Satan. When we choose to believe God, we can have the abundant life Jesus promised to believers. When we choose to believe Satan, our lives can be difficult, troubled, and eventually taken from us. The Bible says that Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). His tactic to take us down always begins with a lie.

 

Please don’t miss my point:  It is critical that we know which voice to believe, because that is the voice we will act on. The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 1:12, “I know whom I have believed.”  Do you know who you believe? As our beliefs and values are currently being shaken to the core, it is essential that our lives are built on a solid foundation—a foundation of truth. A life built on sinking sand has only one destiny—destruction. Whether we realize it or not, every life is built either on truth or on a lie. There is no neutral ground. If you do not know God’s voice today, you have a great deal of homework to do. The day of testing is upon us, and we must clearly know WHO to believe.  ~Janie Kellogg

 

Note: If you have questions or desire help in knowing God’s voice, please feel free to contact me through the comment feature on my website. Your comments can remain confidential.

Faith

There’s a War Going On

3 Comments

In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a war going on:  a war in the world, in our nation, in our communities, schools, churches, marriages and families. Like all wars, it is the good guys against the bad guys. Of course, I am certain that I’m always on the side of the good guys. But whether you know it or not, there is an even bigger war going on—a war in the heavenlies—and you guessed it, it is the good guys verses the bad guys once again.

 

In reality, the war in the heavenlies is the main war, and our scuffles here on earth are merely side-wars of the bigger war. It all began before the earth was ever created—Satan had a jealousy problem and started a rebellion against God. But being mightier than Satan, God threw him out of heaven, along with a third of the angel-army Satan coerced to go with him. The war between good and evil has been on ever since.

 

Because Satan is no match for God in wisdom, power, authority, beauty, and character, he uses one single strategy to fight this war. Know what it is? It is lies, lies, and more lies. You might recognize this tactic in the political debate of the day—one party accuses the other of doing what they themselves are doing. Let me explain how that works. If Satan doesn’t tell the truth, he accuses God of lying to you. Because Satan doesn’t keep his word, he accuses God of being unfaithful to His Word. Since Satan is a thief, he accuses God of taking things away from you. When Satan doesn’t have power, he accuses God of not being powerful enough to solve your problems. If Satan doesn’t care about you (and trust me, he doesn’t), he accuses God of being indifferent and not caring about you either. Sound familiar? The first deceptive lie was sold to Eve in the Garden of Eden, and this war of words continues today.

 

Because Satan can never match God’s magnificence, he attempts to discredit God by tempting people to disbelieve God’s character—who God says He is and what He says He will do. God speaks to people in many ways—His written Word, the Holy Spirit, creation, and through other believers—and immediately Satan begins his subtle attacks of calling God a liar. Think about it. What did Abraham, known as the friend of God, do that pleased God? He believed what God said! Abraham believed God so much that he packed up his family and followed Him, not even knowing where he was going. (Hebrews 11:8) Do you want to please God? Do you want to be God’s friend? It all starts with believing Him and not the lies of His enemy. (Hebrews 11:6)

 

You might be wondering what we are going to do about this colossal war that is going on in the world. Things appear to be headed south, and one might think the world is going to implode any day. First of all, we aren’t going to do anything about that war. Here is an insight that might help you come to grips with the world situation and the outcome of this greater war. It is going to come down exactly the way God said it is going to come down, as told in the book of Revelations. There’s nothing we can do to change or impact that war—God doesn’t even need our help. He is very capable of fighting His own battles, and He is going to come out on top! God will win the war! In the end He will put all of His enemies under the feet of His Son, Jesus! (I Corinthians 15:24-25; Psalm 110:1) Satan’s days are numbered! If you don’t believe me, read the Book!

 

Rather than worrying about a war we can do nothing about, we can be engaged in a war much closer to home—the one inside you and me. That is the war we can do something about and the war we will talk about next. You don’t want to miss my next post: “Who said Whitney Houston couldn’t sing?”  ~Janie Kellogg

Encouragement

Have Your Own Personal Resurrection!

Leave a comment

Easter has now come and gone, and just like every year it was celebrated with real-life church dramas, magnificent music, and the fanfare of colored eggs and white bunnies. Some brave soul asked the question, “Why do the bunnies and the chickens get all the attention?” Good question. But also like all the other years, we Christians who celebrated the glorious resurrection of our Savior will calm down and settle back into our usual state of “this-is-just-the-way-life-is” routine.

 

But what if we had our own personal resurrection—a resurrection from the dead, mundane, ordinary life we are living, and begin to walk in the newness of life that Jesus provides for all believers? (Romans 6:4) Easter can be a time of decision for those of us who are tired of being beat up by the enemy of our souls, or are sick of yielding to our besetting sins, or have come to the sad conclusion that God doesn’t answer prayer or heal sick bodies any more. Then there are those who live in fear that somehow this failed economy means certain ruin, or believe the news reports that America is no longer a Christian nation and that a majority of Americans do not believe in God. Nonsense! I was reminded the other day that in the 1970’s Newsweek announced on their front cover that “God is dead.” It wasn’t true in 1970 and it’s not true in 2012!

 

We are in the Easter season, the springtime of new life when trees, grass, and plants of very sort come out of their dormant state to grow and bloom again. Christ’s triumphant victory over death, hell, and the grave is just that—a picture of new life, ready to grow and bloom in the lives of believers. If Jesus Christ came up and out of the grave of death and defeat, then so can we! How did He do it? He submitted to the will of God the Father—even though it included death on the cross—because He knew that His Father wouldn’t leave Him in the grave (Psalm 16:10; 49:15). He believed in the power of God to bring Him back to life. Do we believe God is going to leave us in a dead and defeated state, beaten down by our enemy or do we believe God has the power to bring us back to life and out of our graves of despair, disappointment, fear, or hopelessness?

 

My Bible still says that Jesus wins this war! My Bible still says that Christ died for me so I can LIVE! My Bible still says that it ain’t over this it’s over, and friend, it ain’t over yet! You and I can still have a personal resurrection this Easter season—it’s not too late! By faith in a faithful and all-powerful God, we can wake up and arise from a state of deadness. We can believe and know that God is still on the throne and in control of this world and everything that happens in it. We can make Jesus the Lord of our lives, and when we do, He becomes Lord of everything that affects us. Satan has no more power to keep us down and depressed than he had to keep Jesus in that grave, or bound by grave clothes, or stuck behind a huge boulder over the entrance of the tomb. Got any boulders standing in the way of your freedom?

 

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to come up and out of my stupor. I’m ready to believe God and look up in faith knowing assuredly that HE’S ALIVE! HE LIVES! OUR GOD REIGNS! Instead of cowering down in fear, let us as God’s strong and mighty army of believers raise our banners high and ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS’ NAME! If we don’t have a message of hope for the world, who does? We have been quiet, polite, and politically correct far too long. Like our ancestors from the first-century church, we face the challenge of sharing the Resurrected Christ with the world. Let’s start with our own personal resurrection! ~Janie Kellogg

Encouragement

Get Up and Out of That Stupor

3 Comments

It just dawned on me that I have been in a stupor. Know what that means? A stupor is a state in which the mind and senses are partially or completely dulled—a state of apathy. Sounds serious, doesn’t it? Well it is. It is the condition I find myself in over the state of our nation and the perplexing problems that have our political leaders baffled. There’s our failing economy, our growing debt, our stressed relationships around the world, the turmoil within our own borders, not to mention the price of gasoline. Since it’s too depressing to think about, I find myself wanting to bury my head in the sand.

 

Even closer to home is the fact that I have also been lulled into a stupor by sin’s consequences on my spiritual well-being. For years my besetting sins have lured me into thinking I will never conquer them. I have become lazy in my worship and seeking the face of God. Busy-work compels me to get-er-done rather than spending time in prayer. Complacency has hypnotized me into believing I will never be what God wants me to be. I have failed so many times, and now I feel that I am too old to be of any use to God whatsoever. All opportunities have slipped through my hands. Besides, I will never be able to stay in close relationship with God, so why try. I have lost so many battles that I nearly concede that I have lost the war.

 

But wait a minute! Is this not the Easter season? Is this not what Christ’s resurrection is all about—raising people from the dead? Those who are dead in trespasses and sin? Those who have given in and given up on ever being free from Satan’s cruel grasp upon their lives? Those whose hope has taken a leave of absence?

 

The message of Easter is one of hope because Jesus overcame death, hell, and the grave! All of us were once dead in our sins, dwelling in a living hell, and bound by grave clothes. Satan wants to keep us there as long as he can, and if we ever get free, he will work diligently to bring us back to that same place. Those of us who find ourselves in bondage to Satan’s tricks and lies over and over must take the first step to rise up out of our stupor and move toward the Living Savior. We must refuse to live a defeated life. Just as we took that very first step to accept Christ as Savior-Redeemer, we must take many more steps toward Him as our Rescuer-Restorer. It is an on-going lifetime process of being rescued from Satan’s attempts to pull us back into his grasp. Jesus has plainly said that no one can snatch us out of His Father’s hand! (John 10:29)

 

You and I are worth something to God! After all, He paid a very high price for us. He is waiting for you and me to cry out to Him. It’s time to hear the Savior calling us to get up and out of that stupor. He has given us power over all the forces of the enemy, but if we do not claim that power it will do us no good. How do we claim that power? We have to turn on the engine of our faith through time with God—prayer, praise, worship and intimate fellowship with Him. It matters not how much horsepower is under the hood of our car unless we start the engine!

 

God’s divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). The only thing we can agree with Satan on is that we are nothing, worthless, and of no use to God, except for the fact that we have been resurrected to a new life in Christ Jesus. It is no longer you and I that live, but Christ who lives in us! Remember, this Resurrected Christ who now lives in us didn’t lose the battle or the war. Next time, we will talk about having our own personal resurrection. It’s not too late! ~Janie Kellogg