Coming Back Home To Christ

 We are not alone. The God who stands beside us is the One who will go before us.

The story of the prodigal son is the story of a God who goes searching for me and who doesn't rest until He has found me.

Jesus told the story of the Prodigal Son to make a point: Never mind what you've done, just come home.

Mercy is a song, singing to my heart, Telling me it's okay, come just as you are, I never heard a melody, like the one they're singing over me And I just wanna sing along, 'cause mercy is a song, Freedom is a choir, swaying back and forth, Shining in the shadow of a stain-glassed Sunday morning, Shouting hallelujah, yesterday is gone, Oh, freedom is a choir and mercy is a song, Singing oh, there is a life for every soul, No matter where you've been just come on home, Let all God's children sing along, Hallelujah, chains are gone, Mercy is a song.

I've read the words in red, How You leave the 99, To find the one missing, Feels like that was written, With me on Your mind And the prodigal son who ran, leaving his home behind, The part where the father came running to meet him, Did You say that with me on Your mind? Who am I that the King of the world, Would give one single thought about my broken heart? Who am I that the God of all grace, Wipes the tears from my face and says, "Come as you are"?, You paid the price, You took the cross, You gave Your life and You did it all with me on Your mind (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh) Me on Your mind (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh) Just knowing You're mindful of me, Just knowing You call me Your child, It's flooding my soul with unspeakable hope, Thank You, Lord, that it's me on Your mind.

Father, meet me with Your arms wide open, The world's done broken Your prodigal son, Down that road I traveled, Everything raveled only came undone, Father, lead me down to the river, Wash me in the water 'til I'm whiter than snow, I know I'm not worthy, But tell me there's mercy for the wanderin' soul, I lost my way but now I'm on my knees, If it's not too late, won't You tell me please? You gotta place for me, A little grace for me, Father, meet me in the cool green valley, In all of Your glory, when my days are done, Name me as one of Your chosen, Heaven's unbroken prodigal son.

John 14 verse 6- Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

James 4 verse 8- Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Jeremiah 29 verse 13- You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Acts 17 verse 27- God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.

Matthew 11 verse 28-30: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Deuteronomy 4 verse 29-  But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Psalm 51 verse 10-12: Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Isaiah 40 verse 31- But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

In all these scriptures and everything that I've shared, for me it reminds me of how we can find our way back home to God and how even in these things just like the Prodigal Son, God would leave the 99 to bring back the one to help us in the moments that we can see clearly.

In these moments that God has given us the opprotunity to reach and to show others in the things that we do in order to grow and in order to bring us to our Father in Heaven who is waiting with open arms to say to us well done, good and faithful servant.

I've carried a burden, For too long on my own, I wasn't created, To bear it alone, I hear Your invitation, To let it all go, Yeah, I see it now, I'm laying it down And I know that I need You, I run to the Father, I fall into grace, I'm done with the hiding, No reason to wait, My heart needs a surgeon, My soul needs a friend, So I'll run to the Father, Again and again.

You saw my condition, Had a plan from the start, Your Son for redemption, The price for my heart And I don't have a context, For that kind of love, I don't understand, I can't comprehend, All I know is I need You.

Sometimes on this journey, I get lost in my mistakes, What looks to me like weakness is a canvas for Your strength And my story isn't over, my story's just begun And failure won't define me 'cause that's what my Father does, Yeah, failure won't define me 'cause that's what my Father does, Ooh, lay your burdens down, Ooh, here in the Father's house, Check your shame at the door (ooh), 'Cause it ain't welcome anymore (ooh) Ooh, you're in the Father's house, Arrival's not the end game, the journey's where You are, You never wanted perfect, You just wanted my heart And the story isn't over, if the story isn't good, A failure's never final when the Father is in the room And failure's never final when the Father is in the room, Ooh, lay your burdens down, Ooh, here in the Father's house, Check your shame at the door (ooh), 'Cause it ain't welcome anymore (ooh) Ooh, you're in the Father's house, yeah, Prodigals come home, The helpless find hope, Love is on the move, When the Father's in the room, Prison doors fling wide, The dead come to life, Love is on the move, When the Father's in the room, Miracles take place, The cynical find faith And love is breaking through, When the Father's in the room, The Jericho walls are quakin', Strongholds now are shakin', Love is breaking through, When the Father's in the room, I said love is breaking through, When the Father's in the room.

Every time I tried to make it on my own, Every time I tried to stand, I start to fall And all those lonely roads that I have travelled on, There was Jesus, When the life I built came crashing to the ground And when the friends I had were nowhere to be found, I couldn't see it then, but I can see it now, There was Jesus, In the waiting, in the searching, In the healing, and the hurting, Like a blessing buried in the broken pieces, Every minute, every moment, Where I've been, and where I'm going, Even when I didn't know it, or couldn't see it, There was Jesus, For this man who needs amazing kind of grace (oh yeah) And for forgiveness at a price I couldn't pay, No, I'm not perfect, so I thank God every day, oh yeah, There was Jesus, There was Jesus.

In these last few songs, we are reminded that there is hope and there is light, because just like a Jordan Feliz song reminds us as well. we are never too far gone.

This should be a sole reminder that we can come back to God and God will welcome us home.

The Strengthening Of God's Love

 Before I spoke a word, You were singing over me, You have been so, so good to me, Before I took a breath, You breathed Your life in me, You have been so, so kind to me, Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the ninety-nine, I couldn't earn it, and I don't deserve it, still, You give Yourself away, Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah, When I was Your foe, still Your love fought for me, You have been so, so good to me, When I felt no worth, You paid it all for me, You have been so, so kind to me, Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the ninety-nine, I couldn't earn it, and I don't deserve it, still, You give Yourself away, Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah.

I'm Amazed That You Would Give Your Life For Me, You Bore The Weight Of Shame And Suffering.

It's Incredible, Astonishing, You Would Go To That Extreme, You Chose The Cross, You Paid The Cost.

Your Love Is Outrageous, It's A Love Beyond Belief, It Never Changes But I Know It's Changing Me.

For Your Goodness And Your Mercy, I Will Praise You Endlessly. Your Love Is Outrageous For Me.

I Don't Deserve Forgiveness But Your Kind, You Heal The Brokenness I Hold Inside. It's Incredible, Astonishing, I've Been Redeemed From Death To Life. A Heart Revived, Your Love Is Outrageous It's A Love Beyond Belief, It Never Changes But I Know It's Changing Me. For Your Goodness And Your Mercy, I Will Praise You Endlessly. Your Love Is Outrageous For Me.

I chose Cory Asbury's Reckless Love and Dave Langdon's song Outrageous Love because I wanted to share these two songs before going into the scriptures because I think it's important to understand that in Romans 5 verse 8 it says: While We Were Still Sinners, Christ Died For Us. You see in these two songs, we aren't focusing on God's Word being Outrageous or Reckless, we are focusing on His Wondrous Love, The Beauty of His Radiant Love for us because when you think about the lyrics from the first song, you see that before we spoke a word, and even took a breath, we were made in the Image of Christ because if you really think about that for a second, God loves us so much that He doesn't see His Children as Outrageous or Reckless, but He sees us as Beloved and Beautiful. 

The moments we take from the second song of I'm Amazed That You Would Give Your Life For Me, you see God sent His Son to die on the Cross, so that we could have everlasting and eternal life. His Son paid the price for our sins, so that we could be forgiven and what great it is to know that His Love Is Outrageous and what I mean with that is knowing that His Love is Radiant and Extravagant that It's A Greater Love Beyond Belief because it never changes but we know it changes us for the better.

We need to let our Hearts be Revived and we we need to praise Him Endlessly because God's Love is enough for us and every step we take, we know that God is changing our lives for the better of it all.

John 3:16-17- 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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

1 John 3 verse 1- See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

John 15 verse 13-  Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Jeremiah 29 verse 11- For I Know The Plans I Have For You Declares The Lord, Plans To Prosper You And Not To Harm You But To Give You A Hope And A Future.

John 13 verse 34-35-  “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

To me these last two things remind me of why I wanted to do this study, and why I felt it was important to share about God's Love for us because no matter what with the overwhelming and ever ending reckless love and outrageous love, we can go out into this world and share about His Unfailing Love that doesn't end because He is Love and because of that, we can count on the Love of God to be forever and He'll continue to Love us forever and always because no matter we go, we should want to as a Matthew West song title says: Love On The Radio, because that's what we should want to do. We should want to go out into the world and put His Love on the radio, we should want to show Love towards one another just as Christ has and continues to do for us and we should first and foremost want to spread God's Love to those we know and love but we should always want to spread His Love to those who may not know Christ and are longing for that relationship and looking for God's Unfailing Love.

I think even in the scriptures that this study can speak to the heart of many who are looking for that purpose and plan that God has for them, but also look into the heart of God's Love where He doesn't abandon us, but He strengthens us and equips us to do a good work in Him because without God we would have nothing and with the Love of God we know we have everything because just like in Sarah Kroger's Song Belovedness, she says: Beloved Believe, He died to make your heart His Home. That line for all of us, should be an indication as to why we need God's Love surrounding us in Hope, but also why we need God to help us show the kind of love to those around us even more because God gives us the strength and the ability to overcome in the kind of Love that He has for all of us as His Child.

Above All Study

 1 Chronicles 29 verse 11- Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.

To me this verse means that no matter what God's goodness, His mercy, everything about Him is His because we are made in the Image of Him, and He is ruler of all the Earth.

Above all powers, above all kings, Above all nature and all created things, Above all wisdom and all the ways of man, You were here before the world began, Above all kingdoms, above all thrones, Above all wonders the world has ever known, Above all wealth and treasures of the earth, There's no way to measure what You're worth, Crucified, laid behind a stone, You lived to die, rejected and alone, Like a rose, trampled on the ground, You took the fall and thought of me, Above all, Above all powers, above all kings, Above all nature and all created things, Above all wisdom and all the ways of man, You were here before the world began, Above all kingdoms, above all thrones, Above all wonders the world has ever known, Above all wealth and treasures of the earth, There's no way to measure what You're worth, Crucified, laid behind a stone, You lived to die, rejected and alone, Like a rose, trampled on the ground, You took the fall and thought of me, Above all.

I love You, Lord, For Your mercy never fails me, All my days, I've been held in Your hands, From the moment that I wake up, Until I lay my head, Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God, 'Cause all my life You have been faithful And all my life You have been so, so good, With every breath that I am able, Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God, I love Your voice, You have led me through the fire, In darkest night You are close like no other, I've known You as a Father, I've known You as a Friend And I have lived in the goodness of God, yeah, 'Cause all my life You have been faithful, oh yes You have And all my life You have been so, so good, With every breath that I am able, Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God.

In this, we can see how just with remembrance of God's goodness, that Above all things His Mercy doesn't fail and His Love doesn't either because He is Love and because of that we put our Faith in Him, we put our Trust in Him and we remember that Above All, God is ruler over all just like it reminds us in the beginning scripture that I started out with tonight.

John 14 verse 6-  Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Matthew 4 verse 4-  Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’'

Hebrews 4 verse 12- For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Romans 5 verse 8- But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

In these scriptures, I'd like to think that it goes back to what the main scripture I started out with says, because I feel that while we think at times that we have it all figured out in what the plan should be, God reminds that above all in His Kingdom, in His Glory, in His Presence that He has a plan set for us.

Jeremiah 29 verse 11 is a perfect example of that because it talks about that the plans God has for us, are to prosper us and not to harm us but to give us a hope and a future.

Admire in Humility what God wants for your life.

Be the best that you can be in who God calls you to be.

Open your heart to Jesus and He will show you His plans for you in His Timing.

Victories may be small or big but be thankful in gratitude for the victories won.

Enjoy your life to the fullest and always hope for the best in what you do to succeed.

Always keep your head held high and keep striving to own your Belovedness daily.

Live your life with people that God has brought into your life for the better because it's worth it.

Let your light shine and let your heart be open to enjoying what God brings your way for a lifetime.

Let all of this be a reminder that God is in control and above all, God will never let go because He is our Redeemer and He is our Friend and He will continue to fight our battles for us and find a way for us to continue to grow in Faith and in our Relationship with Him.

Needing God In Our Lives

Have you wondered what it would be like if we couldn't go to God in our life? What that would be is a scary thing cause the truth is, we need God. In life circumstances, we are faced with many trials that show that we need God in our life. The first example is how sometimes the Enemy will try to have us turn our back on God, but God will help us to not listen to the lies of the Enemy. The truth is, we need God in our life because if we didn't, we would be in a world that would be scary, and we would be living in fear.

You don't realize Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.

If you lose Faith, you lose all.

I'd like to think that second quote is another reminder in why we need God.

The reason for that is because if we didn't have God, we wouldn't be here.

I like to think that brings me to my next point in why we need God in our lives.

We need Him because if you have ever seen the movie Unplanned, then you know what it's about. You see people making choices that can make God sad because God created us in His Image for us to live.

The movie Unplanned, even though it's not for young children, it is a movie that needs to been watched even if it is difficult to watch because it's another reason why we need God in our life, and why when going back to my original question of what would it be like if you had to wonder if we ourselves couldn't go to God, well it would be an absolute scary place and it would just be like turning away from Him and living in a life that is hard to live in, but with God we can accomplish anything in our life.

John 14 verse 6: Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 12 verse 46:  I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

Light of the world, You stepped down into darkness, Opened my eyes, let me see, Beauty that made this heart adore You, Hope of a life spent with You.

Romans 3 verse 23-26: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of His blood—to be received by Faith. He did this to demonstrate His righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— He did it to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have Faith in Jesus.

In this scripture it's another reason why we God because, yes we all have sinned and fallen short, but we are reminded in John 3:16 that says- For God So Loved The World, that He Gave His One And Only Son, That Whoever Believes In Him Shall Not Perish But Have Everlasting Life.

I think it's a prime example in the Romans Scripture and John 3:16 Scripture that show that we all have fallen short of the Glory of God, that God sent His Son to die on the Cross to forgive us of our sins, so that we could have everlasting life.

Now does this mean we would turn our back on God? No, what this means to me is that we are going to become stronger in who God says we are as His Beloved Child and that we need God more than ever.

… When I'm overwhelmed within, From the weight of all my sin, I need a friend to call my own, I need a house to call my home, When I'm broken down inside And there's nowhere else to hide, I need a place where I feel known, Can someone help me? Then I hear Your reply, Bringing teardrops to my eyes, Saying I'm not alone … Oh Lord, I need You now more than ever, Would You put my heart back together, I searched the world 'til my head hurt, Just to find out Your way's better, Oh-oh, Your way's better, Oh-oh, Your way's better, Oh, Lord, Your way's better, Jesus, Your way's better … Lord, I am so thankful for the ways that You blessed me, Everything You say making waves like a jet ski, You love every part of me, even when I was messy, Now I see the heart in Your beauty, So, I can finally sing Jehovah-Jireh provider, Your way always gets me higher, Even on my darkest days, You're a lighter, My Messiah … Oh Lord, I need You now more than ever, Would You put my heart back together, I searched the world 'til my head hurt, Just to find out Your way's better, Oh-oh, Your way's better, Oh-oh, Your way's better, Oh, Lord, Your way's better, Jesus (mmm), Lord, I need You now more than ever, Would You put my heart back together, I searched the world 'til my head hurt, Just to find out Your way's better.

If perfect was a race with a finish line, I'd be in last place every single time, Anyone who knows me, knows it's no surprise, I need Jesus (yeah), My strong's never been quite strong enough, My past ain't ever been quite gone enough, My prone to wander, yeah, it always likes to trip me up, Ay, I need Jesus, But ain't no weakness in being weak, Ain't no secret, what I need, I need mercy, I need grace, Yeah, I need a second chance every second of the day (every second of the day), I need a Savior, who calls me redeemed, There ain't nothing in this world that my heart needs, Like I need Jesus, (Na-na-na, na-na-na)(Na-na-na, na-na-na-na) I need Jesus, (Na-na-na, na-na-na), The enemy never seems to wanna let me go, Says you got what it takes to make it on your own, But I've been there, and I came back just to let you know, I need Jesus, yeah, Ain't no weakness in being weak (no), Ain't no secret, what this sinner needs, I need mercy (I need mercy), I need grace (I need grace), Yeah, I need a second chance every second of the day (every second of the day), I need a Savior (I need a Savior), Who calls me redeemed (who calls me redeemed), There ain't nothing in this world that my heart needs (that my heart needs).

In this last little bit, it sums up to what my heart needs and what all of our hearts need and that is God.

Are we going make mistakes, of course we will. Will God abandon our hearts? I know that He won't.

Are we going to be the ones that fall short from time to time? Absolutely, but God forgives us.

Does this mean we stop praying for those who do need to find God? No, it means we pray harder. Does it mean we stop talking to them? No, it means we start talking to them even better than before.

Does it mean we stop giving them words of wisdom? No, it means that we continue to do so in where God leads us to help those who are lost and desperately wanting a relationship with Christ because God is with us every step and in every step that we take that leads us back to the 99 where God finds us, shows that God will bring us back to Him and back Home to Him because He loves us deeply.

Galatians 2 verse 20:  I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

For me this last scripture is a reminder in why we need God because without God we would have nothing, but with God and with Him being in our life to guide us in the right direction, we have everything because God is who we need, not just sometimes, not just every now and then, but always.

Made For A Purpose

 When we begin to take a look at the things around us, we  begin to see how God made us in His Image.

We see that we are called for a purpose and no matter what we do, we see how God made us to be His.

I'd like to think in how we are uniquely called and wonderfully made children of God.

We serve a purpose to know that God is our Savior and He is going to be with us always.

No matter if we fall, God will always pick us back up because that is what a Love of a Father who made us is about, knowing that our Heavenly Father made us in His Image.

It's a blessing in itself to see our testimonies unfold, especially in God's Image.

I'd like to examine the tapestry of the beautiful images God sees in us.

When we think of it, we see some key points in which we know God's Truth.

• We are not a failure in God's Eyes
• We rise to the occasion of doing our best
• We don't have to believe the lies of the Enemy
• When we believe in God's Truth, we see we are perfectly imperfect and what I mean with that, is we are truly made in who God says we are and are called to be because without Him, we wouldn't be here
• If we didn't have Christ, we wouldn't have been made in His Image to where God calls us His
• Why is it that we sometimes doubt who we are called to be in His Image instead of living to the best of our ability?
• I think it's at times we are scared that if we try our best to the ability in who Christ made us to be that the Enemy could fight so much harder and show us in how we don't need to believe in ourselves but rather doubt ourselves
• You see with God, we have the ability to block out that doubt and know we are Enough in Christ
• We need to understand that God created us in who we were before being born to who we are now 

Let us look at some scriptures that talk about being made in God's Image.

Psalm 139 verse 14: I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Romans 8 verse 28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Genesis 1 verse 26-27:  Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image,  in the image of God he created them; male and female He created them.

Seven billion voices separate us, But only one can show us who we are, We are made, Made in the image of, Made in the image of God, Beautiful shades of love, We are made, Made in the image of, Made in the image of God, That's where the light comes from, We all need the same medicine, We all need another second chance, There's no first in line at the foot of the Cross, Father, forgive me, Show my concrete heart, We are made, Made in the image of, Made in the image of God, Beautiful shades of love, We are made, Made in the image of, Made in the image of God, That's where the light comes from, We fall apart, We all lose sight of Heaven But still Your love is chasing us, Give me a heart For every heart that's breaking And give me eyes to see, We're so much more than flesh and blood, We are Made in the image of, Made in the image of God, We are made, Made in the image of, Made in the image of God, Beautiful shades of Love, We are made, Made in the image of, Made in the image of God.

John 4 verse 24: God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

To me all of the scriptures, and what I've shared, remind me that we shouldn't take life for granted because as much as the Enemy will try to come after us, it's God who defends and fights for us, it's the people around us that fight for us and will help us to know that we are never alone with God because with God we see that the purpose in the image of which we were created, is so much more than we see.

What I mean in that last part, is that we don't have everything figured out in who we are called to be because we are still have our testimony which is our story, written by God who loves so much that He would do anything for His Children.

Let us remember that as we go about our week, that we know that just like the We Are Messenger Song, We are Made, Made In The Image Of God.

To end on this study, I'm going to share the official lyric video for that song by them as I hope when you listen to the full song, you have that reminder this week, that yes we are not perfect but made in His Image and because of that, we can serve well, do well, and always try our best as Christ intended for us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yV0pu60Uqs

Guided Steps In Christ

 When we take a step, we think of how are we ever going to move forward? Well, with God we can move forward in knowing that God is in control, and knowing that God gives us the courage that we need in order to grow, in order to take the opprotunity to move in a direction of hope and encouragement.

Step by Step we're moving forward, little by little we're taking ground, Every prayer a powerful weapon, Strongholds come tumbling down, and down and down.

When we see Jesus, we see Him lifted High, when we see Jesus we call Him or call on Him to help us.

The steps we take in order to grow is where we are Seeking The Son out of the rain, out of the darkness, because He is our guiding Light. He helps us to see when we can't see the steps we need to go forward.

To move forward in the things that we seek and to move forward in the things that we have a hard time with.

What I mean with that is, sometimes and even for me especially, it can be hard to let of go the past.

You may wonder, well what can I do about that? Well, one of the things we can do, is know that God is in the uttermost control in guiding us in the right path, and in the right steps to let go of our past that does not define who we are in Christ.

Who we are in Christ, is a Beloved Child that desperately seeks out His Word and Him because when we take the steps to seek Him, we are taking the steps to be on the path that God wants for our life, and we are taking the steps that God sees in the plan that He has for us as His Children because as His Child, we are wonderfully, fearfully, and beautifully made in the Image of Him and we are Saved and we need to take the step to Honor Him and to take the step of not believing in the Enemy but believe in Christ who created us, so that we may walk by Faith and not by Sight and do His Will that He wants for our lives because without Him, we would have nothing and because we have Him, we have what we need in order to grow in the steps that He wants us to take because following God's Steps is amazing.

Proverbs 3 verse 5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.

Jeremiah 29 verse 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.

Philippians 3 verse 14: I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

I will seek You in the morning, And I will learn to walk in Your ways, And Step by step You'll lead me And I will follow You all of my days.

Your love is my reward, Your love is my reward, When every day is just another struggle And every choice is an act of war, Gotta pray, gotta press on To the prize worth fighting for, When it feels like I'll never make it, When my heart's crying out for more, Gotta pray, gotta press on To the prize worth fighting for, The battle rages on, But your promise keeps me strong, I know I'll win this race, With your unfailing grace.

I thought, God, why don't You do something? Well, I just couldn't bear the thought of People living in poverty, Children sold into slavery, The thought disgusted me, So, I shook  my fist at heaven, Said, God, why don't You do something? He said, I did, I created you, Now listen, If not us, then who, If not me and you, Right now, It's time for us to do something, If not now, then when, Will we see an end, To all this pain, Oh, it's not enough to do nothing, It's time for us to do something.

Proverbs 16 verse 9: In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.

Romans 8 verse 28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

In all of this, we see that the steps we take in Christ are the ones that we need in order to move forward with Him, rather than not take any steps at all and believe what the Enemy tries to tell us by saying we are not strong, by saying we are not good enough, and how could we really walk with Christ in steps?

Well, we can walk with Christ in steps because He shows us that we are strong, that we are good in the eyes of Him and that we can move onward in our Faith because we have that Everlasting Hope of Eternal Life, and knowing that we have Eternal Life and we will one day be with Christ for Eternity, should want to make us walk step by step every day with Him, while we lean on the Everlasting Arms of Him and Trust and Obey for there is no other way, and without Him we really would have nothing.

Joshua 1 verse 9: Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

That last verse should be an indication that when we trust in the Lord, we can walk in our Faith step by step with courage and strongly because God is the one that guides our steps and He helps us fight our battles that we face and when we know and trust that He will fight our battles, then we really don't have to worry because we don't have to fear that something will go wrong, all we need to do is Trust His Timing because when we trust in His Timing, we know that greater things will be done and greater things will come because God is Faithful, God is Good, God is Loving, Compassionate, and He after all is Love.

Grace

Understanding

Inspiration

Dream

Excel

Dreams

Saved

Trust

Everlasting

Praise

Speak

Inspired

New

Compassion

Hope

Respect

Inspirational

Saving

True

An Acronym that I think sums up what this study is about and hopefully it does inspire us to not only take those guided steps in Him but to also help us take the direction of guiding others to take their first step into seeking and wanting to seek who Christ is, so that they can have a relationship with Christ. 

Truth In Who We Are In Christ

 They said that this preacher man Comes from Galilee, Did something so absurd that he deserved this penalty, How can it be? I know I've done my wrongs And doing wrong is something I do well, I know the court of law and something like this doesn't ring a bell, How can it be? How can this be? I am Barabbas, You took upon my cross, I was that prisoner, Till you bought my bond with blood, I can't run away, From what my accusers say, I am Barabbas your friend.

Lie number one you're supposed to have it all together And when they ask how you're doing, Just smile and tell them, "Never better", Lie number 2 everybody's life is perfect except yours, So keep your messes and your wounds And your secrets safe with you behind closed doors, Truth be told, The truth is rarely told, now, I say I'm fine, yeah I'm fine oh I'm fine, hey I'm fine but I'm not, I'm broken And when it's out of control I say it's under control but it's not And you know it, I don't know why it's so hard to admit it, When being honest is the only way to fix it, There's no failure, no fall, There's no sin you don't already know, So let the truth be told, There's a sign on the door, says, "Come as you are" but I doubt it

'Cause if we lived like it was true, every Sunday morning pew would be crowded, But didn't you say the church should look more like a hospital, A safe place for the sick, the sinner and the scarred and the prodigals, Like me, Well truth be told, The truth is rarely told, Oh am I the only one who says, I'm fine, yeah I'm fine oh I'm fine, hey I'm fine but I'm not, I'm broken And when it's out of control I say it's under control but it's not And you know it, I don't know why it's so hard to admit it, When being honest is the only way to fix it, There's no failure, no fall, There's no sin you don't already know, So let the truth be told, Can I really stand here unashamed, Knowin' that you love for me won't change?, Oh God if that's really true, Then let the truth be told.

Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth would care to know my name? Would care to feel my hurt?

Who am I, that the bright and morning star would choose to light the way, For my ever wandering heart? Not because of who I am But because of what you've done Not because of what I've done, But because of who you are, I am a flower quickly fading, Here today and gone tomorrow, A wave tossed in the ocean (ocean), A vapor in the wind, Still you hear me when I'm calling, Lord, you catch me when I'm falling And you've told me who I am, I am yours, I am yours, Who am I, that the eyes that see my sin would look on me with love, And watch me rise again, Who am I, that the voice that calmed the sea would call out through the rain And calm the storm in me? Not because of who I am But because of what you've done Not because of what I've done, But because of who you are, I am a flower quickly fading, Here today and gone tomorrow, A wave tossed in the ocean (ocean), A vapor in the wind, Still you hear me when I'm calling, Lord, you catch me when I'm falling And you've told me who I am (I am), I am yours, Not because of who I am But because of what you've done Not because of what I've done, But because of who you are.

… Scared, oh, I thought I knew scared, But I'm so filled with fear, I can barely move … Doubt, I've had my share of doubt, But never more than right now, I'm wondering, where are You? … Here on the edge of fall apart, Somehow Your promises Find my troubled heart … This is the truth I'm standing on, Even when all my strength is gone, You are faithful forever And I know You'll never Let me fall … Right now, I'm choosing to believe, Someday soon, I'll look back and see, All the pain had a purpose, Your plan was perfect all along, This is the truth I'm standing on … Good, I believe You're still good, Even when life's not good I will not lose this hope … That the God who parts the sea, Promises He's gonna Make a way for me … Oh, this is the truth I'm standing on, Even when all my strength is gone, You are faithful forever And I know You'll never Let me fall … Right now, I'm choosing to believe, Someday soon, I'll look back and see, All the pain had a purpose, Your plan was perfect all along, This is the truth I'm standing on.

Oh what I would do to have The kind of faith it takes To climb out of this boat I'm in, Onto the crashing waves To step out of my comfort zone, Into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is And He's holding out His hand, But the waves are calling out my name, And they laugh at me, Reminding me of all the timesI've tried before and failed, The waves they keep on telling me Time and time again. "Boy, you'll never win!" "You'll never win!" But the Voice of Truth tells me a different story, The Voice of Truth says, "Do not be afraid!" And the Voice of Truth says, "This is for My glory", Out of all the voices calling out to me, I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth, Oh what I would do to have The kind of strength it takes To stand before a giant With just a sling and a stone, Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors, Shaking in their armor, Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand, But the giant's calling out my name And he laughs at me, Reminding me of all the times, I've tried before and failed, The giant keeps on telling me Time and time again. "Boy you'll never win!" "You'll never win!" But the Voice of Truth tells me a different story, The Voice of Truth says, "Do not be afraid!" And the Voice of Truth says, "This is for My glory", Out of all the voices calling out to me, I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth.

John 14 verse 6-  Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

1 Corinthians 13 verse 4-6:  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

John 17 verse 17: Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

2 Timothy 3 verse 16-17:  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Psalm 51 verse 6: Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

3 John verse 4: I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Hebrews 11 verse 1: Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 

John 8 verse 36: So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

In all these scriptures and these songs we see that God's Word is indeed Truth. We see that He is The Way, The Truth, and The Life because without Him, we wouldn't be here.

In these moments of figuring things out before tonight I was reading a devotional and the devotional got me thinking, why not do a study of my own on Truth.

The Truth of the heart that matters which is what God reveals and shows us in His Timing.

God does not give us a spirit of fear but of a sound mind.

We need to take that last part and remember that God is fighting for us, He fights for us in Love and also in Truth because no matter where we are, we know that God is Faithful and that He is our true friend.

We know no matter what happens in life that God will give us what we need and help us live to be the best versions of ourselves that we can be.

I think we need to remember that even in the bad times where the Enemy wants to tell us lies, that as long as we have God and believe in Him and believe in the moments that He wants for us, then we will know that as His Children, we can do anything that we set goals to achieve and we don't have to be afraid.

This study of mine on truth, is and was inspired by the newest devotional by Sarah Kroger.

… Who am I that the highest King, Would welcome me?, I was lost but He brought me in, Oh, His love for me, Oh, His love for me, … Who the Son sets free, Oh, is free indeed, I'm a child of God, Yes, I am … Free at last, He has ransomed me, His grace runs deep, While I was a slave to sin, Jesus died for me, Yes, He died for me … Who the Son sets free, Oh, is free indeed, I'm a child of God, Yes, I am, In my Father's house, There's a place for me, I'm a child of God, Yes, I am.

Though He spoke like a prophet, like no One they'd heard This simple young carpenter, Crowds Hung on every word He hated injustice, He Taught what is right He said I'm the way and the truth and the light, His friends soon believed that truly He Was the one The Savior, Messiah, God's one and only Son But others They doubted, they did not agree, So they took Him They tried Him He died on a tree, He died on a tree, God has made a way For All who mourn and grieve, Death will never be the end If you just believe, There is nothing left to fear Nothing Heaven knows For He died for Us to give us life And to Give us hope He rose.

You are completely loved and fully known, Beloved, believe He died to make your heart His home And He says, "You're mine, I smiled when I made you, I find you beautiful in every way, My love for you is fierce and unending, I'll come to find you, whatever it takes", He says, "You're mine, I smiled when I made you, I find you beautiful in every way, My love for you is fierce and unending, I'll come to find you, whatever it takes, My beloved", It's time to own your belovedness.

I wanted to end on all of this because I think it's so important that we remember as we walk in the Light, in Truth and in Humility, we are walking in these things in knowing that God still has a plan for our life.

We are walking in these things in knowing that God will always be truth, be the light, and show us Grace, Love, and Mercy because God is the truest of friends that we can have on this Earth.

I hope that we can remember the goodness of who God is and keep doing our best to walk in Truth.