I do!

Oh dear believer, oh child of God- 
yes, YOU- who have said, 
"Yes, Jesus- I believe in You!"
- with your heart, your mind, your will, your emotions- said, 
"Yes!  I receive Your forgiveness of my sin through the shedding of Your precious, holy Blood!" 
you, devoted child who says to your King, 
"I receive Your life You give me through Your resurrection to a new life!" 

You, beloved saint- holy, righteous and blameless before and because of The Redeemer,
you can truly say, 
"I am Yours and You are mine!"

And you, Christ-filled one can hear and know, 
"You are Mine and I am yours!"

Never lose the wonder!

Allison

ROCK OF AGES

1 Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee;
let the water and the blood,
from thy wounded side which flowed,
be of sin the double cure;
save from wrath and make me pure. 

2 Not the labors of my hands
can fulfill thy law's demands;
could my zeal no respite know,
could my tears forever flow,
all for sin could not atone;
thou must save, and thou alone. 

3 Nothing in my hand I bring,
simply to the cross I cling;
naked, come to thee for dress;
helpless, look to thee for grace;
foul, I to the fountain fly;
wash me, Savior, or I die. 

4 While I draw this fleeting breath,
when mine eyes shall close in death,
when I soar to worlds unknown,
see thee on thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee. 

http://www.hymnary.org/text/rock_of_ages_cleft_for_me_let_me_hide

Johnie

IN THE GARDEN

1. I come to the garden alone,
   While the dew is still on the roses,
   And the voice I hear falling on my ear
   The Son of God discloses.
   • Refrain:
     And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
     And He tells me I am His own;
     And the joy we share as we tarry there,
     None other has ever known.
2. He speaks, and the sound of His voice
   Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
   And the melody that He gave to me
   Within my heart is ringing.
3. I’d stay in the garden with Him,
   Though the night around me be falling,
   But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
   His voice to me is calling.

http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/I_Have_Decided_to_Follow_Jesus/

Ben

I HAVE DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS

1. I have decided to follow Jesus;
   I have decided to follow Jesus;
   I have decided to follow Jesus;
   No turning back, no turning back.
2. Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
   Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
   Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
   No turning back, no turning back.
3. The world behind me, the cross before me;
   The world behind me, the cross before me;
   The world behind me, the cross before me;
   No turning back, no turning back.
4. Though none go with me, still I will follow;
   Though none go with me, still I will follow;
   Though none go with me, still I will follow;
   No turning back, no turning back.
5. Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
   Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
   Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
   No turning back, no turning back.

http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/I_Have_Decided_to_Follow_Jesus/

Cody

1. TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS
2. 
   
3. O soul, are you weary and troubled?
   No light in the darkness you see?
   There’s light for a look at the Savior,
   And life more abundant and free!
   • Refrain:
     Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
     Look full in His wonderful face,
     And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
     In the light of His glory and grace.
4. Through death into life everlasting
   He passed, and we follow Him there;
   O’er us sin no more hath dominion—
   For more than conqu’rors we are!
5. His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
   Believe Him, and all will be well:
   Then go to a world that is dying,
   His perfect salvation to tell!
6. http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Turn_Your_Eyes_upon_Jesus/
7. 
   

I Shall Seek

When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You,

“Your face, O Lord, I shall seek.”

 Psalm 27:8

I can't give up, Lord.

I can't give in, Lord.

Though none go with me- still I will follow.

The cross before me- the world behind me.  

I have decided to follow Jesus.

I have decided to seek His face.

I have decided that, others may choose their worthless idols-

I choose You.  

My little idols...are actually BIG ole IDOLS

If you really want to walk in wholeness and healing- you can't resist the inner work that God wants to do in you.  Yielding to Him- surrendering yourself to Him is the only way the process of healing begins.  

You have to take part in the process.  You have to feel it, to heal it.  You can't just sit and moan about "it".  Because sometimes "it" becomes our little idol that we hide and sit on (Genesis 31).  Something we really don't want to let go of it because it becomes so much a part of our identity and who would we be without our little idol?

Have you made your "it" an idol?

I did.  

Every time things (and people) wasn't going the way I thought they should- I ran to my little idol.  Better correct that, idols.  Plural.

Once, I ran to cigarettes. 
And anti-depressants.
Fear.
Anger.
Manipulation.
Control.
"Poor me" syndrome.

And I always felt terrible.  I was always miserable after running to my little idols.  Because no matter how hard I tried to make them work- they were dead.  There was no life in them.  They just drove me to more idols.  More ways of coping.  More patterns developed to handle life on my own. 

More idols.  More coping mechanisms.  More patterns developed.  
But always more conflict and frustration.  More fruitlessness.  More flesh.  

See, idols- that is flesh.  Ways we deal with life apart from God.  

You have to: 
see your flesh (idols, coping mechanisms, learned behavior, patterns developed to deal with life on your own apart from God), 
own it (yes, this IS how I deal with life apart from God!), 
hate it (you can't make flesh look pretty- you can't dress it up and put lipstick on it and make it look good because flesh ALWAYS leads to more flesh and DEATH "the mind set on the flesh is death" Romans 8:6a)
THEN 
Exchange it for Christ's life!  Only He in you can bring you to healing..."but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace" Romans 8:6b

Jesus is the only Healer.  Not pills.  Not psychotherapy.  Not your best friend.  Those things may help temporarily but do you really want to live on that roller coaster?  Up and down?  Or do you really want to have genuine, victorious healing?  

It's up to you.  Because God is ALWAYS waiting for you.  

I am needy today....

Since we live in an upside down kingdom where the first will be last and the last will be first, let us always be reminded that when we are weak, His strength is perfected in us. 

(2 Corinthians 12:1-10).

- Barry Adams

Deceive

Do you know satan's greatest scheme? Deception. It started in the garden when he deceived Eve and it's his theme throughout all of time.

From Genesis 3:13 all the way to Revelation 20:10- satan's theme is "deceive".

..even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness...- 2 Corinthians 11

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.- 2 Timothy 4

But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.- 2 Timothy 3

Let no one in any way deceive you- 2 Thessalonians 2

Little children, make sure no one deceives you- 1 John 3

Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.- James 1:16

Friends, if it doesn't line up with the Scriptures (no matter how "good" it makes you "feel")- then where or who is it from? Are you being deceived? Do you really know what God says to us through the Scriptures?