In a crimson douse of cherry red the words of God and Spirit bled… covering you. Anointing you. Saturating with a holy impartation flowing down to diffuse you. The convergence of what Jesus said and ink spread through the fountain pen of Heaven’s hands. Speak Heaven’s breath. Like the rain drops refreshing the world below, His words rejuvenate the soul.
I like how it feels when my fingers touch the pages. I like how it sounds when He speaks…
“Then Jesus began to preach…” Matthew 4:17
Written and read by those God spoke through, Jesus’ words remain sealed in the contrasting color. Text of red adjacent to the black. Where Jesus words are highlighted. Like wine stained into the fabric. It’s permanent. Like roses cloaking the foliage of spring. Everywhere His words flow out, my heart is the offering He woos me to bring.
Listen to His voice…
He loves to speak to you… ✨
His Word is perfect. Dependable. Inerrant. Irrefutable.
When you read what God says, you stand reliable.
You become like Jesus.
Trustworthy. Anchored. Steady.
You keep your word.
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” Matthew 24:35
God wants a reliable love. A consistent heart. Committed to Him forever.
He’s speaking in the Spirit and I can hear it in the silence. A endless romance of Heaven inviting us in. I can hear it in the chaos. When the periphery blurs and the decibal of is closeness amplifies. His voice communicates with you. A limitless access of connection drawing you in.
“Jesus began to preach…”
In Matthew chapter 4, Jesus begins His ministry. To beckon His beloved people to Himself and to the kingdom of Heaven.
30 years He has lived on the earth waiting for this season. His time has come. He demonstrates the reliability. The ultimate model of trustworthiness. Kingship. Preaching the kingdom of Heaven, unashamedly. Speaking what is neccessary to see the kingdom come. Sacrificing His own life to see this come to fruition.
A king is a visionary who is willing to pay the price of construction for that vision.
“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” 1 John 3:16
Standing on the word of God often means laying down your life.
Jesus created a holy habitation for us to dwell with Him, and He knew we could never enter into such a perfect and holy dwelling with what we possessed on our own. We needed royal access.
Jesus decided to pay with his own body what it would cost for every human being to enter into His majestic Heavens.
Jesus is our royal access.
He is our royal Father.
He is our royal redeemer.
“From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17
Jesus loves to speak to you… and His words are reliable. Trustworthy. Undeniable. Irrefutable. Truth. Promise. Assurance of a love He proved in blood poured out for you.
“Jesus began to preach…” it says…
I love this passage.
“Jesus began to preach…”
I remember when I read this verse and I had been reading much of the epistles at the time. I love theology. I love sermons. I love worship. But when Jesus preaches… it swoons me.
“Jesus began to preach…”
That’s the One I want to hear…
Jesus began to preach…
That is the voice that soothes me.
“Jesus began to preach…”
SIng a melody into my ears…
“Jesus began to preach… ”
To hear His voice. To read His words. His words are like butterflies that fly when love is high with delight.
“Jesus began to preach…”
Time for Jesus to come and do what He came to do.
He’s not the youth anymore. Not the baby in the manger. Not the teenager inquiring in the temple. Now he is a man. And He is here to triumph in His mission.
At this point in Matthew chapter 4, Jesus has just spent 40 days in the desert being tempted by the devil. Despite the turmoil, Jesus stands reliable. He does not give in. Does not bend to the devil’s tactics. Now he’s entering into Galilee and will soon gather his disciples.
John the Baptist, who has been preaching about Jesus’ coming, has just been arrested for preaching the gospel and Jesus knows this.
But the scripture says, “Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.” Matthew 4:12 Jesus didn’t rescue John. This is interesting, because if Jesus is reliable to rescue His people why would He allow John to be captured?
I wondered why… why didn’t You rescue John from prison?
I heard God say… that was our destiny.
Rescue is never the destiny of a King who sacrifices His life for His people.
Rescue is His to give.
Sometimes, the prison precedes the resurrection. Destiny only comes through sacrifice.
What is God asking you to sacrifice so that your destiny may come to fruition?
Notice He said “our” destiny. Both John and Jesus were destined for death in the temporal world. But this would trigger the unfolding of salvation for all people into the eternal world.
Jesus came to rescue us through the portal of death on a Roman executionary resource, a cross. This is by His own choice. For those who love Him would have gladly laid down their lives for Him… Peter swung a sword in John 18:10 saying “No Jesus! We can’t let them arrest you!” by the end of the story where Jesus’ time to die has arrived.
But salvation from the cross was never Jesus’ mission. Salvation by the cross was.
Jesus is reliable.
He said He came to give His life as a ransom for us from the cluthes of the devil. And He did.
Jesus is reliable.
He said He came to give us eternal life. And He did.
Jesus is reliable.
He said He would rise again in 3 days. And He did.
Jesus is reliable.
Jesus keeps His word.
Jesus is coming back again. And He will…
Jesus is reliable.
He is the One who anchors us.
Jesus came to save us. Not for us to save Him.
“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12
Do you know how we bless Jesus’ heart?
Giving Him every drop of love we can give… it’s what He gave to have us. Jesus I’ll spend the rest of my life pouring out my love for You.
In the gospels, Jesus’ message was on earth simple: repent for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
“The kingdom of Heaven” means Jesus’ kingdom. If you want to enter… you can my friends. Jesus arms are lovingly open for you to run to Him… and stay with Him… be held by Him… Repent of your ways and let Jesus’ ways become the leader of your life. By making Him King.
Jesus is clear about what He requires for us to enter into eternal life. And it’s not death. It’s simply saying Lord I repent and I want you to be Lord now and forever. Then it’s done. On the spot.
Jesus will always be transparent with you.
You always know where Jesus stands.
You always know what Jesus intends.
He is dependable. Reliable.
“Blessed are You, O Lord!
Teach me Your statutes.
13 With my lips I have declared
All the judgments of Your mouth.
14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
As much as in all riches.” Psalm 119:12-14
Every word emanating from the mouth of Jesus is a reliable word you can stand on.
“But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4
Let His words be your food.
Let His words be your guidance.
If Jesus said “Repent” then that means we need to repent. If Jesus says we need to change our ways then we better change our ways. If Jesus says we need to give mercy then we need to give mercy. If Jesus says we need to walk away then we need to walk away. If Jesus says go, we go. If He says stay we stay. He is the only reliable word we need to make a decision.
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:22
When you live by Jesus’ words, you live fully nourished and empowered. With everything you need to become more like Jesus everyday.
Stand on the word of God and you will always stand reliable.
God’s words are the pathway to salvation. Salvation is the entryway to passion… Love and wonder… the convergence of your heart and God’s interlocked in a supernatural ecstasy that steams into euphoria.
Don’t settle for less than bliss. It’s yours to experience…❤️
when You reached down
and pulled me up
into the sphere
of wonder
I came under
the enchantment
of You
forever
on the heights
with You
God of my life
thank You
for wooing me
with Your love
Salvation catapults you into freedom.
Anchored freedom.
Freely stabilized in the stable One who makes your heart consistent in Him and reliable to follow Him fervently.
“Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.” Deuteronomy 5:33
Salvation is the moment where a soul makes the decision to belong to Jesus your Maker. Entitling Him to be Lord of your life and your whole heart. Because you want Him to. He saves you from every wrongdoing of the past. Makes you a new creature. Now you are a believer and new person freely given a new nature so you can move ahead into new dimensions of your faith.
The new normal for a Jesus follower is to thrive in strength and spiritual vitality for that moment on.
Following Jesus means exactly that… following Jesus. He is your leader and you are the one who does everything He does. We are meant to be like Him.
“Whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked.” 1 John 2:6
If you say you follow Jesus but your life doesn’t match the path that Jesus is on, you need to assess if you truly are following Him.
When you follow Jesus and it matches with Him, you will likely venture into unfamiliar territory. You will encounter obstacles. You may wonder like John the Baptist, is this really the destiny of one who walks with Jesus? The prison? The cross? It is for a vrief moment… but not for eternity.
You find the most pleasurable, ecstatic life when you let God take into whatever He wants you to regardless of the cost.
And you will become immortal and glowing with eternity in your soul.
Take up your cross and follow Me… Jesus says.
” Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” Matthew 16:24-25
Follow Jesus and experience the Heaven life you really long for.
Your access to Jesus Christ solidifies you to walk on a ground of enduring strength. Never to be shaken when shaken. Never to be stressed when stressors arise. Because of a supernatural stamina on the inside.
Jesus overcame the devil. Thus, you do too.
“For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.” Romans 8:29
If you find yourself overwhelmed by life, you must ask yourself… are you following Jesus?
Are you being conformed to the image of God’s son?
Jesus does not get overwhelmed when life assails Him. You don’t have to either.
Jesus does not cringe under pressure. Nor do you.
Jesus does not allow persecution to thwart His mission. Nor do you.
Jesus does not bend to society’s norms. Nor do you.
Jesus does not forsake truth. Nor do you.
Jesus does not retreat when battles arise. Nor do you.
Jesus confronts evil. SO do you!
Jesus defeats evil. SO do you!
Jesus speaks truth no matter what. SO do you!
Jesus reigns forever. SO will you!
Follow Jesus and you will morph into your intended immortal identity. Beautiful and powerful. Made by a divine lover who delights to make you this way. It’s He who does it for us. And I am forever grateful to the God who calls me His.
To follow Jesus means you gain a supernatural strength to not be a normal human. You become different. And you prevail over and over again no matter what you face. That is what Jesus did. And that is what we do when His spirit is in us. This is what it means to follow Jesus.
You are not one who conforms to the world.
You conform to the image of Jesus.
Conform to the image of Jesus and you will love the sight of who you are.
Conform to the image of Jesus and you will find delight looking back at you.
“And to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:24
His eyes glisten when He looks at you. His sacrifice… His body spilled out just to have you… it will always be worth it to Him.
Let My blood wash over you… He says…
I love it when you drink Me in…
Jesus I want to
drink You in
till every remnant
of being
is consolidated
in the supremacy of You
Until every frament
of thinking
is one with your inerrancy
of truth
“For the word of the Lord is upright, and all His work is done in faithfulness.” Psalm 33:4
Jesus, You are the truth.
You are the stable One.
The steady One.
The trustworthy One.
The reliable One.
We become reliable and trustworthy in the way we lives our lives because of learning from Jesus. He is the only one who can teach us and then empower us to be the same examples for others. Because it’s bred from His Holy Spirit alone.
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”
John 14:26
Nothing moves you when you are anchored in a strength exponentially greater than yourself. It ignites power unlike anything we can muster.
As Jesus kept ministering, He met many different responses from the ones who listened. Those who loved him and those who did not. Those who repented and wanted the kingdom of Heaven and those who did not.
Jesus kept preaching…
and preaching…
and preaching…
Why?
Because He stands reliable. No matter the response.
Jesus stands reliable. Because He loves us.
Jesus stands reliable. Because it’s who He is.
You can count on Jesus.
And when you let Him ooze into your soul, He will teach you how to be reliable also. His words are your foundation.
Jesus said, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.”
Matthew 7:24-26
You stand reliable because Jesus anchors you. And He anchors you captivatingly. He loves that you put your hope in Him and claim the trustworthiness He cloaks you in.
You are reliable.
You are credible.
You are worth hearing.
Worth listening to.
Your strength and fortitude is a stabilizer for the people around you. Because it diffuses the Spirit where it needs to be diffused. God loves to see you flourishing forward because of how He made you. Keep rising. Keep inspiring.
When Jesus’ words permeate your core, you gain undominable strength. Because you finally have the right words pouring into your mind that have power and potency to do something in you that makes you better. You need His words for nourishment. Don’t neglect your Bible. Let it seep into you over and over.
Spiritual growth comes from reading God’s Word. Knowing Jesus’ words.
When the river runs freely beneath the trees I see a trickling of blood in the clear resolution of the flood. It’s growing thicker and thicker… from the place where Calvary shed the Lamb of God for you and me. It’s a blood that
You relationships will enhance when you gain the reliability of the Lord in your own personhood.
Being dependable affects your family. Your friends. Your workplace. Your core. Trust is built upon consistency. Love brews from faithfulness and committed intimacy. Let the Lord’s reliable nature rub off on you. Trust in His Word and you will glean from the One who is the definition of trustworthy.
Jesus is the the Word who stands reliable forever and ever. We want your heart in us, Lord. Preach again and again…
let the crimson
and cherry red liquid
from Your skin
ooze out
into mine
a blood transfusion
of Heaven’s fusion
life permeating me
where everything You are
becomes every part of me
we stand because of You Lord
we will stand on You forever
“By your endurance you will gain your lives.”
Luke 21:19
Life and God 