“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves…” (Colossians 1:13).

I thought I was finished with Colossians 1:13. You did, too didn’t you? You’d think three days is sufficient to cover one passage of scripture that is only one sentence. But I thought about the pastor’s message in Claxton, GA this past Sunday and was reminded of his personal illustration, one that I share in similarity.

Last Christmas I ordered from eBay a Wii for Caleb and a Wii Fit for Clay and myself. I received confirmation of the order and shortly after that an email for tracking purposes. That was so exciting! I logged on to the UPS website everyday and watched the package as it left Sacramento, California, took a short stay in Arizona, stopped by Texas for a day or so, then jumped a few states and hung out in Atlanta, Ga until it finally registered as Arrived in Greenville, SC. Everyday I grew more and more anxious about the arrival of that package. Then I started getting very concerned. Clay was in England on business, Caleb was in the middle of basketball season and I was at the office. What if someone else signed for it and stole it before I got home? What if they didn’t require a signature and just dropped it off on my front porch? There are so many “stories” of packages being stolen during the holiday season. What was I going to do? Then I found a note on my door that they could not leave the package without my signature. I had to sign for my long awaited package. I had something going on that next day and I could not work from home in order to be there to receive the package. Finally I thought to have my nephew who worked second shift hang out at my house and wait for UPS to deliver. Next day I received an email update from UPS and when I clicked on order status, there it was - Delivered! Woo Hoo! My packaged had been signed for, sealed with UPS confirmation and marked delivered just in time for Christmas!

You know we don’t have to be so anxious about our status with the Lord. We don’t have to watch it everyday to make sure there’s no change. Jesus Christ hung on the cross, His blood dripped down onto the ground, dried up and rotted so that you and I could be sealed for eternity! He signed for us with His own blood, sealed the deal with His death, and delivered us into the kingdom of glory with the resurrection. Can I get an Amen! There are no problems with the process, no fear of someone snatching us from His hand. We are signed, sealed, delivered, we’re His! No problems!

I hope you all have a great relaxing weekend. You’re going to be really surprised to hear this but Clay and I are going to be out of town. We’re going to Pigeon Forge, TN this weekend for a Sunday School retreat. Yep, you heard me right. We’re going to be gone again. Caleb has a youth retreat in NC so we’ll all be off retreating, pulling back from the cares of this life, regrouping, regaining our focus. Sounds inviting, huh?

Hope

First, let me apologize for not posting yesterday. I was not in the office or anywhere near a computer the entire day. So here is Part 3…

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Colossians 1:13).

We’ve talked about the fact that God has delivered us, what He delivered us from, but what has He delivered us to? God has brought us into the kingdom of Jesus Christ. What does that mean just exactly? Well we know that the ultimate Kingdom of God is heaven, the sweet bye and bye. However, we are already part of the kingdom of Jesus Christ if we have accepted Him. That simply means that we are allowed to take advantage of the benefits while we’re still hanging out here in the nasty now and now. Whatever Jesus has, we have access to. He tells us to come to Him and He will meet our needs. He meets our emotional needs by giving peace in times of trouble, joy in times of sadness, hope in times of despair, comfort in times of heartache, laughter in times of disappointment!

He also promises to meet our physical needs. He tells us in His word to consider the sparrows, not one falls from the sky but what God knows about it. If He is so aware of their needs, surely He can provide our needs as well. All we have to do is call out to Him and then sit back and watch Him work. It’s called trust.

Whatever Jesus has in His kingdom, it’s all ours. God has delivered us from the grip of this world into the glorious kingdom offered through His son. It’s all ours! Take advantage of the fringe benefits today!

I want to share with you that Clay and I have had our own storm over the past almost three years and the details are not important. But this week we watched God fulfill the scriptures that we have prayed over and over and over. God is faithful and He is merciful and He loves His own. He vindicates and sets free those who are in Him. Praise His name for loving us and for being merciful. A storm cloud that has rested over our heads for almost three years was lifted yesterday and we praise His name! It’s all ours!

Hope

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Colossians 1:13).

We have been signed, sealed, and delivered from what? From the dominion of darkness. As believers, we no longer walk in the darkness but have been delivered to walk in the light. Christ is the Light of the world and we are to walk in that light. How many times have you tried to get from one room to the other at night after all the lights are out and have taken a toe out or stumbled over a piece of furniture? I do it often and after the pain subsides, I always wonder why in the world I didn’t just turn on the light. It’s right there at my disposal to use at any time. All I have to do is take advantage of it.

Satan would love to deceive us into thinking that our troubles and trials are so many that we must grope around in darkness as one with no hope. Not so! There’s no groping! We don’t have to wander around with our hands outstretched feeling our way, fearful of what lies ahead, hoping we don’t run into anything that’ll take us out. We’re Christians - children of the Living God! Heirs of the King! The Light is there at our disposal to use at any time. There’s no groping! Walk in His light today.

“Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD” (Psalm 89:15).

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Hope

I have good news for you today - we have been delivered through Christ Jesus! Check this out…

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Colossians 1:13).

I’ll probably do a three-day devotional on this one verse. The first part of that verse reminds us that we have been delivered. The Bible doesn”t say, “When God delivers us” or “If God delivers us” it says that He has delivered us. If you have prayed to receive Christ as your personal Savior, the deliverance has already taken place.

Maybe you feel trapped today, trapped by the worries of a job - or the loss of a job, trapped by the fear of a medical report, trapped by the despair of a broken relationship, trapped by the grief from the death of a loved one, trapped by the anxieties of an uncertain future. I have good news for you! Christ signed for you, He’s already taken claim of you His package, He sealed the deal with His blood, and He delivered you from anything that threatens to hold you in bondage! You have been set free - live a life of deliverance today!

We had an AWESOME weekend at the Rehoboth Baptist Church in Claxton, GA. They beautifully depicted Hannah’s story through Judgement House and they were right on the mark! The seven “Hannah’s” were just beautiful and they took their role very seriously. The entire cast was gracious and had done their homework on Hannah and her family. It was rather sobering to arrive and meet the Aunt Hopes and Uncle Clays. They treated us as celebrities which is crazy! But our hearts were instantly knit together and we shared kindred spirits with all that we came in contact with at that church. They couldn’t hear enough “Hannah” stories and the Pastor opened wide his pulpit to us Sunday morning to share about Hannah’s Hope Ministries. We had not been there long on Friday night until our spiritual jars were refilled, our fire rekindled, our tanks refueled for the cause. God was gracious and He poured out His love and Spirit into hearts and lives all weekend. Deb and her mother, Grandma Ellen had a similar experience in Jacksonville, FL. I’m sure she’ll journal about that when they return. Twelve churches from Lake Forest, CA to Callahan, FL told Hannah’s story through Judgement House this past weekend and next week Dudley Baptist Church in Dudley, GA will perform it as well. Thank you for your prayers and for your financial support. God is good - all the time!

Hope

My Home - Great Blessing from the Lord!

Paula Rhinehart, Author and Speaker defines home as a place that never changes and where you are always loved, accepted and recieved. Man, that sounds like where I want to be! Clay and I stay so busy that we rarely have a full weekend at home. This weekend is no exception. There are 12 churches all over the country telling Hannah’s story through the dramatic presentation of Judgement House. Deb and Grandma Ellen are traveling to Jacksonville, FL this weekend to be with Duval Station Baptist Church, and Clay and I are traveling to Claxton, GA to Rehoboth Baptist Church. We are very excited for this opportunity and can’t wait to see what all God is going to do in hearts and lives. But sometimes I’d love to just stay home.

The good news is we can carry home inside us. If our “home” rests in Jesus, we’re always home - even when we’re never home! It is in Jesus that we find a “constant”, a place that never changes. In a world where things never stay the same, Jesus never changes. And our status with Him never changes. We are His children and in Him we can chill out and rest even when we’re running wide open. And it is in Jesus that we are always loved, always accepted, and always welcomed with open arms. When we travel with Jesus, we find that whatever path we’re on, it is full of steadfast, never changing love. I want to be there - resting in His presence. I just want to be home.

“All the paths of the LORD are lovingkindness and truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies” (Psalm 25:10).

“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him” (Psalm 62:5).

Hope

Are you feeling a little anxious this morning? Are things in your life somewhat uncertain? Maybe you’re trying too hard to make things happen. Maybe you’re trusting in your own strength rather than the Lord’s mighty strength. The Lord is calling us to relax in Him and to trust Him with all of the uncertainties of life. He is doing a great work even when we can’t see His hand at all.

Don’t be anxious, don’t be discouraged, don’t give up. Stay the course. Stand still and see what great things God will do. Take your hands off of it and just relax in Him today…and get ready - because He will show up and when He does you’ll be amazed at what happens right before your very eyes!

“In quietness and trust is your strength” (Isaiah 30:15).

“…stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your eyes!” (1 Samuel 12:16).

Hope

This should be my last day on the woman at the well, maybe. I never know what the Lord is going to give me! In looking back over my notes from the women’s conference, I’m reminded that this Samaritan woman had an encounter that day…an encounter that changed her life. She was parched from life’s struggles, life’s disappointments. She had looked to relationships to satisfy her thirsty condition. She’d had five husbands and the man she was living with was someone other than her husband. She was looking for love in all the wrong places. This Samaritan woman needed water, but not the water she thought she was seeking. She was more spiritually parched than physically. She was in need of an encounter with the Master.

How about you? Are you in need of an encounter? Are you looking to a relationship to satisfy your needs? Close friends, family, co-workers, fellow church members can satisfy certain needs that you may have. But only Jesus can give you the Living Water that will satisfy your deepest most inner thirst. If you are parched from all the blows that life continues to pound on you, look to the Lord and allow Him to quench your thirsty soul. Have a personal encounter with the Master.

“Jesus answered her (the Samaritan woman), ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water’” (John 4:10).

“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him” (John 7:38).

Hope

Continuing on the topic of the woman at the well…Jesus knows your business. Jesus told the woman to go back to town and get her husband and bring him back. Jesus was testing the woman. He already knew her business. She answered, “I don’t have a husband.” Jesus said, “I know you don’t. As a matter of fact, you’ve had five husbands and the one you’re living with now is not your husband.” That’s when the Samaritan woman realized she had come face to face with someone who was not your ordinary passer-by.

I don’t know if you have anything going on in your life that you think you’re hiding from everyone but let me remind you that Jesus knows your business. There’s nothing hid from the Lord. He sees all. Or maybe you feel like you’re flying solo with no support and no one has a clue how bad things are for you. Good news - He knows your business. He sees all. He loves you and He wants to set you free from whatever you’re holding onto in the deepest, most hidden places of your heart.

Jesus getting all in the Samaritan woman’s business changed her life forever. Acknowledge Him today, and watch Him change your life forever.

“He told her, ‘Go, call your husband and come back.’ ‘I have no husband,’ she replied. Jesus said to her, ‘You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true’” (John 4:16-18).

“My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes” (Jeremiah 16:17).

“You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways” (Psalm 139:3).

Hope

Good morning Father!

Thank You for always meeting me at the beginning of each day with new strength, new wisdom, new guidance, new direction, new mercies and new grace! Thank You for restoring my soul! Thank You for continuing to speak to me. Thank You that You delight to show Yourself to me!

Thank You for the privilege and blessing of partnering with You in the things You are accomplishing on this earth. Thank You for the privilege and blessing of being in Greenwood with precious brothers and sisters in Christ over the weekend for Judgment House. Thank You for the lives that were changed for eternity! Thank You for the simple gospel message of Jesus Christ. Thank You that the message has power to transform lives! Thank You that the message gives hope for tomorrow and joy and peace for today!  Thank You that the simple gospel message has transformed my life!

I have pondered this weekend why You have used the life of Billy Graham in such a powerful way. It is because he shares over and over the simple gospel message of Jesus Christ, isn’t it? Your message is simple. You loved the world. You sent Yourself in the person of Jesus Christ to live among us, to become flesh and blood and to give Yourself as the payment for our sin to acquire our salvation. You offer each of us the free gift of Your Son - You have done all the work. Our part is to accept Your forgiveness, Your abundance, Your joy, Your freedom! Bless You Father! The burden for my salvation was all placed upon You.

Judgment House uses stories to share the simple gospel message of Jesus Christ. Two years ago, at the encouragement from someone in their church, Clay and Hope wrote a script for Judgment House sharing Hannah’s story of faith. Portrayed in the drama is the reality of eternal life in a place the scripture calls heaven or eternal damnation in a place the scripture calls hell. You aren’t playing games with us, are You Lord? Your plan was in place before the foundation of the world. You tell us that “wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” Matthew 7:13 Many are flocking down the road to destruction - all the while being completely unaware of what the scripture says. And then You go on to say, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:14  Just like in Noah’s day - only 8 people on the face of the earth were spared - You know Lord, that is really heart breaking and I know it breaks Your heart. You say in Your word, “It is not Your will that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” John 3:17

One of the memories I took away from this weekend that will be forever etched upon my heart was when “Hannah” was standing in the Judgment Room being welcomed into her eternal reward. She replied, “Thank You Jesus. This is the day I have been waiting for all my life.”  I loved that Lord! I loved that! The day we come to meet You in heaven is the day we have waited for all of our lives. We may not completely understand that now but one day we will fully understand!

Another memory I will always cherish is from the heaven scene. It is always my favorite scene - to see Hannah walk across the bridge into heaven blesses my heart every time!  The gentleman who portrayed Jesus had the most beautiful eyes and he comes to everyone in the heaven scene and speaks an individual word to each of them. When he came to me, he said, “Welcome, I know it hasn’t been an easy journey.” I could hear You saying that to me Lord and it brought tears to my eyes! I know that You know where I am and where I’ve been - I know that You can identify with me unlike any other but to hear someone playing Your part say those words to me really blessed my heart and I thank You for that. I thanked him and asked him later if he said the same thing to everyone - he told me no - that he was always desiring to speak to each person what you place on his heart and he never knows what he is going to say. I heard Your voice Lord and I thank You for speaking to me through him!

I will also never forget the statement, “The love of Christ disarms!”  I love that Lord! It was spoken by the youth minister at the church! It is so true! Your love breaks down all the barriers - it cuts through all pretense! I thought about when You stood before Your accusers and opened not Your mouth. You just loved those the Father placed in Your path - however broken they were and Your loved “disarmed” them! We don’t have to defend ourselves - we have nothing to defend - You are our Defender! Our part is to share the love You have given to us. Before he ordered his food, the minister asked the waitress at Cracker Barrel where she stood with You. Immediately she smiled and said, “I love Him.” He had gained a new friend and proceeded to invite her to Judgment House.

After lunch we watched this minister pursue a young man on the parking lot of Hardees that he had met a couple of weeks before while visiting in the hospital. The young man was in a wheel chair and had no legs. He has several children - none of which he is taking responsibility for - and is himself an addict. The minister took him into Hardees - spoke words of life over him and then bought him whatever he wanted for lunch - he ordered two of several things! “The love of Christ disarms.” He has a new friend. He has planted another seed into this young man’s life. And it brought him and those of us watching great joy! You want to use us, don’t You Lord? You want to “disarm” those around us with the love of Christ!  Oh Father, let me love You with abandon! Allow the love of Christ to be the spillover from my life!!

You are at work in so many ways and in so many places! Oh Father, bless Your name!! There were many who had come from places of brokenness to help with Judgment House - several from Faith Home. They have no pretense - nothing to prove - they just loved us! They are quick to acknowledge their need of You! Unlike many of us who try to act as if everything is okay! They opened their arms and they welcomed us! Thank You for filling us with Your love to love them back! Bless that little church, Father and bring many to a saving knowledge of Yourself! Begin a new work in that place and raise up the body of Christ to love others as You do! In the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen!

And Father, work out the details for this coming weekend! We are available to go where You want us to go! Thank You for allowing mother to go with me this weekend! Strengthen her physical body in Jesus name, I pray, Amen!

Annette Joyner-Moore spoke at the WOW conference on Saturday, and as she shared the story of the woman at the well I latched on to a phrase I’d missed over the years. After the Samaritan woman tasted of the Living Water, the water that only Jesus can give, she left her water jar and went to the city to tell everyone what had happened. Here’s what I get out of that…

Her water jar was empty. She had taken it to the well at a time when no one else was there because she was a Samaritan and she was an outcast. Her plan was to fill her jar with water from the well. The water didn’t last long, so she had to keep returning to the well for refills. But once Jesus set her free from her guilt and sin and filled her soul with the Living Water, she no longer needed her water jar. After all, it was empty. When she left her water jar behind, she symbolically left her past hurts and pains and failures and poor decisions and loneliness. She no longer needed to keep returning to her old ways for satisfaction. Those old ways only offered emptiness. Christ had set her free and had filled her desires with Living Water.

What water jar are you carrying around that you need to leave behind? Have you had an encounter with the Living Water but you still feel empty? Is it because you continue to hold on to your water jar and depend on it to fill your needs? Maybe you’re hanging on to it for security not allowing Christ to completely set you free and provide the Living Water that quenches your thirst for eternity. Leave your water jar behind and move forward in freedom through Christ.

“‘Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water’…Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did’” (John 4:15, 28 & 29).

I shared my “commentary” with Annette during the break and she said, “Oh, child, that’ll preach right there, honey! Let’s have church!” She is an African American woman full of life and love for her Savior. I fell in love with her!

Hope