Great words to consider

The lyrics of this song resonate deeply in my heart so that I MUST share them! You can listen to the song here. Please check out the link below for more information. I am not making any money off of this recommendation, but my heart has been blessed and I hope yours will be too! It reminds me that our God can be trusted with anything and EVERYTHING! He proved His love for us through Jesus!

Enjoy,
Becky

Faith surrenderTrust It All

With every breath, with every word I speak
With every step, with every heartbeat
Jesus let it be for You, for You only
My whole life, all for Your glory

My life is in Your hands
I trust it all, I trust it all to You
My dreams and all my plans
I trust it all, I trust it all

Forever I am changed, I’ll never be the same
Because of Your love, because of Your love
Forever I am changed, I’ll never be the same
Because of Your love, because of You Jesus
Woahohoh because of You Jesus

For all my days God, You are my guide
I give You all, my heart is opened wide
Jesus let it be for You, for You only
My whole life all for Your glory

You are everything, everything
You are all I need, all I need
I’m forever in love with You

North Point Worship, Brett Stanfill (Album: Hear)

http://www.praisecharts.com/songs/details/26867/trust-it-all-sheet-music

Last Days?

DespairIn the last days there will be very difficult times
For people will love only themselves and their money.
They will consider nothing sacred (e.g. the lives of babies and children).
They will be cruel and hate what is good.
They will be puffed up with pride and
Love pleasure rather than God.
They oppose the truth.
They take advantage of people’s fears and weakness.
Evil people and imposters will flourish.
They will deceive others and
Will themselves be deceived.

How do we live in such times?
Seek Jesus Christ through His word, the Scriptures.
You will find comfort and protection from evil. (2 Timothy 3)
God is at work in the midst of this evil generation.
He is raising an army of truth warriors.
“Why are you frightened?”
“Why are your hearts filled with doubt?”
Then Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures
They were filled with GREAT JOY. (Luke 24: 45 & 52)

Becky on stageAuthor: Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus Christ and truth seeker, especially in the areas of health and children. Facing a world quite different from the one in which I grew up, I seek to research and understand the true route to health, freedom and joyful family living!

Unique

DCF 1.0

DCF 1.0

Most religions have one major personality
Or prophet they revere.

Even people who claim to have no religion,
Still revere a major personality, usually, themselves.

The thing that all religions have in common
Is that all the prophets and
Great people that have ever lived, died.
They were buried or burned.
They were reduced to ashes
Or consumed by maggots.

skeleton-1571103-638x464Only Jesus escaped death.

Jesus’ body did not stay in the ground.
He suffered a cruel death.
At the hands of the religious leaders
He died.
He was buried in a cave.
But He didn’t stay dead.

Jesus alone conquered death.
The Scriptures predicted it,
The power of God enabled it.
God raised Jesus from the dead.
Hundreds of eye-witness reports
Confirmed it.

So even if you claim
To follow no particular religion –
Just the right path of your own heart,
One day, your body will also rot in the grave
Or be consumed by fire.

Is your human heart able to guide you to truth?
Are you putting yourself in a position above Jesus –
God’s promised Savior?

A ragtag group of men and women
From a small remote location, Galilee
Started a worldwide movement of God
Based on this fact:
Jesus conquered death.

Becky on stageAuthor: Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus Christ and truth seeker, especially in the areas of health and children. Facing a world quite different from the one in which I grew up, I seek to research and understand the true route to health, freedom and joyful family living!

I’m Not Better, I’ve Been Found

Light bulbWe all have people in our lives, or know of people, who are making choices that seem to cause them danger. These people are a risk to others in their life. Sometimes our hearts ache as we witness the destructive path these people are on. Sometimes we are very angry with them because their actions are harming someone we love.

I serve the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent Jesus to rescue us – even those of us outside His chosen nation – from our self-focused way of living. All who reject Jesus have been led astray. Those who claim to be religious or worship God actually “belong to Satan’s synagogue, because they worship and serve Satan rather than God.” They are following “false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them – the depths of Satan, actually).” Revelation 2: 24

Others claim no allegiance to God. Blindly pursuing whatever they think will lead to their happiness and satisfaction.

What is a God-follower to do? Paul advised Timothy: “Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change these people’s hearts and they will learn the truth.” (2 Timothy 2:25)

God is in the business of changing hearts. There are millions of examples where hardened sinners have turned to find grace and have had their lives transformed by the power of Jesus. David Berkowitz is just one extreme example that comes to mind.

Paul continues his thought, “Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him, to do whatever he wants.” (2 Timothy 2:26)

“For even if our Gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Cor 4:3-4) Because people are blinded, there is an urgency on our part to gently share God’s truth with them so that they may come to knowledge of the truth. They aren’t ‘bad’ people. They are deceived and held captive by sin. We are all equally ‘bad’ before God. We are naturally in a rebellious state before God. Without a miraculous work of God in our heart, our eyes are blinded. It takes an act of God to take the veil away so they can begin to see truth. Lydia listened to Paul’s teaching and “the Lord opened her heart so she accepted what Paul was saying.” Acts 16:14

If there is a person in your life, or someone you know who is not following Christ, not seeking truth, and making decisions you know will lead to their harm, and perhaps the harm of others, even many others,

Don’t consider yourself better than them.
The only reason you have insight and understanding
To know better, and the ability to do better,
Is because of the grace and mercy of God.
We are in a spiritual battle (Ephesians 6).
There is an enemy seeking to deceive and destroy. (John 10:10)
We have been rescued. (Col 1)
Maybe we were born into a righteous,
God-fearing, God-following family heritage.
Maybe we were snatched from rebellion,
Rescued through the power of God
From the dominion of darkness
Brought into the Kingdom of Jesus, God’s beloved. (Col 1)
However we find ourselves basking in His grace,
Spared from the ravages of evil and sin,
It was not achieved
Through our works of righteousness.
Any victory seen in our lives
Is a result of the work of our victorious, all powerful God.
“After the Lord your God
has given you victory and blessing,
Never say in your heart
‘I am blessed by God,
because I am such a good person.’ (Deuteronomy 9)
God’s blessing on your life is an opportunity
For you to reflect His glory
And radiate glory back to Him.

This will include gently sharing truth
And praying for hopelessly lost people.

Becky on stageAuthor: Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus Christ and truth seeker, especially in the areas of health and children. Facing a world quite different from the one in which I grew up, I seek to research and understand the true route to health, freedom and joyful family living!

 

God’s Expansive Reach

CrowdThe encounter between Cornelius and Peter demonstrates God’s grace for ALL and reveals His capacity to deliver His grace, far beyond our understanding and expectations, to other cultures and traditions.

The exclusivity of the message of Jesus is often a barrier to belief and acceptance of the message of Jesus. Someone I admire GREATLY, wrote this,

And has it ever occurred to you that Jesus Christ, who said to “Love thy neighbor as thyself” and told a parable about a “Good Samaritan” (that made it clear that “thy neighbor” included everybody, not just those who think as you do), would approve of “cultural acceptance of other religions”? Do you honestly think that the God Jesus speaks of (remember, “God is love”?) would reject the majority of the world because they were born into other cultures and traditions?

The inherent assumption in this statement is that God is rejecting the majority of the world.

I believe the story of Cornelius, among many others throughout the ancient collection of writings known as the Bible, demonstrates God’s ability to transcend cultures and traditions. Scattered among the Old Testament, we find the stories of Ruth, Rahab, Tamar, Naaman, and many others as a demonstration of God’s capacity and desire to impact those of other religious traditions. The story of Cornelius is described in detail in Acts 10.

Cornelius was a Roman soldier. He worked for the oppressors of Israel, i.e., the enemies of God’s people, yet he feared God. He might not have fully understood God, but he is described as “a devout, God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God.”

God noticed.

God notices all whose hearts incline towards Him. Everyone, no matter what culture, understands inherently that we are made, created, and are drawn to know our Creator. We can reject this idea because with the concept of a Creator comes a responsibility. Many reject the concept of a Creator in an effort to be free of any moral obligation. Additionally, there is an opposition force. We are drawn towards serving ourselves. We find ourselves capable of cruelty. We don’t live up to even our own standards for ourselves, never mind the standards of a supreme deity. We have a yearning in our heart to live according to a high ideal, yet we seem prone to sabotaging ourselves.

God understands. He sent an answer. Some think His answer is narrow and confining.

Yes, the answer is narrow. God’s word makes it very clear there is only ONE access point; One route; One narrow funnel; Jesus.

But life in Jesus, is not narrow and confining. It is the true freedom we were created for.

So, how is that fair, that there is only one narrow access point to God? Paul explained to Cornelius and his entire family,

This is the message of the Good News,
It started with the people of Israel:
There is peace with God through Jesus Christ,
Who is Lord of all.
God appointed Jesus
With the Holy Spirit and with power.
Jesus went around doing good and
Healing all who were oppressed by the devil,
For God was with Him.
But, He was not accepted.
He was put to death.
But, God raised Him from the dead.
He instructed His followers,
Who ate and drank with Him after
He ROSE FROM THE DEAD
(try to imagine the reality of that for the first time).
He instructed them to “preach everywhere and to testify that
Jesus is the ONE
Appointed by God to be the judge of all –
The living and the dead.
He is the ONE all the prophets testified about
He is the ONE that everyone who believes in Him will
Have their sins forgiven through His name.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERACornelius accepted Paul’s narrow message.

God had primed Him with a visit from an angel – a heavenly messenger.

God is not limited. He has methods – dreams, visions, obedient messengers, circumstances – all designed to awaken hearts to hear His message.

It is beyond our imagination and understanding. He is able to offer His message to every person in every culture and tradition.

The real question is, what is YOUR choice? Your choice is going to impact your eternity, and your entire family. Will you accept the message Paul explained to Cornelius?

Cornelius and His entire family experienced God’s powerful outpouring of grace. They accepted. They believed the narrow message from another religious tradition; from another culture. They praised God together.

Will you accept or reject
Jesus?
God’s narrow message.
His likeness, His exact image,
His messenger sent into the world
To proclaim His love
To clearly demonstrate His love
So we could be set free from the power of sin.
So we could be set free from the enemy’s delusions.

Sometimes the burden of our intellectual understanding is too heavy to bear.

Jesus
Is the ONE
The prophets testified about
Saying everyone who believes in Him
Will have their sins forgiven through His name.

It is a narrow entry point, but Gods grace is expansive and
He is able to offer it to all.
The question remains, what will you do?
How will you respond to His invitation?

For those reading these words who have already
Accepted His grace and walk in it,
The question for us is,
What are we doing to advance His message,
To make it known
To reflect His love
As parts of His body
To our lost world?

These are the questions I wrestle with daily. I seek to know God, fully and completely, not on my terms, but on His. And, I seek to make Him known, albeit never adequately, I continue to try.

IMG_0423

Author: Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus Christ and truth seeker, especially in the areas of health and children. Facing a world quite different from the one in which I grew up, I seek to research and understand the true route to health, freedom and joyful family living!

My reality

bible-heart-1178881-640x480When you read the Bible over and over, the themes and dominant concepts become clearer and more cemented in your heart and mind.

Then sometimes, you pause at one small section and it’s like light floods your heart in a new way as you gaze at a collection of a few small words, words that you have read many times, but this time, you receive them as a lightening bolt from heaven.

This is my weak attempt to demonstrate what God showed me in this passage from John 17:25-26 which is found in the left column, with my thoughts in the right column.

John 17 v 25

DSC_0043 - Version 3Author: Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus Christ and truth seeker, especially in the areas of health and children. Facing a world quite different from the one in which I grew up, I seek to research and understand the true route to health, freedom and joyful family living!

 

Exploring Jesus

Underwater swimmingJesus came to earth
To do the work of God.
Jesus came to demonstrate
The Father’s love for a lost people.
Jesus displayed His power
Through miraculous signs –
Demonstrations that no one else could do
Or has ever done.

The heart of the Father
Is that we ACCEPT Jesus.
That we seek to explore
All that Jesus has done
And WANTS to do for us.

When we reject Jesus;
Deny His power;
Deny His authority over our lives;
Deny His Godhood;
We deny God.
Denying God, we set ourselves apart and
In opposition to Him.

Jesus explains how He provides overflowing JOY,
“But anyone who hates Me
Also hates My Father.”

Jesus brings JOY.
He brings TRUTH
He brings LIFE
He brings PEACE
He brings HOPE

Apart from Jesus we have only
A counterfeit.
Living in opposition to Jesus,
We will never experience
All He is able to bless us with.

Truth graphicBased on John 15. Please read the whole chapter, or even the whole book of John, to learn more of the heart of the Father and the work of Jesus.

12Author: Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus Christ and truth seeker, especially in the areas of health and children. Facing a world quite different from the one in which I grew up, I seek to research and understand the true route to health, freedom and joyful family living!

The Mystery of our Faith

Christ was
Revealed in a human body
Vindicated by the Spirit
Seen by angels
Announced to the nations
Believed in throughout the world
Taken to heaven in glory.

Now He is
Far above any ruler or authority or
Power or leader or anything else—
Not only in this world
But also in the world to come.
God has put all things
Under the authority of Christ and
Has made Him head over all things
For the benefit of the church.

And the church is His body;
It is made full and complete by Christ,
Who fills all things everywhere
With Himself.

The Church is part of God’s mystery
Not a building in your neighborhood;
Not a denomination.
The living body of Jesus,
In whom are hidden all the
Treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

God’s purpose in all this
Was to use the church
To display His wisdom
In its rich variety
To all the unseen rulers and authorities
In the heavenly places.
This was His eternal plan
Which He carried out
Through Christ Jesus our Lord.

The church is the household of God.
And the church is His body;
It is made full and complete by Christ,
Who fills all things everywhere with Himself.

This is the church of the living God,
Which is the pillar and foundation of the truth.
God Is building His church, and
The Gates of Hell
Will never overpower it.

Taken from Ephesians 1:21-23, 3:9-11, Matthew 16:18, I Timothy 3:15-16, Colossians 2:3

IMG_0423Compiled by Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus Christ and truth seeker, especially in the areas of health and children. Facing a world quite different from the one in which I grew up, I seek to research and understand the true route to health, freedom and joyful family living!

Bold Claims

Jesus made many bold claims, here is one:

Light image“I have come
as a light to shine in this dark world,
So that all who put their trust in Me
Will no longer remain in the dark.

… I have come
To save the world,
NOT to judge it.

All who reject Me and My message
Will be judged on the day of judgment
By the truth I have spoken.
I don’t speak on My own authority –
The Father who sent Me has commanded
Me what to say and how to say it.
And I know His commands lead to eternal life;
So I say whatever the Father tells Me to say.

Jesus, John 12:46-50

Jesus is our source of truth. Paul explained the priority of Jesus:

I have had one message
for Jews and Greeks alike:
the necessity of
repenting from your sins,
turning to God, and
having faith in our Lord Jesus.

But my life is worth nothing to me
unless I use it for finishing
the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus –
the work of telling others
the Good News
about the wonderful grace of God!

Paul, Acts 20:21 & 24

12Compiled by Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus Christ and truth seeker, especially in the areas of health and children. Facing a world quite different from the one in which I grew up, I seek to research and understand the true route to health, freedom and joyful family living!