Today is Palm Sunday! Praise God for sending us His Son Jesus! He came to us, and died for us, and then rose again, giving us life with Him forever! How refreshing! Palm branches a truly a great symbol of this refreshing, lush, joyful celebration! In the time, palm branches were used to represent victory and grace. And how remarkable, for Jesus was indeed walking in grace and an already victory! For, He already had a victory on the cross and even now, He already has victory for those who just believe in Him! With just childlike faith, He sets us in His lap with Him forever! Hallelujah! It is true that we can celebrate!
How refreshing too, that Jesus lifts up our hearts and heads! When he walked along, people were shouting, shouting joyfully, "Hosanna!", which means "Save!", "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the King of Israel!" They knew that He was their Savior, and indeed He is a Savior for us all! And He is a loving, kind Savior! Truly, we see this in the gospels and in the Bible! He is so gentle. In fact, it is written about Him, "A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice to victory. In his name the nations will put their hope" (Matthew 12:20-21; quoting from the prophecy in Isaiah 42:3-4!). He is so gentle and kind! When we fall short and mess up, He is not there to be mad, He is so gentle and loves us! Look into His eyes! He loves you! He will not even break a bruised reed, He is so gentle! He wants to laugh with you and sing and dance with you! "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning it's shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and loose heart" (Hebrews 12:1-3). Jesus did it for us! Hallelujah! So, we are set free! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hosanna is right! There is no longer the need to feel burdened! When we start to feel sad, or think that He disapproves, consider Him riding into Jerusalem for you, seated on a young donkey. -And young donkeys at that time were symbolic of royalty and peace! Jesus is our Peace! Consider Him riding along and not breaking a single palm branch! What a beautiful Palm Sunday, today and every day! Let's celebrate Him in our hearts! Let's let Him love through us to everyone around us and together sing, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the King of Israel!"
What inspired this post too was that the other day God led me to reread the end of 2 Chronicles, where He was leading a positive reform! I had somewhat rushed through the last part because I was excited to get to Ezra. He is having me read through the Old Testament. Well, as I was reading along, a footnote, or something, and really He, caused me to look back at Leviticus 26:13. It reads, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high." Jesus lifts up our heads! He is God, and He is always saving us! He sets us free indeed! "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36). He saved us! This is His continual message to us! Right after He rode into Jerusalem on the young donkey, walking on the beautiful palm branches, He said this, "But I , when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself" (John 12:32). Since He is truth and life and peace and freedom, He sends that to us! (Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6)). Hallelujah! And again, we see that He lifts up our heads to Him! We are looking to Him! Hallelujah! As we look to God, we have complete freedom and peace and joy! For so long, I've felt, 'o Lord, I'm not worthy and am silly, then I put my head down!' Well, even though it was well intended, that was actually false humility, which says I'm bad . . . plus it's not fun at all! That is the old attitude of thinking He is going to be upset, but He's not; He's in love with us!!! It's is an attack on our character. -I heard the LORD speak through a pastor once, that whenever our character is attacked, that's the world! Instead, we remember that we are His! We belong to God, our Dad! We are His sons and daughters! Our identity is secure! (See also, 'The Lion King' in Inspiration) "So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:26-28; And Jesus is true freedom!) Wow! Praise Him! He is always so gentle and kind and peaceful! We are redeemed! We are free!!! Hallelujah!!!!!!! So when we mess up, it's just our old nature, and we can think that's just below our redeemed identity in Him! Let's not do that anymore, but remember He is here in love with us! He will lift up our head to have us remember! For God always gazes at us through LOVE! Look back into His eyes! Just try it! Daddy! It's time to celebrate! We are set free, and are free indeed! Real humility then is not thinking we're bad, but looking to Jesus in everything! Without Him we are nothing, and with Him we are saved! Remember, He saved us!!! "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6) and, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). We cannot lift up our heads ourselves; He lifts our heads! That's so good! Let's look back to Him and praise and sing and dance! Dancing is free! Together, let's shout, "Hosanna!"
One more thing is that God recently led me and my family to watch 'Mama Heidi' about Heidi Baker and her husband Rolland Baker, who God led to help people in Africa. Well, they listed and He is doing amazing things! Thousands of people have been saved, healed of aids, and various diseases, and have been saved by the LORD! Praise God! All in His Name! God leads Heidi to go out and pick up orphaned youth from the streets and take them home with her! There are thousands of kids at their home! When they come home, they are saved! In one of the books God led her to write, "Compelled by LOVE," God led her to comment on this freedom and living in His house! He's amazing! We are set free in Him! Free! Free! Free! Hosanna!
-Start Living in the Heavenly Realm-
So, how do you start seeing Jesus? When you move from orphan to servant to son or daughter and start to understand just how much He delights in you, your life will be completely transformed. Out of the abundance of the overflow of this revelation, you will bound forward to the Father and start living in the heavenly realms.
You have to believe that you are welcome in the Father's house. Provision is your inheritance. All that Jesus died for is waiting for you to take. You do not have to wait until you experience heaven on Earth. We are called to live in the fullness of what each precious drop of blood purchased. Start feasting now. True riches are His presence. My greatest treasure is to see the lost children come home to the Fathers house. You are called to the feast of Jesus. You are called to be sons and daughters of the Most High God!
And here is some Scripture about God's promises to us!
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." Romans 8:15
Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth: It is for your god that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you" John 16:5-7. Jesus uses, Counselor here to refer to the Holt Spirit!
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not you own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" John 14:6
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there make and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:26-28. And Jesus is true freedom!
Jesus is here and He sets us free! We are with Him, so we are free! Let's laugh and celebrate Him lovingly and freely! He lifts up our heads to do so! That is so refreshing! He is so refreshing!!! Enjoy dancing and singing to Him in freedom! For, just think, He is Life and He is our Dad! He is LOVE!!!!!!! Here is the verse again for Palm Sunday! "The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting: "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the King of Israel!" Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, "Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt" (John 12:12-15). Praise Him! For He is risen!!!!!!!!!!!! (See John 21 with a celebration for Easter Sunday!)
See also, 'Breakthrough! An Introduction', for more on breakthrough and how God is always with us through His LOVE!!! Hallelujah!
