As I was reading Genesis nineteen, I thought about how much sin could consume all of us without the power of Christ Jesus in our lives.

In this chapter, the people of Sodom and Gomorrah had become gravely wicked. Well, my first question was how did they get this way? God's word helps us understand. It states that when individuals did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient (Romans 1:28 KJV). Does this sound familiar?

When I read the words above from Romans, I realize that could be any of us. You see, in Genesis 4:7, God warns Cain that sin crotches at the door, but he was supposed to rule over it. It also states in James 1:14,  "Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death (NASB)." And finally, Romans 6:23 reminds us, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Therefore, it all starts with our hearts. Where is our heart? Are we  rejecting God? What things are we desiring? Are we seeking after God or have we made something our god? Only Jesus has the power to set us free from the bondage of sin. If we reject Him, then we can't be made whole in Him.

Before walking in relationship and the power of Jesus Christ, I was a mess. I was bound by sin. I did not have the power to come out on my own. I had to surrender my heart to my creator, and He did the work in me.

I could still be consumed  by sin if I hadn't taken that step of surrender. We have to participate in our salvation by a simple surrender. We have to seek after God in Christ. We have to keep His way and spend time in His presence, obeying, and walking in relationship with Him daily. Then and only then will our spiritual chains broken!

Sin has no power over Christ! All we have to do is surrender. He will do the rest!

Be Blessed,
Hope-in-Christ

“To whom would you liken Me And make Me equal and compare Me, That we would be alike?” Isaiah‬ ‭46:5‬ ‭NASB‬‬
‭
“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." John‬ ‭4:24‬ ‭NASB‬‬

‭‭Ae you ready to be made empty so that you can be made complete? God is calling humanity back to Him. He is calling us to turn our hearts to Him so that He might  make us whole and free in Him. You see we are wondering souls in a world of darkness, and God wants to shine His light upon us. Jesus Christ is the light of the world! 

So many have falling away! So many have erected their own god in their hearts, yet it may not be the true God of the Bible. The Lord is near to us. He is calling the nation! He is calling the world! Return to the truth! He desires our worship. We have to turn away from the worship of mankind and even ourselves. We have to push past the thoughts of others and even wanting to be accepted. 

In this time, we must seek the face of the living God. Jesus came that we might have life. The abundant life in Christ is supernatural. He wants to give us rest for our soul. 

So just as the children of Israel were corrected and under God's judgement, God is the same today. He will give His glory to no man. He never changed, mankind did. 

We are but dust and sin is apart of our nature. Christ came to change that. He came to set us free. We must go through our land and destroy our idols. Our idols may not look the same as those in scripture. We may have taken the throne of our own heart as lord of our lives. That is idolatry! We have to dethrone ourselves and cry out to the living God! Seek His face, and seek after Him to reveal the root of our separation or distance from Him. Then we must allow Him to uproot it and leave only Himself. 

The Word of God says that we must worship God in spirit and in truth. We must denounce our own desires and our own will! 

Cry out to God in prayer! Pray for others as well. Ask Him to reveal, remove, and redeem! Ask Him to draw you by His spirit. Begin to say to Him, "God leave only You! You are my strength, my hope, my deliverance, my peace, and my joy! Leave only You dear Father! Leave only You!" 


Be Blessed!

Hope-in-Christ

About two weeks ago, the Holy Spirit led me to begin to study the book of Hebrews. While studying, I have been amazed by the great detail of the speaker in trying to get the audience (the converted Jewish believers) to understand that they didn't have to do what they used to do. They didn't have to walk in the old covenant. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for their sins once and for all.

As I continue to deeply study this great book of the Bible, I have asked God many questions. If Jesus was the perfect sacrifice, then why are people not walking in true freedom in Him? Why are people still bound by sin? Why is the enemy deceiving so many individuals?

God then took me to a few more scriptures to help me better understand. I begin to analyze the word "redemption." Redemption means to rescue, recovery, rebirth, or deliverance from bondage. I then begin to asked even more questions. In order to be redeemed, don't we have to first acknowledge that we need redemption from something?  Don't we have to acknowledge that what You recognize as sin is sin to us as well?  How can I remain bound if I say that I have Christ and shed His blood to set me free?   

There is a disconnect here!

I came to a better understanding that we can be our own hindrance. We can be so comfortable in sin, bound by sin, bound by our past hurts and struggles or simply walking in fear that we don't allow Christ to do the work in us, to make us whole. You see in the book of John, chapter 5, Jesus asked a man a very thought provoking question. Jesus was coming from a Jewish feast and went up to Jerusalem to a place called Bethesda. This place had 5 porches and a pool. He found many sick people there waiting for an angel of God to come down and stir the water in order to be healed of all their many diseases.

There was a certain man there that had been sick for over 38 years. On this day Jesus asked him a simply, "Do you want to be made whole? (John 5:6-11).


The man began to give Jesus excuses and blame others, but Jesus was trying to get him to take a look at himself, and understand that he had to have the will and the desire to truly be made well. This was not temporary what Jesus wanted to do in his life. It was permanent. He had to participate. He couldn't wait for anyone else to do it for him. Did he trust God or not? Did he really want complete wholeness?

Jesus then said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk." The scriptures go on to tell us that the man was made whole immediately and he didn't step one foot in the pool. He had faith in the only one that could truly heal him. Christ did it, because he believed and wanted a changed life.

Jesus saw him again and gave him a final instruction, Go and sin no more, or a worse thing will come upon you (John 5:14).  

So today, just like the main at Bethesda, Jesus is asking us, "Do you want to be made whole?" I believe that God has asked me that same question more than once in my life.

God is not powerless! He has all power, but do we believe Him? Do we believe that He loves us and desires to bring us out of darkness? Do we believe that His plans for us are good or are we going to keep trying to figure it out on our own? Do truly understand what it means to be made in His image and likeness?  Are we walking in fear or condemnation? What is it?

What ever it is surrender it ALL to Him! Be made whole in Him today! Only He can truly set us free. I am a living witness of it!! Trust Him! Allow Him to make you complete in Him!!

Be blessed!
#hope-in-Christ


Copyright © 2016 by Denise Walker/Project H.O.P.E. Ministries, Inc.
Bible Verses from New King James Version were found on Bible Gateway.

As I got up this morning to pray, I felt God leading me to this scripture. I have been rereading Genesis and all of my Daily H.O.P.E.'s have come from there, but God wanted to speak to someone today. There are so many today that are sick in their bodies, heartbroken, or even emotionally scarred. Jesus wants to heal you today. I begin to study every word from Isaiah 53:5 and I was so amazed at what Christ has done for each and every one of us. I came to an understanding that Jesus was correcting what sin had done to our lives. It had separated us from Him. He was righting our wrong. We don't deserve His redemption, yet He did it anyway. What a mighty savior indeed!

Today He wants to give you true peace! Peace from rejection. Peace from failure. Peace from everything that you might encounter in the here and now. He is our healer! No one else has the power to do what He did on the cross. So receive your healing today and walk with the living, eternal savior and Lord of all, Jesus Christ. Be healed in Jesus!

#hope-in-christ

Enjoy this worship song by Hillsong: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5qoQmjwv-0

Copyright © 2016 by Denise Walker/Project H.O.P.E. Ministries, Inc.
Bible Verses from New King James Version were found on Bible Gateway.

How do you define self-worth? Is it in friendships? Is it in your outer appearance? Is it even in possessions?

In this very self-centered world, we can easily lose focus of our true worth!

What is worth anyway and why is so important? Is it the way that people define us? Or Is it how we feel about ourselves from day to day? The simple answer to this question is No!

The Webster's Dictionary defines worth as the value of something measured by its qualities or by the esteem in which it is held; the moral or personal value of something.

After viewing this definition, the word value stood out to me. I was reminded of how I didn't realize that I had value and that my worth was far greater than the choices that I made in my past. Like myself, many others place value on things and even other people, but they rarely stop to reflect on their own self-worth.


So where is our true worth found? Our true worth is found in Christ! This may not be the popular answer, yet it is truth!

In Genesis 1:27 the following words are recorded, "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."

So we must first understand that we were created in God's image, not the images that we create for ourselves nor how others view us. 

And just what does it mean to be created in God's image? The Strong's definition of image is likeness; of resemblance to. The Webster's Dictionary goes on to define image as a visual representation of something.

Furthermore, Job 33:4 states, "The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life." Isaiah 64:8 records, "But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.

Therefore what can we conclude from these scriptures? We were made by God, for God, and in His likeness. We bear God's image! 

What a life changing revelation! We are so much more than the world's standard and even the false picture that we paint for the world to see! We were made body, soul and spirit. Our spirit man is eternal as God almighty is eternal! We were made beautiful just as we are! No changes needed! No opinions accepted!


We are beautiful because God is beautiful, and we are made like Him! Nothing more, nothing less. We have to accept this truth for ourselves. It begins with surrender and recognizing the divine nature of Jesus Christ! And as we surrender our lives to Christ, He reveals our worth to us. He restores our souls, delivers us from bondage and, through His power He helps us love the beauty that we are in Him.  Then we can come to a realization that no matter what we have been through, no matter what choices we have made; we were created by God and are valued by Him! We have worth and our worth is found in the living God, the Creator of heaven and earth! The Alpha and The Omega, Jesus the Christ!

 If you haven't already, place your trust in Christ and in Him you will understand your value!  Let Him be glorified in your life! He is alive and is the giver of life! In Him, you will never again question your worth!

Enjoy this worship song by one of my favorite gospel artists, Kari Jobe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKzS4SjBeb8

#hope-in-Christ


Copyright © 2016 by Denise Walker/Project H.O.P.E. Ministries, Inc.
Bible Verses from New King James Version were found on Bible Gateway.

John 8:31-35 - NKJV (Biblegateway.com)
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”
Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.


This morning as I went into my prayer room a song by Eddie James started to play in my heart. The song is titled "Free to  Run." As I knelt to pray, I began to sing this song. I then felt the peace of God in my heart for what He has called me to do. I could hear the Lord whisper verse 36 of John 8, "Who the Son sets free is free indeed." Then I heard, "Don't be bound by the opinions of man as you go forward." "Whom I have loosed, no one can bound again!"

​ In the scriptures cited above, Jesus was ministering to the Jews; he was trying to help them to understand that they weren't free because of their lineage. He was revealing to them their spiritual condition. When we come to Christ and we allow Him to cleanse us of our sin, we then have a freedom because the Spirit of God now lives in us.

God has called us to do great works in this earth! Often times as believers, we are walking around still bound. We are no longer bound by sin but by the opinions of others and our own fears. We know in our hearts that we are called by God but we often allow these things  to overshadow that call on our lives! We have to remember to seek to please God and to walk out our salvation and purpose in the freedom of Christ our Lord!

Therefore, let us be reminded that He called us and we didn't call ourselves! Let us run-on in Him, walk in His will, and simply pray for others to do the same. Our identity is found in Him! For only in Him do we live, move, and have our being! In Matthew 28:20, Jesus said, "and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” So we are not to fear, but walk in His strength and power! Let us be free to live for Him and hold fast to His promises! We are free indeed!

Enjoy this worship song by Eddie James on Youtube!
​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6M9eiBydvg
​

#hope-in-Christ​



Copyright © 2016 by Denise Walker/Project H.O.P.E. Ministries, Inc.
Bible Verses from New King James Version were found on Bible Gateway.

This picture symbolizes what sin and the lack of relationship with the Lord does to our lives. It yokes us, controls us and we begin to operate in our own will, and not His will. Then it becomes a burden and too much to bare. God has a great and perfect plan for our lives. He knew us before we were even formed in our mother's womb. He is the creator of our very being. He placed something inside of us that only He can fill.
So that is why in Matthew 11:28-30, Christ says, "Come (follow, come near)to Me, all you who labor (grow weary, tired) and are heavy laden (burden upon, overload), and I will give you rest (refresh). Take (raise up, lift up, elevate)My yoke upon you (rest upon)and learn (increase one's knowledge) of me, for I am meek (gentle) and lowly (humble) in heart, and you will find (meet with) rest for your souls (seat of feelings, desires, affections, heart). For My yoke (used of any burden or bondage, as that of slavery) is easy (fit for use, good, pleasant) and My burden (load) is light."

​So as we enter into a new year, let us put down the yoke of sin, regret, deception, pain, and any other thing and let us put on the yoke of Christ. He knows what we need before we even speak. He is the source of our peace. He is our Strength and true joy comes from Him.

​Be blessed in 2016! Hope in Christ! Make Him Lord of your life today!


Copyright © 2016 by Denise Walker/Project H.O.P.E. Ministries, Inc.
Bible Verses from King James Version were found on Bible Gateway.