The Sword is mighty— use it

Pull out the Word of the LORD, the sword of truth (Eph 6:17), and mercilessly and without pity— slay your fears with Psalm 23, 56:3, and Psalm 94:19. Slash, chop, hew and cut down anxious thoughts with Psalm 55:22, 1 Peter 5:7, Matthew 6:25-34, Philippians 4:6-7, and John 14:27. And don't let doubt, guilt, shame, rejection, despair or the fear of loneliness escape— beat them down with Matthew 28:20, Hebrews 13:5, Romans 8:35-39, Psalm 148:8, and Joshua 1:9. 

 May every promise of His strength, hope, joy, peace, patience, life, victory, provision, shield and shelter, defense and refuge, grace and mercy, forgiveness and sure salvation spoken from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21 be with us. The LORD GOD of heavenly forces is with us. Have a sensational Saturday! Love you—Cassius

He is peace—

Peace is not the absence of problems or pain, but the deep, abiding, abundant presence of God with you in them and it is the unspeakable and unshakable confidence in His salvation, righteousness, promises, and faithfulness.

He is Peace—so let us "stop allowing [ourselves] to be agitated and disturbed; and ... not permit [ourselves] to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled (John‬ ‭14:27‬b AMPC‬‬)."

He is Peace— so let us invite His perfect peace to calm us in every circumstance and give us courage and strength for every challenge (John‬ ‭14:27‬ ‭AMP‬‬).

He is Peace— so rejoice, have joy and "do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid (John‬ ‭14:27‬ ‭AMP‬‬)."

Shalom to you and may the "deep, genuine, God-given peace," "that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians‬ ‭4:7‬ ‭AMPC‬‬)."

Remember the butterfly 🦋

Today, remember the butterfly 🦋!
Before we get to see the beauty of spotted wings and brilliant colors effortlessly gliding across the skies— it has crawled and trudged through muck and mire, escaped dangers and threats from above and below, and dealt with hurt and pain.

Before it takes flight with ornate wings and seemingly carefree abandon— it has spent a season in a cramped, dark space that likely felt like a tomb, and then had to fight like you know what to break its way out and back into the light.

But if it were not for the darkness, it could never grow wings, and if not for the struggle its wings would have no strength. So, remember the butterfly whenever you feel like you are only able to crawl, when hardship come, when you feel fearful and under attack, when darkness surrounds you or your tears flow like rivers, and you feel like everyday you are having to fight like you know what to make it to the other side of day and the right side of victory.

Remember the butterfly and believe with joy that all things are going to work out for your "wings" (for your good), and put your hope and trust in Jesus Christ your Savior— He knows a thing or two about resurrection and abundant life.

Be hopeful and hope filled— knowing that God's sovereignty applies to any and everything we are facing and His power to transform it will be even more amazing than the metamorphosis of the monarch butterfly 

Today, remember the butterfly 🦋 and have a great day!

Grace and peace to you—Cassius 

He is love and His love is in us!

Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Lynn Cowell has a great post on Proverbs 31 Ministries titled  What Happens When I Forget Christ Lives in Me.  She writes: "Christ lives in us. We now live by faith, confidence and trust in the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us." From her post and the scripture I found three things that I want to pass on in encouragement:

When He died on the cross He proved His love. 

“When we are tempted to look for love in the way others respond, notice us or affirm us, we can choose to hold tight to the Truth that God has already affirmed us." Fully loved we can readily choose to die to ourselves daily so that His Spirit can live in and through us and give us real life.

His Spirit is big enough, is "good enough”, and is perfect in every situation.  

“Every day, settle it in your soul that you are deeply loved and forever cherished. Remember that the Spirit of Christ lives in you and He is bigger than your desire for proof that you are loved and His Spirit is good enough in every situation."

We have a lot of wonderful works to do and opportunities to be blessed and a blessing.  

"Don't waste your energy and time searching for love, just remember that the Spirit of Christ lives in you and be a conduit for His love, His purpose and His life to others."

He is love. His death and resurrection for our sins has proven His love. He is big enough, good enough, and the perfect answer for every question and perfect solution for every problem. And because He is proven love, and the perfect answer we don’t have to wast another second of our precious timing search for someone’s approval— we already have His. May we do amazing things and be wonderful people because His love is in us. 

He is love and His love is in us!

——