A Fly on the Wall

By Machelle McDowell

A Fly on the Wall

By Machelle McDowell

Matt 1 & Luke 2

I would love to have been a fly on the wall when Jesus was born. To have witnessed the greatest miracle of all time through the eyes of a fly at a 360 degree view would have resulted in not missing a thing! Granted, flies don’t have perfect vision, but close! 

To see the hustle and bustle of the animals in the stable as they readjusted their sleeping quarters to make room for the unusual guests. That these animals would hold such an honor. To be present at the birth of Jesus and to be made mentioned each time the sweet story of his birth is told. Ironic, in the order of creation, the animals were created before man…just saying, (just something to think about when we think more highly of ourselves than we should), LOL. 

Joseph rustling the hay to make a bed suitable for his wife to bring his first born son into the world. In the background the cows snorted as they spilt their grain into the trough and the donkey braying in disgust as he was pushed out of his cozy pen into a less favorable spot.

To watch Joseph scan the premises for anything and everything to make their stay more comfortable. I’m sure the thoughts that ran through both of their heads were as jumbled as plate of spaghetti. 

The questions they must have asked one another. “I thought we were favored by God,” Mary must have asked? Mary anxiously concerned for where the baby was to be birthed and how? Her skin probably itched from from hay pricking her through the thin blanket that served as her mattress. The king of all kings is to be born in a barn? So many thoughts? So many questions?

Her first child and all of the uncertainties that go along with it consumed her. As she is breathed deeply to manage her birthing pain only to inhale the scent of urine and manure presented her as she shared her sleeping space with barn animals. 

Did Gabriel’s words of comfort rest on her heart and mind? Did she take stock in his promise, “Mary, The Lord is with you,” “Do not be afraid, you have found favor with God.”  Did she feel favored at that moment? She is in a stable with stale hay and covered by a dust blanket for warmth.

Joseph, must have felt anguish that his first born child was being born in a barn, even though he knew the child was the son of God, he was responsible for his well being on earth. He was assigned the role of earthly father. A role that nearly drove he and his betrothed apart.

The book of Luke 2:19 speaks of Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. I am certain, Joseph did as well, even though scripture does not speak of his pondering. 

This birth was not like any other. It represented the beginning of reconciliation of man to God because we could not come to God on our own, but through this baby, laid the foundation that shook the world and all that is in it. 

The Savior of the world in such a tiny package. Jesus born in Bethlehem. “For God so loved the world that He gave his only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. John 3:16 
When Jesus was born, Mary wrapped him in cloth and laid him in the manger. 

And, let’s not forget some of the other strange guests that came to the less than desirable maternity ward that evening to visit the Messiah in the stable! 

First to hear the news heralded by angels, was the Shepherds in their fields. “Don’t be afraid, I bring you good new of great joy that will be for all the people, “today, a Savior has been born; He is Christ the Lord.” 

The shepherds talked among themselves, “Let’s go see this baby”.  Why the shepherd? The lowly shepherd was chosen to come see the baby, first. 

Another form of irony? Jesus was and is the greatest shepherd! Takes one to know one?? Just struck me odd that the shepherd showed up at the stable to worship, “THE SHEPHERD.” 
O, what a glorious night! 

The other benefit of being a fly on the wall that night would have been that a fly can see in all directions and that allows them to navigate while also being on the lookout for danger.

The enemy Satan lurked outside that well protected humble stable the night our precious savior was born. Prowling around like a lion in search of a kill. But, Gabriel’s words rang true, “Mary, the Lord is with you,” “Do not be afraid, you have found favor with God.” 
My friend, If you know this Jesus I speak of, this promise is true for you too, “The Lord is with you.” 

The Veil

Have you ever had the wool pulled over your eyes?

The Veil

By Machelle McDowell

Are you familiar with the saying, “The wool has been pulled over your eyes!” What does that even mean?  According to our trusty Google Gurus, the term is from the 1800s and means to fool or lie to someone and get away with it through deception and trickery! Wow! I totally get this! Satan has a way of pulling the wool over our eyes, doesn’t he?

I am reminded of the transformation of Paul in Acts chapter 9! The enemy had pulled the wool over Pauls’s eyes for so long and then in Acts 9 his conversion experience displays the blindness brought on by Satan was now being exchanged with a new type of blindness! 

Paul is blinded by the grace of God in a sense! The veil of sin had been torn in two and he fell to the ground in response to God’s holiness and when he stood, he was blinded in a good way!! 

Daniel chapter 10 makes reference to “the veil” being lifted and allowing the Christian to see the unseen. Paul could hear God clearly but could not see him. His eyes were “veiled” in blindness for 3 days.

Exodus 26:33 says, “The veil shall be a divider between the holy place and the holy of holies.” Interestingly, the veil was a final door to pass through to enter into the presence of God into the holy of holies in the temple before the New Covenant. But, even then there were stipulations. It is my understanding, you could not enter if you were not a priest and he could only enter once a year on your behalf on the day of atonement! Wow!  

This veil was to remind us that we are excluded because we have all sinned and fall short. Praise God for providing Jesus to atone for our sin!

 He bore our sin and we don’t need any other sacrifice! Jesus made it possible for us to come to God ANYTIME on our own! When the veil tore in two after his death in the temple, it was like the doors of heaven opened and welcomed us all into his presence if we would only choose!

Unbelievers walk this earth wearing a veil over their eyes, like Paul! It keeps them from seeing or experiencing God and His power. It keeps them from the holy of holies. 

Did God allow Paul to remain in darkness for 3 days to show him His Sovereignty? I tend to think so. Here is a Christian hater turned Apostle! 

Only the power of God can do such a miracle. And only by this power was the veil torn from Paul’s eyes.

 I think, God wanted Paul to experience the holy of holies! And in those (3) days of waiting, a great work was done in Paul. 

In essence, God raised Paul from the dead…the spiritually dead! Significantly enough, Jesus remained in the dark tomb for (3) days before his resurrection! 

Believers, we are not exempt! We too tend to wear veils over our eyes at times, even after God tears the veil of sin from our eyes and salvation is experienced. We have vulnerable moments.

Sometimes, we allow our own thinking and opinions to form that do not align with the Bible, but yet, like the old cliche, Satan pulls the wool over our eyes and we are deceived. 

We wear the wool proudly until God has enough and brings us to our knees. 

It is so precious when God’s truths tear the veil away and we see Him clearly.

Has the wool been pulled over your eyes, friends? Are you carrying around some secret sin or twisting God’s word to fit your lifestyle? Don’t let the enemy have the victory of placing a veil of confusion, disbelief, discouragement on you! 

The veil was torn for us! God loved us that much. Jesus died that we might live! We can experience the holy of holies! It is available for everyone no matter what sin is relevant in your life. 

My prayer for all of us today is that God remove any blindness that is keeping us from Him! Either through a need for salvation or for the Christian who has allowed the enemy to place the wool over their eyes and is leading them in the wrong direction. 

Don’t let the wool be pulled over your eyes!

As Such Were You

By Brigitte Cottrell

1 Corinthians 6 : 9-11

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, not idolaters, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkerds, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. BUT you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the spirit of our God. 

I have always felt comforted by this verse. And by always, I mean since I have accepted my history of sin, specifically falling captive of homosexual temptation, as a sin able to be washed by God. I feel like most modern day Christians sit in one of two camps. Camp One holds people leaning heavily on verses of Jesus being all loving, and that we are to love one another while allowing for a person’s sexuality and sexual identity to be “just how God made them.” Camp Two hosts degrees of homophobia, leaning into God’s wrath for sin. Neither camp 1 or 2 are biblical spaces for Christians to sit within these issues. 

I grew up in a conservative Christian family. We went to church regularly in a Bible Belt section of the United States where church culture was considered “normal”.  We all knew what a “hedge of protection” was, although I have never heard anyone from around here call a bush a “hedge”.  Culturally we all knew enough about Jesus to be dangerously misinformed. 

Here are some other things you should know about me: 

I have a husband, and I’m a mom to a daughter. 

I am a perfectionist- an Enneagram 1 if you’re into that. 

I am an only child.

I overthink and become anxious easily.

I care deeply about what other people think about me. Even typing that sentence makes me roll my eyes because I know what the Bible, and feminism, and my parents have taught me regarding caring about the opinions of others. 

I accepted Jesus to be in charge of my life at a bible school somewhere between the ages of 6 and 8, and soon after got baptized.

So consider all of these qualities when I tell you that when puberty hit and I start having intimate feelings for some men and women I felt wrong. I felt broken. I felt unlovable- especially by the creator of the universe. 

It wasn’t normal. I wasn’t normal. 

As a tween I felt like if I accepted these feelings I wouldn’t have friends, my family would disown me, I couldn’t have a career because nobody would hire me-cue the overthinking. Looking back, I can’t tell you the instance when these feelings started happening. I just felt them. It felt like I was just created to like both men and women.  As I got into high school the amount of people I knew who belonged to Camp One grew, and I began to think maybe there is a place for me to be “out” and “Christian.” I told a few friends about my feelings but not many due to fear. I started to seek what my heart wanted. I was in a few relationships with different females, and as I felt my inner sexuality satisfied, the distance between myself and God grew further apart. The relationship I treasured with my parents grew further apart. Although I felt prideful about accepting myself for my feelings, I did not feel joyful like I had when I felt close to God. After all, as a young believer I felt like I was doing everything “right.” I went to church, I prayed, I sang praise songs to God. I tried for a long time to justify my same-sex relationships because I was doing the rest “right.”  I tried so hard to justify it, but I would always stand guilty. I missed the feeling of wholeness from God. The lack of wholeness felt like a bowl of soup that had just become broth, missing all of the goodness that a recipe calls for. I missed feeling his spirit comfort me when I felt anxious or lonely.

I chose to step away from that side of myself. 

That sentence was hard to type. If you’re reading this as a prescription on how to deal with sin in your life, I’m sorry I can’t give a gentler method. I’m wrestling with those words because it is not easy to tell a LGBT+ person to just “step away” as if it is as easy as ticking off a check list. I cannot imagine someone telling me to step away if I only had feelings for someone of the same gender. Even now there is doubt placed in my mind from Satan that says, “its not like you only like women, what grounds do you have to speak on LGBT+ issues and the gospel” and “Brigitte, you’re married to a man. Your bisexuality has given you a way out.” I have found that there is even an air of mistrust of bisexuality within the LGBT+ community, as if it’s an excuse for not being fully gay. 

Another thought I wrestled with was,”Did I choose to step away, or did God through his grace save me from that path? Was this the plan all along? Was I supposed to go down the road of homosexual sin and then turn from it? That makes for a really confusing testimony and I don’t want that. God, can I not struggle with a “normal” sin? “ Regardless of my doings or God’s, I decided to no longer actively participate in those desires. Don’t misunderstand me; the desires were still there- and at times I still feel the temptation- but I knew if I wanted to prioritize my relationship with God I couldn’t act on them. 

Let me take a moment to speak to the word temptation. Being tempted by sin does not make you sinful. Being human by nature makes you sinful. Jesus, in all of his perfection, was tempted in the wilderness but never succumbed to it. You can read about it in Matthew chapter 4. If you have a temptation to homosexual or heterosexual sin you are still loved by God. If you have partaken in homosexual or heterosexual sin, you are STILL loved by God as one of his children, but it is time to turn from it. That was another hard sentence. It is hard to combine “camp 1” and “camp 2.” It’s hard to hold God’s love and God’s wrath simultaneously. It’s hard to convey how the joy of being in a relationship with the Lord can overcome any sexual sin. I think the core of all sin is choosing ourselves over God. In fact, if you look at the last commandment Jesus gave his disciples in John 13 he calls them to love one another just as Jesus has loved them, taking the focus off of oneself, centering on God, and pouring out that love to others. 

I believe that God is not interested in making a bunch of rules we can’t follow, but his interest is in us as people, as children. We are so quick to pick up an identity. Go back to my about me list, I am more than just a person who struggles with sexual sin. I am a wife, a mother, a daughter. I have talents and skills that he gave me to bring Him glory. God is so much more interested in my other qualities. He knows everything about me because he created me. He knew me when he formed me in my mom’s womb (Jeremiah 1), and I’d be willing to bet that he knew my temptations then. And, I know this isn’t just true for me; it’s true for you too. 

The third chapter of 1 John discusses how we are children of God if we hope in Him and we are purified and made righteous. It also says that whoever makes a practice of sinning practices lawlessness and cannot be a child of God. Verse 24 ties the chapter together stating whoever keeps his commandments abides in God and God in him. In simple terms, we should strive to seek God by making a habit of not sinning through following his commands.  God’s commands were created to draw us closer to relationship with him. When we seek a relationship with God, he calls for our desires to take the back seat to his desires. 

I believe there are others like me. In fact, if we lump all sins together I know there are others like me- 8 billion others like me. The Bible says we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). The church is full of broken and hopefully healing people. I don’t know why I am tempted with homosexual sin. I don’t know why this is part of my story. It is my hope and prayer that this story can be used to shine a light on the sweetness of God’s love and power of his victory over sin. I’m not perfect. I cannot be perfect even if I do all of the “right” things. But I can seek righteousness through the one who saves.

I was washed, I was sanctified, and I was justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the spirit of our God.

For more of Brigitte’s blog with other posts, check out boldlybridged.com

A Biblical Response to “Pride Month”

By: Jonathan Carl

Have you noticed the increased emphasis on validating, affirming, and encouraging LGTBQ+ in America during 2021?  Rainbow flags at U.S. Embassies.  Company logos changed to a rainbow pattern.  An onslaught of advertising campaigns. Products created to celebrate a sexual revolution.  Such rapid and radical changes in our society can often overwhelm us.  How should a biblical Christian understand our culture?  What should followers of Jesus do?

1 Chronicles 12:32 “Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do”

1. Love God - Understanding False Religion.  Read 1 John.  Just because someone calls themself a Christian doesn’t make them a genuine believer. Rebellion against God’s authority and Biblical commands reveals both a false religion and a false conversion.  If God’s voice in Scripture is not one’s authority, Jesus is not one’s Lord and Savior.  A true love of God is evidenced in obedience and submission to His Word.

Matthew 15:8 “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me”

2. Practice Self-Control - Understanding Cultural History. Be slow to speak.  The sexual revolution in America didn’t happen overnight, and was overwhelmingly found in heterosexual sin before LGTBQ+ sin.  Decades of sensuality, pornography, no-fault divorce, serial marriage, fornication, adultery, prostitution, abuse, and more have led us to the LGTBQ+ rebellion against God.  We are all broken sexually in our sin.  This cycle of sexual sin has happened repeatedly in many other cultures.  We are on a historical and moral path towards even more destructive sexual immorality: polygamy, polyamory, pedophilia, beastiality, virtual sex, and sex bots. 

Ecclesiastes 1:9 “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.”

3. Be Kind to LGTBQ+ People - Understanding Relationships.  Many who identify as lesbian, gay, transgender, bi-sexual, queer, or any number of evolving labels have suffered intense hatred, insults, abuse, and attacks.  Get to know your LGTBQ+ neighbors.  Listen to their stories.  Weep with their hurts.  Find ways to show them genuine, Christian love without condoning or approving their sinful choices and self-identification.

Luke 6:27–28 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”

4. Exhibit Faithfulness - Understanding Spiritual Truths.  The increasingly rampant heterosexual, homosexual, and gender identity sins are “false to the truth…earthly, unspiritual, demonic” (James 3:14–15).  Validating, affirming, approving, accepting, endorsing, encouraging, supporting, promoting, and celebrating LGTBQ+ is foolish, unnatural, dishonorable, impure, and offensive to our Holy God (Romans 1:18-32).  Watch out!  Before you form or share your opinion on LGTBQ+, examine the Scriptures in the pursuit of faithfulness to God’s truth (Romans 1:24-32, Genesis 19, Leviticus 18:22; 20:13, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Galatians 5:19-21, Ephesians 5:3-6, 1 Timothy 1:9-10, Jude 7).  Do not bend the knee to the false god of LGTBQ+ pride.

Romans 1:24, 26-27, 32 “Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves…For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; [27] and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. …Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.”

The world says “love is love,” but God explains that “God is love” (1 John 4:8,16); He is the definition and definer of true love.

The world encourages “love yourself” while God warns of the danger of being deceived to follow “the course of the world” in pursuing the “desires of the body and the mind” (Ephesians 2:1-3).

The world advertises “you be you”, but God says “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16).

The world teaches you to follow your “own truth” and understanding of god, while God  proclaims “whoever says ‘I know him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him”(1 John 2:4-6).

Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”

5. Be A Joy-Filled Presence - Understanding Eternal Consequences.  Those who continue in sexual sin, whether heterosexual or homosexual, have chosen a path to Hell.  When surrounded by cultural evil, may be choose to be like Noah, Daniel, Paul, the church in Philadelphia, and so many more faithful saints, keeping God’s Word and not denying His name (Revelation 3:8).  We must choose to be an evangelistic, joy-filled presence among those who are perishing.

1 Corinthians 6:9 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality."

6.  Endure - Understanding God’s Plan.  Don’t be surprised when people hate you for standing on God’s Word concerning the sinfulness of LGTBQ+ (1 John 3:13–14).  Some might falsely accuse you of being homophobic or a bigot.  Others may threaten and attack you (Matthew 5:10-11).  Stand firm (Ephesians 6:10-20).  Turn the other cheek (Luke 6:29).  When possible speak truth, with humility, as an act of love.  Live in righteousness, evidencing the bright light of true love to a dark world.  Practice genuine love.

Romans 12:9 “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.”

Here are some helpful biblical resources for you to consider!

• What does the Bible say about homosexuality? - http://www.trustworthyword.com/what-does-the-bible-say-about-homosexuality

• How can I be sure I’m a Christian? - http://www.trustworthyword.com/how-can-i-be-sure-im-a-christian

• How can I become a Christian? - http://www.trustworthyword.com/how-can-i-become-a-christian

• Evidence for Jesus - http://www.trustworthyword.com/evidence-for-jesus

You Are Not Anonymous, My Friend!

Have you ever felt like you were invisible?

Luke 8:43-48

“When the woman realized that she could not stay hidden, she began to tremble and fell to her knees in front of him.  The whole crowd heard her explain why she had touched him and that she had been immediately healed.  “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.

My husband and I were eating at a local restaurant the other day. We were enjoying our meal and our glasses were about half empty/full, (LOL) however you look at that!

The waitress came over and asked my husband if he needed a refill. He responded, “sure,” and off she went. I didn’t really think much about it at the moment (even though my glass could have used a refill), I didn’t want a refill. 

However, we finished our lunch and our plates were empty. Once again, the waitress came over and asked to take his plate, never once acknowledging that I was even sitting there? 

Petty, I know. But, at that moment the thought crossed my mind, “Am I invisible?”

Have you ever felt invisible? I cannot imagine how the woman in our passage today must have felt most of her life! Anonymous, invisible, unimportant, unloved, unclean, oh my, the list is long of words that might come close to describing how she felt!

This woman was very alone. No one wanted to be near her and certainly didn’t want to hear her speak. She could not go out in public. She could not be hugged by her own family!

 We thought Covid quarantine was bad, this poor woman was in quarantine 12 years!  She tried everything she could to be healed. Her resources ran dry. But, then, there was JESUS!

This woman came up with a plan! I imagine that she thought she would sneak up behind Jesus in the midst of the crowd and just touch the hem of his garment and no one would ever know. She believed that would be enough! And, it was!

At that moment, she wanted to remain anonymous. She certainly didn’t want to be called out by Jesus himself! 

She was so desperate to be healed, she did not worry about her consequences of what might happen, outside the fact that she is a woman which carried its own consequences.

Man says…show me and I’ll trust you. God says…trust me and I’ll show you.

 (Psalm 126:6). Her faith wasn’t placed in one thread of hope. The thread that was sewn into Jesus’ garment held the power to heal her upon her touch!! Wow. 

This is the Christ she knew could bring healing if she could only manage to touch him. 

And…He can do the same for you!  

Jesus’ response was beautiful! He wasn’t angry with her. He just wanted to see who demonstrated this bold act of love and faith by trusting in a touch! In HIS touch!

He wanted her to know, she was not anonymous, invisible, unloved, but that she had been healed and her testimony was just heard as she explained out loud by hundreds of people in the crowd that day!! Jesus was proud of her! 

It was like Jesus was saying, “Step out and let us see you, my child!” “You are mine and you are loved and important!” “Daughter, your faith has made you well! Go in peace and be freed from your suffering. Mark: 5:34

You are not anonymous my friend! God is seeking you out! 

As for you, LORD, you know me…..You see me! (Jeremiah 12:3

Life Can Turn on a Dime!

Machelle McDowell

May 20, 2021

(I Samuel 20:35-40)

This passage reflects a crucial time in David’s life. These (3) arrows mentioned carried the message of his future and like a flip of a dime, David became the target. He was now a walking bulls eye for Saul. 

Life is fragile like that. With just a flip of a coin, our trajectory can be changed by (1) lapse of judgment, (1) moment in the wrong place, (1) bad influence, (1) wrong decision. Life can turn on a dime!

It has happened to all of us. David finds himself in a new chapter of his life that leaves him questioning. What about his anointing? What about when Samuel told him he would be king one day? He has gone from living in the palace to hiding in a cave. His followers are now misfits. He is not the hunter but the hunted. How did he get there?

How often do we find ourselves asking this question? How did I get here and where am I going?

 I am certain, David asked these questions many times. The road ahead did not look promising, but he knew in his heart it was the road God had lead him to, but now he has doubt. Why has this happened?

I find it so uplifting to know God oftentimes sends people who are greatly used by him down paths that are bleak for a time.

Let’s reflect on the life of Job. What a disaster, but in the end his blessing outweighed his trial. Same thing for Paul, Moses, Abraham, Joseph, the list could fill this page! With that being said, there is hope, my friend!

So, we can look at this period in the life of David as training. Yes, he attended the school of hard knocks, but he comes out victorious! His anointing as king when he was a child did not wash away. He was being groomed and molded into a man after God’s own heart. 

Let God empty you out! (Redpath) said it best: “A throne is God’s purpose for you; a cross is God’s path for you; faith is God’s plan for you.” David is learning to submit to God through this dark times in his life. David needed to realize that life flips on a dime and God’s authority and guidance is mandatory!

The best leaders are the ones who are humble enough to know they are not enough by themselves. The ones who realize God is their ultimate authority. David is learning a valuable tool as he spends months in a dark cave with a group of misfits as his support. Funny thing: God sent the misfits! They too were seeking answers in life that only God could answer and used David to teach them. 

God led David to act like a king, even though he wasn’t yet. David began to inquire of God on every decision! And God does deliver him from Saul. David does go on to become king. 

Has your life flipped on a dime? Do you find yourself hiding in a dark cave? Maybe you had a weak moment, a lapse in good judgment, or maybe you found yourself in the wrong group of people and all of the sudden you are sucked into something you can’t find your way out of. 

God loved the fact that even when David committed some serious sin he was truly repentant and realized he was unworthy and undeserving of God’s love, but God shows no favoritism. He loved David back into his good graces. And, he can love you there too!

God’s love and goodness is often shown when He delivers us when we don’t deserve it! 

David writes (filled with gratitude) for God in In Psalm 34:1-4 “I will bess the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad.  Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.  I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

Call out friend, He hears you and He will deliver you! 

Who Am I?

Who Am I?

By Machelle McDowell

Acts 10:34-35 “So Peter opens his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”

Have you ever asked yourself this question, “Who am I?” Some people never find the answer. Finding your identity is hard, but not if it is found in Christ! God does not pick and choose people by their race, their p. olitical affiliation, their successes or their failures. Peter said it best, “God shows no partiality.” If you are a believer in Christ and follow his commands, YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD. If you are a child of God, you are a part of the family of God, a royal priesthood, (I Peter 2:9).  We are adopted into royalty when God accepts us as his own. We belong to the King of Kings! It does not matter where we came from, what we have done, or what color our skin is. 

Sometimes we try to build our identity on false beliefs or feelings we have about certain things. I hear this comment often when people try to do life on their own, “I don’t even know who I am anymore.” More times than not this comment stems from sin that is prevalent in ones life at that time. We might focus on a behavior or an addiction and feel that is who we are: a gossip, a slanderer, a liar, an alcoholic, an addict, an adulterer, or could be many other categories. But, God says we are forgiven, redeemed, and God’s possession! 

You know….before Matthew met Christ, (in the New Testament), he was known as, “The Tax Collector,” but after he met Jesus, his identity changed to Matthew, “The Apostle.” God has a way of changing our identity in him! Amen!

We are his temple, His vessel, and are chosen! That is what it looks like to be justified by His grace. That my friend is who you are if Christ is your Lord! As Christians, sin is a reality that often leads us to lift ourselves up on a pedestal instead of placing God on a pedestal. 

When self is lifted up it is inevitable that a person will experience a wilderness journey in search of fulfillment of a void that only God can fill. 

Who am I? Flesh says we are lustful, wealth driven, discontented, power seekers, and lovers of self. OUCH! BUT…A child of God can ask that question with confidence in knowing the answer will bring a sense of security that seals our identity in Christ. When we ask God, “Who am I?” He says we are His and we are all about his business. We are eternally in the palm of His hand. We are filled with his power and seated in the heavenly places.  We are secure! We are healed by his stripes  and covered by His blood. 

Our Christian life is not about thriving to fulfill our own purpose, but to fulfill the purpose God has for us. Matthew 16 speaks of “denying self and taking up his cross.”

Who are we? He is our identity.

Friends, God shows no partiality. My mind goes to one of the most famous examples of rebel to righteousness. It is found in 2 Samuel:12. David commits adultery with Bathsheba and then arranges her husband’s death. The beauty in the story is when David recognizes his sin. David says to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And, Nathan reassures David by replying, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.” David was known to be a man after God’s own heart. He wasn’t remembered as the adulterer or the murderer, but that God loved him deeply and used him to carry out the lineage of Christ! The more we focus on who we are in Christ, the less it matters who we were in the past. God shows no partiality, friends!

Are you lost? Are you asking the question, “Who am I?”  “What is my identity?”

God has the answer you seek!

I Have a Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down in my Heart! Where?

I Have a Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down in My Heart! Where?? 

Machelle McDowell

Do you remember this children’s song most of us learned in Sunday School years ago? It speaks volumes! The answer to the question, where?? Down in my heart to stay!

Happiness is an emotion. Joy is a state of being. Psalm16:11 reminds us that joy and “eternal pleasures” are found in God’s presence. Joy is rooted in God. It is not affected by the worldly circumstances, people, and possessions in which we encounter in our lifetime that may rock our worlds.

Romans speaks of God filling us with all joy and peace, so that we may abound in hope. 

God brings joy through unexpected blessings!

Have you ever been blessed financially during a time when you did not know where your next dollar was coming from? Mysteriously, a refund check shows up or you receive a bonus at work! When God’s hand is responsible for such a blessing an overwhelming joy floods our souls in a way that permeates His presence in our being. The joy of knowing our Father cares about all of our needs! We KNOW without a doubt the blessing was from our Father! 

Or you are left waiting on some medical testing results that have you shaken. The news was not what you had hoped for, but God has your hand and you know He will lead you accordingly. The joy of knowing you are not alone and that you can cast your burden upon him.

God brings joy through Unexplained messages from Him!

When your feet hit the floor, better yet, your knees! When you experience the best part of waking up is Jesus in your cup! Spending  intentional time with God waiting for that moment when he speaks directly to you! And then, it happens!! The verse jumps off the page that speaks your name and/or your situation. You receive a visit or card from an unexpected source. Someone calls out of the blue and says exactly what you needed to hear! That is the joy of the presence of God in your life, friend. Joy! 

God brings joy through music!

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvations. Psalm 95:1. It is difficult to contain a joyful heart. When God resides in our hearts so does joy!  Even when we endure sadness, we know that weeping may tarry for the night but joy comes with the morning. Psalm 30:5! This too shall pass. The joy of the Lord is my strength!!

I have the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy down in my heart! Where?

Down in my heart, where? Down in my heart!

I have the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy down in my heart! Where?

Down in my heart to stay!

Do you? Do you have joy in your heart?  If your answer is no…supernatural joy is found in Jesus alone.  All other sources are temporary.  Put your trust in the God who is for you! He is everything you need and then some.

Pray to Him by admitting you cannot do life on your own.  We are all sinners by nature.  Admit it.  Ask for forgiveness.  Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead…You will be saved! AND you will receive “joy” unspeakable!

“We are writing these things that our joy may be complete” (John 1:4)