Jesus and me

Today's Prayer

2009-05-21T06:37:00.000-07:00

Today's Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, my God and Creator, my source of strength and provision, lover of man’s soul…I come to you today to pray on behalf of my country, my home, and the people who make up this nation. Oh how we need your help! Please have mercy upon us. I’m sorry for my failures and ashamed of the sins of this nation. May all that is good and every person who is called by your name bow before you in repentance and rise up to follow you as shining lights and examples of your love. May we live godly lives and be pleasing to you. May we look to you for our answers, for our help, for guidance. May we lift up the name of Jesus and proclaim his saving grace. I pray for our nation’s leaders, that they will seek your face and make their decisions based on biblical values and that you will protect them in their daily lives and often overwhelming duties. I pray for our Christian leaders, that they will receive wisdom and anointing for the day as you give them power and protection from harm and evil. I pray for families, that they would pull together and support one another—with Christ at the center. I pray for individuals, that we each will take responsibility for our thoughts and actions, that we may allow you to minister to others through us and do great and mighty things according to your will. “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12). May we stand together as your children. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

2009-04-25T07:31:00.001-07:00

Second Step to Holiness

In the first step I saw that repentance, brought about by the work of the Holy Spirit, made me aware of the magnitude, wickedness and folly of my ways. Then I gladly turned to Christ for forgiveness and He graciously responded with love and irrevocable forgiveness. This is redemption, for He paid the price of my sin by shedding His blood on the cross for me. I am then saved. Hallelujah!

The second step is the submission of my will to God’s will. Paul talks about this in Romans 7

: 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members.

Paul realizes something is wrong, he cannot do what he knows he ought to do and he does what he knows he shouldn’t do, and he cries our as many of us have:24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

His own will is dominant so he does what he wants instead of what he knows he should do. But he knows who has the answer: I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,[a] who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

So if our will is not surrendered to the will of God we are walking in the flesh and not in the Spirit!

Jesus not only died on the cross to forgive our sins, but, sent the Holy Spirit as my counselor and guide with power to tame my will and let me submit (surrender) to the will of God.

We see this also in chapter 6: 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We know Sin is death to the sinner, but here he is talking about the Christian who still sins because he has not surrendered his will to God’s will. But we can be made free in Christ. Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,[a] who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Hallelujah!

Don’t be deceived, there are those who think this verse means God won’t condemn us if we do sin. They don’t read the rest of the verse. It says “who do not walk according to the flesh!

We Were Bought With a Price !

2009-04-03T06:02:00.001-07:00

We were bought with a price, the precious blood of Jesus; therefore I will glorify God in my body and spirit, which are God's.
I will not use any part of me to do my own will but allow God to have his will in all my life.
I not let Satan or sin to possess, barrow or pollute my body, mind or heart, for I am God's.
Jesus is mine; the Holy Spirit is in control of every thought, act and relationship.
God is love. I Know God, He knows me; therefore agape love will be my aim and attitude.
Christ accepted me, and I accepted Him. I'll not allow any division or separation from Him.
This is my commitment to Him, for he gave his life for me, and His Spirit to me. Amen.

2008-11-21T08:21:00.000-08:00

The Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-20

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

We have a BIG Mighty God!

11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

The protection and weapons God provides, so you can be “More than conquers”

12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

We need every one of the tools God has for us.

14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,

Truth—Knowing the true Gospel of Christ.

with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

Righteousness—That means cleansed from sin.

15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

Peace--At peace with God.

16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith,

Faith—Having confidence and ruthless trust in our mighty God

with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

17Take the helmet of salvation

Salvation—God’s provision for our forgiveness, restoration, holiness, and heaven.

and the sword of the Spirit,

Spirit—The indwelling Holy Spirit our guide and counselor.

which is the word of God.

Word—The source of wisdom and truth.

Now, with all this preparation what is our duty?

18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Prayer—Our communication with The Almighty.

19Pray also for me,(Interceed) that whenever I open my mouth,

Intercession--For help for The Church and its leaders.

words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains..

Speak—Bold and fearless.

Should we leave all the speaking to the present leaders?

Why can’t we do something for God’s kingdom too? We have the tools!

Why Do I Love Jesus

2008-05-21T13:11:00.000-07:00

Why Do I Love Jesus?

I love you Jesus,

For being light in my darkness,

For being a guide in my blindness,

A lighthouse when I was lost in sin,

My loving Savior when I was a sinner,

You are the sacrifice that redeemed my soul.

You are my rock in the quagmire of sin,

My rich resource in my poverty,

My spring of living water for my thirst,

My loving friend when I am in trouble,

A counselor when I am foolish,

A disciplinarian when I am wayward,

A loving friend when I am in trouble,

A great help when I am helpless,

The God who answers my prayers,

You are the example on which to pattern my life.

No wonder they call you:

The pearl of Great price,

The bright and morning star,

The lily of the valley,

The rock of ages,

The light of the world!

You are my Savior and Lord!

How blest I am!

****

Do you know my Jesus?

He already knows you,

He longs to be your friend.

He wants you to know His mercy, grace and love.

He gave His life so that He could be your Savior too.

Will you accept His offer?

By Howdim

Abba I Belong To You

2008-02-02T11:24:00.000-08:00

Abba, I belong to you.

I belong to you because you loved me. You knit me together in my mother’s womb. Although I was formed from dust, I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Made in your own image. Your breath filled me with the gift of life. So I surely belong to you because you created me.

I belong to you. Although sin infected my life, and defaced your image, just as it has in every human except Jesus since Adam sinned. So, I was a sinner, haughty, rebellious, filthy, and dirty. I was rebelling against your will for me. I believed Satan’s lies about you. I followed his ways and not yours. I sought fulfillment in pleasure, status, things, wealth, and lust. But I found out that you still loved me for in spite of this, in your great love you sent the sinless One, your only Son, Jesus, to suffer for my sins on the cruel cross; and although He was innocent, He died in my place, and cleansed me with his precious blood, canceling the penalty of sin, the death and hell, that I could never escape. So truly I belong to you because you redeemed me through Jesus Christ the Lord.

I always belonged to you. Even though I was unaware of it, because of your love you have guided, and guarded my life through a clutter of every imaginable circumstance and experience. I have known everything from estrangement to acceptance, despair to ecstasy, fear to triumph, addiction to deliverance, emptiness to fulfillment, separation to reinstatement, painful disease to glorious healing, the sting of guilt, to sweet forgiveness, weakness to strength, bereavement and sorrow to comfort and happiness, slavery to redemption, agony to joy, the peril of death to the restoration of life. All of this, so that by your gift of wisdom, that comes through experience, I can have the joy of serving you, leading others to Jesus and helping you build your kingdom on earth. I certainly belong to you because only by your grace and love am I privileged to know you and be your servant.

Abba, it is such joy to know that I belong to you!

Jesus I Belong to You

2007-07-26T03:50:00.000-07:00

Abba, I belong to you.

I belong to you because you loved me. You knit me together in my mother’s womb. Although I was formed from dust, I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your breath filled me with the gift of life. So I surely belong to you because you created me.

I belong to you. Although sin infected my life just as it has every human except Jesus since Adam sinned. So, I was a sinner, haughty, rebellious, filthy, and dirty, from my selfishness in ignoring your will for me. I believed Satan’s lies about you. And followed his ways and not yours. I sought fulfillment in pleasure, status, things, wealth, and lust. But I found out that you loved me unconditionally sent your only Son, Jesus, to suffer for my sins on the cruel cross; and He died in my place, and cleansed me with his precious blood, canceling the penalty of sin that I could not escape. So truly I belong to you because you redeemed me.

I belong to you. Even though I was unaware of it, because of your love you have guided, and guarded my life through a collage every imaginable circumstance and experience. I have known everything from estrangement to acceptance, despair to ecstasy, fear to triumph, addiction

to deliverance, emptiness to fulfillment, separation to restoration, painful disease to glorious healing, the depth of guilt, to sweet forgiveness, weakness to strength, bereavement and sorrow to comfort and happiness, slavery to redemption, agony to joy. All of this so that by your gift of wisdom I can have the joy of serving you to bring others to Jesus and help you build your kingdom on earth. I certainly belong to you because only by your grace and love am I privileged to be your servant.

Abba, it is such joy to know that I belong to you!

Time With Jesus

2007-04-09T05:32:00.000-07:00

Time with Him

I come to my prayer time alone.

Hallelujah!

Your Presence is here,

As you speak so clear.

Your love is so tender,

Please linger near.

I confess my sin,

And He enters in.

My heart’s aflame,

And I call your name.

“Use me”, Lord, I cry.

“Don’t pass me by!”

“I am yours both now and forever.”

Hallelujah! You are with me.

Hallelujah! I’m with You.

Hallelujah! What a blessing!

Hallelujah! I am Yours.

I Really Love You!

2007-03-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

I really Love You

I used to say to people,” Jesus loves you and so do I”, I have changed that to, “I really love you but not nearly as much as Jesus does”. He knows how to love far better than I. He is never less loving because he is tired or is upset or is selfish; or because you are not perfect, beautiful or friendly. He knows all about you, and loves you unconditionally anyway.

I am sure He is disappointed when you reject his love by not putting him at the very top of your priorities, but his offer of love never changes. Everything that he has ever allowed, or ever will allow, to come into your life is designed to bring you into a personal relationship with him. I know that is true, for who else would go to the cross and sacrifice their life so that our sins could be forgiven?

I also want you to know that there is nothing more satisfying uplifting and joyful than knowing deeply that you belong to Jesus; That you are His own; That your service to him is the best that you can give and that He is your own special friend and master.

Could I express my love for you any better than to ask you to make Jesus your best friend? He is longing to hear from you.

Love, Howard

Howard S. Dimmick
38345 Ramblewood Blvd.
Zephyrhills,FL 33541
howarddimmick@juno.com

My Friend

2007-03-14T05:25:00.000-07:00

About Jesus and Me

The Preachers Kid

Jesus now is the focus of my life. It wasn't always that way. I was a reprobate hypocrite.

I was a Pastors son, born in a parsonage, brought up in church. My religion was environmental not personal. I was always interested in science, particularly, electronics. I was employed by the Army Signal Corps as an engineer during WW2. After the war I started a Two Way Radio business in Ferndale, NY. Built a house for my wife and family of three girls and a boy. I joined a local church and became a very good hypocrite. Many nights I wept in my pillow for I didn't know the Lord. An evangelist from Pittsburg called Rusty came to our church, he was the son of the largest beer distributor in that city, but he had found the Lord because he was infatuated with a pastors daughter who wouldn't date him unless it was to go to church with her. When he did he heard the Gospel for the first time gave his life to Christ.

He was so full of the love and compassion of Jesus. It just spilled out of him as he spoke. He showed that love to me and my wife. And we gave our lives to Christ.We wanted that Love. That changed my life. I loved my new life, Church became a joy. Sunday school was a blast. Prayer meeting was delightful.

As my business grew, the burdens of running the business, supporting a growing family was hard. But temptations of putting temporal things before spiritual things. Short cuts on integrity etc, etc. Skipping my devotions. Coolness set in and I had lost the joy. A brother-in-law reminded me that something must be wrong with me, he said I lost my tenderness. After a while I began to admit it to myself. I decided to spend some time alone with God and get this thing settled. As I poured out my heart before Him I promised to sell my beloved business, become a missionary or do anything he wanted me to do no matter what it cost. I was desperate. This was the turning point. I can never explain it, but Jesus spoke to me as if we were face to face. He said "I want you to give your family and business to me. You run things for Me. You are my friend I will be with you and show you the way!"

He did, and He does yet. There are still hard times. But since I determined to have that "ruthless trust" in Him and obey His Spirit completely. I have a source of power that spans the universe, and I know a LOVE that is unconditional and unshakable, followed by a joy that is unspeakable and full of glory.

I am now 86 years old. God has been so very good to me. I live in Florida, attend a wonderful Church where people realley love the Lord Jesus. Visit us : www.zhillswesleyan.org

Love, Howard