Tag Archives: Christ

Redeemed

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redeemed

Redeemed (Verb)
1. Compensate for the faults or bad aspects of (something).
2. Do something that compensates for poor past performance or behavior.

Psalm 107:2 (AMP) “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.”

Galatians 3:13 (AMP) “Christ purchased our freedom [redeeming us] from the curse.”

What an amazing gift redemption is. There is nothing like it and only one that could ever give it. Christ paid a price no other could or would pay. I read those two scriptures and the many more that are throughout the New Testament talking about our redemption and can’t imagine life without it.

You and I are redeemed from a past, present, and future; not so we can live a reckless life full of sin – but instead, a care-free life purchased by His Grace. Can you even wrap your mind around what the word “redeemed” even encompasses? Honestly, no one could ever truly do that because once you think you have then something else comes under the price paid. Your life is no secret to the Father but yet He still allowed His Son to die for you and me. Many think they can hide their life and skate by, but life is an open book and nothing is hidden from God. He loves us so much that even for the worst sinner the price is paid in full once Christ is made Lord over their life.

You are redeemed from the struggles of the past and released from the bondages of what was. Jesus has washed away the stains with His precious blood so that each day is a new one and every second you live is free.

So today let go of those unlocked shackles and move on. Receive your redemption!  Therefore, say this with me: “Lord Jesus, I ask you to come into my life and make me new. I confess you as my Lord and Savior now and forevermore. I now call myself the redeemed of the Lord as your Word says. In Jesus Name – AMEN!”

We would love to hear from you with your praise reports, prayer request or anything else you would like to share below.

HE STOPPED THE SUN….

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He stopped the sun

Joshua 10:13 (AMP) “And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed”

I would love to have seen that miracle play out.  I can just picture all those that day watching & wondering what was going on!

Have you ever wondered what He would do for you to see you succeed in the task at hand?  His reach is limitless, so there is no boundary that can stop Him from moving heaven and earth or even stopping the sun to see you succeed.

Most think too small, but I can picture Joshua that day just looking up and saying, “Hey God, will you do me a favor and stop the sun for me?”  Can you imagine God doing that very same thing for you?  Oh, I can and so much more!  We don’t need to waste time with flowing tears, screaming voices and lengthy theological words; but instead, all we need to do is just talk to Him.

Honestly, is stopping the sun such a great miracle compared to the miracle that manifests when we make Jesus the Lord of our lives?  I never negate the power and awesomeness of any miracle, but can there be one greater than the forgiveness of every sin and the transference into eternal life?  If you are pausing and thinking, let me answer for you.  That’s a big NNNNOOOO!!!!!!  There is no greater miracle – past, present or future.  So whatever you need, even the stopping of the sun, you have it.  You should go through the Word and find all the scriptures that have to do with the power of your words.  One of my favorites is found in Mark 11:23 & 24 (AMP) (23) “Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, Be lifted up and thrown into the sea and does not doubt at all in his heart but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him.  (24) For this reason I am telling you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe (trust and be confident) that it is granted to you, and you will [get it].”

We would love to hear from you with your praise reports, prayer request or anything else you would like to share below.

I want to end this blog saying Happy Fathers Day to all the guys out there who are blessed enough to be called dad.

Kingdom Thinking Recap – Week 24

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Well its time to say good-bye to another week, but the posted Kingdom Thinking thoughts from it are nuggets of Kingdom wisdom you can always use.

Please forward them to others you know, because we can always use a touch of the Kingdom!!

Monday: Kingdom Thinking: Make this a supernatural “I AM” day with all that is spoken from you mouth!

Tuesday:  Kingdom Thinking:  How big is your picture of God?  Then that’s how free He is to move in your life!

Wednesday:  Kingdom Thinking: In hard times, do you start thinking HOW or do you look to HIM?  Matt 6:33

Thursday:  Kingdom Thinking:  Godly boldness shows your trust in His covenant promise. Read Mark 5 & see this in action.

Friday: Kingdom Thinking:  Kingdom success is measured by the life you give and not what you get in life.

Well that’s it for now, but another week is just around the corner….  So eyes up and gear up to take this new week gladiator style.  Rule and dominate every second to it’s fullest and end each day with not a single regret!

 

WHY?

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What-why-how

 

I am going to list a few questions you might have asked yourself, as I know I have asked myself these questions before!

1.)  WHY?

2.)  What is my purpose?

3.)  How did I get to this place in life?

What are we seeking when we ask these questions?  Are we seeking answers or purpose, or is it our way of dealing with a lost feeling of life with no direction?  Whatever the case may be, we can’t stop living.  We all have a number of undefined days in life and with each passing one, we have got to know that we made it count in some way.

I’m a dreamer and a visionary and like many, my mind seems to live in “LET’S GO” mode 24/7/365.  But I also have to know that I am a man with a purpose and a WHY and my WHY is not your WHY and unless ordained, no one else can fulfill that WHY!  Still with me?

I look at some great dreamers like Walt Disney, who believed that actually doing the impossible was fun.  I also look at writers like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, who wrote masterpieces that have gone beyond their years in what is now future generations and touched our hearts with hope and our minds with adventure, while bringing a Kingdom message to all that watch.  What about Henry Ford, who dreamed of a machine that we could get around on, on it’s own power?  And then there was the legendary John D. Rockefeller,  the first billionaire in history.  Although his life was not perfect, he had strong Kingdom beliefs.  He is quoted to have said,  “I never would have been able to tithe my first million dollars I ever made, if I had not tithed my first salary, which was $1.50 per week.”  It has been said that he gave away over $555 million in his lifetime.

I have always been intrigued by visionary dreamers, those that would take a dream and run with it and not look back.  Those that had value and character and respect that was not demanded but instead, earned, as only it can be truly acquired.

The answer to WHY is in the commission that we have all been called to in life.  The WHY is not really a WHY but instead a WHO.  It’s made up of a global sea of faces.  When we are in our WHY, then we can impact the WHO, which in return is fulfilling the greatest command ever spoken and that is “GO YE”.

So next time you wonder WHY, don’t look inside yourself; but instead, look around you at a lost and dying wold filled with the WHO’s you have been called to touch and make a difference.  BUT to do this, you must know HIM!  You might say HIM WHO?  The HIM that loved you so much HE created you in HIS likeness and created a KINGDOM like no other for you to not just live in, but to rule and reign in.  SO it’s time to know HIM so you can then know WHY and then reach WHO the one true KING of KING’s has called you to and so that you will one day be spoken of as one of those uncommon dreamers of then and now.

So open the door and ask HIM into your life as your LORD and SAVIOR forevermore!

FRAGILE

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dad scout pic

 

This blog post is dedicated to my dad, James Peterson Cate II.  He went to heaven on Monday, April 15, 2013.

This week, I have had many people share with me about how my dad did so many things for so many different people.  He was always willing to help anyone and seemed like he could fix anything!  I am pretty sure he owned one of every tool and some things he called tools, I am not even sure what they do! In fact, the Sunday before his death, he stopped and helped a family from church change a flat tire.  He spent many years touching the lives of boys, young men, and adults through the Scouting program.  I myself want to honor his life by carrying on his desire to help others as much as I can.  I love you dad!

Life is truly fragile and is to be handled with care.  Care in the sense that we not waste it and we not allow a day to go by that we don’t make the best of whatever is going on, because in the end, there is no start over or reset button to get back what has been overlooked and lost.  Care that we not take one second for granted with our spouse or children and that we not allow time to pass on our dreams and not live them to the fullest possible.

This care I am speaking of does not represent worry and concern, but instead a love for the life we have been blessed with.

In this blog post, I am not mourning a loss but rejoicing in a victory.  With the daily doom that is poured out over the airwaves via TV, Radio, and Internet, to care for the life we have shows our faith and trust in our heavenly Father above.

I encourage you today to not waste another second of your life, but to care for it and nourish it as the God given gift that it is.  This second you are in is the only one you are guaranteed – so make the best of it for His Kingdom.

So cast the cares and care for this life with a passion that screams I AM ALIVE!

Therefore, eyes up and gear up for the best day of your life is truly at hand.

Feel free to leave your comments, prayer requests and praise reports below.

Gear Up! (Part 5) “Purpose”

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Gear Up

 

What is purpose? It’s the reason for which something is done or the reason for which something exists.

I just wrote a partner letter for the ministry, in which I talked about David and the five stones he went into battle with. While I was in prayer this morning, the Lord started speaking to me about this once again.

Do you think that the stones that David pulled from the brook in 1 Samuel 17:40 where there by accident? Of course not! He did not grab just any handful of stones, either. The verse reads, “He chose for himself five smooth stones”. He made the decision on which stones he would use based on their design.

Let’s now look at another one of God’s creations that is designed for a purpose just as those stones were. YOU!!!! You were designed by God Himself, in “His Image”; not just any image. God does nothing randomly or by accident, but instead, with purpose, and on purpose.

Until David selected the stones and put them in his sling, and then released them, they would never serve their purpose. But when they were released, a giant that put fear into an entire army fell for good! One young man and one stone with direction, anointed for a purpose, and history was made. You have a purpose! You are not an accident or mistake, no matter what you have ever been told. God has designed you to live a Kingdom life and today is the best day to start. It’s time to forget about what has been and step into what really, really matters. Our purpose is revealed through a relationship with God. Matt 6:33 says, “Seek first the Kingdom” and in this instruction, our purpose is revealed.

Get alone with God and find your purpose, your specific task in the Kingdom; step into it, and never look back. It does not matter what life has been like until this day; with Kingdom purpose you can be more than your have ever imagined! Doing more! Going further! Living life larger than you ever thought possible, while making a greater difference for His Kingdom!

So “EYES UP & GEAR UP” for the best is at hand!

Please feel free to leave any comments you have below.

Gear Up! (Part 4) “Battle Gear”

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Gear Up

 

Every day we are all engaged in an active battle, BUT not in a physical sense.  The battle is spiritual.  (I touched on what the Word says about this in last week’s post.)

Ephesians 6:12 (AMP) “For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotism’s, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere”.

If you were going into a physical battle, you would gear up from head to toe in full armor.  Well then, why would you not enter into a spiritual battle in the same way?  You should gear up for Kingdom warfare!

So, let’s take a look at our Kingdom battle gear! Ephesians 6:

V:14 “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,”

Truth and sincerity are the girdle which holds the spiritual armor together.  Then the breast plate of righteousness fortifies the heart against Satan’s attacks.

V:15 “and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;”

Obedience & peace in the midst of the trials of life only comes from clear knowledge of the gospel.  This takes us back to seeking Him first, Matthew 6:33.

V:16 “above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”

Faith is relying totally on the unseen with a trust that says “No matter what, I will not waiver!”  Life is full of fiery darts that are daily trying to side track you and take you off course.

V:17 “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;”

The helmet covers that place which becomes a battleground of some really great wars.  All sin starts as a thought.  So it makes sense that we most protect the mind.  The last piece of gear, but certainly not least, is the Sword of Spirit.  It is the very Word of God, the instruction book of life.  There has been no greater success book, romance novel, or adventure ever written.  Matthew 6 verse 33 tells us “to seek first the Kingdom” and that is done through prayer and study time in the Word.  Every question and every problem has an answer to it, and it is in the Word.

All the Armor of God works from the inside out, which again is where Satan works.  I believe this is why in verse 13 where it says “take up”, we must make the decision to “take up” the Armor of God.  The gear has been issued and the battlefield is in full swing, but only the strong kingdom minded ones that take up their armor, will be victorious.

All the pieces of this Armor have such great detail and importance.  Therefore, I encourage you today to “take up” the Sword of the Spirit, the Word; to read it daily and meditate on it.  This is an investment that will yield back into your life a bountiful harvest forevermore.

So eyes up, and gear up! Take the battle of life head on! Live each day with no regrets!

Gear Up! (Part 3) “Being Battle Ready”

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Gear Up

 

In part 3 of the Gear Up series we are going to focus on being battle ready.  What is battle ready?  Well,  it means what it says, being ready for the battle.

I believe too many Christians live unprepared for battle, they wait for the battle to hit and then scramble to maintain.

What if our soldiers on the front lines never prepared for battle? All of a sudden the enemy is right on top of them, pounding them with all they have.  What would you say the price of that battle would be?  I would venture to say it would be one epic failure full of great loss.

John 10:10 (AMP) The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).

Ephesians 6:12 (AMP) For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotism’s, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.

The above scriptures state the fact that we do not fight an enemy that is touchable in the natural. Instead, through deception, the enemy creates a war that we do not need to take part in.  I know each person reading this post might say, “But you do not know my spouse, boss, co-workers, etc.” and this is true, but I know this, they are not the enemy.  Life is full of choices and the most important decision you make today is not about your hair, your car or even your spouse. The most important decision you are going to make is choosing to serve God or the devil. That choice decides the kingdom you are going to partake in.  You might be saying, “Well, I don’t believe in God.”  and that is your right, but it is also your decision and does not change the fact that God is real. That decision, who you choose to serve,  will affect you for the rest of your life.

So, if our enemy is not flesh and blood, then the fight, no matter how it may feel to our senses, is not physical. The fight is spiritual, as are our weapons.

The Word says that we have been equipped for battle.

Ephesians 6:10-17
10) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  11) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12)For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13)Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14)Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,  15) and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16) above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

Just as our military is prepped and made battle ready, so are you. I will end here for now. Next week I will be taking Ephesians 6:10-17 and breaking down your battle armor in detail.  But until then, remember, it’s time to “Gear Up” and make yourself battle ready.
Please share your thoughts & or questions below.

Kingdom Thinking Recap for week 6

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I pray this last week was all you needed, wanted and dreamed it would be; BUT if not, well hang tight because a new one is now here…..

I have to share this testimony. My wife, Debbie, and myself, attended “A life time love affair” seminar hosted by Jimmy and Karen Evans, this past Friday and Saturday. It was awesome and eye opening. Even the greatest marriage can be better. Never stop investing!

Here are last week’s Kingdom Thinking thoughts:

Monday: Kingdom Thinking: True success is never measured by money or things but instead by the lives we touch & change.

Tuesday: Kingdom Thinking: Change your life by helping change others!

Wednesday: Kingdom Thinking: Never compromise your standards because of Babylonian pressure! Stand strong!

Thursday: Kingdom Thinking: “Inspiration comes to the daring.” Author unknown

Friday: Kingdom Thinking: Truthfulness to self first starts with truthfulness to God.

Well that’s it for today, but another week is just around the corner….
So eyes up and gear up to take this new week gladiator style. Rule
and dominate every second to it’s fullest and end each day with not a
single regret!

Gear Up! (Part 2) “Rejoice Always”

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Gear Up

 

Last week we focused on the “who we are” and this week we are going to focus on the words “rejoice always”.

I was reading my devotional this weekend and while reading I heard this in my spirit: “Notice Keith, we are to rejoice in all things and not just for all things”. So much of the time, we focus on rejoicing after the breakthrough or when we get a blessing; but that is not what the Word tells us to do.

So let’s take a walk through the Word together.

“Rejoice always”. (I Thessalonians 5:16 NKJV) This scripture is key to success in every storm. Rejoice means to feel or show great joy or delight. So let’s keep reading.

“Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”. (I Thessalonians 5:17, 18 NKJV)

The amplified says it this way: “Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly]; Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]”.
(1 Thessalonians 5:17, 18 AMP)

We can see the command that we are to communicate with God continuously and thank God in everything, no matter what the circumstance might be. Again, “in all things” and not “for all things”.

If I feel a pain in one part of my body, I can always find another part in my body that doesn’t feel pain.

If my finances are down, I can always find a positive place to show where I am not out of the race.

No matter what, I can always find a blue sky on a cloudy day.

And above all, I have assurance in His Word that I am a winner. You have the right every time, to enter into the battles of life FROM victory and not INTO victory. That mindset speaks volumes!

“But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory [making us conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ”. (1 Corinthians 15:57 AMP)

So take a stand right now to find that blue sky this day and rejoice, for you are blessed way beyond what any circumstance might be screaming at you.

Here is the link to part one of “Gear Up!!” posts https://rkspanberger.wordpress.com/2013/01/31/gear-up/

So eyes up and gear up to take this new week gladiator style. Rule and dominate every second to it’s fullest and end each day with not a single regret!

Please share below, your thoughts on how you are rejoicing always.