John 13:3

The devil knows firsthand the Awesomeness of THE Creator God,and HIS Great Loving/HEARTS Desire for all people to become HIS children through Christ!(2Peter3:9,”The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance”.)The devil so despises The Creator God,that he wants nothing more than to turn us away from what GOD awesomely desires...turn us away away from a personal relationship w God our Father in Heaven!This is why the devil is so desperately set on destroying people....destroying me...by turning us away from Christ!The devil knows the excruciating HURT/PAIN that The Lord has for anyone that turns away from the Infinite Love of Christ!Therefore,the devil is always scheming a way to weasel his way/his ways into our hearts&minds!(1Peter5:8b,”Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”).There is a HUMONGOUS lesson about the devil and his methods/strategy for destroying us n a small bit of John13:2 where it says,”...the devil had already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot...”One of the most significant strategies of the devil is to place thoughts&ideas into our hearts&lives that are counter to anything that would honor God’s Awesome Love for us,&turn our lives away from what God desires to bless us with!This is precisely what the devil does w Judas!It was not “predestined” that Judas would succumb to the wiles of the devil!There was something n Judas that turned him away from the Love of Christ!Judas had been alongside Jesus for 3 years!During this time Judas had not only seen 1st hand the evidences of Jesus being God The Son/The Messiah,but he had also personally known The Love&Patience&Mercy&Grace of Christ!Yet,there was something n Judas’ heart&life that he was not willing to turn away from,and he probably had the same “halfhearted”/“double-minded” attitude about God that Cain had n Genesis4:6 that led Cain to his “bad attitude”/“bad heart”,when God asked Cain,”Why r u angry?Why is ur face downcast?”Usually,what leads to this kind of attitude with God is that we r not getting our way somehow....there is a selfish desire n us for something that is not being met!The Bible calls this an evil desire or lust(lust = consumed by desire for something!)of any kind.Even though Judas has every REASON to love Christ,there was something inside his heart/life that kept him away from this!James1:14-15 warns us about this-“but each one is tempted when,by his own evil desire,he is dragged away and enticed.Then after desire has conceived,it gives birth to sin,& sin when it is full grown,gives birth to death.”This is why we need to be so very careful about the thoughts we let ourselves b “entertained with”!Since one of the devil’s primary schemes is putting things/thoughts into our heart&mind that become deadly-become the very things that take us away 
from The Life God desires for us to have,& away from the good & perfect gifts God desires for us(James1:17,”Every good & perfect gift is from above,coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights...”).The Lord desires only GOOD THINGS for us,just as Jesus desired for Judas.This is why The Lord warns Cain(&Judas...&me)n Genesis4:7b,”sin is crouching at the door.It’s desire is for you,but you must master it.”And why n Proverbs5 The Lord pleas for us to “be attentive to wisdom,&incline your ear to my understanding”(verse1),so that we will know the significance of having discipline n our thought life&our hearts->keeping watch of what we allow into our hearts!Judas did not want to do this...a selfish desire of some kind had a hold on his heart&mind that he did not want to let go of it!The last verse of Proverbs5 has the same warning about this  as James1:14-14 does when The Lord finishes the Proverb this way-“He(a person turning away from the Lord)will die for lack of discipline,led astray by his great folly(lack of good sense or normal prudence).”We must b aware of the devil’s schemes to mess with our hearts&minds by putting things into our hearts&minds that are detrimental to us...& possibly lead us far away from The Love of Christ...& then we must have the heart&mind disciplines that nip these things in the bud,before they turn into sin that destroys!Lord Jesus,this makes me shutter to think of how many times I have allowed the devil to put things into my heart&mind, & I do little or nothing about it.Thank You for Your Amazing Mercies&Graces that cover me even now as I lean into Your Truths that tell me of Your Great Love for me that motivated You to take all my sin with You to The Cross!And for the promises that You desire only The Best for me...through all things,as Romans 12:2 says!And Lord...lead me with Your wisdom & discernment to know when this is happening...& how to rid my heart&mind of them.

John 12:35-43

While Jesus walked the earth he knew all the challenges that we will have in personally placing our full trust n Christ ONLY for our lives & following Him faithfully!John12:35-43 tells about one of the times that Jesus speaks to this.The people following Jesus around have either personally seen or heard firsthand about some of the amazing miracles Jesus has recently performed,including calling Lazarus out of his tomb!These experiences and what they have heard about Jesus has drawn a lot of people to Jesus!But,many of these people are going to have the same challenges we have when it comes to deciding whether or not to fully trusting their lives to Jesus and what He teaches-walking w Jesus!Even though they have “personal experiences” where they have seen and heard of things that only an Awesome God can do&say,there are many that will b drawn away by “other things”.Even though they have heard Jesus’ teachings of the Amazing Grace & Mercies of God,there will b “other things” that draw them away from these Truths!John12:42-43 tells us about the “other things”(“Nevertheless,many even of the authorities believed n him,but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it,so they would not b put out of the synagogue:for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.”).The threat to these people fully trusting&following Christ was what other people thought,and how their “status” in social circles might b negativity impacted if they actually “walked with Christ”!In other words,it was “other things”& what other people thought that drew these people away from their “personal experiences” about Jesus,& away from seeking&following Christ.Drawn away by what others might think...by succumbing to the paradigms & thinking of the world!Jesus personally warns us of this when n John12:35-36 he says,”The light is among you for a little while longer.Walk while you have the light,lest darkness overtake you.The one who walks n darkness does not know where he is going.While you have the light,believe in(put your trust in)the light,that you may become sons of the light”.We all have had,& will probably have more “personal experiences” that r Jesus showing Himself to us personally,or personally making us aware of His Mercy&Grace....”personal experiences” of knowing His Spirit’s whispering guidance & direction for the best interests of our lives...”personal experiences” of hearing or reading God’s Word and learning a bit about His Love&Guidance for our lives..,etc.When we have these “personal experiences” we will always have the choice of “walking while we have the light”,or being drawn away by “other things”!When we decide to “walk while we have the light”,we will “become sons of the light”....true followers of Christ!And the darkness will not overtake us(John12:46,”I have come into the world as light,so that whoever believes n me(seek&follow Christ)May not remain n the darkness.”).Dear Lord,I think back and remember so many times that I had “personal experiences” with You&about You,& I allowed myself to be drawn away from Your Light by “other things”.Thank You for continuing to give me “personal experiences” with You/about You,even though I tend to be drawn away by “other things”.I pray for You to remind me of what You warn me about n these verses n John,& help me to walk away from “other things” while walking with You!

John 11:1-43

We tend to blame God when we experience the unpleasant&painful experiences of this life.Most of the time these things will have Eternal Truths associated with them!These painful emotions&feelings&thoughts r the very things that the devil will leverage so he can turn us away from the TRUTHS of GOD’s great love for us.N John11:1-43 this happens n the lives of a family that has known Jesus for a while,and they “thought” that Jesus loved them!What they KNEW of Jesus previously was challenged/put into doubt by a horrible illness that comes to their brother Lazarus.Lazarus’ sisters send for Jesus to come HELP!When Jesus arrives Lazarus’ sister Martha runs out to meet Jesus.The first thing she says to Jesus is,”if you had been here my brother would not have died.”Martha then runs back to tell Lazarus’ other sister Mary that Jesus had arrived,& she says the same thing to Jesus!Jesus never mentions the fact that before he heard that Lazarus was sick,Lazarus had actually died!When Jesus arrives at Lazarus’ home,Lazarus had been dead for 4 days!It had been 4 days since Lazarus’ sisters sent for Jesus.At that time the sisters send for Jesus it was a 2 day journey for the messengers to reach Jesus w the news,&Jesus arrived 2 days after that! This means that Lazarus has died shortly after his sisters sent the messengers!When Jesus heard from the messengers,Lazarus had already died!Jesus never mentions this!When Jesus arrives,there were some(including the sisters)that were maybe wondering why Jesus waited so long,if he really loved Lazarus?There was a “blame game” that was being stirred up by temporal pains&emotions&challenges. The first thing people do is place blame on Jesus!(John11:37,”But some of them said,’Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying’).The first thing that Jesus does is to try to get them to turn from their temporal pain,and turn to the eternal perspective & promises of God.Jesus says,”Your brother will rise again...I am the resurrection & the life.He who believes n me will live,even though he dies;&whoever lives & believes n me will never die.”(John11:23-25).N no way is Jesus discounting the temporal pain they r feeling!N fact Jesus FEELS the same thing when he goes to the tomb of Lazarus(John11:35,”Jesus wept”).No one knows better than Jesus what the eternal promises are for those who believe n Him,& the WONDER&BLESSINGS that await us n eternity(John14:32b,Jesus says,”I go to prepare a place for you...”).Yet,Jesus also knows the depth of our temporal pain,and fully feels it himself!Jesus is not cold nor distant from us when we r experiencing temporal pains&challenges! He feels our pain with us!The devil will do everything he can to get us to focus on the extreme pains of the temporal,& forget the TRUTHS of Jesus’ great love for us,especially that Jesus extremely expressed when He suffered & died for us...AND the ETERNAL PROMISES of God that were “LOCKED IN” by the resurrection & ascension of Christ!The devil will use every bit of temporal pain & despair that we will experience to start us down the path of faulting God someway,& further down the path of totally misunderstanding Our Father n Heaven,& ultimately deny ourselves His Great Love!Dear Jesus,it is not easy for me to find where You are when I am going through tough things of life,yet I easily begin to find “reasons” that You “should be” where I want You to be!Help me to know The Truth that You know my pain,& that You have PROMISES n and through these “things of life” that r TRUSTWORTHY expressions of Your great love for me!Help me to “lean on” these!

John 10

The Triune God of Creation)God The Father,God The Son,& God The Spirit) is a concept that I still sort of wrongly “RANK” these THREE as I go about my everyday life.This is so wrong!They are ONE!They do not have different “RANKS”!They have the very same AWESOMENESS of being ALMIGHTY GOD!The God that was before “The Beginning” of time...The God that made “The Beginning”...The God that knew me before I was knit together n my mother’s womb...God The Father is the “Triune-ness” of absolute HOLINESS&RIGHTEOUSNESS,that n His GREAT LOVE gave me life,& created everything to reveal HIS GLORY to me,so I would have every opportunity to personally realize His Love for me.And then have the opportunity to turn to the GREATEST EXPRESSION of LOVE that could ever be...that HE made through the “Triune-ness” of God The Son!Then,The Triune God,n His Great Love & Wisdom,knew that once I did receive the GREATEST EXPRESSION of LOVE ever,that I would need A LOT of help while I “navigate” my life n this world,since there is an enemy that seeks to “kill and destroy”me(John10:10).So, The Triune God sent God The Spirit to me personally..to b my Divine Helper!(John14:25-27)The Triune God personally sent His “Triune-ness” HELP for me through God The Spirit!All of this is coming up n my heart today as what Jesus says n John4:23 runs through my heart&mind&spirit.Jesus says,”that all May honor the Son just as they honor the Father,who sent him.”Dear Jesus,I confess that I usually do not give you the same HONOR & REVERENCE n my “thinking&living” that you should have, since you ARE GOD!Even though I know this,the TRUTH of this does not always make it’s way into the way I actually honor you n my “thinking&living”...n my life!The same is true with Your Spirit that you have sent to be my HELP.Dear Lord,let Your “Triune-ness” be realized more&more n my “thinking&living”...so more of my “thinking&living” may b blessed,& changed by Your Overwhelming Mercy&Grace!

John 5:19-20

One of the Gifts/Blessings of knowing&following Christ as Lord is the abundant life/life to the full  that Jesus talks about n John 10:10.Yet many times/seasons n our lives we don’t know the PEACE&JOY that such an “abundant&full” life should bring with it.We find ourselves wanting more,& or UNfulfilled!To the point that we r not “at rest”(no Peace&no Joy)w who we r;where we r;what we r doing;our circumstances;who’s n our life;what we have;where we r going,etc.!Not much,if anything brings us the authentic Peace&Joy that Jesus came to give us!AND we have little or no sense of true/trustworthy direction!When we r n these times/seasons of our lives we r seldom satisfied w much of anything! We want more!We want more out of/from the people around us!We r constantly “changing things up” n our lives n 1 way or another!We feel an entitlement for more!And these things lead us DOWN the path of asking questions like->WHERE IS GOD?IS GOD REAL;IF HE really does love me,then why this?Why am I not hearing or seeing anything from GOD?IF GOD is real then why does HE not answer my prayers?And we ask,”if Jesus died for me to know God and HIS presence;wisdom;discernment;etc. n my life,then where is GOD now?”And on and on...!NJohn 5:19-20Jesus give us a clue to what’s NOT goin on n our lives when we “feel” these things&think these things.HE says,”I tell u the truth,the Son can do nothing by himself;he can only do what he sees his Father doing,bcuz whatever the Father does the Son does also.For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.Yes,to your amazement he will show him even greater things.”Jesus is telling us that he will only do what The Father shows him to do!The intimacy between The Father & The Son is made possible bcuz The Son only does what he sees The Father doing!It is when we don’t follow Christ’s example that we will n essence distance ourselves from “knowing GOD&His Presence”,and end up with the the discouraging questions and complaints about God listed above!N 1John2:3-6,the Bible says that,”We know that we have come to know him(The Lord)If we obey his commands.The man who says,’I know him(the Lord)’,But does not do what he commands is a liar,& the truth is not n him....:Whoever claims to live n him must walk as Jesus did.”If we are to know the Presence of God n our lives,& steer our lives clear of the pitfalls listed above that take us away from from knowing God’s Presence n our lives,THEN we must “walk as Jesus did”! And Jesus looked to see what The Father was doing,and did THAT!When we DO NOT do THAT,our lives will always wander n2 the weeds away from knowing the abundant&full life that Jesus came to bless us with!Dear Lord,I am often NOT n the middle of the Joy&Peace/the abundant&full life that you desire me to have...that you promise for me!I know now that these times/seasons r when I am wondering away from what You show me and tell me via Your Word&Your Spirit.Do what it takes to bring me back during these times/seasons...so I will always know Your Presence n my life.