Greetings Life House Family,
New Year Blessings! 2022 is here and we are still experiencing the uncertainty of this Pandemic. Hopefully we will see the end of these restrictions soon. Thankfully there is certainty in the Kingdom of God. Our reigning King has us in the palm of His Hand. We can be assured of His Love in the midst of this world's uncertainty. In Isaiah 54:10 Amplified "for though the mountains should depart and the hills be shaken or removed, yet My Love and kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace and completeness be removed says The Lord Who has compassion on you." This verse is so applicable in this season that we are in. In the Passion version it says "He will never give up on you". This covenant promise is His Shalom, His Peace that has been bought for us . Remember Shalom means : completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety, soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord. Jim and I had this written on the entrance wall of our home and it was our prayer that this would be imparted to all who came through our doors. This word is written over Life House too. We pray all who are connected with us will find that same peace. What a tremendous covenant we have been given. Ephesians 2:13,14,15 Amplified version says "But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were (so) far away through (by, in) the blood of Christ have been brought near. For He is (Himself) our peace- our bond of unity (and harmony). He has made us both (Jew and Gentile)one(body)and has broken down (destroyed, abolished) the hostile dividing wall between us, by abolishing in His (own crucified) flesh the enmity (caused by)the law with its decrees and ordinances-which He annulled; that He from the two, might create in Himself one new man-one new quality of humanity out of the two- so making peace. And (He designed)to reconcile to God both Jew and Gentile, united) in a single body by means of His Cross; thereby killing the mutual enmity and bringing the feud to an end." The definition of enmity in the 1828 Websters dictionary is" the quality of being an enemy, ill will, hatred, a fixed or rooted hatred. t
The scripture example they give is Romans 8:7 "the carnal mind is enmity against God". It also says it is a state of opposition. The scripture reference it gives there is James 4:4 "The friendship of the world is enmity with God". These scriptures give us a deeper understanding of what we have been delivered from, and the depth of the peace we have been given. Jesus bought and paid for this rich gift, bringing us into this new covenant with benefits beyond what we could ask or think. We have been given new life, a new nature, right standing with God; all because we said yes to Jesus. These scriptures bring us the clarity that there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus. Jesus did it all, so we can know freedom from the world, the flesh and the devil. We know it is a progressive journey, but the path has been made straight, and we can go forward in it. We look to this new year with all the opportunities for Him to teach us His ways. Let's meditate on these scriptures so we can be rooted and grounded in what we have been given. We at Life House look forward to walking this path together with an anticipation for all He has for us this year. Let us pray." Heavenly Father we come before Your throne of Grace full of gratitude for Your great love for each of us. We are so glad that You know us through and through. We rest in the fact that Your mercies are new every morning. We are so aware of how much we need Your grace and mercy continually. We are Your children and You know the stages of growth we are going through. You are so patient with us when we are having trouble learning in some areas. Please give us staying power when we want to give up. Let us hear Your voice cheering us on. May we have patience with ourselves. You are not hard on us, keep us from being hard on ourselves. Help us to turn our eyes on You Jesus and not be so focused on our circumstances. Help us to pay attention to Your leading each day. We don't want to miss Your eternal emphasis by being caught up with what isn't important. You are all about relationships. Let us be too. Let us use things and love people not the other way around. We remember all our loved ones and bring them before You Lord. May they come into more and more of Your shalom. We are so grateful for each person you have placed in our lives and teach us how to love them well. Each one brings so much flavor to our lives. Let us walk tenderly with each one. We remember all those who are continuing to stand for us on the front lines of this pandemic. Our hearts go out to them as they have been standing for so long. Fill them with fresh strength for their journey. We also ask for all those who are waiting for medical procedures that have been postponed. We ask for a turnaround in these situations. We bring our brothers and sisters who are battling sicknesses both mentally and physically. May they know You as their Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals. We lift up all who have said goodbye to loved ones. May the revelation of heaven be their comfort. Surround them with Your Presence Lord. May the coldness of this winter not touch our hearts. For each one reading this email, May you be filled to overflowing with the awareness of His Great Love for you. May you know the unforced rhythms of His Grace each day. May we take the time to be still and know You are our God and we will have no others. We ask all these things in Your Name Lord Jesus." Until our next email, multiplied Blessings and big hugs. Cheryl
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