Moment with Maranda

Today's podcast asks the question: Would I rather be RIGHT or RIGHTEOUS? Together, we will go to the mirror of the Word of GOD and explore the meaning of Righteous Judgment as opposed to passing Judgment, and HOW we as Believers are to judge and yet not judge???? It should be a fun moment as we gaze into the Word together!

The power to CHOOSE and the gift of that Choice is one of the greatest gifts that the Father God has given to every human being. In His power and sovereignty, knowing how terribly wrong free choice COULD go, God gave it ANYWAY because HE is love and love gives. Such a value, He places on personal choice, that HE will NOT violate it, even when HE KNOWS what the consequences will be, not just for the one making the choice, but those who will suffer as a result. This truth can be a tough pill to swallow OR it can be one of the sweetest gifts of life when we begin to understand the POWER of CHOICE in the context of God's CHOICE of US. When He CHOOSES, it is a DETERMINATION. It is a COVENANT, and He is faithful to it, and HE offers us to come into THAT covenant WITH HIM. In today's glimpse into the mirror of God's Word, we will look at this choice AGAIN and HOW precious WE ARE to the ONE who has CHOSEN to SET HIS LOVE on us.

For years, there have been countless questions and ideas surrounding the coming of the antichrist, the new order he will establish, the kingdom he will set up and ultimately, his own claim to being god. We have tried to prepare for the coming deception, but are also aware that the spirit of antichrist has been alive in every generation. In 1 John 2:18, we read, "Little Children, it is the last time, and as you have heard that antichrist will come, even now there are many antichrists; this is how we know we are in the last days." John encourages the early church to BE AWARE of those among you NOW, who claim to KNOW Christ but deny Him by the way they live, establishing their order, their own kingdom and themselves as their personal god. He tells them HOW they will know the true from the false and how THEY can live in HONOR to what is TRUTH. Today's Moment teaches us that to acknowledge Christ is not to just say we know Him, but to live in covenant with Him by Word and Deed.

In Luke 4:18, Jesus was reading from the Scriptures, Isaiah's prophesy saying, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to preach the good news to the poor, deliverance to the captive, recovery of sight to the blind, liberty for the broken: the acceptable year of the Lord." He said, "THIS day, the Scripture is fulfilled in your ears." All that Israel had been longing for, the promise of release and repossession of the land, as in the year of Jubilee, the coming of the Messiah to bring His Kingdom, stood before them, and they couldn't SEE. Their eyes dim to the reality of the promise veiled in an unlikely earthen vessel. How often we have been blind to the liberty that stands before us in Christ, all because the hearing of the truth hasn't mixed with simple faith inspired action. Today's Moment looks at the gift of the year of Jubilee to the nation of Israel and it's present dispensation to the world now for those who will SEE Him.

"And the Lord God formed man out of the dust of the earth, and he breathed into man and man became a living soul."  What was in the mind of God when He took a look at the dust of the earth?  Surely, He must have seen MORE than just dirt, but a living soul, and NOT just any living soul, like all of the animals of creation, but one that He had the intention of making look like Him.  It wasn't Adam's physical form that would look like God, it was what would be breathed into him, not air to give life, but intelligence and morality. A form wasn't just seen in the dust, another mammal to occupy the earth, it was one who would be MADE in the very image of God, one of God's own children. Although thousands of years removed from Adam, you and I are no different.  The egg and the sperm that created our lives was not an act outside of intelligence, but a Divine interaction of the influence of God into man.  We each received the breath of life and became a living soul.  If the Creator was THAT intentional with us, HOW can we not see His intentional hand upon others?  How can we not see their potential to live into the fulness of WHO they REALLY are and speak the seeds of life that only God can bring life to? Today's Moment explores these very thoughts.

"The Lord knows my way, and when He has tried me, I will come forth as gold."  These words of faith from a man called Job give testimony to a life of worship.  Did he know he was worshipping as he questioned? As he lost loved ones? As he struggled with sickness?  Did he know that EVEN then, there was a refining process taking place, not to kill him, but to glorify God? This week's Moment looks at how the days of Job, the instruments in the Temple, and OUR everyday lives tie together to form a picture of a life of worship...the REFINED LIFE.

How can we have certainty in these UNCERTAIN and ever changing times?  Maybe YOU can identify with the desire to hold on to SOMETHING so you can have a SURE thing and have found that your "sure thing" hasn't been so sure at all.  If that's YOU, this moment is for you today as together we look to the mirror of the Word of GOD to discover where WE can anchor down for Certainty in Uncertain times. 

Join me as together we look at WHY God does things for the SAKE of HIS own NAME, and we explore HOW WE can DO the SAME as those who have been called BY that VERY SAME NAME as HIS sons and daughters.

In Christ, we have been offered a life of Freedom.  Freedom from our past and freedom in our present.  WE are FREE to BE.  This week, we look more closely at a woman in the Bible who had an issue and a man who had a life long identity.  When Jesus came to them, they were both offered Freedom, not just freedom from sickness, but FREEDOM from the LIFE they once KNEW...a FREEDOM to BE just who HE said THEY could BE.  Both received His gift of freedom, perhaps you and I will TOO!

LIFE and THAT ABUNDANT...this is what Jesus has promised those who have come to put their trust in Him.  It is a two-fold promise, not only eternal life but life NOW, filled and full to overflowing.  It has been paid for and given to us for our taking, and yet, there is an enemy of our souls that would try to keep us from receiving it in every moment.  The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy but Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil, and BY FAITH, we get to agree with what HE said and RECEIVE the LIFE HE gives.  Where are you allowing the ENEMY to challenge the life of GOD in YOU?  this week's Moment explores the places the enemy robs and calls us up to stand our ground to fight the good fight of faith!

"Love is Love" is a new phrase sweeping its way across our culture from the subtleties of language in TV shows and movies to the blatant displays across our screens and advertising.  Everyone is invited to love their own way and on their own terms. "You do you, BOO!" But as followers of Christ, is this consistent with what we have learned of Christ?  The Scripture tells us that as we have received, we should walk IN HIM; in Him rooted and built up.  According to HIS WORD, Love is not love...GOD is LOVE and true love finds it's definition and demonstration in Him and OUT of HIM alone.  Any "love", no matter how it makes us feel that is not in agreement with God's WORD and HIS nature is not love at all...it is simply a "form" of godliness.  Today's podcast asked...LOVE is LOVE...RIGHT? Or have we missed something?

Have you ever been discouraged by LIFE and your seeming inability to overcome in it?  DO you find yourself asking if, "I'm supposed to be FULL of the POWER of GOD and TRANSFORMED by HIS WORD, WHY ISN'T it WORKING FOR ME?" Maybe, like me, you have looked within for the answer.  Should I try harder? Do I need to surrender something else?  AM I in rebellion and harboring a secret sin? Questions like these, certainly don't empower, but discourage and derail us.   THANK GOD, the answer doesn't depend on ME and my trying harder to gain more power over myself.  In Romans 1:16, the Apostle Paul tells us where the POWER IS...the GOSPEL of JESUS CHRIST. Join me in this moment where we DIVE deep into a well-known Scripture to not just find more information, BUT revelation to CHANGE US INTO the glorious SONS and DAUGHTERS we were created to BE!

 Ever find yourself weary and frustrated with your progress in life?  Do you find that you are seeking change and yet lacking the power to make it happen?  In times like these, it's strength that we are desperately in need of.  In Isaiah 40:31, We read, "But those that WAIT upon the Lord shall renew their strength.  They shall mount up with wings as eagles.  They will run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not be faint."   Contrary to what we may think, RENEWED strength doesn't mean fresh or even new strength, what it actually means is CHANGED strength, and with every changing season we encounter,  an exchange or a change in strength is necessary.  In this week's moment, we take a deeper look at this familiar Scripture in Isaiah and see how it applies to our changing lives, teaching us to not just survive but to soar, run and walk the race that has been set before us as we learn to WAIT on the LORD.

Where do you go when you feel you have failed?  What brings you comfort when you are faced with circumstances that challenge and steal your peace?  DO you go to Netflix to binge and unplug?  DO you look to a drink or a drug to cope? Has silence worked to get your way or has your temper kept God's nature in you at bay? God has given us the greatest gift: Himself.  In His presence is joy and perfect peace. In His presence is security and comfort.  He is always waiting and willing to meet us there, it is US who withdraw and hide.  It is US who refuse to grow up into maturity that says we are KNOWN and still LOVED.  In today's moment, WE will BE ENCOURAGED to put aside the childish tendencies that keep us lacking and saving face and come boldly in childlike FAITH and trust to the satisfying presence of a God who knows you and still calls you close. This is a moment to DRAW NEAR. Don't let it pass you by!

Jesus said, " Whoever hears the things I say, and does them, I will compare them to a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.  The rain descended and the floods came, the winds blew and beat upon the house, and it did not fall because it was built upon a rock."  It is no secret that the Church has been facing a storm in recent days.  The winds of change and challenge have blown against those who call themselves the people of God; and we have seen some fall to the pressure of the wind while others have stood still even in the face of adversity.  The true church of God is not known by its stately stone structures or eloquent words of tolerance and peace.  The true CHURCH is known by what it UPHOLDS and STANDS upon. It is known not ONLY by its words and works, but the character that motivates those actions.  It is one body of people, worldwide, with one heart and mind unified by the Spirit of God which inhabits it's members.  It is the Pillar and SUPPORT Of the truth...Jesus Christ and Him crucified...and HE is the message on its lips and in its hands.  In times when everything that can be shaken is FALLING, it is the TRUE church that overcomes and stands as pillars for the TRUTH in perilous times. Join me as this week we look at the CHURCH, the PILLAR and Ground of Truth.

As God's people, we have been told that we are set apart; we are a distinct people group upon the earth.  Does that mean we are a bunch of funny-funnies or does it mean that we are a people who know who we are and what we have called to.  This week's moment will dive deep into the Old Testament priesthood and the BLESSING that Aaron is to proclaim from God unto the children of Israel, declaring who He is and who THEY are and HOW THAT declaration places upon them a mark of distinction.  Then we move to the New Testament to see HOW it applies to US TODAY!

How do we KNOW that we KNOW GOD?  How do we KNOW that we LOVE GOD?  The Apostle John tells us in his letter to the church: THIS is how we know God, We KEEP His Commands.   From the day Adam was placed in the garden, he was given a task, not just to KEEP the earth, BUT to KEEP the WORD of GOD.  His sin was not eating bad fruit; his SIN was violating God's Word that he was entrusted to KEEP.  However, just like EVERY part of CREATION, GOD restored what was lost to mankind, by sending HIS WORD. HIS WORD became flesh and the WAY to the TREE of LIFE was once more opened to us.  THE TASK before us NOW?  TO KEEP THE WORD ONCE MORE, to GUARD the WAY to the TREE of LIFE and to OFFER the TRUTH to all WHO will hear.

Do you ever find your daily life interrupted by unwanted calls telling you that your call warranty is up?  Aren't you grateful when your caller ID warns you in advance that THIS call is a SPAM RISK and MAYBE you shouldn't answer it unless you want to be lied to, frustrated and annoyed?  In our Christian life, we have the opportunity to recognize the Potential for SPAM during our daily walk.  WE have the choice whether we answer the call of self, others and Satan that can derail and side-line our journey, OR if we use the AUTHORITY through Christ that God has given us to Stand fast in freedom and take DOMINION over the land HE has given us to possess, ourselves.  This week's moment takes a look the influences we allow and the power they will wield in us and over us.

When God said, "Be Fruitful and Multiply, and Replenish the earth, " Did that command end with the curse OR die with Adam and Eve?  Is it possible that PURPOSE never ended but the means to its fulfillment now depends on a NEW union and not a physical one, but a spiritual one?  When Jesus told the disciples in John 15 that they had been chosen and ordained to bear fruit that would remain, COULD THIS be the NEW means to fulfill and old mandate? This week's Moment is all about FRUITFULNESS and God's common interest with man to bring it about even TODDAY in EACH of our lives.  Take a deep look with me into the mirror of God's Word and rediscover HIS desire for our fruitfulness, multiplication and fullness.

Years of life and circumstance can leave us like a worn, broken piece of furniture, covered with layers of paint, our original beauty hidden and our purpose stolen. WE are in need of restoration. It takes someone with a keen eye for quality and a commitment to time and work to look beyond the layers and see the treasure beneath in order to take on the task.  They also need knowledge of what they ORIGINAL LOOK and INTENTION was.  GOD is UP to THAT TASK and from the BEGINNING of TIME, HE has set forth HIS plan to RESTORE mankind to RELATIONSHIP with HIM.  True to character, HE NEVER does things halfway and when HE RESTORES, HE ALWAYS GIVES MORE! Join Me as I look at WHY it's IMPORTANT that we be restored and WHAT that LOOKS like in the LIFE of a Follower of JESUS.

The power to witness is a promise that Jesus left with His followers before His return to heaven.  The witness we are to testify of specifically is HIM. HE said, "You will receive power to Witness of ME."  When he was asked by Pilate if He was a king, Jesus said, "For this reason I was born...to bear WITNESS of the TRUTH."  If JESUS was here to give witness to the TRUTH and WE ARE TO GIVE WITNESS to HIM, then it stands to REASON that IN WITNESSING OF HIM, we would also be testifying of the TRUTH. But HOW does THIS look in my everyday LIFE?  Jesus said, "You will know the TRUTH and the TRUTH will make you FREE."  IS it possible that the EVIDENCE of the WITNESS of GOD in my life that the WORLD is to see is FREEDOM? IN this moment, let's look deeply at what it REALLY means to BE a WITNESS for JESUS and how the power of the Holy SPIRIT makes this possible!

The story of the woman with the alabaster box is one that has had great impact on generations of believers.  One single act of worship became a resounding memorial that still stands today.  It challenges as well as invites us to a closer more intimate walk with Jesus ourselves, and it calls us to look deeper than surface at this familiar story.  What struck me as I read her story again was NOT just that she poured what was precious to her, but that there was suffering involved.  Not only did this woman give what was most valuable to her, she also experienced rejection, misunderstanding and scorn from the mouths of others, and yet that didn't seem to matter as she saw Jesus to be her singular focus.  The beauty of her suffering in that moment was she was not alone, for Jesus suffered WITH her, also being reviled and maligned, and as she poured out her jar onto his feet, His testimony of her was that she was preparing Him for His own greater suffering to come.  In that instance, though, there was a glimpse of joint suffering.  She freely poured out hers as HE soon would as well. This moment today is a challenge to pour out, not only what we have worked for, but that which we have cried over, experienced deeply and have held dear, such as our places of suffering.  Jesus shared in our suffering so that we can share in His, and this is the most beautiful gift of love ever given. 

Have you ever encountered a thirsty person?  I'm not just talking about someone looking for a bottle of water, but someone who is desperate and needy?  If you have walked a day in the world, you most certainly have, BUT has your life made them even MORE THRISTY?  DO they desire what YOU DISPLAY? Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth."  Salt not only flavors and preserves, but it also makes us thirsty.  Could it be that the life we live for Christ was intended to be more than just adding flavor to the world, but actually to create THIRST?  This week's moment challenges us to BE salt and to LIVE salty in the earth so that others can be led to Jesus through our testimony!

Have you ever stumbled over the sometimes unanswerable, hard questions of life only to be told, the answer is to, "JUST have FAITH or JUST FORGET about it?"  Are you like me and thought...I guess that means these questions prove my lack of faith or HOW DO I JUST DO IT? The answer is simple and yet complex. It's simple in its source and yet complex in its execution for it takes a lifetime to LEARN to "JUST" do anything, and it really cannot be done at all apart from Christ.  Thankfully, He never puts time frames on our belief or our forgetting.  He invites us to "JUST WALK."   Join me as we take a look at forgetting and REMEMBERING all at once through Hebrews 11, and the FAITHFUL ones there.

They sure do ALWAYS have a lot to say, don't THEY? DO this, not that. NO, have THIS, not that.  Shouldn't you be here by now? There?  So many voices and opinions by which we shape our lives and ways...but what does Jesus SAY?  Will HIS voice be my guide or some other WAY? WHO WILL I FOLLOW?  In a world of THEY SAY'S, I want to hear HIS SAY!

They sure do ALWAYS have a lot to say, don't THEY? DO this, not that. NO, have THIS, not that.  Shouldn't you be here by now? There?  So many voices and opinions by which we shape our lives and ways...but what does Jesus SAY?  Will HIS voice be my guide or some other WAY? WHO WILL I FOLLOW?  In a world of THEY SAY'S, I want to hear HIS SAY!

In this week's moment, we look at the UNSEEN GOD through HIS SEEN PRESENCE from the cloud by day and fire by night at the Red Sea, to the FACE of HIS ONLY begotten Son, JESUS Christ, and then the INDWELLING PRESENCE upon the lives of the believers in the Book of ACTS then and NOW!  Though we may have yet to see GOD face to face, HE IS SEEN and KNOWN through US! 

At the culmination of Psalms 23, the writer penned, "Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."  This idea of follow is not to simply trail along behind like a puppy with its tail between its legs.  It is not an afterthought or a "teaser."  It is an active pursuit with the intention of overtaking.  In this moment, we explore what it means to be captured by the kind intention and loyal love of the heavenly Father and the invitation to pursue HIM in return so that we might know HIM!

The purpose of Jesus was not to build a platform, form a multitude of robotic followers or even make a new religion.  His purpose was PEOPLE, the people He came to seek and save, to heal and not destroy.   Those that were scattered, as the Good Shepherd, He came to gather.  He didn't see the fame, the name or the praise, HE SAW the people that were Cared-LESS about by those who were supposed to lead them and HE called them to KNOW HIM and HIS WAYS.  THIS TOO is OUR PURPOSE: PEOPLE.  In this week's Moment we ask ourselves, "Do we care less about what matters most or can we see what Jesus SEES?"

In this week's Moment, we will ask ourselves a tough question.  Am I so caught up in living a life FOR Christ that I'm missing the life OF CHRIST?  If Spirit births Spirit, am I living the Born Again Spirit-birthed life of Identity in Christ or still living under a false world-driven identity with God's name on it? Jesus said, " whatever is of the flesh is flesh and that which is Spirit is Spirit."  Perhaps we should ask ourselves, "Who is my daddy and am I letting Him father me into His image?"  for it is only those birthed by the Spirit that can also SEE by the Spirit and call others into THEIR GOD-KNOWN destiny.

Today, we’re talking about Issues and not the ones we all have! This Moment is about the SOURCE, the PLACE your life issues from and it’s effects! Join me as we look to the familiar woman with the Issue in the New Testament and a prophet in the Old Testament who received a vision of the Issue where our life flows from…one Shift in focus can change it all!

Today, we’re talking about Issues and not the ones we all have! This Moment is about the SOURCE, the PLACE your life issues from and it’s effects! Join me as we look to the familiar woman with the Issue in the New Testament and a prophet in the Old Testament who received a vision of the Issue where our life flows from…one Shift in focus can change it all!

There is a declaration that requires preparation, a grand anticipation of the coming consummation...This week we are talking PENTECOST and BEYOND.  Join me as we take a closer look at the origins of Pentecost, the results of the outpouring and the POWER of the coming culmination of all things to COME!

There is a declaration that requires preparation, a grand anticipation of the coming consummation...This week we are talking PENTECOST and BEYOND.  Join me as we take a closer look at the origins of Pentecost, the results of the outpouring and the POWER of the coming culmination of all things to COME!

We all live in a culture, a national culture, an ethnic culture, even a church culture, and each has the power to define our thoughts, beliefs and lifestyles. When Christ came, He didn’t just cross cultures and break barriers, He came with an entirely new culture…the Cross Culture. This moment explores the power of the culture of the cross and our invitation as believers in Jesus to take it up, in our personal world between our ears and in our interpersonal world where our feet touch the earth.

We all live in a culture, a national culture, an ethnic culture, even a church culture, and each has the power to define our thoughts, beliefs and lifestyles. When Christ came, He didn’t just cross cultures and break barriers, He came with an entirely new culture…the Cross Culture. This moment explores the power of the culture of the cross and our invitation as believers in Jesus to take it up, in our personal world between our ears and in our interpersonal world where our feet touch the earth.

Right now, YOU are living under the influence: the influence of the urgent, the influence a thought, the influence of a feeling, but what will you DO with it? Will it rule you or will you rule it? As in with all things, we have a choice. As people of God, we are called to reign in life. To reign means to exercise the highest influence and control; and this happens by yielding to the Power of the indwelling Spirit of God OR our old nature. Each day, we get to ask ourselves: whose influence will we live under?

Right now, YOU are living under the influence: the influence of the urgent, the influence a thought, the influence of a feeling, but what will you DO with it? Will it rule you or will you rule it? As in with all things, we have a choice. As people of God, we are called to reign in life. To reign means to exercise the highest influence and control; and this happens by yielding to the Power of the indwelling Spirit of God OR our old nature. Each day, we get to ask ourselves: whose influence will we live under?

Ever feel forgotten? Abandoned? Left behind? Maybe your friends have abandoned you or worse your family; but what about God? Where was He when your life was desolate, scattered and destitute. Did He forget too? Surely…He has not! Look with me as we see ourselves remembered…in His hands and in His scars!

Ever feel forgotten? Abandoned? Left behind? Maybe your friends have abandoned you or worse your family; but what about God? Where was He when your life was desolate, scattered and destitute. Did He forget too? Surely…He has not! Look with me as we see ourselves remembered…in His hands and in His scars!

We all face challenges in life, sometimes in the form of circumstances, people or ourselves. As Sons and Daughters of God, these challenges, irrespective of cause are aimed at one thing: Our Identity. When your identity in Christ is challenged, will you fall prey to the attack or will you challenge the challenger and live out your NEW CHRIST LIFE?

We all face challenges in life, sometimes in the form of circumstances, people or ourselves. As Sons and Daughters of God, these challenges, irrespective of cause are aimed at one thing: Our Identity. When your identity in Christ is challenged, will you fall prey to the attack or will you challenge the challenger and live out your NEW CHRIST LIFE?

We live in a culture that thrives on Friends with Benefits and in many ways the modern church has treated our relationship with God the same way. Do we come to Him for his “goodies and gifts,” content to serve only when we get a benefits package in return OR do we passionately pursue Him and His Presence? A thought provoking moment on the Value of the Presence of God.

We live in a culture that thrives on Friends with Benefits and in many ways the modern church has treated our relationship with God the same way. Do we come to Him for his “goodies and gifts,” content to serve only when we get a benefits package in return OR do we passionately pursue Him and His Presence? A thought provoking moment on the Value of the Presence of God.

Are God’s ways really as mysterious as we think they are? What was previously hidden has been UNVEILED in the face of Jesus Christ and is now made known TO the Church the mystery of Christ in us, the HOPE of glory! What is this glory we hope for, Heaven just one day, or the glory of God manifested now on His sons and daughters as His image bearers? Does He work in mysteries? Oh yes! And we get to as well!

Part two of uncovering the MYSTERIES OF God. Are God’s ways really as mysterious as we think they are? What was previously hidden has been UNVEILED in the face of Jesus Christ and is now made known TO the Church the mystery of Christ in us, the HOPE of glory! What is this glory we hope for, Heaven just one day, or the glory of God manifested now on His sons and daughters as His image bearers? Does He work in mysteries? Oh yes! And we get to as well!