The day with dianne Louise

"it is to your benefit that I go away, because if I don't go away the Counsellor will not come to you. If I go I will send Him to you. When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, because they do not believe in Me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see Me; and about judgement, because the ruler of this world has been judged." John 16:7-11 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; He triumphed over them by Him (or them through the work of the cross). Colossians 2:15 Yesterday I wrote about Satan our adversary and I must continue today so that we really get the truth: Satan has been defeated, he has been disrobed, stripped of his authority by the work of the cross. Therefore all his works that hinder us should not hinder us because they have NO power. Jesus told his disciples in Luke 10:18 that he saw Satan falling like light&ning. He then went on to say: " look, I have given you au...

"If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you." John 15:18,19 Satan, in verse 14:30, Jesus calls the ruler of this world. So basically, as Christians, we are aliens in this world and the ruler of this world seeks us out and endeavours to deceive us or destroy us. Before waking I had an unusual dream. I was inside my house, with my sister, and a man broke in. I told him to leave and he refused and then I told him to leave in the name of Jesus. Horror came over his face and he left straight away. Minutes later another man broke in, this time he was dressed as a policeman. He was demanding that we 'help' him. I questioned him and he did not make sense. He wanted to take us away. The funny thing was I knew something was wrong and although I wanted to stand my ground and defy...

No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13 Jesus was telling His disciples that His love for them, His friends, would cause Him to lay down His life. Not many people were called 'friend of God'. Abraham was called 'friend', by implication Moses was considered a friend and David was called, 'a man after my own heart'. What was the character of these friends? Abraham followed God out into an unknown land, forsaking all he knew. He waited for God's promise and gave to God a tenth of his spoils in war. Moses obey God and followed him out into the desert, on a promise of the better land. His delight was to go away and spend time with God. David spent time with God long before he needed God, he had a love relationship with God. Jesus showed us how to live an obedient life, he went further by dying for us. He is saying in the above scripture this is real love. We are not commande...

"As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Remain in My love. If you keep My commands you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commands and remain in His love. I have spoken these things to you that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends." John 15:9-13  Now we come to the crux of the matter. Jesus is here telling us how to stay in Him so that we can ask anything in His name. Just as he obeyed His Father, listened to Him and stayed connected He is telling us to do the same. The real test for us lies in loving others just as He loved us. Ouch! This is easy with those who love us and are good to us, but what about those who betray us, as Judas did Christ? He also commanded us to love our enemies, that pretty much covers everyone. Think of that person who is constantly critic...

I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in Him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in Me and My words remain in You, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples. John 15:5-8 Nowhere else do you see, in all of nature, branches disconnecting themselves from trees and vines to run off and think they can do it all, by themselves. Yet in the Kingdom of God we need encouragement to stay put. This 'choice' produces a self-reliance in us that we constantly have to battle. Jesus puts it plainly, stay put, stay connected to Me, otherwise you will not succeed. Our enemy, the deceiver, who has been at it since the world began, and beyond, comes alone with His lies....

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vineyard keeper. Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit He removes, and He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. John 15:1-4 There is so much here. Is 5:1-7 speaks of the Father being the vine dresser yet the difference here is that Jesus is the vine. Israel was unable to produce fruit because it did not have the 'true vine'. Jesus said that He was the true vine. Now you and I both know that even though we have the vine we must stay 'vitally' connected to it. Staying connected means we get pruned (pain) so that we produce more fruit. If we do not produce we get disconnected (we get the chop- ouch). Jesus then throws in 'you are already clean because ...

"I will not talk with you much longer, because the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over Me. On the contrary, I am going away so that the world may know that I love the Father. Just as the Father commanded Me, so I do". John 14:30,31 Satan had no power over Christ because He walked a sinless life. As we walk committed to Christ Satan has less power over us because he cannot tempt us to walk his way. Jesus spells it out. Satan was coming but because He, Christ, was fulfilling His destiny, He would submit. It is interesting that Jesus says: "0n the contrary, I am going away that the world may know that I love the Father." What an interesting thing to say! It is like an earthly son saying: "I am not staying in this country anymore as I know my Father misses me and wants me home." The son knew His Father's heart and loved Him so much, He would follow it. As we yield and get to really know the Father's heart there are things y...