Do people see Jesus in me? This is a question I often think about. 

Perhaps this is a desire you hold and pray. Lord, let others see Jesus in me! 

Lately, this hope and prayer stays at the forefront of my mind. 

So I completed my own soul-searching, looking in the Scriptures, and asking the Holy Spirit to open my spiritual eyes to how others truly see Jesus in me. 

Because when Jesus lives in us and we allow the triune God to transform us from the inside out, everything about Him radiates in us and our life. 

Then, people see Jesus in us.

Others See Jesus 

(1.) In my salvation. 

It all begins here. Once we have a salvation experience and personal redemption story, we are new creations (1 Corinthians 5:17). Christ is our Savior.

In Galatians 1, the Apostle Paul recounts his life before Christ. He shares an impressive religious resume and all that he attained. Yet, look at how he ends the chapter.

“And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only were hearing it said, ‘He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.’ And they glorified God because of me.” Galatians 1:22-24 (ESV, emphasis added)

Notice how Paul never wrote that others glorified me because of me. No, God received the glory for the saving work of Jesus in Paul’s life. 

We have a story to share, a personal testimony of Jesus saving our soul and giving us eternal life.

Do people see Jesus in me? When everything about Jesus radiates in me and my life, then people see Jesus in me. @FridayKaren #Jesus
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(2.) When the Word lives in me.

The Word became flesh, Jesus, the living Word (John 1:1 & 14). Even though He lives in us, the Bible reminds us of the importance to meditate on and know the Scriptures. 

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV)

And Psalm 119 shows us how knowing God’s Word lights our path (v. 105), helps us not sin (v. 11), gives us hope (v. 43), and makes us walk in freedom (v. 45). 

Jesus is our example of knowing and keeping God’s commands. He lives in us as the living Word.

Jesus is our example of knowing and keeping God’s commands. He lives in us as the living Word. Then others see Jesus in us. #Jesus @FridayKaren
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Jesus in Me 

(3.) If I dwell in His presence through worship and prayer.

Spending time in the presence of our Lord and Savior changes us. We worship His majesty, glory, splendor and beauty. We submit to His authority. And we praise Him for who He is and thank Him for what He has done. 

Also, often this means silently sitting before Him with open hearts to hear from Him and asking the Holy Spirit to fill us with Himself. Still further, we let the lyrics to worship songs permeate our beings and we find joy in His presence (Psalm 16:11).

(4.) Through my love.

Others see Jesus in us through love. The depth of this love includes giving grace to others, a merciful heart, and a forgiving spirit. 

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35 (ESV)

Love is the difference maker to all those in our family, friendships, work, communities, ministries, and who we come in contact with. 

People See Jesus

(5.) In my words and actions—the crucified life.

Jesus made it clear, to follow Him, we deny ourselves and take up our cross (Matthew 16:24). Taking up our cross is the crucified life. 

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 (ESV)

Carrying our cross, we let Jesus live in and through us, not living for our own interests. So our words, actions, beliefs—everything about us—showcase Jesus Christ for others to see. 

Prayer: Lord, help others see Jesus in me. I pray that after being in Your presence, others recognize I have been with Jesus. And Jesus is seen in me from the inside out. Help me meditate on Your Word, tell my Jesus-story, love others deeply, and live the crucified life each day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Featured image from filming for our YouTube Channel, Friday’s Forever.

Also see, Praying for a Friend.

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We can keep praying after.

God doesn’t say “cease praying” after the test results suggest the worst or the conversation ends terribly or the morning rush causes us to forget what we even read in the Bible that morning.

In our limited sense of time, praying after things seem “finished” can feel futile.

We sometimes act like prayer has a deadline before it’s “too late.”

Because, really….why pray about something that has already happened?

Can the Lord change even that which is in retrospect? Is He sovereign over history when it’s already been written? Scripture doesn’t suggest God retroactively answers prayers or puts us all in a supernatural time machine to perform miracles past (though God did turn back time once!)

Unlike our concept of “changers” in sci-fi movies that erase and replant memories to “change history, “the Lord is in the business of changing hearts. And while that may not change what has already happened, it does change our perspective. That makes all the difference.

Just because something is over to us doesn’t mean God’s done working it into good.

After you complete that nerve-wracking conversation, pray. Turn to the Lord. He can work in your heart to use that conversation for good. He does, after all, work all things together for the good of those who love Him according to His will and great purposes (Romans 8:28.)

He can also change the heart of the one you spoke to. Or the loved one who faced the tragedy. And even the course of that decision you made that you’re not so sure about.

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO TURN TO THE LORD.

That should affect how we live in this world and how we relate to others. Forgiveness is all the more possible when we live according to the truth:

Grace has no expiration date.
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So pray after it all goes crazy, it all goes well, and you have no idea how any of it could go anywhere.

He remains faithful and is reigning over it all- past, present, and future.

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.” –1 Chronicles 29:11

{A version of this post originally appeared on First and Second blog}

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My guy is a good one. He is godly, discerning, full of integrity, persistently loving, and so humble he’ll be annoyed I’m complimenting him publicly. So the reality of him struggling with anything perplexed me for a long time.

I wanted to help. Well, really, I wanted to 'fix him.' Seeing him hurt made my heart hurt. @BethanyMcIlrath
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For a while, I tried to reason with him. He’s sharp, so our logic debates ended, at best, in a stalemate.

Being a big fan of “suck-it-up-buttercup” myself, I tested the phrase out on him. Oddly enough, the result was withdrawing.

Then, determined to be more encouraging, I worked hard to add optimism to any sign of struggle in every conversation.

On the best days, I took advantage of opportunities to push Scripture. I added planned “Jesus-times” to the schedule and set up sound structure I was sure would fix everything.

One night, I remember so clearly, he finally (gently) called me out on my attempts to fix him. Having been kind in what he probably didn’t perceive as a confrontation, he fell asleep. I did not.

I stayed up confessing to Christ my errors, crying out about my inability to make things better and my lack of ability to apparently even help. Bit by bit, my praying turned to Bible reading and it struck me:

Only God changes hearts. In fact, there’s a lot only God can do. @BethanyMcIlrath
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Since then, I’ve committed to not trying to change anyone’s heart- including my husband’s.

God is faithful.

I can’t begin to pinpoint how many answered prayers have been evidenced by changes in my loved one’s lives and hearts (without my meddling.)

When I want to strategize and test and push others into what I believe is a “fix,” what I really need to do is bring them to Christ in prayer. That’s the example Christ and the apostles set for us, and it flows from loving others well.

“You have a special place in my heart. So it is only natural for me to feel the way I do.” –Philippians 1:7

This is what Paul said before and after recording his prayers for people in Philippi. He prayed because he loved them.

This Valentine’s Day, let’s remember that praying for others is a wonderful, beautiful, and effective way of loving them.@BethanyMcIlrath
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Who are you praying for today?

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Words like these accurately describe God’s qualities, but sometimes we find them so obscure and over our heads that the awe gets lost. We pray vaguely aware that God can do whatever He wills- but the wonder and reverence get lost in the routine of it all.

When awe of God is stifled, we tend toward self-sufficiency instead of faithful surrender. CT

Today, join me in this little exercise in awe.

(I suspect our wonder at God and trust in Him over ourselves may increase just a bit!)

God is sovereign.

That means God has all the power to do whatever He decides to do.

Try this: 

• Command the rain to stop or the sun to shine
• Announce “let there be light” in the dark
• Tell a headache to just go away
• Call down pizza from heaven
• Change someone’s stubborn heart

God is omniscient. 

That means God knows everything- for better or for worse.

Try this:

• Plan what’s going to happen for the next 3 hours minute by minute
• Ask zero questions while doing everything you need to do
• Make decisions based on what you know for certain is going to happen
• Respond to other’s questions with complete confidence that you know what you’re doing

That means God is everywhere, all the time, without limit.

Try this:

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“Who’s that?” I ask.

It’s not my business. I don’t especially care. I’m just being nosy (usually because I’m bored.)

My husband’s reply is often, “It’s Jesus.”

I roll my eyes. He smirks. It’s our bit.

But sometimes when we play that little game, I think about how nice it would be to get a text from Jesus.

He doesn’t need to say anything in particular. It’d just be nice to be reminded that Jesus is thinking of me. That’s He’s with me and wants to talk. Anytime. All the time.

What I forget is that…He is.

Jesus may not text us like our friends do, but His text says...
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-He is listening (Psalm 138:3)

-He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7)

-He is paying attention to us (Matthew 6)

-He is with us (Joshua 1:9)

This is the case ALWAYS. All the time. Anytime. 24/7.

Before I text my people, I often wonder if I might be bothering them. Bugging them. Especially if it doesn’t seem like they text me back as much as I text them.

Jesus is never bothered by His people. (Ask the disciples…some of them really tried to test His limits!)

Even when we feel like there is “no reply,” we can trust that……

…because Jesus made a way for us to approach God’s throne of grace freely

…because He choose to dwell among us…

…because He chose to send the Holy Spirit to live in us

…because He paid the highest price to have us with Him for all eternity, knowing all that entails

……..He actually never gets tired of hearing from us, including us, and being with us.

To remind myself of this, I set up “texts” from God. You can, too.

I typed His wonderful name in as an event on my calendar for random times, on random days. My phone now occasionally buzzes like I’m getting a text. My screen flashes a reminder of the One who is graciously near all the time. Just a name. That beautiful, wonderful, highest, most loving name:

….And I’m able to tell my guy when he asks who’s texting: “It’s Jesus!”

Join me?

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If you were to ask me,

“What is the number one thing I can do for you today?”

Honestly, I would tell you, pray for me.

Think about it. What greater, more powerful gift can you possibly give anyone than a selfless, heartfelt prayer?

I say selfless because…

Not so many years ago my prayers were more selfish than selfless.

I might pray for God to make an ever so slight adjustment in a family member, believing it was best for (me) them. I could see so clearly all their need-for-change places.

You know what I mean? Ahem, I bet you do.

But most of those life modifications were not for me to decide, and God knew that so He answered some of my narrow-minded prayers to show me just how wrongly directed they were.

Some lessons are hard learned.

These days I make it a habit to pray for my husband, sons, and daughter-in-laws every morning and if they don’t have a specific need, I pray Scripture over them. Praying God’s Word keeps my motives in check. My desire for my family is for them to be everything God wants them to be. Praying God’s Word keeps me from praying everything I might want them to be… at this moment.

Because I sometimes have a skewed perspective, I pray by God’s directive.

I’ve found praying for God’s will is a whole lot better than praying for mine.

This is how I do it. I insert my family member’s name right into the Scripture.

For example:

From Ephesians 1:17 – Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that You will give Whitney the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that she may know You better. I pray that the eyes of Whitney’s heart may be enlightened in order that she may know the hope to which You have called her, the riches of Your inheritance in Your holy people, and the incredible great power for all of us who believe.

From Philippians 1:9-11 – And this is my prayer God, that Jamie’s love would abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight so that she may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.

From 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 – Dear God I pray for Lil David and Aaron that You may make them worthy of Your calling and that by Your power You may bring to fruition every desire for goodness they have and every deed prompted by their faith. I pray that the name of the Lord Jesus will be glorified in them and them in You according to Your grace.

From 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 – I pray Lord Jesus that You who love us and by Your grace give us eternal encouragement and hope, will encourage David’s heart and strengthen him in every good deed and word.

What better way to petition  for those closest to us than with God’s divine perspective. From His Word.

Instead of praying for my family to be more like me (God forbid!) I pray for them to be more like Jesus. And that’s far better for everyone. Amen!

If you would like more Scripture to use in your prayers try this website.

Now, this is my prayer for you today: From 2 Thessalonians 3:16 – Now I pray that the Lord of peace give you my friends, peace at all times and in every way. May the Lord be with all of you. Amen.

Looking forward, pressing on and seeking God in every bump and twist in the road.

with love,

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This week’s post is an excerpt taken from the sixth chapter of Patricia’s upcoming book “Twelve Inches – Bridging the Gap between how you feel and what you know about God.” Available on line and in bookstores nationwide on July 7th, 2015.

“So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, ‘Abba, Father.’ ” (Romans 8:15 – NLT)

Many of us have different names by which people call us.

If someone calls me “Mrs. Holbrook”, unless they are thirteen years old or under, the verdict is simple – they just don’t know me. On the other hand, different nicknames and loving abbreviations are normally a demonstration of how close someone is to me.

I have this habit for as long as I remember: if you are part of my family or a close friend, I normally have a nickname for you. It’s usually one which most people you know don’t use for you. When someone changes from an acquaintance to a friend, most likely, they will receive a special nickname from me.

It’s not something planned, it just happens and I know exactly why. The more I get to know someone, the more I love them, the more intimate we become. You are not just someone that I see and wave to as you pass by. You become special to me and so I give you a special name. You know me better than many people.

I call you friend and that’s important to me.

Indeed, intimate and true relationships are hard to find. There is a reason for that – it takes time to develop them.

You cannot expect to be close to someone unless you spend time with them, unselfishly giving yourself to them… unless you are willing to put your own interests aside for them.

Likewise, in many aspects, true and intimate earthly relationships mirror the connection we should have with our Heavenly Father.

We should know Him – as a child that covers her father’s face with kisses as she sits on his lap, uninvited, simply because she knows him.

We should know Him – as my husband and I know each other.

We can look at each other across a room full of people and know what the other one is thinking.  We trust each other because we know each other. Likewise, the more intimately we know God, the more we learn to trust Him.

And we become intimate with God through prayer and by studying His Word.

Define prayer, please.

You may be thinking – “Cool. I got that. I pray. What’s next?”

Let me tell you that I thought I knew how to pray until God revealed the truth about my prayer life about nine years ago. I was used to worship and prayer until I realized that my prayer life was suffering from A.D.H.D.

Bear with me. I bet you can relate.

I was home with one small child and pregnant with our second daughter, as busy as a pregnant mother of a toddler can be. I would start praying and, as my prayers went up, a thought would cross my mind and I would quickly move my attention from God to whatever was on my mind.

I could sense that my prayers would go up the room, hit the ceiling and bounce back down.

Reading God’s Word was no different. I would start reading something and would get lost in my thoughts and preoccupations for the day. Quickly and steadily, my prayer life became dull and God became this distant Creator, whom I reverenced and respected, but whom I could not, in all honesty, relate to as a Father.

Can you relate? I believe that all Christians go through a phase such as this at some point in time. We allow the cares of this world to distract us. Or, worse yet, our fellowship with the Father is broken because of deliberate, known sin in our lives.

A lack of intimacy with God is never, ever, the Father’s fault. It is ours. And if you have a hard time concentrating and being quiet before Him, you may need to do what I did.

You may have to get into the closet.

For years I have heard my pastor Dr. Charles Stanley talking about his experience praying in the closet. He has a place in his house and ministry – a dark room with nothing but a pillow and his Bible, where he retires to be alone with God.

So, some time ago, when my family was visiting from Brazil, I could not find a place to pray. I decided to arrange my own prayer closet in the house – a place where God and I could meet in the dark.

A place of silence, nothingness even, where I quietly wait on God to speak. And so I rearranged my walk-in closet and embarked on this amazing journey that changed my prayer life.

As I settle in the dark closet, I ask Him what to do that day. More than praying, I am there to have communion with Him, to bask in His presence.

In the silence of that closet, God admonishes me, directs me and loves on me.

The closet has become the “Abba and me” place. Daddy and His girl.

Priceless. Soul-changing.

But I have to say, I don’t always pray in the closet. And it may even not be an option for you.

There were times where my “closet” was my car, during my commute hours in Atlanta traffic.

Or my walk in the park.

The point is not where, but what.

We have such crazy-busy lives nowadays, that unless we give Him silence, we can easily miss His voice.

He speaks. ALL! THE! TIME! But are we listening? The reason why many of us end up “slipping” into a life of spiritual complacency is because we do not hear our Lord.

Truly, as Abba’s children, we really should not need a pastor or a friend to tell us how to live. We should be able to hear Him ourselves… and then, simply obey.

Before anything else, we need to allow God to change US. We need to be still for long enough to allow Him to show us His to do list for our days.

Don’t have time, huh?

Well, if you have time to watch the next episode of that reality show, you have time for a conversation with God.

If you have time to exercise in the park, that’s a perfect time to commune with Him. Take your “closet” with you to the park!

Want a strong 12-inch Faith Bridge?

Consult with the Architect. He knows the drawings. He knows your weaknesses. He knows your blueprint.

Spend time with the Master Architect of your life’s plan. He can’t wait to show you His amazing plan…

And His ways…

And His promises…

Sit still in Abba’s wonderful Presence.

Then, get ready to be blessed.

The post Spending Time with Life’s Architect – Excerpt from 12 Inches appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.