It'll Be Okay

This is the message for the song "It'll Be Okay" off my album Intimately Consumed. Hope it encourages you to keep pushin' through no matter what!

Let me start this message off with this. I have failed over and over again. I have messed up countless times. I have sinned and turned back to the same sinful ways again and again. I have battled and wrestled against the flesh. I have cried out for freedom in certain areas of my life literally for years without seeing true break through (although He was faithful and He brought it to pass!).

I am a human being just like you! I have felt like quitting and giving up countless number of times. I have cried, weeped, mourned, yelled, etc... All through this... I have come to know several things. He is faithful even when were not. He is love and His love knows no end. He has blotted out our transgressions. He will remember them no more (Hebrews 8:12). He will not condemn us (Romans 8:1). He has nothing but goodness for His children.

Through our shortcomings, He just wants us to come back to Him (Matt 11:28-30). This song was dedicated to the body of Christ. I wrote this song to all those in the midst of struggles with sin. Whether it is lust, pornography, addictions, friends who pull you down, etc - it doesn't matter. I wrote this song for those that truly love the Lord with all their hearts. I wrote this for those that want nothing but to live their lives sold out and abandon to Jesus, but still struggle with sin (all believers haha - and if you don't... you might want to repent of pride!). I wrote this for the one's that burn to see His fire in their lives. The message is this - it's by the grace and mercy of God that you will be free from anything, not by our works or effort. Even if you could free yourself or abstain from sin for a while through strong will, you would end up being dependent on your own strength which is limited, weak and frail while God's is limitless. It's not by our own strength, but by the power of His Spirit (Zechariah 4:6).

Hebrews put's it plainly in chapter 12 when it says to lay aside or throw off the thing which so easily entangles you, fix your eyes back on Jesus, and keep running the race! What you focus on, you empower. The enemy wants you de-railed and focused on the thing which has you captive. Don't fix your eyes on that - for do you not know that it looks so small if you would re-adjust and focus your eyes elsewhere? You must keep your eyes fixed on Jesus or you will grow weary very quickly.

I have seen several Christians give their lives to Christ, get excited about living for Him, realize there is still a battle with sin, fall back into sin, and run away from God because of condemnation, guilt, and feeling like a straight up hypocrite. How tragic this is! How it grieves my heart as well as the Father's. Do you not know that you are forgiven? Do you not know that the Father looks into the thoughts and intent of your heart - not at how you perform (1 Sam 16:7)? There is a huge difference between immaturity and blatant rebellion. This message is for those in the struggle. You have to keep a heart that says "YES" to God no matter how many times you fall or turn away. Do you not know that the Father's arms are wide open to you and He is waiting for you to come back home like the prodigal son(Lk 15)?

As His children - we have to understand what justification means. It's completely by His mercy and grace that we are saved. Justification is a finished worked. He has accredited all the righteousness of Christ to our "account" through the death and resurrection of His Son (2 Cor 5:21). We never have to sit around wondering what God thinks of us. When you turn your heart back to Jesus - you are forgiven completely and wholly - no questions asked (1 Jn 1:9). As Jesus said, "It is finished." Praise the Lord Jesus Christ! Don't flatter yourself into thinking that you can out-sin the grace and love of God. Jump back into His arms and keep running the race the Lord has set before you. Don't focus on sin - focus on Jesus and move forward!

Intimately Consumed

This is the message behind the song "Intimately Consumed" and my entire latest album...

intimate 1 |ˈintəmit|
adjective
1 closely acquainted; familiar, close : intimate friends
• involving very close connection
2 private and personal .
3 (of knowledge) detailed; thorough : an intimate knowledge

consume |kənˈsoōm|
• (usu. be consumed) (of a feeling) absorb all of the attention and energy of (someone):
(consuming) a consuming passion.

I have cried out for a while now, that the Father would permit me to be intimately consumed in my personal relationship with Him. That by His grace, I would be able to walk out the greatest commandments (Matt. 22:37-40). As being apart of the church, or bride of Christ, I want to be in love with Jesus, the Bridegroom King. This is only possibly today because of the cross of Jesus Christ that stands over history.
It's the greatest love story of all time. We as humans, chose to walk apart from God and disobey His commands (Gen; Rom 3:23). The Father loved us so much, that He sent His only Son to die for us and redeem us from our sin (Jn 3:16). He did nothing wrong. He was guiltless and lived a perfect life.
I do not serve a dead God, I serve a living God. Jesus Christ rose from the grave and visited people - people saw His scars, they talked with Him, they touched Him - it's a historical fact. He lives today, and even better, He lives inside me (Gal 2). I am in love with Jesus Christ and desire to go deeper in love with Him. I want to learn to recognize His voice more clearly (Jn 10:27). I desire to be completely intimately consumed with passion for Jesus. I desire to know the heart of the Father that formed me intricately in my mothers womb and I pray that the Father would stir your heart and put the same desires in you (Ps 139). He is good, and if we can see Him for who He is, we will realize that nothing else matters except being intimate with Him. Nothing matters but knowing a personal, alive God, whom is Jesus Christ. Nothing matters apart from fellowshiping with the God who created us for Himself (Jn 15; Jn 17:3). For surely, that is how He designed and fashioned you - to be in a relationship with Himself where you reflect His glory back to Himself.
When you look at the definition of the word "intimate" and "consume" the title of my album makes much more sense. The dictionary definition of the word "intimate" means to be closely acquainted, familiar, involving a very close connection, or simply put to be close with. In other words you are intimate friends. It also means to be private and personal or to have detailed, thorough knowledge of something or someone. If you take a look at the definition of the word "passion" this means to absorb all the attention and energy or someone or to have a consuming passion. Now, take those two words, combine them and their definitions together, and relate them to your relationship with Jesus Christ. This is what this album is about!
I want to be closely acquainted, familiar and have a close connection with Jesus! I want to be intimate friends with Him, even as He Himself called those who are His own (Jn 15:15). I want to be absorbed and have a consuming passion to know my Heavenly Father. The more I seek the Lord, the more I find Him. The more I find Him, the more I simply love Him. Out of loving Him, comes this consuming passion. Once you begin to see Him as He is, you will never again be the same. Once you encounter His unconditional love, you can't help but share Him with others. Once you behold His beauty, you can't help but have a passion for living abandoned to Him. For, there is none but Him, none like Him, and nothing that could be better for you were made for Him. This is my cry - Abba, I wanna be intimately consumed! You were called to live and be intimately consumed by God. Get you some of that!

Prayer:

Father of glory, this is my prayer - that I would truly be intimately consumed and in love with You. But, to limit this prayer to myself is selfishness. So I ask, Father, Abba, Daddy, that you would raise up a whole generation across the nations of a people that would be intimately consumed - in passionate love with Your Son Jesus. I pray that you would raise up a generation who truly walks out the greatest commandant of all which Jesus spoke about - to love You with our whole hearts, souls, minds, and all of our strength. Father, release the grace and anointing over your church to walk in the two greatest commands - loving you and loving others. Raise up a generation that knows the love of the Father for themselves, and for others. Raise up a generation that knows Your heart - not just facts. People who have sat at Your feet and been intimate with you. People who have rejected the simple ways of this world and been abandoned to you. I want to be intimately consumed with love for you Abba. I want to know the width, the height, the depth, the vastness of love that You have for me and for others. In Jesus Name, amen!