Lifted Life, LLC

Hey, reader! This blog post comes just days after Christmas. We know why family calls us out to gather to celebrate Christmas, or perhaps you call up family and friends and host the gathering yourself. For over 10 Christmases of my life, I got together with my family to celebrate the holiday, of course knowing the whole shebang – all the decorations and food and music and laughter and gift-giving – was all because we were celebrating Jesus’ birthday. But for all those years, I was there at the Christmas parties, but not receiving the best gifts of all.

God has given us way more gifts than we usually realize. Just for starters, the Bible says in James 1:17 that every good gift and perfect gift comes from God. So whether you know it or not, whether you know God or don’t know God, He’s the one you can thank for all the good things you have: not just your existence and the things you like to enjoy on earth, but all of your talents and strengths, because He made you in His image and His likeness, meaning you are beautifully made just the way you are, and you have a beautiful function, to be creative like how God is creative, to be thoughtful, and to have skills and talents. The devil only knows how to corrupt and destroy what is good; but any talent or impressive or beautiful thing that you’ve done or witnessed in your life, you can attribute those wonderful gifts to God; and you can thank Him for them!

But of course, it doesn’t stop there! We are gathered to celebrate the birth of Jesus. His life is so precious to us because when Adam forfeited our intimate relationship with God so that he could experience sin, God could have said, “Well, kids, that’s it: you made your choice. Sin and death are yours forever, and I’ll try again with a different creation.” Oh, mercy that He didn’t say that, but instead: I want you to have forgiveness! I want you to have redemption! The cost of sin is death, so I’ll come down and pay the debt of death for you myself! And He came through on His promise, as He always does! Jesus Christ lived a sinless life but paid the debt of sin anyways. He died so that no one else would have to pay with their life, if they would just accept His gift of salvation. We don’t have to die an eternal death for our sin! Jesus paid the price! What an incredible gift – but He didn’t even stop there! He said, I also want to pay for your healing, and your poverty! I’ll pay for it all! I don’t want to save you from hell just to make you continue to live in hell on earth. He taught His disciples this prayer: GOD’S WILL be done on earth, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN! Through Him, we can experience the blessings of heaven right here on earth! More amazing gifts!

And then, you guessed it – it doesn’t even stop there! Jesus said, I don’t just want to free you the consequence of sin, but I will return to you your authority over sin, over all spirits, and over all the works of the devil! You are no longer a slave to sin, and you can be free to live a life without destruction and without shame! The devil will have no hold on you, and you can tell Him confidently to stay out of your life and stay out of your family’s lives! You can live from victory to victory! Then He gave one more gift, you guys. Jesus said this gift is even better than having Him stay on the earth. When Jesus returned to heaven, He left us a Guide, a Comforter, a Helper, and a Friend. The Holy Spirit came to earth and continues the miraculous works that Jesus did throughout His life. The Holy Spirit gives us power to do things we could never do on our own; the Holy Spirit is the Friend who comforts, He’s the Guide who keeps us walking on a holy path, He’s the one who allows us to possess all the fruits of the Spirit; the reason we can live every day with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

If you’re a Christian reding this and you aren’t experiencing any number of these gifts in your everyday life, that’s like having Christmas presents wrapped and under the tree with a tag that says YOUR NAME on it, and you just leave it there and never open it up! Or maybe you opened it that first day and used it for a time, but shoved it in the back of your storage closet, or worse – tossed it away, and never use the gift! Today is the day to reclaim the gifts God has prepared for you!

Or, maybe you’ve never known Christ in your life, and you’re hearing for maybe the first time that these gifts are available to you; it would be insane to leave these gifts sit unwrapped and unused! They are all already bought and paid for, just waiting for you to receive them! Go open your gifts! It’s like God has a check written out with your name on it, but you have to open the envelope and go cash that check at the bank! Go cash your check!

The Bible says, “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” and “for the wages of sin is death, but the GIFT OF GOD is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The Bible also reads, “For whosoever should call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” And you are a ‘whosoever,’ right? Of course you are; we all are. Whether you’ve never invited Christ into your life, or whether you had in the past but let the world get in between you and God, and you want God in your life again, I’m going to pray for you right now.

Father, I thank you for the person reading these words today. Please bless them and their family with long and healthy lives. Jesus, make Yourself real to this person and do a quick work in their heart. I thank you for your Son Jesus, for His sacrifice, so that we can live in union with You again and have a life of abundance! I pray in the name of Jesus, that anyone who’s heard this message would follow the tugging of their Spirit, and choose to receive these amazing gifts right now! I pray that no one would go from here with their spiritual gifts still sitting untouched! May any doubt or discouragement be broken and dissolve right now in the name of Jesus, so that everyone is free to make their choice! You say Lord that you’ve set before us blessing and cursing, death and life, and that it’s your will that we would CHOOSE LIFE! May every one take this opportunity to CHOOSE LIFE!

If that’s you today, and you’re choosing to receive the gift of life for the first time; or maybe, like me, you had tossed away your gifts and want them back again; I want you to raise your hands right where you are! Raise your hands as a declaration to God that you’re accepting the gift of life, and all that comes with it! We aren’t promised tomorrow; that’s not just some cliché to compel you to make this decision today – we all know it’s true! These gifts DO have an expiration date! Raise your hands and make it known that you have LIFE TODAY!

And now, say this prayer in your heart and out loud: Dear Lord Jesus, come into my heart. I receive your gift of salvation; today I make you my Lord and Savior. I am no longer a sinner. I am a new creation. I am healed. I am made whole. I have authority over all powers of the devil. I am blessed! Father, I thank you for the Holy Spirit. I reject all unholy spirits, and I receive the Holy Spirit! He is my Guide! I am thankful, I am saved, I am holy; I am a child of God! Amen!

Praise God! Anyone who prayed that prayer, welcome to the family of God. Now that you’re living with the Holy Spirit inside of you, you’re going to want to look into these gifts that God has for you, so please consider getting a Bible or the Bible app, finding a Spirit-filled church near you, and subscribing for great content. Okay, it’s time for you to celebrate!