With Jesus I Can

Artist: Vanessa Maddoux

I can’t, but…

With Jesus, I can.

Jesus loves us conditionally. You know how I know; this is true? Because he didn’t die for me after I accepted him. He didn’t die for me before I cleaned up my life. He didn’t die for me after I was saved, sanctified and filled with the Holy Spirit. No.

Jesus died for me, even though I was lost. Jesus died for me, while I was in darkness. Jesus died for me, while I was unclean. Jesus died for me while, I didn’t even believe in him. Jesus died for all of us while, we were still, empty, broken, foul mouthed, murderers, liars, steeped in idolatry, prejudiced, prostitutes, sadistic, heretics, Godless, unholy and full of dead men’s bones. Man, woman, boy and girl…you are the reason he died in the first place. Even before you were born, the Son of God, Jesus, died for you and me.

This morning in my alone time with my precious Savior, the King of Glory, my dearest friend…He listened to me as I poured out my heart and soul to him. Sometimes you just have to get down to it…to the place where nothing or no one else matters except being bare naked and with raw honesty before the living God. Jesus doesn’t manipulate us. He doesn’t say come to me and I’ll save you if you’ll just serve me and work for me. He doesn’t want our carnal, intellectual prayers or our fleshy good works. That’s not what he asks of us. He wants our devotion to be from the heart and of the spirit to love him as he loves us. Unconditionally, no strings attached kind of love.

Because of His great love for us knowing what he did for us and has done and is doing for us that we love him so much we get to serve him. We get to love others and serve them because of what He did. Not because of what we think we will receive. No praise. No recognition, No applause from the crowds. Our hearts must be like His…even if we are rejected, persecuted, stripped of everything we have, accused or even put to death…we are to love, and treat others just as Jesus has done for us.

We get one life, it’s a one-way ticket through this life and if you are blessed enough to accept Jesus, as your Lord and Savior, don’t waste one minute trying to live by someone else’s idea of who they say He is. Know him for yourself. Get alone with Him. Talk to Him about everything. We have an enemy it’s not your neighbor, family, foreigners. The enemy is the accuser…He is a liar, and he comes in all shapes and sizes to kill you, destroy you and steal your life. He’ll use people and make you think it’s them, but he is behind every evil thought and action. You can’t fight him on your own merit or knowledge. It’s spiritual and can only be fought with spiritual weaponry.

I have one answer for you it’s the best answer you’ll ever receive. It’s right in front of your eyes and has been all along. It’s so simple that most people miss it. What is the answer you ask? When I tell you don’t roll your eyes or, dismiss its importance. If you are wise you will adhere to it, you will take it and it will transform your life forever.

It’s the Holy Bible. God’s words written down to instruct you in every area of your life. Financial, family, marriage, children, government, history, environment, prayer, strategy for war, past, present and future. There’s just one thing required, YOU HAVE TO READ IT AND OBEY! That’s it. That’s all I got! The rest is up to you and Jesus.

I can’t, but with Jesus, I can do all things because he gives me strength.

~Marla Shaw O’Neill December 17, 2021

Philippians 4:13 New King James Version

¹³ I can do all things through ^[a]Christ who strengthens me.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 The Passion Translation

^3–4 For although we live in the natural realm, we don’t wage a military campaign employing human weapons, using manipulation to achieve our aims. Instead, our spiritual weapons are energized with divine power to effectively dismantle the defenses behind which people hide.^[a] 5 We can demolish every deceptive fantasy^[b] that opposes God and break through every arrogant attitude that is raised up in defiance of the true knowledge of God. We capture, like prisoners of war, every thought^[c] and insist that it bow in obedience to the Anointed One.

Footnotes

1. 10:3–4 Or “strongholds.” The Aramaic word for strongholds can also be translated “rebellious castles.” Paul seems to be referring to demonic strongholds or centers of opposition to the light of the gospel.

2. 10:5 Or “citadels of argumentations,” which include fantasies.

3. 10:5 Or “every scheme.” Paul is using the concept of taking prisoners of war, but in this case the prisoners held captive are faulty patterns of thought that defy God’s authority.