Acts 3.12-16

"12-16When Peter saw he had a congregation, he addressed the people:
"Oh, Israelites, why does this take you by such complete surprise, and why stare at us as if our power or piety made him walk? The God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has glorified his Son Jesus. The very One that Pilate called innocent, you repudiated. You repudiated the Holy One, the Just One, and asked for a murderer in his place. You no sooner killed the Author of Life than God raised him from the dead—and we're the witnesses. Faith in Jesus' name put this man, whose condition you know so well, on his feet—yes, faith and nothing but faith put this man healed and whole right before your eyes.
17-18"And now, friends, I know you had no idea what you were doing when you killed Jesus, and neither did your leaders. But God, who through the preaching of all the prophets had said all along that his Messiah would be killed, knew exactly what you were doing and used it to fulfill his plans.
19-23"Now it's time to change your ways! Turn to face God so he can wipe away your sins, pour out showers of blessing to refresh you, and send you the Messiah he prepared for you, namely, Jesus. For the time being he must remain out of sight in heaven until everything is restored to order again just the way God, through the preaching of his holy prophets of old, said it would be. Moses, for instance, said, 'Your God will raise up for you a prophet just like me from your family. Listen to every word he speaks to you. Every last living soul who refuses to listen to that prophet will be wiped out from the people.'
24-26"All the prophets from Samuel on down said the same thing, said most emphatically that these days would come. These prophets, along with the covenant God made with your ancestors, are your family tree. God's covenant-word to Abraham provides the text: 'By your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.' But you are first in line: God, having raised up his Son, sent him to bless you as you turn, one by one, from your evil ways." "


Okay! I few things!

I used to always struggle mentally with the idea of, "God loves all his children, even Judas, who betrayed him, but be used him to betray Jesus because SOMEONE needs to betray Jesus, so Judas just got the short straw? He's destined for hell because SOMEONE needed to betray Jesus? I don't get it! That's... not fair."

And it seems so simple, like I should KNOW this by now... but look at the way that The Message worded this"But God, who through the preaching of all the prophets had said all along that his Messiah would be killed, knew exactly what you were doing and used it to fulfill his plans." -Acts 3.18

HELLO!? DUH... He knew exactly what they were doing and used it to fulfill his plans! It wasn't prophesied that someone would betray Jesus because that's just the way it "needed to happen". No. It was the way it was GOING to happen, and God, who sees and knows all, told these secrets of the future to his disciples through Jesus, and the Prophets.

So in my head, it's not "poor ol' Judas" anymore. He wasn't chosen to betray Jesus. He was GOING to betray Jesus, and God just knew about it and informed Jesus before it happened. Thank you, Lord for that revelation! Now it makes sense and I don't have to worry about that weird feeling in my spirit when I think about Judas and Jesus.

You just don't get it until you get it.


And I also love this:

"Now it's time to change your ways! Turn to face God so he can wipe away your sins, pour out showers of blessing to refresh you, and send you the Messiah he prepared for you, namely, Jesus." -Acts 3.19

I don't think people fully FULLY understand the meaning of "wipe away your sins," or "pour out showers of blessing to refresh you." BAH! He totally wiped away MY sins... and with that the shame and guilt and pressure! ALL of it. I am now fully FULLY restored back to physical and emotional health! Absolutely!

THANK YOU JESUS!

Lord,

I ask for the blessings to follow. Not only because I want them, but I definitely need them. I specifically ask that you send me my perfect job, fit for me specifically, one that I will be happy and grow creatively in. I love that it's in your hands and I don't have to stress over it anymore. All I need to do is be open to receiving the wisdom I ask that you give! I ask for the income to be able to get a home of my own. I pray that you are already preparing the way for my perfect little home. I ask for endurance during my 6 month dating fast to die to those things that used to feed me (the habits I'd formed of seeking after approval of men, feeding my flesh with whatever, etc). I pray for the diligance to seek after YOU and what YOU think about me for the next 6 months, and I'm believing in faith you'll bring me who I'm supposed to be with when it's all said and done. I'm happy the blinders have been removed over my eyes and I can now see and get excited for what YOU HAVE IN STORE FOR ME! Holy Spirit, be with me today! Keep me warm in my heaterless car! I ask for your blessings today! I ask for quality time that's to be spent with Freedom, Vivia, Rio and my Auntie Gabrielle and Uncle Raymond. That even though I don't really know them that well, that you will bless our time together. I thank you that SOMEONE from my father's side is showing an interested in us Goguens. I pray that that speaks to my father in ways that words can't and it's the beginning of family restoration. I love you and praise you for being wonderfully YOU.

Amen.