Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.

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1 John 5:1-21
1Every person who believes that Jesus is, in fact, the Messiah, is God-begotten. If we love the One who conceives the child, we'll surely love the child who was conceived. 2 The reality test on whether or not we love God's children is this: Do we love God? Do we keep his commands? 3The proof that we love God comes when we keep his commandments and they are not at all troublesome.
The Power That Brings the World to Its Knees
4Every God-begotten person conquers the world's ways. The conquering power that brings the world to its knees is our faith. 5The person who wins out over the world's ways is simply the one who believes Jesus is the Son of God.
6Jesus--the Divine Christ! He experienced a life-giving birth and a death-killing death. Not only birth from the womb, but baptismal birth of his ministry and sacrificial death. And all the while the Spirit is confirming the truth, the reality of God's presence at Jesus' baptism and crucifixion, bringing those occasions alive for us.[(s15.7)] A triple testimony: 8 the Spirit, the Baptism, the Crucifixion. And the three in perfect agreement.
9If we take human testimony at face value, how much more should we be reassured when God gives testimony as he does here, testifying concerning his Son. 10Whoever believes in the Son of God inwardly confirms God's testimony. Whoever refuses to believe in effect calls God a liar, refusing to believe God's own testimony regarding his Son.
11This is the testimony in essence: God gave us eternal life; the life is in his Son. 12So, whoever has the Son, has life; whoever rejects the Son, rejects life.
The Reality, Not the Illusion
13My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God's Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion. 14And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he's listening. 15And if we're confident that he's listening, we know that what we've asked for is as good as ours.
16For instance, if we see a Christian believer sinning (clearly I'm not talking about those who make a practice of sin in a way that is "fatal," leading to eternal death), we ask for God's help and he gladly gives it, gives life to the sinner whose sin is not fatal. There is such a thing as a fatal sin, and I'm not urging you to pray about that. 17Everything we do wrong is sin, but not all sin is fatal.
18We know that none of the God-begotten makes a practice of sin--fatal sin. The God-begotten are also the God-protected. The Evil One can't lay a hand on them. 19We know that we are held firm by God; it's only the people of the world who continue in the grip of the Evil One. 20And we know that the Son of God came so we could recognize and understand the truth of God--what a gift!-and we are living in the Truth itself, in God's Son, Jesus Christ. This Jesus is both True God and Real Life. 21Dear children, be on guard against all clever facsimiles.

Copyright Statement: THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary LanguageThis edition issued by contractual arrangement with NavPress, a division of The Navigators, U.S.A.Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language Copyright © 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.

~ Lena’s Journalin’
The only “trouble” is disobedience. A will to do His good pleasure eliminates this trouble. The war is inside of the will. The will to do His good pleasure eliminates the war. We take authority over our wills by deciding to do His will. Decide with Him for His will to be done, His kingdom to come, through our yielded vessels.
We cannot just allow things to fall in line as they wish, that is foolishness, we decide the outcome. We allow and disallow death and life forces to take charge of us or us them. We’ve been give the authority of the word of God and the name of Jesus. If things overcome us, we allowed then to reign. We must forcefully allow Him to reign.
Love is a decision. Discipleship is a decision, Obedience is a decision. Decisive power is in the will, the will is the greatest human power available, united and ignited through Christ, there’s no limit at all in being united with the accomplishment of the will of God, no force can withstand us in that.
If we allow emotions and circumstances to rule us they will, they WILL. “They” have a will also, but not for His good pleasure. “They” have a self agenda, a self life to satisfy. Their call is to get us to be recruited and serve the self life call. This wars against the establishment of God’s righteous kingdom on earth. It is unjust for self life to rule, the earth groans out in pain, that God Most High has not been allowed to rule!
Did you read the passage, EVERY God Begotten person, CONQUERS the world’s ways! I want to leap inside! WOW! Conquering is also a decision. It is not based on reason, it is based on FAITH! Our FAITH IN GOD (not self, not abilities, not hopes that all will work out, ) Our Faith IN God overcomes the world.
Is Jesus Lord in your life or not? If He is, He rules.
He who has the SON has LIFE. Do you have the son? Then do not, I mean refuse to listen to lies that say, you have death working in you! Plug your ears and sing, “La la la la la”….I can’t hear YOU, I HAVE LIFE, La la la…”Then acknowledge God and disregard any other voice or presence in your mind heart and atmosphere. Why entertain evil words of darkness and death, why give them the time of day? Don’t.
Be on guard, stay on watch, open your eyes to see. Light-Dark, Death – Life. Make it clear. Live clearly stated, of clear purpose, of clear action. Don’t allow things to fall where they may. What you allowed is allowed. Do not blame God, at all ever. This is warfare we are engaged in,. Think about it. If you came out of darkness, any thing that can possibly bring you back makes satan happy. Any remote participation in his will and purposes make him smile, for he is at war with God. We are children of light, we don’t want him happy at all! Forget about his will, live for Christs’ will- period! Make a decision. Today.

Daily Repetitive Verses:

Isaiah 58:12 And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of [buildings that have laid waste for] many generations; and you shall be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. Amplified Bible