Did you ever notice a really amazing thing that happens when someone first becomes a believer in Christ? I have! Very soon after this happens, they start to see all kinds of changes in there lives... Old habits that troubled them for years… simply have no more power over them... Old limiting beliefs that kept them from the happiness that they sought, no longer seemed to be true for them, and in their place new, enriching beliefs seemed to pop up in their lives. What's going on here? What causes this change?

If you could ask them what had changed, they might say: "I don't feel guilty about my old beliefs and behaviors... They no longer have a "hold" on me. I don't need to "defend" what I did then, because that was "before" I became a Christian... that is no longer true for me... I can live differently now, because I now have the power of God to help me... I no longer need to be chained to the old ways that kept me from having the Love, Joy, and Peace of God that I desire."

Wouldn't it be great if we could go back and do that again...

What would happen to me if I could, one more time, go through that experience, to come to a fresh awakening of the Love and Grace of God? Imagine the power that that would bring into my life to change the problems that I'm facing... The freedom that it would bring me to overcome the nagging habits that I just don't seem to be able to get over. Wow, it
would change everything! Wouldn't it be great to be really FREE!!! To be able to really FEEL the Love and Favor of God!!!

I wonder if God only meant for us to really experience his Love and Grace when we first became Christians? Sometimes it feels like that... because I forget that He has made that available to me all of the time.

What would happen if… how would I feel if I realized, that God has made his Love and acceptance available to me ALWAYS... in all situations...

Well, I wanted to find out for myself… this just sounded too powerful to just wonder about. So, I closed my eyes, and just relaxed for a minute… taking a few deep breaths, and then, I imagined myself coming into the presence of Jesus, for the first time. I saw him standing there, with open arms, ready to receive me. As I walked up to Him, I could feel compassion and understanding from Him. My fear, and confusion, and guilt… melted away. They had no place in His presence. I guess I didn’t know what to expect from meeting Him, because it wasn’t anything like I thought it would be. He was kind, gentle, peaceful… yea, really peaceful… like I’ve never imagined before. And the way He looked at me, those eyes…. they looked right through me… but they never turned away. He saw all the way through me, yet I could see in His eyes, that He knew what was there all along. And he Loved Me.

And then, I opened my eyes.

Wow, what an awesome experience. I wonder what this means. My mind was racing, leaping, from thought to thought. I had previously struggled with feeling unloved, and unlovable… what should I think now? I had been in a constant struggle to measure up, to be good enough. I had been trying to get to the top of the mountain of achievement, thinking that only by reaching the top, could I gain his kind look of acceptance from Him… but now, I’ve already seen that look in His eyes… I can still see it now. That look that says, I know who you are, I know what you’ve done, I know where you’ve been… and I LOVE You. You are my child. I will always love you.

As I see Him now, and feel the peace, I realize that it was never meant for me to climb the mountain. Instead, he showed me a fruit orchard. He said, this is for you.

I have filled you with my Holy Spirit, and you will bear much fruit. I’ve planted many different kinds of fruit in this orchard: Love, Joy, Peace, Gentleness, Goodness, Patience and Faith. For these to grow, they need water, lots of water… That is my Word. And Plenty of Sunshine… My Spirit, which lives inside of you, will cause this orchard to grow… that’s His job.