He Is the Mighty One

This week, I would like to share the story behind a song of mine that is nearly 33 years old. It came into my life and ministry on August 21, 1989. It is called He Is the Mighty One. This song was given as a call to the church to rise up and be who God called us to be – Light in the midst of the darkness! How can we do that? By proclaiming the truth of who Jesus is (the answer to any question – the solution to any problem) and by declaring with boldness that He is Almighty God! He is the Mighty One.

Even though I received this song so many years ago, the message is more relevant than ever. Let’s think about it. When mankind declares ‘there is no God’ and declares itself to be the savior of the world, reality is that mankind reveals its own arrogance.

We have witnessed the very things we are experiencing right now throughout human history. Our political climate is nothing new. Wars and rumors of war are nothing new. Even major weather events and climate change are nothing new. Groups of people being enslaved by other groups are nothing new. Groups of people trying to completely wipe out other ethnic groups are nothing new.

We have political systems that strive for power, preaching compassion and tolerance and freedom to live as one wishes and freedom to speak as one believes while, at the same time, silencing its critics with complete intolerance and humiliation and hate disguised as progressive thinking.

We are currently witnessing a segment of society that feels it has the right to tell other people what they can and cannot think. I run into what I call the thought police every day in some form or fashion. One quote I ran across on social media puts it like this:

Society says, out of one side of its mouth, “Be authentic and unapologetic.”

Society, speaking out of the other side of its mouth, then says, “Just not like that.”

My question is, “Should one person have the right to dictate what another person thinks?” The answer, of course, is no, but reality is quite another thing.

Even though I feel much of my life has been cancelled by the current cancel culture, God still proves His might to me on a daily basis. I personally believe God gives mankind any wisdom it has attained. I personally believe that God created science and math and uses them to reveal His genius to mankind. I personally believe God created the human intellect and uses it to lead men to the final conclusion that God is real and is good and is the ultimate answer to every question asked. I personally believe God created the human imagination to help us get a glimpse of how awesome and magnificent and absolutely wondrous He is.

When I recorded the collection of songs which includes He Is the Mighty One (called Break My Heart, O God), I wanted to make a statement of faith as a means of encouraging others that the God of the Old Testament - the One Who saved the world from a flood; the One Who parted the waters of the Red Sea; the One Who provided manna for millions of His people while they wandered about a desert for 40 years; the God Who gave a young shepherd boy the courage and wisdom to stand up to a 9 foot giant and defeat that giant - is the same God who longs to reveal His might to us today.

One of the best ways to open our eyes to the power and might of our God is to declare Who He is and declare what He has done for us.

I began this collection of songs with a brief personal testimony that has proven to be more and more controversial as these past 33 years have gone by. I will post a link to the podcast version of this teaching at the end of the blog so you can hear that personal statement of what God has done for me. What you will hear is that testimony and then the song, He Is the Mighty One. I pray it brings encouragement to your soul and grace to believe in the might and power of our God’s love and ability to deliver us from this present darkness.

The bottom line is simple: Our God is mighty. Always has been. Always will be. Even while still in His mother’s womb, Jesus demonstrated His might. When Mary, the expectant mother of Jesus, was paid a visit by her cousin, Elizabeth, the power of God was so evident in the unborn baby that even Elizabeth could sense the coming Messiah. This caused Mary to begin to praise God. We find this account in Luke 1 beginning at verse 46:

Luke 1:46-55 NASB

46 And Mary said: "My soul exalts the Lord, 47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 48 "For He has had regard for the humble state of His bond-servant; For behold, from now [on] all generations will call me blessed. 49 "For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name. 50 "And His mercy is to generation after generation Toward those who fear Him. 51 "He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered [those who were] proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 52 "He has brought down rulers from [their] thrones, And has exalted those who were humble. 53 "He has filled the hungry with good things, And sent the rich away empty-handed. 54 "He has given help to His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy, 55 Just as He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his descendants forever.”

Brothers and sisters, whether you realize it or not, we are in a spiritual battle right now. You are equipped to do battle. You are assured the victory - whether you live or die. The utter truth is this: God is still doing great and mighty things. He is still the Mighty One - in spite of what the world and the current culture would have you believe.

I urge you to continue to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus no matter how dark the times grow…no matter how much the world tries to silence you or tries to force you to believe something you do not believe. Just as He delivered Daniel from the lion’s den; just as He brought down the walls of Jericho; just as He raised Jesus Christ from the dead, our God can do the same for us.

Dennis Jernigan

To hear The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this teaching, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/he-is-the-mighty-one/

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Love Is Worth Living For

This is the story  behind my song, Love Is Worth Living For, from the worship recording, This Is My Destiny. It seemed an appropriate song for Independence Day. The song came to me on September 21, 1995.

In September of 1995, my pastor called me and asked if I would like to see the movie “Braveheart”. I had missed the original theatrical release when it had first come out. This was the second theatrical release. You know. The one when movies that are up for an academy award are re-released to help bolster the film’s chances for an Oscar. Thinking this would be a good opportunity for a ‘guy’s night out’ I was simply looking forward to some good fellowship. Little did I know of what God truly had in store for me that evening.

This movie is based on the life of Sir William Wallace, a man who lived in thirteenth century Scotland. This was a time of English domination of that small country. The movie describes not only the violent deaths that many men faced and faced well but also portrayed the truth that living without freedom is not really living at all. Sir William simply lives his life in pursuit of freedom and in calling others to see their need for that freedom. With his dying breath his cry was ‘Freedom!’…at least that is the movie version!

As I left the theater, I had to walk alone to my car which was completely on the other side of the mall. Being locked out of the mall, I could not walk through so I had to walk around the entire mall. I began to cry out to God because I was overwhelmed with tremendous loneliness. Getting in my car and beginning the 20 mile drive home I began to weep…and I did not know why…and I could not stop.

I began to ask God why I was so affected by this movie. He spoke to my heart that I needed to see myself as William Wallace…that my life was just like his. I had been called to call men to their freedom…and in so doing my very life could be required to spread that freedom to others…but that my freedom was not only worth living for…but worth dying for as well. To live is to know Christ, but to die is to be free of the chains of this fleshly world, and to give me freedom to know Him even more intimately than this life allows. When I got home from the movie, I went straight to my keyboard and this song was birthed as I thought about my life and God’s grace to live it well…and to one day die well…

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21 NASB

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the [life] which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Galatians 2:20 NASB

Through all these years since my deliverance on November 7, 1981, my testimony has been either cheered or jeered. I began sharing my story publicly in July of 1988 and have had many moments since that time in which I have been very publicly derided and many moments in which I have feared bodily harm.

What has kept me going? Remembering the many times from my youth when I hoped someone would tell me freedom was possible and no one ever did. I had believed a lie my entire life up until that point. I had to recognize that I had been deceived. Reality was that I did not want to be in bondage to same sex attraction.

It was not until 1981 that I ran into someone who told me freedom - a new identity in Christ - was possible…and their love and kindness led me to freedom in Christ. I keep telling my story because I want to help as many as I possibly can discover freedom and identity in Jesus Christ. God’s challenge to me was simple.

In Psalm 107 He tells the redeemed to ‘say so’. In other words, if we who have been redeemed don’t say what we have been redeemed from, how will those in the same bondage going to know freedom is even possible?

In today’s cancel culture I have been cancelled - silenced - in many ways…but I do not plan to keep silent. There are so many who desire freedom from unwanted same sex attraction - so many who reach out for help. I tell them this: knowing Jesus Christ intimately is worth any struggle I have been through in this life. My job is not to save or redeem anyone. My job is to point people to Jesus and let HIM worry about saving and setting them free.

Remember, the real battleground of life is the battleground of our minds. It is through relationship with Jesus Christ that I have learned how to renew my mind by replacing my old thoughts with new thoughts. As I have changed the way I think, my attitudes have changed; my behavior has changed; and temptation no longer defines me. I am who my Father God says I am. It is hard work. It requires spiritual warfare…but freedom is worth the work and warfare required to attain it. The love of Christ really is worth living for…really worth dying for.

Dennis Jernigan

If you are struggling with unwanted temptations of any kind, watch the documentary Sing Over Me on YouTube at https://youtu.be/rAYkFQ4iHZ8 and read the free ebook called Victim to Victor. Use this link to download that ebook: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/mgzkqqaqti

To hear The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this teaching and to hear the song, Love Is Worth Living For, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/love-is-worth-living-for/

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Run the Race

If you know me, you know I believe Father God rejoices over me with singing. I believe He surrounds me with songs of deliverance. Today’s blog is a prime example of the way in which He does that for me. To help explain my point, I would like to share the story behind one of my songs.

In the days when I was still able to travel and take part in live ministry events, I was very keen on asking the Lord for brand new songs for those specific events. One of those specific songs is called Run the Race. Here is what I wrote about the song way back in 1996:

Each time God allows me to host a worship conference, I seek His heart for songs to encourage just that particular group of people. As I was in prayer (which means me singing to God) for a certain conference I was leading in 1996, I was led to sing from God’s point of view. The words for this song flowed out as I tried to tap into what Father was wanting to say to this particular group. What came out was simply His truth as derived from His written Word – a song of encouragement.

1 Corinthians 9:19-24 NASB the apostle Paul says, 19 For though I am free from all people, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may gain more. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might gain Jews; to those who are under the Law, [I became] as [one] under the Law, though not being under the Law myself, so that I might gain those who are under the Law; 21 to those who are without the Law, [I became] as one without the Law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might gain those who are without the Law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak; I have become all things to all people, so that I may by all means save some. 23 I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it. 24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but [only] one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.

What the apostle Paul was saying is simply, “Life is not about me and my comfort. Life is to be lived for the sake of the Gospel. One of the ways I do that is that I find a way to identify with others I come in contact with in order that I might present the Good News of Jesus Christ to them. I choose to see my life as a race - a marathon - and I see Jesus as the finish line. I run to Him and plan on bringing as many people along as possible.”

Today’s song is a call from Father God’s heart to us. Do you have any area of your life where you feel like just giving up. If so, do this: listen to the song and disregard me…and hear your Father’s heart for you.

Be like the psalmist who wrote in Psalm 27:8 which simply says, [When You said,] "Seek My face," my heart said to You, "I shall seek Your face, LORD.” Let’ seek our Father’s face and find encouragement and the grace to endure whatever phase of the race of our life we find ourself in.

Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let's rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let's run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2 NASB

I’ll be honest with you. The I first received the diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease I felt like giving up. I felt physically weak and unable to function. My brain felt foggy most of the time. I lost over 40 pounds. I began having panic attacks at the mere thought of being with people. My voice seemed gone - damaged and unrecognizable and raspy and unpleasant. People would ask me, “What is going on with you? You don’t look well.” I would tell them of my diagnosis and almost every person gasped a bit and said, “Oh, I am so sorry.”

I know they were trying to encourage me. It was just the pity and hopelessness I heard in their reaction that made me not want to be around people at all. And still others pummeled me with suggestions for cures of all kinds that I felt overwhelmed I honestly felt, at times, that I was being judged for not being spiritual enough or I would be cured. Again, this made me not want to be around people. It was during this time that I came to the place where I felt like God just needed to take me home.

Thanks be to God that I didn’t listen to the feelings I was having…or to the overwhelming amount of health and curative suggestions…or to the lies of the enemy.

I decided to run the race - in spite of Parkinson’s - and to use it FOR the kingdom of God. I am so glad I didn’t give up on the race. So grateful. I found grace to battle back from the severe weight loss. I found grace to fight through the foggy days and find clear blue skies in my thought life. I found grace and inspiration to continue creating music and writing books. I even found grace to fight back to a place of physical health in which my voice is strong enough to lead worship for about 40 minutes every Wednesday evening.

All I am trying to say is ‘Run the race with faith and grace and endurance.’ My personal plan? To enjoy the race - the epic, grand adventure called life, with joy - basically, to keep running until I run right into Father’s arms.

Let’s do this in the coming days. Let’s just keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and run toward Him as if our very lives depend on Him…because they do! And do this: in spite of our specific circumstances, run with joy toward the finish line…and finish well as you run right into Father’s waiting arms of victory.

Dennis Jernigan

To hear the song and The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this blog, go to https://www.patreon.com/posts/run-race-68321039

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Run the Race

WORDS & MUSIC

Dennis Jernigan

July 19, 1996

Verse

Run the race with all your might

Keep your eyes on the sight of My face

And though you fall you’re not done

Just get up and keep running the race

Chorus

For this race is not over until it is done

Though fallen or weary I’ve already won

Just right up keep running as if for your life

Don’t look back

Just keep your eyes here on the Light

Verse

Keep your eyes on the goal

I am strength for your soul by My grace

Through the fire like shining gold

Run the race ‘til you behold My embrace

Chorus

For this race is not over until it is done

Though fallen or weary I’ve already won

Just right up keep running as if for your life

Don’t look back

Just keep your eyes here on the Light

Verse

Run the race with all your might

Keep your eyes on the sight of My face

And though you fall you’re not done

Just get up and keep running the race

Run the race

Wounded Soldier

If you know me, you know I believe Father God rejoices over me with singing. I believe He surrounds me with songs of deliverance. Today’s teaching is a prime example of the way in which He does that for me. I’d like to share the story behind a song of deliverance I heard Father sing over me way back in 1997. That song is called Wounded Soldier.

Wounded Soldier, as the title implies, was born out of a time of great personal wounding that took place in my life. Reality is that life is full of such moments. We have all been wounded by angry outbursts hurled our way. We have all been disillusioned when someone we trust has let us down, or in some way, betrayed us. As believers in and followers of Christ, we have all had moments when we have been mocked or belittled or silenced in some way simply because of our faith in Christ. It is one thing to be wounded by those who see us as the enemy…and quite another to be wounded in the name of Christ by those we assumed were fellow followers of Christ.

The story behind Wounded Soldier is quite straight forward. In 1997, I was invited to lead worship for a statewide denominational event. I was ecstatic because it was one of the first times I was being embraced publicly by the denomination in which I was raised. I felt affirmed and accepted and loved at the invitation and immediately accepted it. All the plans were in place. All the promotion and marketing covered the entire state. Many churches in this denomination had begun using my music and I couldn’t wait to lead the worship sessions for the gathering. Thousands were expected to attend. This was literally a dream-come-true moment for me.

But that dream was shattered in a devastating way. Literally two weeks before the event, I received a letter notifying me that I had been uninvited. The reason for being uninvited? We were told that the local denominational association - 43 churches - had sent a letter to the leadership of the event informing them that “If Dennis Jernigan takes part in the event, all 43 churches in the association would not be attending the event.”

My manager asked for a copy of that letter…and, believe it or not, the event coordinator sent us a copy. The gist of the letter expressed three major concerns:

1 Dennis Jernigan has questionable beliefs about the Holy Spirit. He believes the gifts of the Holy Spirit did not pass away and he believes that speaking in tongues is a valid manifestation of the Holy Spirit. Basically, their great concern was that I was charismatic.

2 Dennis Jernigan actively proselytizes from other local churches and seeks to divide the body of Christ.

3 The personal testimony of Dennis Jernigan’s deliverance is not acceptable, appropriate, or needed.

First of all, I do believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit but would never pressure anyone to believe as I do nor would I ever judge anyone who did not believe as I do. Secondly, I have never sought to bring division to the body of Christ. Actually, one of the main focal points of my entire public ministry has been to bring the body of Christ together, regardless of denomination. Last, but certainly not least, I am commanded of the Lord to share my testimony…you know…that pesky little verse found in Psalm 107:1-2 that says we who have been redeemed are to ‘say so’…

That letter from the 43 churches was signed by three men. My pastor, worship leader, and I asked for a meeting with these three men. What enabled us to actually have this meeting was the fact that a friend of mine - a supporter of my ministry - happened to be a nationally recognized political leader whom everyone trusted to mediate the meeting.

To make a long story short, my three friends and I showed up at the meeting. I, having never personally met any of these men, introduced myself and immediately began to cry. I explained, through tears, that I had longed to be accepted by the denomination which had been a major part of my spiritual heritage. I told them I had never set out to bring division to the body of Christ…and I told them I felt I had been robbed of the opportunity to share my story with those who would be attending the conference and - by this time I was sobbing - I told them I felt they had effectively robbed those who needed to hear the story of my redemption of possibly finding freedom in Christ.

The room was so tense. I was an emotional mess. My political friend then asked how many of the 43 churches mentioned in the accusatory letter were actually in attendance of the meeting where this letter had been drafted. The three signers began to fidget nervously in their seats. My friend asked again, “How many of the 43 churches listed in the letter had actually been at the meeting when the letter was drafted and adopted?”

The main drafter of the letter said, “Just the three of us,” and the room grew very silent. After a few more very intense moments of silence, the leader of the letter-writing men looked at his watch and said nervously, “Oh, I forgot. I’ve got another meeting,” and ushered us out of his office. My three friends and I were stunned and very hurt.

It is one thing to be wounded by the enemy. It is entirely a different matter when you have to watch someone you love walk through a wounding moment. I was personally attacked concerning my faith – but my friends were also wounded in the process. What made the wounding so painful was that it came from people we thought were on our side.

Yet, if I’m completely honest, it seemed these Christian leaders were working for the enemy – deliberately trying to cause us to give up on our quest to lead others to wholeness and freedom in Christ. As I sought the Lord for my own woundings, I asked Him to let me hear Him sing a song of deliverance over my heart – and to let me heart what He was singing over my friends.

This song flowed from this time of intercession over the course of two cold and difficult days in November of 1997. I will say this with the benefit of hindsight and a kingdom point of view, that the healing I personally received through this song was worth the wounding I had to go through to receive it.

Luke 10:30-37 NASB, says, 30 Jesus replied and said, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he encountered robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. 31 "And by coincidence a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 "Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 "But a Samaritan who was on a journey came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, 34 and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on [them;] and he put him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 "On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return, I will repay you.' 36 "Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers' [hands?]" 37 And he said, "The one who showed compassion to him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do the same.”

In Psalm 32:7 we find that the Lord will surround us with songs of deliverance. In Zephaniah 3:17 we find that our Father God rejoices over us with singing. He binds up the broken-hearted. Let’s let Him bind up our broken hearts…and then let us go about being conduits of the healing power of God’s love to the wounded around us. Let’s bind up the broken-hearted God brings into our lives. And let’s be quick to forgive those who wound us.

Dennis Jernigan

Wounded Soldier

WORDS & MUSIC

Dennis Jernigan

November 4-5, 1997

Verse

Wounded soldier on the ground

Broken, bleeding, beaten down

Feeling defeated. Feeling not needed.

Alone, abandoned on the battleground

Wounded soldier, faithful friend

Beaten down by those you defend

Your heart once open, now pierced and broken

Needing hope to rise again

Chorus

Let Me bind up every wound

Let Me comfort every pain

Let Me carry you to a place of rest, shelter from pouring rain

Let Me hold you. I can be right where you are

Let Me hold you in the shelter of My heart

When You’re weary from the battle and all hope just seems so far

Just remember I am with you faithfully guarding your heart

While the battle rages on I will hold you through the night

In the shadow of the cross I’ll be your Champion, fight your fight

Let Me hold you, I can be right where you are

Let Me hold you in the shelter of My heart

Verse

Wounded soldier, you’ll rise again

You can trust Me. I always win!

When you face harshness or total darkness

I’m ever watching, faithful to defend

Wounded soldier. Faithful one.

When you’re fallen I’ll help you run

With every testing I’ll bring you resting

And say to you, “My child, well done!”

Chorus

Let Me bind up every wound

Let Me comfort every pain

Let Me carry you to a place of rest, shelter from pouring rain

Let Me hold you. I can be right where you are

Let Me hold you in the shelter of My heart

When You’re weary from the battle and all hope just seems so far

Just remember I am with you faithfully guarding your heart

When you feel you can’t go on, you be weak and I’ll be strong

With the power of My strongest love from My heart’s deepest song

Let Me hold you, I can be right where you are

Let Me hold you in the shelter of My heart

To hear The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this teaching and to hear the song, Wounded Soldier, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/wounded-soldier/

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When Lightning Strikes Twice

“…Like lightning and thunder, life is resounding…”

There have been many times of sheer joy in my life. There have been many moments of sheer despair and pain and discouragement. Moments of joy can be interrupted and shattered like a bolt of lightning striking the heart and shattering dreams. That is one way to view life, but I have chosen to view life in a different manner. In every moment of despair and pain and discouragement, the Lord has struck my heart with the lightning of His presence, giving me grace to endure and giving me a kingdom perspective on what has just taken place. The old saying, “Lightning never strikes twice in the same place” is absolutely wrong. My heart has been struck by the goodness of the lightning of His love and presence time and time again.

The sound of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;
The lightning lit up the world;
The earth trembled and shook.
Psalm 77:18 NASB

Dennis Jernigan

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The Lightning of God's Love

“…Like lightning in the storm…”

Have you ever had a moment in your life when you felt like you had been struck by lightning - in a good way? I have! I will never forget it (and I could recall many, many more similar moments). In the middle of a concert, I was blindsided by the incredibly massive love of God and it honestly felt like my mind - to the core of my being - had been struck by lightning…and it changed everything! It altered my self-perception. It altered my world view. It altered my very identity and changed the direction of my life. It sent me on the most incredible journey and amazing adventure filled with joy and gratitude even amidst moments of sorrow and suffering and incredible loss. The lightning of God’s love changed my life forever!

"For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Matthew 24:27 NASB

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You Are My God

Life is an amazing gift but life, if we’re all honest, is littered with moments of pain. Physical pain. Emotional pain. Mental pain. Relational pain. As long as we’re being honest here, life has more than its fair share of sorrow and suffering.

Even having said that, I can say with all sincerity and assurance that God is good and that God loves us more than we can humanly understand. That’s simple, foundational truth where I choose to anchor my thought life.

We all have moments in our lives when we pray and God does not seem to answer…or seems to answer in a way other than what we would personally desire. We all have moments in our lives when we wonder why bad things happen to good people. We all have times in our lives when we wonder whether God loves us or not. That is why we walk by faith and not by sight. That is why it is vital that every believer learn how to renew their minds in Christ.

But even though we have moments when we experience disappointment or hurt or anxiety or the current cultural confusion of the moment, we all have moments when God just simply takes us by surprise with a big bear hug of an unexpected blessing.

Today, I would like to share the story behind a song of mine that illustrates the faithfulness of God in a beautiful and very random way. The song is called You Are My God and was born one afternoon before a ministry time at Evangel Fellowship in Spindale, North Carolina. It is dedicated to Charlie Hopper and the people of Evangel Fellowship. It was during this trip that the Lord began to teach me and my wife and my children a deeper lesson in trust than we had ever dreamed of.

After spending the afternoon riding the horse belonging to our new friends, the Inman family, our children decided they would like a horse also…especially our daughter, Annē! Mrs. Inman told me she would agree with us in prayer that the Lord would provide us a horse.

Eight days later, while ministering in West Monroe, Louisiana, a couple walked up to me after a worship service and informed me the Lord had directed them to give us something we might think very unusual that would not fit in the offering plate. You’re getting ahead of me here! I can feel it! This couple said the Lord had led them to give our family - a horse! Our faith shot up about a thousand percent! We named the horse Monroe (which means trusting!) the Magnificent, a beautiful two-year-old Paso Fino.

1 Corinthians 1:26-29 NASB, says, 26 For consider your calling, brothers [and sisters,] that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the insignificant things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29 so that no human may boast before God.

Our God is so amazing that He lavishes His love upon us in ways we can only attribute to Him. I do not believe the gift of a horse was mere coincidence. I believe it was an intentional blessing from God that truly ministered to me and to my family.

Luke 18:27 NASB says, 27 But He said, "The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”

It seems kind of ridiculous when I share that story of the couple basically giving us a horse as an offering to the Lord, but I have to tell you this. Since that day, I have received 2 other horses as offerings to the Lord! You may be inclined to say, “Whoa! Neigh!” to that, but I kid you not! All I can say is our God is good at surprises! He is just good!

As a side note, the song was actually born on my wife’s birthday of that year so it became a sort of gift to her…all because my kids had the audacity - the simple faith - to ask the Lord for a horse!

Dennis Jernigan

To hear The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this blog and to hear the song, You Are My God, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/you-are-my-god/

Photo courtesy of https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2016/01/14/00/26/horse-1139142_1280.jpg

Is Life Fair?

Life is an amazing gift but life, if we’re all honest, is littered with moments of pain. Physical pain. Emotional pain. Mental pain. Relational pain. As long as we’re being honest here, life has more than its fair share of sorrow and suffering. At times, life honestly doesn’t seem fair. But what does it mean to be fair?

I believe that fairness is confused with freedom far too often. Freedom has inherent boundaries in order to preserve that freedom. I’ve used this analogy before, but it helps me understand why freedom must have boundaries. If I let my small children run free…free to go and do whatever they want to do, I expose them to the many dangers found in life. What if I just let them run around on a busy highway? Would that be true freedom or would that be foolishness? Of course that would be foolish and unloving of me. That its why I give them a rule concerning not playing near a busy highway. It may not seem like utter freedom to some and it may not seem fair to some, but freedom has boundaries and life is not fair.

I have jumped out of an airplane before because I wanted to feel the sensation of flying. What if I didn’t want to be constrained by the binding tightness of the parachute and decided I would be more free without it? That would be foolish of me. The boundaries - the parachute and all it’s binding straps - do not limit my freedom. They actually guarantee it.

Fairness is, in its simplest form, the understanding that we all live by the same rules in society. We have rules when we play board games that all must comply with to insure play is fair. We have rules of law that insure we all live in relative safety. Fairness means justice. It means impartiality. It means each person is equal in value. But it does not mean each is entitled to the same proportion of…anything.

Fairness in today’s culture means someone believes and thinks they deserve to have what another person has worked hard to attain regardless of what they themselves have or have not contributed to society. Honestly, fairness is a word that is used by people to make them feel better about themselves and it comes from the breeding ground of having a sense of entitlement.

I have Parkinson’s. That is simply reality. Is it fair that I, one who happens to think I’m a pretty good guy, had such a bad thing take place in my life? For me to say, “That’s not fair” is to actually say - whether I realize it or not - that “I wish everyone had to go through what I’m going through.” Me being diagnosed with Parkinson’s is fair in the grand scheme of things. For me to think otherwise is to think like an immature toddler or selfish teenager who is completely self-centered and feels entitled to whatever I want.

My attitude is simple. Me having Parkinson’s is fair because it could happen to anyone, regardless of who they are, regardless of their perceived social status in life, regardless of their wealth or lack thereof. Life is fair. It rains on the just and on the unjust alike.

God’s Word talks about fairness in the following manner:


Matthew 5:44-45 NASB says, 44 "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may prove yourselves to be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on [the] evil and [the] good, and sends rain on [the] righteous and [the] unrighteous.”


 Freedom comes in knowing God wastes nothing…whether I think my circumstances are fair or not. I could make myself crazy by constantly asking ‘why me?’ but the better question is ‘why NOT me?’ Freedom is knowing God will use even the harsh realities of life - fair or unfair in the eyes of men - to bring about good for me.

Fairness is simple. the bottom line reality is that society would be less divisive if we each paid our fair share…if we all played by the same rules in spite of what the current culture wants us to believe. To walk around with a sense of entitlement is to walk around with a ball and chain constantly dragging along behind us. It is self-imprisonment.

Freedom is living one’s life in relationship with the God Who loves us massively and Who uses even the worst life can throw our way for our good and for the good of others. Personally, I prefer freedom and choose not to waste my time worrying about whether life and its circumstances are fair or not. Is that fair to say? Pun intended…

The things I have had to endure in my life don’t feel fair, but that is not truth. Truth is what my Father says about me. When I changed the way I thought about my past, my feelings about it all changed as well. That’s what makes even the regretful hurtful times of life fair in the long run.

Isaiah 43:18-19 NASB says, 18 "Do not call to mind the former things, Or consider things of the past. 19 "Behold, I am going to do something new, Now it will spring up; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.”


 Life may seem unfair at times, but we cannot allow that feeling to steer us away from the truth and into the self-imprisonment of a sense of entitlement. I think its fair to say that the overriding, overwhelming truth is the fact that our God wastes nothing.


2 Corinthians 5:17 NASB says, 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, [this person is] a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.


 Let’s walk in truth and freedom today and rejoice in the fact that God erased our past. That truth and freedom are available to every single person. Life doesn’t get any more fair than that!

Dennis Jernigan

To hear The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this blog, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/all-i-used-to-be/

Photo courtesy of https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/10/18/02/28/vintage-2862708_1280.jpg

Make Me More Free

We hear so much talk about people expressing their desire to be free and that is a good thing. It is good to be free from racial injustice. It’s good to be free from tyrannical rule. It is good to be free to choose to think what one wants to think. It is good to be free to express one’s own opinion and not be thrown in jail or to be silenced for that expression.

From what I have seen and experienced of life - and I am 63 years old now - most people do not understand what true freedom is. True freedom is the freedom to walk in our identity as new creations in Christ in spite of what the world thinks or says or does…in spite of our circumstances…in spite of the trials of life.

Freedom - true freedom - is walking relationally with Jesus Christ. That freedom began for me when I was set free from my past life…a sexual identity that I did not want…a temptation that I thought defined me. Basically, I came to the realization that temptation defines no one! Temptation simply became an opportunity to renew my mind and to do that, I simply had to change the way I thought by putting off the lies of the enemy and putting on the truth of who Father God says I am.

We always have a choice as to what we think and how we think. When I learned to change my thoughts - take them captive and replace them with God’s Word - my feelings began to change…and then my behaviors began to change…and then I came to the point of understanding that I could be as free in this life as I wanted to be by simply seeking Jesus.

I can change the way I feel and the way I behave by changing the way I think. Every feeling I have can be traced back to a thought I have had. In a sense, I was disoriented in my old way of thinking and I had my orientation changed by thinking the thoughts my Father has for me. Like when one goes to the beach and gets overrun by a wave and finding oneself being tossed and rolled around in that wave without being able to tell what is up and what is down. Disoriented. How did I find my true orientation? By standing up on the solid ground beneath my feet and fixing my eyes on the beach! When we get disoriented, we reorient ourselves by fixing our eyes on something true. Long story made short, I can be as free as want to be in this life by fixing my eyes on Jesus.

When Jesus set me free, He simply opened my eyes to the realization that I had my eyes fixed on the wrong thing. I had fixed my eyes and my thoughts on the lies of the enemy…and I could not tell up from down, wrong from right in relation to my true identity. Keeping my eyes and mind fixed on Jesus has led me into not only a different identity but has given me grace to endure persecution, sorrow, physical pain, mental anguish, and even the foggy mental world I am now experiencing with Parkinson’s Disease. I and as free as I want to be in spite of my past, present, or future failures and temptations. I am free because I know who and Whose I am.

1 I waited patiently for the LORD;

And He reached down to me and heard my cry.

2 He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the mud;

And He set my feet on a rock, making my footsteps firm.

3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;

Many will see and fear

And will trust in the LORD.

Psalm 40:1-3 NASB

I want to share the story behind a song of mine called Make me More Free. This song came to me on June 1, 1996. For several weeks, my pastor had been teaching us from the book of Colossians – basically leading us into greater depths of grace and freedom in Christ. From my perspective, his sermons were loved-filled challenges to put off the old and to rise up and walk in our new and true identity as the sons and daughters of Almighty God. On this particular Saturday evening (at this time we met in the YMCA on Saturdays because another church used it on Sunday!), I began to receive the song as soon as my pastor began speaking. I had received the entire song by the time he had concluded his teaching! Since that time, God has used it as a personal inspiration for me to continue to walk in my truest identity in Him.

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1 NASB

The truth is, as long as we occupy these earthly bodies, we will have moments when we need to be set free from something. My personal point of view is simple: I am never too old to learn something new and I can always stand to be a little more free in my identity in Christ. There will always be little vestiges of our old identity clinging to our minds. That is why we must daily renew our minds and daily remove every single thread of the grave clothes we used to wear in our former identities. We are new creations and God’s mercies are new every morning. We just need to be quick to kick the clinging little lies of the enemy to the curb and put on the truth of who Father God says we are. The bottom line is this: freedom looks good on you!

Dennis Jernigan

To hear The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this blog and to hear the song, Make Me More Free, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/make-me-more-free/

Photo courtesy of https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2014/12/02/11/21/prison-553836_1280.jpg

A Mother's Day Tribute

The Real Truth Behind My Creativity and Artistry

“'Behind every great man there's a great woman.” Meryll Frost

We have often heard that quote in one form or another. The first known public citation of this phrase took place in a 1946 article in the Texas newspaper The Port Arthur News, from February 1946. Meryll Frost, being heralded by this report as the ‘Most courageous athlete of 1945’. When asked how he had been able to make a ‘come back’ as a quarterback, what he actually said was, “They say behind every great man there's a woman. While I'm not a great man, there's a great woman behind me."

That quote, in one form or another, had been in use for many years before it appeared in that newspaper article. Countless times throughout my 63 years of life I have heard that quote and found it to be quite inspiring and quite true…to a certain degree. It has certainly given me pause to stop and think about my personal success as a man and how much of that success I attribute to my wife. I do not consider myself a great man, but I do feel I have been successful in my life and in the callings God has placed upon my life. Still, I recently came up with what I consider to be a more accurate representation of the sentiment.

“Behind every successful man is not a great woman. The greater truth is this: She is beside him. She is with him…not behind him. They are one.” Dennis Jernigan

On August 12, 1983, I was humbled and blessed and fortunate enough to be married to the most beautiful, most gifted, most giving, most patient, most creative, most encouraging woman: Melinda Marie Hewitt. Seven years into our marriage, the music I was writing began to be published and recorded and began being sung by churches literally around the world. Since the late 1980s, I have been the public face of that music and the public persona of subsequent offshoots of that music, authoring many books, recording podcasts, and sharing my story in public venues. People hear and see me…but they miss the foundational truth of the creativity I have been blessed with.

“Aside from my faith in God and His blessings upon my life and creativity, my wife, Melinda, is the true inspiration of all I have appeared to have accomplished. She is the reason for any success I have had.” Dennis Jernigan

Here is a simple snippet of what is the true reality of my success. I am truly a melancholy person, at times moody and introspective and introverted. While I thoroughly enjoyed the many hundreds of public worship concert appearances I made throughout the years, I prefer being alone. As an example, when at a public gathering or party, I find the nearest corner and hide out there…and am completely happy doing so!

My wife realized such things about me early on and recognized that this melancholia and introversion were actually gifts from God for use in creating music and other writing pursuits. She went out of her way to give me creative room in which to birth the music and books…even though we had 9 children together!

She gave me creative freedom the moment she noticed the tell-tale signs that God was speaking to my soul and she did something amazing. She encouraged the children to recognize the same signs and encouraged them to give me room to be alone in my creative space. This freed me to be ultra creative and simultaneously freed me to spend literally hours with my children each week. She spoke highly of me to our children during my alone times and encouraged them to pray for me.

This gave me such a keen sense of freedom and inspiration and joy that it made me want to be home. I spent not just quality time with my children but quantity time. My wife encouraged me to be the fun dad and encouraged the children to greet me at the door when I came home from work. Encouraged them to wrestle me to the ground. Encouraged me to play hour upon hour of basketball and create so many memories with our children. Melinda’s blessing of freeing me to be creative actually created more time with me and my children…and with her.

Melinda set such an amazing tone in our home that she was actually the catalyst behind the activities I often got the credit for. We had talent shows, ski trips, tennis tournaments, baseball games, played Annie Over, had mega-wrestling matches which often left me asleep on the floor out of sheer and joyful exhaustion with the children piled atop me. We spent hours riding horses, roller blading while being towed behind the horse and buggy, going on scavenger hunts, riding bikes down the hill and onto the skate board ramp and into the pool (that summer, Melinda wondered how tread marks could have been produced in the deep end of the pool…I finally had to tell her, lol!). We built igloos in the winter, had massive paint ball battles, bottle rocket battles, built a dock on the pond, built a tree house in a massive oak tree, went fishing, camping, and exploring and countless other family adventures.

One of my favorite memories with the children was the time I put on over 25 t-shirts (people who sponsored my events and representatives of the venues I performed in often gave me a commemorative t-shirt) and announce to the children, “It’s Tear-the-shirts-off-dad Day…as they chased me around the yard for quite awhile, tearing and ripping away all 25 shirts! Melinda even let me take the kids in the van and chase after tornados! I got credit for being fun dad…but she is the reason that was even possible.

The great truth of our family and it’s success is directly related to my wife. We are not a perfect family and were certainly far from perfect parents, but she was quick to admit her shortcomings and quick to seek the forgiveness of our children…and taught me to do the same. She is the reason our children are half-way normal, lol!

Quite simply, she did the heavy lifting in our family dynamic. We were a team, but she was the head cheer leader and coach and trainer and…you get the idea! She took our 9 children with her anywhere and everywhere all by herself. She made sure they learned how to work hard…to do their own laundry…to cook for themselves…to be polite and courageous…to be life-givers and grace-givers and to be kind to those in need around them in spite of any differences. She disciplined them and she handled our finances and she made many home repairs herself. She even homeschooled them for ten years! Our children are so wise and expressive and courageous because of who their mother is.

Due to my testimony, I receive (still to this day) hundreds and hundreds of positive comments from people who have been ministered to by something I have said or written. The response to my ministry has been honestly positive and overwhelming…but I tend to get that one negative response out of the hundreds and focus on that. Melinda is the one who helps me reset my thoughts and focus on the positive rather than the negative. She always - even now that I struggle with Parkinson’s - makes me believe I can do anything.

I am glass half empty guy. She is glass half full woman. She has been and continues to be the essence of joy and peace and grace and life to me. She is beautiful inside and out and honestly makes me look good.

Another reason she is the reason for any success I have attained is that she never, ever pressured me to measure my success by the world’s standards. I never felt I had to perform for her or anyone else to gain approval or affirmation or love. She made me feel so affirmed and loved that I found my introverted personality able and excited to perform publicly BECAUSE I felt - feel - so loved.

Melinda celebrates the small things with me…regardless of what those small things might be.

Melinda gives herself to me fully, freely, and at all times and in every way. I feel I am the most blessed man on earth…and now you understand a bit more about why we have 9 children…

She is so sure of who she is in Christ that she exudes a victorious attitude rather than the attitude of a victim, even though she has experienced so much pain in her life that she has every right to play the victim card. That is just not who she is…and that is contagious.

Some things you should know about her…

She can make or do anything she puts her mind to. She constantly reminds me that we are a team and is not afraid to face anything with me…even growing old with me. We still slow dance together every once in awhile and it feels like heaven on earth to hold her and to be held by her.

She has always been beside me. She has pulled me up from the pit of despair on more than one occasion, held my hand through unbearable loss, been with me through unbearable betrayal, been with me and fought for me when I was too weak to fight for myself.

She is a beacon of light in my dark times. She makes Parkinson’s seem more of an annoyance and an inconvenience than an illness.

She is honest with me. She continues to let me dream. She continues to love everything I create. She honestly gives me a reason to wake up every day. She honestly makes me feel like a man in spite of my weakening physical body. She makes me laugh without trying…which is so endearing and precious to me.

You get the idea. I have hundreds of songs published and recorded and sung around the world and dozens of books and over 200 podcasts and my music has been shared literally millions of times via social media and even a documentary of my life story has been filmed. I have had songs chart on the Billboard top 40. I have even been inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. I have sung in front of thousands of people through the years - 60,000 people in one concert setting. I have written the National Day of Prayer theme song twice and sung at the Pentagon 3 times…and on and on and on. In the world’s eyes, it would seem I have been successful. The real truth?

Her faith in and love for the Lord have deeply inspired me to keep seeking Jesus and to keep choosing joy in my life. Any success I have seemed to attain is quite honestly due to the greatness and grace of my wife. Her name should be on every song…on every book cover…on every podcast…on every public interview or appearance I have made through the years.

The greatest expression of love is the laying down of life for another. My wife has literally laid down her life for me. I feel so loved…and that makes me feel like I have attained the greatest success…like I have attained greatness. And the truth is, I have attained greatness…and her name is Melinda Marie Jernigan…

Dennis Jernigan

Proverbs 31:10-11, 25, 28, 30 NASB:

An excellent wife, who can find [her?]

For her worth is far above jewels.

The heart of her husband trusts in her,

And he will have no lack of gain.

Strength and dignity are her clothing,

And she smiles at the future.

Her children rise up and bless her;

Her husband [also,] and he praises her…Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,

[But] a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.

P. S. I thought you might enjoy this variation on the quote:

“Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes.” Jim Carrey

To hear The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this blog and to hear the song, You Are My Hero, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/you-are-my-hero-mother-s-day/

I Will Trust You

Trust in the LORD with all your heart

And do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NASB

On February 24, 1993, I received a song that has stood the test of time concerning its relevancy to my life. It was during that year that I had decided it was time to move on to the next phase in my journey. Just two weeks prior to the time I would be stepping down as worship leader from the body I had been a part of for almost eight years, many thoughts of insecurity flooded my mind and affected every aspect of my life.

I knew I had ‘heard’ God, but I was constantly bombarded with doubts, fears, and lies. “What will people think? Will I be able to provide for my family? Will the people I respect understand and accept my decision? Will my ministry to the body die?” Etc., etc., etc.!

This song, I Will Trust You, became my deepest heart-cry for the next few months. And little did I know how much deeper a truth I would learn – through this song and through the circumstances of nearly losing my wife and the premature birth of our twin sons! I found out not only that I could trust God with my heart of hearts – but also that I do trust Him.

Here I am some 26 years later and the song is more relevant to my life than ever. I had no idea I would be diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. As I sing through or read through the lyrics, I am instantly finding myself asking the question to my own heart and mind, “Do I trust God in spite of my illness?” The answer is simple. I have but to look back on the ways throughout the journey of my life when God has proven Himself faithful and true to me. If He got me through all I have been through, Parkinson’s is no big deal for God.

I trust Him and His love in good times and bad times. I trust Him in light and in darkness. I trust Him when I blow it. I trust Him when I am persecuted. I trust Him in my suffering. I trust Him in times of chaos. I trust Him to be with me when I am alone. And I trust Him to walk through death’s door with me when that time comes. I really do trust His love and His goodness and His will…even when I don’t understand all the ‘whys’ of life.

Dennis Jernigan

To hear The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this blog and to hear the song, I Will Trust You, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/i-will-trust-you-an-interview-with-peggy-jernigan/

Photo courtesy of https://pixabay.com/photos/trust-faith-encouragement-trust-1418901/

I Will Trust You

Words & Music

Dennis Jernigan

Verse

Lord, when I am weak, You are strong.

Always there to catch me when I fall.

Sometimes I cannot speak,

But You become my song,

Always there to answer when I call.

Chorus

And I will trust You in the darkness,

I will trust You in life’s harshness;

I will trust You, Lord, to guard over my heart.

I will trust You and keep singing,

I will trust You, dearly clinging;

I will trust You and keep bringing You my heart.

In quietness and trust,

You will be my strength;

And Father, I trust You

With my heart.

Verse

And Lord, when I can’t see, You are light

Piercing through confusion to my heart.

But one day I’ll be free and faith will become sight;

Give me grace until I’m where You are.

Chorus

And I will trust You in the darkness,

I will trust You in life’s harshness;

I will trust You, Lord, to guard over my heart.

I will trust You and keep singing,

I will trust You, dearly clinging;

I will trust You and keep bringing You my heart.

In quietness and trust,

You will be my strength;

And Father, I trust You

With my heart.

You Will Be My Rock

I don’t know about you, but since coming to know Jesus, my life has been anything but easy. Why is that? Because the enemy of God - the Liar - Satan - wants to bring such massive discouragement to the body of Christ that we get to the point of simply giving up. In other words, if he can silence the testimonies of those whom God has redeemed, he has effectively cut off the light of the redeeming love of Christ that the Lord wants to pour out of every believer’s life. God’s Word tells us that if we are redeemed we are to ‘say so’! The Liar has basically declared war on the followers of Jesus Christ. If we are at war, we need to know how to fight and we need to know the weapons of our warfare.

What gets me riled up the most - what keeps me in a constant state of spiritual warfare - is when the enemy messes with my family. I fight by crying out to God, specifically in songs of worship and spiritual warfare. I fight by declaring the written Word of God over my family. I remind myself to put on and to use the whole armor of God He has provided for me. Here it is in a nutshell:

Ephesians 6:10-17 NASB 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual [forces] of wickedness in the heavenly [places.] 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil [one.] 17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:10-17 NASB

When we are at war in a spiritual sense, we need a safe and secure stronghold where we can find safety and peace and rest and recovery. David said it like this:

2 Samuel 22:1-3 NASB 1 Now David spoke the words of this song to the LORD on the day that the LORD had saved him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said, "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; 3 My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; My savior, You save me from violence.” 2 Samuel 22:1-3 NASB

On one occasion one of our sons came into our bedroom late in the night. He was 8 years old at the time. A thunderstorm had rolled through and he had become afraid. I assured him of God’s presence and protection. One of the practical things I did for my son to help him see the storms of life from a different point of view was to take him for a drive during that same thunderstorm that carried on through the night and well into the following day. We focused on the beauty and majesty and power of God’s display of thunder and lightning and wind and rain and massive clouds. That was a very practical way of waging spiritual warfare on behalf of my son.

The disciples of Jesus also got a very practical lesson during a storm. After spending time by the Sea of Galilee with a crowd of people who had come to hear His teaching about the kingdom of God and ministry by using several parables, we find this account in Mark 4:35-41 of something significant and practical Jesus did to bring these parables to life for his small band of disciples.

God’s Word says, On that day, when evening came, He [Jesus] said to them, "Let's go over to the other side." 36 After dismissing the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. 37 And a fierce gale of wind developed, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling [with water.] 38 And [yet Jesus] Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" 39 And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. 40 And He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" 41 They became very much afraid and said to one another, "Who, then, is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

Here in Oklahoma, we are very used to massive thunderstorms and the very real possibility of tornados. We have learned to seek shelter and have learned to simply ride out the storms. When our lives are going through stormy seasons and we feel threatened in any way, we must remember we have a shelter in Jesus Christ…and we must remember He can speak peace to any storm…and we must be patient when we find ourselves in lengthy storms. We must learn to ride them out. Where do we ride them out? In the shelter of the presence of God…and we must learn to see those storms from His point of view. From there, we see the beauty, the majesty, and the massive power of God and His amazing love for us.

The name of the LORD is a strong tower;

The righteous runs into it and is safe.

Proverbs 18:10 NASB

Let us seek shelter in the presence of God during the storms of life as a very necessary component of our spiritual arsenal. He really is peace in any storm.

Dennis Jernigan

To hear The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this blog and to hear the song You All Be My Rock, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/you-will-be-my-rock/

Photo courtesy of https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/08/07/23/11/iceland-2608985_1280.jpg

Somebody Big

Life is an amazing gift but life, if we’re all honest, is littered with moments of pain. Physical pain. Emotional pain. Mental pain. Relational pain. As long as we’re being honest here, life has more than its fair share of sorrow and suffering. At times, life honestly doesn’t seem fair.

I’ll take it a step further as long as we’re being honest here. Sometimes, life’s problems seem so overwhelming that hope is hard to come by. When I get to the point of feeling overwhelmed, the enemy and his lies try to get me to believe my problems and circumstances are too big for God…that my problems are bigger than God and bigger than His ability to deal with them.

What becomes painfully apparent to me in such moments is that the main battleground of my life is not my emotional state or the political divisions of the day or the world falling apart around me…from family traumas every family faces at some point in their lives to the wacky world Covid has created. No. The main battleground of my life is the battleground of my mind. The enemy vies for my thoughts. That is why I make a point of renewing my mind each and every day in a spiritual sense. But the battleground of my mind has taken on a physical aspect which has basically doubled the efforts I personally make every day to bolster right thinking rather than stinkin’ thinkin’.

A personal case in point? I struggle with Parkinson’s Disease. I know it is a degenerative disease that is slowly attacking my mind, so in addition to the spiritual battle I wage for my thoughts…for my faith…for my identity…for my sanity…I now have to wage a literal physical war for my mind. Just as with the spiritual warfare I face with my mind, I must utilize physical ways to renew my mind.

In addition to mentally putting off the lies of the enemy and replacing them with the thoughts of God and His Word, I must push back against the physical attacks on my brain by intentionally exercising my physical body, by keeping my mind sharp by having a daily list of creative things I want to accomplish, whether writing music or writing books, by working the New York Times Crossword each and every day, by challenging my children to defeat me at Wordle each day, by taking dopamine 4 times a day to replace this chemical neurotransmitter my brain is not making enough of anymore, by watching Jeopardy.

Basically, I exercise my brain to keep it sharp and I daily combine this physical renewing of my mind with the spiritual practice of continually renewing my mind. At times, this seems like a battle too big for me…and, just being honest here, a battle too big for God. But you want to know something? What I have found is something quite amazing. Through all I am going through, I have come to the realization that nothing - and I mean NOTHING - is too big for my God.

In 2 Chronicles 20:6 NASB, Jehoshaphat prays, "LORD, God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You.”

Jehoshaphat is basically describing the BIGNESS of our God. What I would like to share about the massive magnitude of all God is best illustrated in a series of events in my life. During the summer of 1997, my pastor was teaching a sermon series called “Summer Blockbusters” in which he took a popular movie title and theme, and related the title and theme to a spiritual teaching or to an attribute of God and His nature.

In those days, I traveled to minister around the nation and I was unable to be at the particular service in which my pastor shared a teaching on the bigness of God using the movie “Big” as his source material. The movie, starring Tom Hanks, is about a 12 year old boy who wishes to be an adult…and is transformed into an adult overnight. The message was more about the fact that God is bigger than anything we can face in life, so the movie title was basically a jumping off point into the greatness of God.

During that summer, I wrote a song for each of those sermons from the series so, even though I was not at that particular service, I had already been meditating on the subject! As I flew to California for a ministry opportunity, I asked the Lord if He had anything for me regarding His bigness.

I got out my manuscript book and silently gazed out the window and let my heart and imagination go. At 40,000 feet it was not difficult to begin thinking about the magnitude of God’s nature. What is difficult to comprehend is that His bigness dwells in my smallness!

At that particular season of life, my pastor and his wife were praying for the healing of one of their daughters who was suffering with a very, very rare liver disease. An incurable disease. What I saw demonstrated by their lives as they walked out this very insurmountable problem was a simple and comforting faith in the bigness of God.

Over the next few years, God provided a new liver in the form of a transplant. Not only did that little girl survive, but she is now a thriving adult woman, serving God and married to a good man. What I am discovering is that God had the grace for something that was literally beyond the reach of human hope - an incurable disease - and literally made a way through to an amazingly abundant life…and that He has made that same grace available to me! Is any obstacle really an obstacle to God? Do we limit Him because we choose to see from our own perspective rather than His? I know I do.

Matthew 19:23-26 NASB - 23 And Jesus said to His disciples, "Truly I say to you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 "And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." 25 When the disciples heard [this,] they were very astonished and said, "Then who can be saved?" 26 And looking at [them,] Jesus said to them, "With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Do you have a mountain of any kind in your life right now that appears to be too big for God? A sea that needs parting? A cross you cannot bear? A giant that is too big for you to defeat? An illness that robs you of more and more life each and every day? Do you need a God bigger than any of those things? Our God is that God! His ability and capability - His strength - is bigger than anything life can throw our way. Maybe we simply need to put off our personal perspective and put on the perspective of our God. Just remind yourself every time you feel overwhelmed of this truth directly from the mouth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. "With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Just agree with God in these moments. With our God ALL things are possible.

Dennis Jernigan

To hear The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this blog and to hear the song inspired during this season of DJ’s life, Somebody Big, just go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/somebody-big/

Photo courtesy of https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2019/01/27/22/32/mountains-3959204_1280.jpg

Stand Up For Jesus

Have you ever had moments in your life when you wished someone would stand up for you? When I was a boy, I was constantly bullied because of my emotional sensitivity, my musical and artistic abilities, and my perceived sexual identity. Most of the bullying was of the verbal kind, but I was physically attacked on many occasions as well.

Of course, the bullies were mostly older boys and much bigger and stronger than me, so I took a lot of physical beatings which always took place when the bully and his ‘yes men’ managed to get me alone. After awhile, I learned to avoid being alone with those guys…went out of my way to avoid those types of encounters. Honestly, I felt so helpless and alone when I experienced those encounters…felt worthless and weak…and never spoke about them to anyone because I felt so ashamed that I could not stand up for myself.

What seemed worse to me were the countless episodes of verbal humiliation I had to endure while my friends were watching. While being verbally humiliated, I always hoped someone would step up to the bully and stand up for me verbally…but that never happened either. As I look back on those times, I know my friends were just as afraid of the bullies as I was.

The good news? God did not waste even those times of suffering at the hand of bullies. He used those times to make me understand the massive nature of His love and grace and the power of endurance I now enjoy today. I talk about this a lot, I know, but one of the ways in which God has taken those times of feeling helpless and alone and turned them around is in the way I approach my battle with Parkinson’s. Just as God took the bullying episodes of my life and replaced them with forgiveness and grace and joy and love, He is doing the same with Parkinson’s. If I can endure years upon years of being bullied, I can endure the physical reality of something like Parkinson’s Disease.

This week, I would like to share the story behind a song that reminds me of the fact that Jesus stood up for me…was standing with me and for me all along. The song is called, Stand up For Jesus, and it came to me on November 6, 1997.

After a very hard month in which I experienced many attacks from the enemy, I came to the point of feeling like I wanted to physically die. Hear me: I was not suicidal. I just wanted the pain to stop. Rather than allowing those attacks to dictate my feelings and overwhelm my thoughts, I began to take the attacks to Father and do something powerful yet surprisingly simple. I began to sing to Him. When I get squeezed, or oppressed, or feel the intense pressure of the barrage of the enemy’s lies, who I really am tends to come out…along with the junk of the old me that still lies undetected and needs to be pulled out by the roots!

This song became just that for me. It was a declaration to my own soul to put on the truth of my identity in Christ and it was my counter-attack on those very lies being launched at my mind by the enemy. The birthing of this song was a cleansing agent to my soul.

As I declared who I am and whose I am, the old response began to flow out and be replaced by the true responses of my born again nature. Jesus stood up for me. I am a joint heir with Christ, inheriting the very strength to stand that helped Him stand and accept the cross for me. I can stand because He stood. I will stand up for Jesus.

In the process of learning to stand up for Jesus, I discovered joy along the way and began to receive grace to endure even the most difficult episodes of life.

Consider it all joy, my brothers [and sisters,] when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have [its] perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4 NASB

How can someone be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing while battling the lies of the enemy - or battling something like Parkinson’s? It helps if we understand the meaning of the word endurance.

According to the dictionary, endurance is “the fact or power of enduring an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way.” How do we not give way to the enemy’s lies or to the very real symptoms of a disease? We trust in God’s Word. Simply put, His Word reminds me I am never alone and that He causes all things to work together for my good and for His glory.

Another way to look at endurance is to understand it can also mean “relating to a race or other sporting event that takes place over a long distance or otherwise demands great physical stamina.” We are running the race of life on two levels. We run a physical race since we live in earthly bodies and we run a spiritual race which is run by the very essence of who we are in the sense that we are spiritual beings. Basically, we are not running a sprint. We are running a marathon.

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but [only] one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 1 Corinthians 9:24 NASB

Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let's rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let's run with endurance the race that is set before us… Hebrews 12:1 NASB

As a new creation in Christ, you and I have been granted the very grace of God to endure…to keep getting back up when we fall…to help us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. Let’s stand up for Jesus just as He stands up for us.

Dennis Jernigan

To hear The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this blog and to hear the very encouraging song, Stand Up For Jesus, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/stand-up-for-jesus/

Photo courtesy of https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2016/11/18/14/40/balcony-1834990_1280.jpg

We Are Strong In The Lord

I don’t know about you, but since coming to know Jesus, my life has been anything but easy. Why is that? Because the enemy of God - the Liar - Satan - wants to bring such massive discouragement to the body of Christ that we get to the point of simply giving up. In other words, if he can silence the testimonies of those whom God has redeemed, he has effectively cut off the light of the redeeming love of Christ that the Lord wants to pour out of every believer’s life. God’s Word tells us that if we are redeemed we are to ‘say so’! The Liar has basically declared war on the followers of Jesus Christ. If we are at war, we need to know how to fight and we need to know the weapons of our warfare.

What gets me riled up the most - what keeps me in a constant state of spiritual warfare - is when the enemy messes with my family. I fight by crying out to God, specifically in songs of worship and spiritual warfare. I fight by declaring the written Word of God over my family. I remind myself to put on and to use the whole armor of God He has provided for me. Here it is in a nutshell:

Ephesians 6:10-17 NASB 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual [forces] of wickedness in the heavenly [places.] 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil [one.] 17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Many years ago now, while leading the body of Christ in praise, it became apparent to me that part of my job as a worship leader is to encourage the body of Christ to rise up and assume the identity God has given them. Overcomers. Victors. Mighty Men and Women of Valor. We are triumphant because Christ is triumphant over sin, over death, and over the enemy!

We are strong in the Lord, not by our own strength, but by His. We are called to be warriors who do not allow the enemy to overrun us. Rather, we are called to storm the very gates of hell. We need to remember that people are not our enemy. Th enemy of God is the enemy. We wage war against the enemy of God by the power of the Holy Spirit and by the Word of God.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NASB 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage battle according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 [We are] destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and [we are] taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ…

One of the things my wife and I practice is speaking the truth out loud to God, to our own minds, and to the Liar. We verbally and mentally and spiritually put him and his lies underneath our feet by faith in the Word of God. We also remind ourselves of who and Whose we are - out loud. There just is something powerful about speaking God’s truth into our own atmosphere.

And even when we fail or when we fall or when we feel wounded by the lies of the enemy, we do not become victims. We rise up as victors over the Liar and his lies by getting up from where we fell and heading with all our might toward the finish line. And what is that? Jesus! We head right to Jesus! The only failure is the man or woman who falls or gets knocked down and just decides to not get back up.

Let’s be the soldiers of the cross we are called to be and let’s boldly speak forth the word of truth in spiritual warfare against the enemy. And while we’re at it, let’s help others in their battles. Fight for your spouse. Fight for your children and grandchildren. Fight for your friends. Help bind up the wounds of the fallen and help them get back up and get back to fighting. I’ll tell you this: Knowing Jesus Christ intimately is worth every battle and every struggle I have ever had to go through. To Him, I was worth dying for. To me, He is worth dying for…and worth living for.

And remember this: the loss of one battle does not equal the loss of the war. Just keep getting back up. War is devastating at times, yet necessary in the spiritual realm in which we live our true reality. Don’t be a timid warrior. Be a bold and relentless warrior in the army of God. That’s really who you are.

Dennis Jernigan

To hear The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this blog and to hear the song of warfare, We Are Strong In The Lord, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/we-are-strong-in-the-lord/

Photo courtesy of https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2010/12/06/22/soldiers-1002_1280.jpg

You Come Raining

The following is a transcript from the March 28, 2022 episode of The Dennis Jernigan Podcast:

Today, I get to share a story that I have not shared with very many people concerning the recording of the final two tracks of my worship recording, Let It Rain. I think you will be blessed by the way these tracks came together. After you read today’s story you will have a better understanding of why I believe God loves me so massively and why I think He just really, really likes me. Actually, that is what I believe God feels toward each of us. He loves us massively and just plain old likes us…and likes being with us. How else can I explain the goodness of God so evidently on display in my life in spite of all I have been through and in spite of all I face?

This is the story  behind the song, You Come Raining, from the worship recording, Let It Rain. This song came to me on May 19, 1992.

I remember the spring rains had begun to fall in May of 1992. Little did we know that there would be very few days without rain – well into September and October! As I watched the rain that year, I was experiencing some “dryness” in my life. It was so like the Holy Spirit to show me that He could be raining all around me but I would be dry unless I stepped out into the rain! As a deer thirsts after the water, a deer must search out the water – he must go to where the water is, to have his thirst quenched. Because of all the water and rain-related songs I was receiving that year, I felt I was to record a new worship collection and call it Let It Rain.

If you have heard my story, you know that the music of the Christian band, 2nd Chapter of Acts, played a key role in my deliverance and salvation. God specifically used the music written by big sister of this amazing trio and band, Annie Herring, to literally save my life on more than one occasion during my years of personal struggle. She had such an impact upon my life and ministry that Melinda and I named our second child, a daughter, Annē, in honor of Annie Herring. Annie Herring was - and remains to this day - a personal hero of mine.

When it came time to record my song, You Come Raining, I kept hearing in my heart what it might sound like if I sang the song as a duet with Annie Herring. Only a couple of years prior to this, Annie had recorded one of my songs - We Will Worship the Lamb of Glory - so I decided to ask her if she would consider recording a duet with me. I reasoned the worst she could say was ‘no’…and at least I would have an answer. Guess what? She said ‘yes’!

A couple of weeks later, Melinda and I drove down to Lindale, TX where we were met by my producer, Ken Sarkey, at Easter Song Studio where so much of my favorite music was recorded. Annie and her producer/husband, Buck, welcomed us into their home and gave us a tour of their home, adjoining bus garage, and studio and we had our pictures taken together and also got a photo of Annie Herring with my daughter, her namesake, Annē Jernigan.

She regaled us with stories of being on the road with her sister and brother and how the song We Will Worship the Lamb of Glory should have been her song. She has publicly shared the story that the only reason God gave it to me was because I had gotten up earlier than her the day the song was received. That made me laugh so much…and for many years to come.

There have been so many times when I have led worship using that song and countless times when people have told me they really loved the way I used that Annie Herring song in worship. I have had conversations with many who swear Annie wrote the song because she told the story in concerts of her own that the song should have come to her…but Dennis Jernigan got up earlier than her that day. I stopped trying to correct people after awhile. I get a kick out of stuff like that.

She also knew how much Keith Green means to me. She led me into the piano recording booth in her studio and showed me a 9 foot grand piano. She said, “Sit down and play something.” I, of course, broke into playing one of her songs. She replied, “You play that better than I do!” I continued to play while we talked, and she said, “How do you do that? Play and carry on a conversation at the same time?” I said, “I don’t know. I just do.” She simply said, “Well, I can’t do that and I don’t see how you do it?”

And then she said, “Guess whose piano you are playing?” I told her I thought it was hers. She said, “No. That is Keith’s piano. Melody asked me to watch over it until she is ready for it to come home.” I felt I had died and gone to heaven. I was talking with one of my life’s greatest heroes while playing the piano of another of my life’s greatest heroes! How good is God? How much does He love me?

Enough about that. This song has taken on a new meaning for me as God has allowed me to sing it with Annie Herring – one whom God used to change my life forever. While my producer, Ken, readied the 2 inch tape in the control room, Annie and I settled into a small vocal booth with 2 mics separating us. Both had what are called pop screens or vocal filters or wind screens on them. These are simple cloth covered circular shields placed between the singer and the mic to reduce vocal pops made by certain consonants, especially those made by words starting or ending with the letter p.

The ones I had always used were black. Annie’s were purple. And I noticed they had been stretched over the circular frame and secured to the filter’s frame by bandaids. I asked Annie about why she chose purple and why they were held on by bandaids. She began to laugh hysterically. She said, “These are not your normal pop screens. These are a pair of my panty hose stretched over the frames and tied off with bandaids. We needed new covers and found these to work just as well as any we would buy at a music store.”

I said, “So, you’re telling me I am singing through a purple pop screen made of my hero’s previously worn hose?” Again, she just laughed hysterically.

I’ve heard it said by many through the years, “Don’t meet your heroes because they will let you down.” Hearing her tell me about her purple hose so matter-of-factly made me understand how real she was and how down to earth she was and set my nervous heart at ease as we prepared to sing through the song.

We listened through the song once and I made suggestions of what I wanted her to sing. She tried everything I asked of her and made suggestions of her own. When we had our plan mapped out, we sang through the song and it felt as if she had known the song all along. She worshiped and she made me feel at home and what I came away with was a duet with one of my heroes I will cherish forever.

All I can say is, “Thank you, Lord, for using Annie as a vessel to pour out your Living Water to me when the desert was about to consume me. And thank you for letting me be poured out with her in this song.”

"The poor and needy are seeking water, but there is none,

And their tongues are parched with thirst.

I, the LORD, will answer them Myself;

[As] the God of Israel I will not abandon them.

I will open rivers on the bare heights,

And springs in the midst of the valleys;

I will make the wilderness a pool of water,

And the dry land fountains of water.”

Isaiah 41:17-18 NASB

The Living Water of Jesus Christ has been life to me since a 2nd Chapter of Acts concert on November 7, 1981. Doing the course of the past 40 years and beyond now, God has allowed me to record many albums. One of my favorites of all those albums is the collection called Let It Rain which contains today’s song, You Come Raining. Each song from this collection has a water-related theme of some sort…like rain, cleansing, quenching of thirst, the ocean, a river, baptism, and so much more than I can share here.

During the course of many months it took to record this album, it rained almost every day. The day we finished recording the collection, our daughter, Raina, was born. For so many reasons, God has used this particular album to bring refreshment to my soul through the years. Without my many friends who donated their time and talent, the recording Let It Rain would not exist.

Here are a few inside bits of info about the making of Let It Rain. I arranged and conducted all the live strings just because I felt I was supposed to. Mark Taylor and Ken Sarkey and I came up with the background vocal ideas. Ken Sarkey took my feeble piano and vocal tracks and added the magic of his amazing production artistry. In fact, many of the watery sound effects were recorded by Ken during actual rain storms and the placing of a mic near a flowing stream and the the sound of a person plunging into the water replicated by recording a large rock’s splash as he threw it into a lake.

And it was Ken who had the keen ear to hear how several of the songs would actually work together in a most unique way. He produced the end piece of the entire recording he called The Grand Reprise. I ended the March 28, 2022 episode of The Dennis Jernigan Podcast with that reprise. As you listen, see how many different songs you can name from the recording Let It Rain. You can always rewind and listen again…

Let’s do this. Let’s take the next few minutes and allow the Lord to plunge us deeply into His presence as we listen to You Come Raining. Let Him rain in you…

Dennis Jernigan

To hear The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this blog and to hear the song, You Come Raining, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/you-come-raining-with-annie-herring/

Photo courtesy of https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2019/10/30/17/57/storm-4590188_1280.jpg

Great Is Your Faithfulness

God has expressed His faithfulness to me in so many tangible ways through the years. When I was told by a college professor they saw absolutely no potential in me to be a song writer, a friend told me he saw potential in me and he encouraged me to write the songs that were in my heart in spite of what the experts said.

When I was trapped in sexual sin and my self-focused point of view led me right up to the edge of the ledge of taking my own life, my friend talked me down from that ledge.

Most of the time, I felt so condemned by Christians due to the nature of my particular sin I felt there was no way out. The more I tried to ‘be good’, the more I failed. The more I failed, the more I felt like just giving up and giving in. My friend did the most amazing thing. He kept helping me get back up from where I had fallen - and kept pointing me to Jesus. It was the incredible loving patience of my friend who saw past my immaturity and utter selfishness and saw what and who Jesus wanted me to be.

So much healing came into my life during the next few years that God gave me a wife…and continued to demonstrate His faithfulness to us in precious and undeniable ways. There were times during the early years of my marriage to Melinda that we did not know if we would have enough money to buy groceries on more than one occasion…only to ask God for provision and wake up the next morning to find bags of groceries left by some caring person on our doorstep.

When we were in a dry and weary wilderness of life, another person reached out to us and loved us into a place of healing that quenched our thirst to such a degree that hundreds of songs began to pour out of our life and spread out to the entire world.

What I am trying to say is simply this: God is faithful. Sometimes we don’t see just how faithful He is because we forget to see life’s circumstances from His point of view…like a friend ‘coincidentally’ being there at just the right time…

God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:9

"Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus John 15:13 NASB

Let’s take a few minutes right now and think about times in our lives when God has proven His faithfulness to us during the span of our life to date…and then, let’s express our gratitude to God for His faithfulness and love and presence with us each and every step along the way through the journeys of our lives.

Remember my misery and my homelessness, the wormwood and bitterness.

My soul certainly remembers,

And is bent over within me.

I recall this to my mind,

Therefore I wait.

The LORD'S acts of mercy indeed do not end,

For His compassions do not fail.

[They] are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:19-23 NASB

God is faithful. God is good. God loves us beyond our ability to even fully comprehend the depth and healing nature of that love. Let’s simply live each day from the viewpoint of God’s faithfulness in spite of our temptations, in spite of our wounds, in spite of our failures, in spite of what others think, in spite of how difficult the journey may get. Gratefulness looks good on you and me. And it does the heart good. What I’m trying to say is simply this: God is faithful…Be grateful…

Dennis Jernigan

To hear The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this teaching and to hear the song, Great Is Your Faithfulness, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/great-is-your-faithfulness-1643130032/

Photo courtesy of https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2019/03/29/05/12/worship-4088561_1280.jpg

You Are the River of Life

Several years ago I had a vision of me being baptized in Jesus. In that vision, I saw myself - all my past, present, and future - standing bare and unashamed before the Lord. What appeared to me in that vision was the vast ocean of God’s love for me. And you know what I did when I saw that? I gave up and I simply fell into this deep, emerald green pool – naked and unashamed and totally consumed by the water – falling deeper and deeper into His presence.

I no longer felt the need to perform for God’s love and acceptance. I just believed it and received it and became consumed in that love. I no longer perform to gain God’s approval. I perform - I live my life in reckless abandonment and freedom - BECAUSE I am so loved.

True freedom is born of true, sacrificial love. The love of God set me free and makes me want to live life to the fullest. Experiencing the love of Jesus Christ in the core of my being is like the most grand adventure - like an expedition - on the River of Life that the love of Jesus actually is. I experience life on that river by simply giving up to Jesus Christ and plunging into His presence.

"Do not call to mind the former things,

Or consider things of the past.

Behold, I am going to do something new,

Now it will spring up;

Will you not be aware of it?

I will even make a roadway in the wilderness,

Rivers in the desert.”

Isaiah 43:18-19 NASB

We don’t have to walk around like life is a dreary, endless desert. We have access to the River of Life any time we need it. Personally, I make a practice of plunging in several times a day. It’s good for my soul. The easiest way to access that River? See the depth of that River - that ocean - with a diving board of gratitude waiting for you. Step out onto that diving board of gratitude and take a big leap of thanksgiving to God and allow it to catapult you into the deepest place of His heart and love for you.

Just between you and me, I’ve been doing this for over 40 years now and have never reached the bottom of God’s love…and I’ve tried! Trust me. It’s deeper than your deepest sorrow. Deeper than your greatest failure. Deeper than your worst anxiety and fear. Deep enough to reach you right where you are. Experience the grand adventure and simply plunge into the River of Life today…as often as needed!

Dennis Jernigan

To hear The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this teaching and to hear the song, You Are the River of Life, just go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/you-are-the-river-of-life/

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Bring Me Clean

I have a great tendency to be too hard on myself at times, trying to be my own judge. Many people say kind and encouraging things to me but I tend to listen to that one negative statement and allow that to be the focus of my attention rather than focusing on what my Father says about me. Simply put, I sometimes fall prey to the lies of the enemy by lingering on the one negative thought he whispers into my mind’s ear. He walks away and I do all the rest of the liar’s work for him, becoming my own judge, jury, and executioner.

Through the years, I have learned to more readily recognize this tendency and have become better at quickly cutting off the root of those kinds of lies and replacing them with the truth of God’s Word. It is interesting to look back and see how far He has brought me – and to see how much of what I received from the Lord by way of renewing my thoughts. From the point of my salvation I began the life-long journey of renewing my mind.

In those early days - after my salvation experience - I still battled thoughts of being unworthy and filthy and vile and unlovable because I was just learning how to renew my mind in Christ. The conclusion I came to was simple. He is God and I am not. I cannot truly judge my own heart adequately.

Only the Lord can judge my heart. Only the blood of Jesus makes me worthy to enter His presence. Only faith in Him allows me to approach Him boldly and trust Him to do the cleansing – to bring me clean. A great illustration of the cleansing power and redeeming love of Jesus Christ was revealed to me as Melinda and I began to have our own family.

If one of my children fell and hurt himself and got up dirty and crying then came to me for help, I would not send him away to clean himself up. To the contrary, I would pick him up, clean him off as I embraced him and tended to his wounds. Isn’t this the way we should approach our heavenly Father? If I waited until I was “clean” or “confessed up” before I could enter His presence, I’d never get there. We need to let Him do the cleansing. We simply need to approach Him boldly!

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 NASB

You are probably tired of hearing me say this, but it is foundational truth: The awesome news of God’s redeeming love and cleansing power is that He wastes nothing. He does not waste our sorrow. He does not waste our wounds. He does not even waste our failures.

Hebrews 4:14-16 NASB says, 14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let's hold firmly to our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as [we are, yet] without sin. 16 Therefore let's approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of [our] need.

Let’s stop allowing the enemy to dupe us into believing we are filthy, vile failures and beyond forgiveness and beyond restoration. Let’s boldly approach the throne of grace and walk in the beauty and reality of who He says we are. Let Him bring you clean…

Dennis Jernigan

To hear The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this teaching, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/bring-me-clean/

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Basic Truths For A Child To Know

I wrote the following message as a challenge and blessing to one of my grandchildren last year. I think it is a good reminder of truth for a child of ANY age:

You may not always have a choice as to the things that happen to you, but you always have a choice as to how you will respond to those things.

God causes all things, whether good or bad, to work together for your good. A wise son or daughter learns to see life from God’s point of view.

You can always change your attitude.

You can always change the things you think about and you can always choose the WAY you think about things.

Bad thoughts lead to bad feelings. Good thoughts lead to good feelings. It is your choice.

A child of God does not get to call himself or herself something that Father God does not call them.

The words we speak have the power to build us up or the power to tear us down. We can speak words to ourselves that build us up or we can speak words to ourselves that tear us down. Which words sound like the wise words to speak about yourself?

In like manner, the words we speak to others have the power to build up or the power to tear down others. We can speak words to others that build them up or we can speak words to others that tear them down. Which words sound like the wise words to speak to others?

Life is not about you. Life is about serving others and helping others. It is not wise to only think about yourself. A wise son or daughter knows that their own needs get met when they meet the needs of others.

A wise son or daughter does not allow their mistakes to define them (tell them who they are). A wise son or daughter learns from their mistakes and finds ways to turn those mistakes into something good.

The truth about every son and every daughter:

• He/she is loved no matter what

• He/she is wanted no matter what

• He/she is never alone because God is always with him/her

• He/she is considerate of the needs of others

• He/she does not complain when He/she doesn’t get his/her way

• He/she is slow to anger

• He/she stands up for what is right

• He/she finds joy in blessing others

• He/she tries to see even bad things from a good point of view

• When he/she is discouraged, he/she finds a way to encourage others

• When he/she is sad, he/she finds ways to comfort others

• When he/she offends someone else or hurts someone else, he/she seeks their forgiveness

• He/she forgives himself/herself and reminds himself/herself he/she is loved no matter what mistakes he/she makes

• He/she is a humble boy/girl and knows that a prideful attitude is a selfish attitude and that he/she can always humble himself/herself

• He/she knows that one failure does not equal defeat. When he/she fails or falls in some way, he/she just keeps getting back up, dusting himself/herself off and heading toward Jesus.

• When he/she feels afraid, he/she reminds himself /herself of truth number one: He/she is loved no matter what and he/she is never alone no matter where he/she is