Summer Is Ending??

 

 

Daily Prayer for August 25

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2, NIV

Grant us your Spirit, Lord our God, that we may discern your good, acceptable, and perfect will. Give us joy in fighting on your side, so that what is good, acceptable, and perfect may be given to the world. Wherever we are and whatever work we do, give us zeal to serve you and be guided by you so that your will may be done and your kingdom come, so that already today we may find happiness even though only in hope. Amen.

 

Daily Dig for August 25 Guiseppe Mazzini No true society can exist without a common faith and common purpose. …What we need, what the people need – and what the age is crying for that it may find an issue from the slough of selfishness, doubt, and negation in which it is submerged – is faith, in which our souls, ceasing to wander in search of individual ends, can march together in consciousness of one origin, one law, and one goal. Every strong faith that arises on the ruins of old and outlived beliefs changes the existing social order, for every strong faith inevitably influences all departments of human activity. In different forms and different degrees, humanity repeats the words of the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy kingdom come on earth as in heaven.” Source: Mazzini

 

 

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The Daily Word of Hope Devotional

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While I Breathe

let’s hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering; for he who promised is faithful. Let’s consider how to provoke one another to love and good works, not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:23 WEB

My home state of South Carolina carries this inscription on the state seal: ‘Dum Spiro Spero.’ In Latin, this phrase means “While I breathe, I hope.’ This is a profound statement because where there is hope, there is life. When all hope is gone, it usually ends. That is a goal of Refreshing Hope Ministries, to refresh your hope each day. As long as you are still sucking air, you can make it through this.

Hope is incredibly powerful at driving away doubt, fear, darkness, and discouragement. Despair is defined as ‘the complete loss or absence of hope.’ Most of us know what despair sounds like because we listen to it all day in our minds, trying to beat us down, trying to get us to give up our hope, to discourage us and get us to stop.

Hope is like the sunlight that chases away the darkness. Hope says: “This will turn out well for me. Something good is coming my way. I will beat this, I will be healed. They will be OK. This is not the end. I can do better! God has got a plan for me and I am going to see this through. I can do this. I will overcome and my breakthrough is coming soon! This enemy is going down!”

Do not give up your hope in the goodness of God during the dark times. It is all that you have left. God is going to do the things that He has promised you. He is completely faithful and has nothing but the best intentions for you. Even when this life is over, it is not the end. It will be the beginning of really living. The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me (Hebrews 13:6). While you breathe, hope.

Prayer: Heavenly Father I choose to trust in You. I know that You are there for me and I am so thankful for all that You do. Please restore my hope and let Your Son shine through me, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.

Bible Fun Fact: Moses was the most meek (humble) man on the face of the Earth (Num 12:3).

 

 

What Jesus Did! ‘One Last Chance!’

Then Jesus told this story: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. Finally, he said to his gardener, ‘I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it down. It’s just taking up space in the garden.’ The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.'”

— Luke 13:6-9 NLT

Key Thought

At the end of Luke 12, Jesus reminded his disciples to be ready always and live with a sense of urgency about his return. In the first part of chapter 13, Jesus called on people to repent. Now, in today’s verses, Jesus is basically reminding us that we are on borrowed time. We need to repent now. We’ve been extended a season of grace to become fruitful, so we’ve got to be fruitful. No more playing around with religion. No more hypocrisy. No more religious talk without spiritual commitment and spiritual living. It’s put up or shut up time. It’s time to be fruitful.

Today’s Prayer

Holy and righteous Father, I know that now is the time you want me to be fruitful and that you want me to live for you with passion today and every day. Help me overcome my religious procrastination. Bless me as I seek to lay aside my fears and inhibitions about following you. Empower me to live with holiness, urgency, and a sense of joyous expectation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

• Acts 17:27-31
• Acts 2:36-41
• Acts 3:17-20

 

Daily Wisdom: Proverbs 14:30

 

Passion for Praise: ‘Once More!’

 

Spiritual Warfare: ‘Brought Near by the Blood of Christ’

God’s Power for Our Battles

Lord, all my life I have lived in hope. I hope for a better world; I hope for peace; I hope for eternity in heaven with You. Thank You for making my hope into an assured future reality through the saving blood of Your Son Jesus Christ. Now help me share that hope with others around me who have lived without it. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

A Year with Jesus: ‘Our Glorious Future’

Note from Jesus

Dear Follower,

Resurrection is coming. I will return for those who belong to Me. At My coming, everyone who belongs to Me will be given an immortal body. Just as you have carried the body that has been part of your human existence and that is mortal because of Adam’s rebellion against the Father, you also will be transformed because of My victory over death. You will have an immortal body far more glorious than you can fully imagine. My resurrection from the dead is the assurance of your resurrection. My glorious body after My resurrection is the assurance of your glorious body after your resurrection.

I know you would like to know all the details about life after death. Let it be enough to know that when you are My disciple, the Holy Spirit Who is alive in you ensures that you will never be separated from Me and that your resurrection is assured (Romans 8:32-39; 1 Corinthians 15:21-26). When death claims your physical body, you come to be with Me (Philippians 1:19-24; 2 Corinthians 5:1-8). Then, when the Father says it is time, I will return and change all who belong to Me to have immortal bodies to share in the resurrection and reunion (Philippians 3:20-21). You will share in the glory of all that the Father has promised you.

Your future existence in this immortal state is impossible for you to grasp fully now. Paul helps you catch a glimpse of this glorious future by using an example from your earthly existence. A seed that you place in the ground is not particularly beautiful. It is simple and earthy. But when it is placed in the ground and dies to its current existence, a transformation happens that is a part of a new life. The seed germinates, grows, and becomes something glorious. The seed is not glorious when compared to the flower of the fully-grown plant. Your physical bodies, though marvelously made, are just a seed compared to the glory of the new bodily existence that you will enjoy with Me when we share in glory together.

Death is an intruder that wounds hearts. However, when someone you love and who is My disciple is separated from you by death, remember that death is not only My enemy but that I also have ultimately defeated death and its power. While death may separate you for a short time from those you love, My resurrection ensures your resurrection and your reunion with all those who are Mine! So, no matter what your earthly life throws at you — how it disappoints you, wounds you, beats you down, or discourages you — I have defeated death. Death will not have the ultimate victory over you. Death will not determine the ultimate outcome of your life. You are Mine! Your future glory beyond death is in My hands! Transformation, reunion, victory, and a life in glory are your future!

Verses to Live

The following words come from what many people have called the resurrection chapter of the Bible. Paul wanted the Corinthian Christians to know that because I was raised from the dead, they will also be raised from the dead. Please, take the time to savor Paul’s words. Dwell on them. Let them give you hope. Commit the phrases that mean the most to you to memory for those times when you need them most. Remember, your faith in Me is not wasted, and your hope in Me is not in vain!

Now if we have told you about the Anointed One (how He has risen from the dead and appeared to us fully alive), then how can you stand there and say there is no such thing as resurrection from death? Friends, if there is no resurrection of the dead, then even the Anointed hasn’t been raised; if that is so, then all our preaching has been for nothing and your faith in the message is worthless. And what’s worse, all of us who have been preaching the gospel are now guilty of misrepresenting God because we have been spreading the news that He raised the Anointed One from the dead (which must be a lie if what you are saying about the dead not being raised is the truth).

Please listen. If you say, “the dead are not raised,” then what you are telling me is that the Anointed One has not been raised. Friends, if the Anointed has not been raised from the dead, then your faith is worth less than yesterday’s garbage, you are all doomed in your sins, and all the dearly departed who trusted in His liberation are left decaying in the ground. If what we have hoped for in the Anointed doesn’t take us beyond this life, then we are world-class fools, deserving everyone’s pity.

But the Anointed One was raised from death’s slumber and is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep in death.
(1 Corinthians 15:12-20)

Now I know what some of you are thinking: “Just how are the dead going to be raised? What kind of bodies will they have when they come back to life?”

Don’t be a fool! The seed you plant doesn’t produce life unless it dies. Right? The seed doesn’t have the same look, the same body, if you will, of what it will have once it starts to grow. It starts out a single, naked seed — whether wheat or some other grain, it doesn’t matter — and God gives to that seed a body just as He has desired. For each of the different kinds of seeds God prepares a unique body.

Or look at it this way: not all flesh is the same. Right? There is skin flesh on humans, furry flesh on animals, feathery flesh on birds, and scaly flesh on fish. Likewise there are bodies made for the heavens and bodies made for the earth. The heavenly bodies have a different kind of glory or luminescence compared to bodies below. Even among the heavenly bodies, there is a different level of brilliance: the sun shines differently than the moon, the moon differently than the stars, and the stars themselves differ in their brightness.

It’s like this with the resurrection of those who have died. The body planted in the earth decays. But the body raised from the earth cannot decay. The body is planted in disgrace and weakness. But the body is raised in splendor and power. The body planted in the earth was animated by the physical, material realm. But the body raised from the earth will be animated by the spiritual. Since there is a physical, material body, there will also be a spiritual body.

That’s why it was written, “The first man Adam became a living soul”; the last Adam has become a life-giving spirit. Everything has an order. The body is not animated first by the spiritual but the physical; then the spiritual becomes its life-giving source. The first man, Adam, came from the earth and was made from dust; the second man, Jesus, has come from heaven. The earth man shares his earth nature with all those made of earth; likewise the heavenly man shares His heavenly nature with all those made of heaven. Just as we have carried the image of the earth man in our bodies, we will also carry the image of the heavenly man in our new bodies at the resurrection.

Now listen to this: brothers and sisters, this present body is not able to inherit the kingdom of God any more than decay can inherit that which lasts forever. Stay close because I am going to tell you a mystery — something you may have trouble understanding: we will not all fall asleep in death, but we will all be transformed. It will all happen so fast, in a blink, a mere flutter of the eye. The last trumpet will call, and the dead will be raised from their graves with a body that does not, cannot decay. All of us will be changed! We’ll step out of our mortal clothes and slide into immortal bodies, replacing everything that is subject to death with eternal life. And, when we are all redressed with bodies that do not, cannot decay, when we put immortality over our mortal frames, then it will be as Scripture says:

Life everlasting has victoriously swallowed death.

Hey, Death! What happened to your big win?

Hey, Death! What happened to your sting?

Sin came into this world, and death’s sting followed. Then sin took aim at the law and gained power over those who follow the law. Thank God, then, for our Lord Jesus, the Anointed, the Liberating King, Who brought us victory over the grave.

My dear brothers and sisters, stay firmly planted — be unshakable — do many good works in the name of God, and know that all your labor is not for nothing when it is for God.
(1 Corinthians 15:35-58)

Response in Prayer

O Father, please carve these words on my heart so that I can remember them when times of discouragement come because of the death of those I love. Bring these words back to me when I face my own mortality. I cannot help, dear Father, but think of those who are hanging onto these words right now as they are being martyred for their faith by those who preach hate and death in the name of religion. Please, dear Father, work in our human history to stop this hate-based genocide of our Christian brothers and sisters and their children because of their faith. And, dear Father, please give those who face death because of their faith in Jesus a sense of His being with them every step of the way until they are blessed by His presence with them until death is swallowed up in life. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Illustration

 

 

I Was Afraid!

Hi Mary Immediato,                                                     

My first child was five months old when the doctors gave the report. The surgery would require removing his skull from the soft spot down to his eyebrows and all the way to each temple on the sides of his head. If I did not allow the surgery, the consequences would be horrible. The doctors said without the surgery things would only get worse and was impossible for anything to get better. God had so recently given a miracle for my wife to conceive this child, but now we were facing this life altering situation. I was afraid of what might happen if I did not allow the surgery to be done, but I was also afraid of what would happen if I did allow it. This “fear” was not panic or torment. Neither was it the fear of the Day of Judgment that John speaks of. I John 4:17-18. My fear was the understanding that either course I took could have unbearable consequences.

I did not believe I had great faith at all in that hour. I could not say, “I know God will give a miracle.” The only thing I could do was pray and seek God. At times I would take my son to the church alone to walk with him in my arms and seek God for an answer. When asked what we were going to do, I would simply say “I do not know.” Then one day in the middle of a Sunday morning service, God spoke three words to my heart: “It’s all right!” We canceled the surgery, and soon it became evident that the “impossible” was happening, and my child would be perfectly whole. God had heard my cry, even though I was afraid!

I know it shatters our theology, but the Bible is clear that there was an occasion when Jesus was afraid. Speaking of this, the apostle wrote, “Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;” Hebrews 5:7. This passage is referring to Jesus in Gethsemane the night before his crucifixion. There he prayed and “his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” Luke 22:44.

Peter, James, and John were present when Jesus “…began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.” Mark 14:33-34. I am certain they had never seen Jesus like this before. Just a week before this, although troubled about what was ahead, Jesus spoke boldly concerning his death. He had told them, “Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.”John 12:27. Now his words seemed different as he prayed, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me…” Matthew 26:39.

Jesus knew the agony that awaited him in just a few hours. The prophets had already foretold his sufferings. His “visage” would be “marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:” Isaiah 52:14. He would be “…brought as a lamb to the slaughter…” Isaiah 53:7. The Psalms spoke prophetically of Christ, saying, they “…plowed upon my back: they made long their furrows.” Psalms 129:3.

Jesus also knew David was speaking of him when he said, “They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.” Psalms 22:13-18.

It was never in doubt that Jesus would choose to go to the cross. He prayed, “O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.”Matthew 26:42. Jesus was not in a panic. He was not ready to run away. But he was in great apprehension about the agony that was just a few hours away. He said, “The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.” Mark 14:38. We sometimes forget that although he is the Son of God, he is also the son of man. Jesus had no sin, but he did have feeling. In the hour of his “fear,” he did the one thing that every person should take notice of. He called upon the one who “…was able to save him from death…” Hebrews 5:7.

I have seen many people attempt to deny their “fears” so they can have “faith.” Such a course almost always ends in confusion. Faith in God is revealed more by what you do when you are “afraid” than it is when you are full of confidence. In his hour of fear and apprehension, Jesus called upon the Father who sent an angel to strengthen him. Luke 22:43.It is based on such truths as this that the apostle writes, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted (tested) like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:15-16. Jesus Christ understands the feeling of your infirmity  …and he can be touched by you. You can call upon him today!

We currently have seven volumes of our weekly Simply Christ gospel messages inBehold the Lamb Books available without charge upon request. Click HERE to request your free Simply Christ volume or other Behold the Lamb Books and eBooks. You can also help us share the gospel by sharing Behold the Lamb andSimply Christ with others. 

God Bless,
Pastor Keith Surface
Calvary Outreach Ministries

 

 

Humor Time….

Momma…

Aunty Acid…

Politics??

Some Maxine Humor…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loose Ends…

 

 

Daily Prayer for August 18

Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Psalm 73:23–24, NIV

Thank you, great God and Father, for filling our hearts with trust so that we are of good hope, also for those who have not yet found trust. Thank you for giving us courage to face all the questions that arise in human life and for accepting us again and again when we come to you. You know what lies before us. You know the mountains that have to be moved. You know all the things that frustrate us and try to wear us out, and you will take them away. At last your light will shine into all the darkness. This certainty fills us with gladness and thanksgiving. In this faith we are determined to remain steadfast and to press on to victory. Amen.

 

Daily Dig for August 18

Basil the Great

I ask, “How have you all this wealth?” For the care of the poor consumes wealth. When each one receives a little for one’s needs, and when all owners distribute their means simultaneously for the care of the needy, no one will possess more than one’s neighbor. Yet it is plain that you have very many lands. Whence all these? Undoubtedly you have subordinated the relief and comfort of many to your convenience. And so, the more you abound in your riches, the more you want in love.

Source: Ownership: Early Christian Teaching

 

 

—Dion Todd

Filthy Rags

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; Isaiah 64:6 KJV

As the preacher looked over the congregation, pondering his next victim, I sank lower and lower in my chair. He always chose someone at random from the congregation to pray, so everyone tried to avoid making eye contact with him during this time. You would suddenly find everyone reading their Bible or the church bulletin.

When I was called on to pray, I just felt so unworthy, so unqualified, especially when asked to pray for others or in public. I looked down on myself and felt that if people knew me, they wouldn’t be asking me to pray. I just felt that my prayers were weak, that others could do better, and I often could not properly get the words out because of over thinking what I was going to say.

Finally one day in frustration, I just confessed to the Lord that ‘I am not worthy to do this so stop asking me.’ To my amazement I heard ‘That’s right. You’re not’ and then this verse came to my remembrance in a very clear way. He made it very real to me. All our righteousness is as a filthy rag, literally in Hebrew, a menstrual cloth.

We all know this in our head, but I finally understood in my heart that it is not our religious performance, or our acts of ‘righteousness’ that makes us worthy to come to the Lord in prayer. It is the sacrifice of His Son Jesus that makes us worthy to pray. We stand before Him washed as white as snow by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, while our own ‘righteousness’ is as a menstrual cloth.

When you are called on to pray, step out boldly knowing that God has made you righteous through His Son Jesus Christ, and not by your own actions. You are only worthy, because He has made you worthy, and you were brought here for such a time as this. So pray it boldly like you mean it, and speak to Him like you would your Dad.

Prayer: Heavenly Father I thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to redeem us, to wipe away our sin. Now we can come boldly to You in prayer. I adore You and want to know You better. Please fill me with Your love and peace, shine Your light through me, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.

Bible Fun Fact: Any grain offering made to the Lord had to have salt on it (Lev 2:13).

 

Call Waiting

Walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers: Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. He said to them, ‘Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men.’ They immediately left their nets and followed him. Matthew 4:18 WEB

As Jesus walked along the sea shore, He saw Peter and his brother Andrew. He told them to follow Him and that He would make them ‘fishers of men.’ As they followed Him for the next few years, they became experienced and He taught them so that they could teach others. It was a long time before they were ready, but the day finally came and in chapter ten, Jesus sent them out on their first teaching mission:

‘Jesus sent these twelve out, and charged them, saying, ‘Don’t go among the Gentiles, and don’t enter into any city of the Samaritans. Rather, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, preach, saying, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons. Freely you received, so freely give’ (Matthew 10:5-8).

There is an amount of time between Jesus calling you, and Jesus sending you. How long is unknown to us and it varies person to person. This span of time varies throughout the Bible. David became king at thirty, while Moses started his ministry at eighty.

When I was around twenty years old, the Lord told me that I would teach His word and to prepare myself for ministry. I was so excited and went through Bible college, got ordained, then I waited. I was forty-five years old when the Lord finally put me in full time ministry, and I no longer even wanted it. Where I had once felt like I knew a lot, now I feel like I know nothing. As Paul wrote: ‘Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. But if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he doesn’t yet know as he ought to know’ (1 Corinthians 8:1’2 WEB). I can testify that this is true.

Do you feel that God has called you for something, but it has yet to come to pass? Do not give up hope yet for this is the normal course. God is faithful, but there is a training time between the calling and the sending.

Prayer: Heavenly Father I thank You for not forgetting about me. I know that Your eyes are on the sparrow and that You will also take care of me. I want all that You have for me on this earth. Please walk with me, talk with me, speak to me and through me, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.

Bible Fun Fact: The book of John contains no parables.

 

 

Today’s Verse, Illustrated…

 

 

What Jesus Did! ‘What Are You Living For?’

[Jesus said,] “Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.”

— Luke 12:27-32 NLT

Key Thought

What’s the bottom line in these words of Jesus? It is this: Don’t be afraid to live for the Kingdom as your highest priority and your most pressing concern. God takes care of things much less important than us in a way far finer than we could provide for ourselves. We’re more important to God than those things. So let’s give the Father the joy of giving us the Kingdom by making it our strongest desire. Let him take care of the “little stuff” as we pursue the “Kingdom stuff.”

Today’s Prayer

Holy Father, give me a passion for your Kingdom and your righteousness. Make that passion burn inside me until your Kingdom becomes my highest call. I know that my worries about other things will be driven out by the proper passion for what you long to give me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

• Matthew 6:3-10
• Philippians 3:13-14
• Revelation 3:15-16

 

Daily Wisdom: 1 Corinthians 1:18

 

Passion for Praise: ‘From the Everlasting Past’

 

Spiritual Warfare: ‘God’s People Know His Voice’

God’s Power for Our Battles

But you do not believe Me [so you do not trust and follow Me] because you are not My sheep. The sheep that are My own hear My voice and listen to Me; I know them, and they follow Me.

— John 10:26-27 AMP

A Year with Jesus: ‘Beyond Magic: Supernatural!’

Note from Jesus

Dear Beloved,

On the night I was betrayed, I shared in what you call The Last Supper. I gathered with My closest disciples around a table to share the Passover meal. And I used this setting as the background to institute a regular meal for disciples to use to remember Me and to be joined together as My body. This meal became a centerpiece of early Christian gatherings on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7). This special meal is known to you by several names — The Supper, The Lord’s Supper, Communion, Holy Communion, The Eucharist, and The Feast. No matter what you call this meal, it has been practiced by Christians from the beginning of My church.

From the beginning, My followers had a tendency to drift from My original intentions. I wanted them to share together in loving unity, to proclaim My story, to examine their hearts, to remember My death, to celebrate My resurrection, to give thanks for the gift I gave them, and to anticipate My return. Some looked at taking the bread and wine as almost magical. Some felt if they could just eat the bread and drink the wine in this special feast, then some supernatural power was at work in them to make them holy.

I warned about this misconception when I taught the crowds after I had fed the 5,000 and walked on the water to My disciples (see the second set of verses below). More than just eating My body and drinking My blood metaphorically in communion, they needed to eat Me — My “flesh.” They needed to take My teaching, lifestyle, and love for others into their lives and let Me sustain them. I wanted My early disciples, and you today as My disciple, to realize that The Supper is not magical but transforming. I am present in The Supper to give you life through the sacrifice of My life. You must commit to taking Me in and letting Me reign over all your heart as your example, teacher, and Lord.

Paul (in the first set of verses) warns the Corinthians that there was nothing magical in communion. Instead, the meaning and significance of communion come from a disciple’s faith to receive Me and his or her commitment to follow Me.

The Israelites shared in spiritual food and drink in the wilderness, but that supernatural food did not keep them from sinning or from being judged:

They [the Israelites] were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
(1 Corinthians 10:2-5 NIV)

The goal of My Supper is not to see who can eat the most magical food and drink the most supernatural drink! On the other hand, those who come to My Table committed to live for Me will find supernatural sustenance in My holy meal. So Paul warns the Corinthians not to think of The Supper as magical. My Supper is to be a supernatural meal that sustains those who seek to avoid idolatry, who care for each other in My church, who recognize My Supper as a recommitment to live for Me, and who not only give thanks for the Father’s grace in sending Me but also share that grace with others.

Verses to Live

My resurrection from the dead has great power, yet simply taking the Lord’s Supper won’t do things for you. You must live by My wisdom and truth.

I [Paul] wouldn’t want you to be ignorant of our history, brothers and sisters. Our ancestors [the Israelites] were once safeguarded under a miraculous cloud in the wilderness and brought safely through the sea. Enveloped in water by cloud and by sea, they were, you might say, ritually cleansed into Moses through baptism. Together they were sustained supernaturally: they all ate the same spiritual food, manna; and they all drank the same spiritual water, flowing from a spiritual rock that was always with them, for the rock was the Anointed One, our Liberating King. Despite all of this, they were punished in the wilderness because God was unhappy with most of them.

Look at what happened to them as an example; it’s right there in the Scriptures so that we won’t make the same mistakes and hunger after evil as they did. So here’s my advice: don’t degrade yourselves by worshiping anything less than the living God as some of them did. Remember it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and then rose up in dance and play.” We must be careful not to engage in sexual sins as some of them did. In one day, 23,000 died because of sin. None of us must test the limits of the Lord’s patience. Some of the Israelites did, and serpents bit them and killed them. You need to stop your groaning and whining. Remember the story. Some of them complained, and the messenger of death came for them and destroyed them. All these things happened for a reason: to sound a warning. They were written down and passed down to us to teach us. They were meant especially for us because the beginning of the end is happening in our time. So let even the most confident believers remember their examples and be very careful not to fall as some of them did.

Any temptation you face will be nothing new. But God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can handle. But He always provides a way of escape so that you will be able to endure and keep moving forward. So then, my beloved friends, run from idolatry in any form. As wise as I know you are, understand clearly what I am saying and determine the right course of action. When we give thanks and share the cup of blessing, are we not sharing in the blood of the Anointed One? When we give thanks and break bread, are we not sharing in His body? Because there is one bread, we, though many, are also one body since we all share one bread. Look no further than Israel and the temple practices, and you’ll see what I mean. Isn’t it true that those who eat sacrificial foods are communing at the altar, sharing its benefits? So what does all this mean? I’m not suggesting that idol food itself has any special qualities or that an idol itself possesses any special powers, but I am saying that the outsiders’ sacrifices are actually offered to demons, not to God. So if you feast upon this food, you are feasting with demons —I don’t want you involved with demons! You can’t hold the holy cup of the Lord in one hand and the cup of demons in the other. You can’t share in the Lord’s table while picking off the altar of demons. Are we trying to provoke the Lord Jesus? Do we think it’s a good idea to stir up His jealousy? Do we have ridiculous delusions about matching or even surpassing His power?
(1 Corinthians 10:1-22)

Some of the Jews began to grumble quietly against Him [Jesus] because He said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”

Crowd:

Isn’t Jesus the son of Joseph? We know His parents! We know where He came from, so how can He claim to have “come down from heaven”?

Jesus:

Stop grumbling under your breaths. If the Father Who sent Me does not draw you, then there’s no way you can come to Me. But I will resurrect everyone who does come on the last day. Among the prophets, it’s written, “Everyone will be taught of God.” So everyone who has heard and learned from the Father finds Me. No one has seen the Father, except the One sent from God. He has seen the Father. I am telling you the truth: the one who accepts these things has eternal life. I am the bread that gives life. Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and they died as you know. But there is another bread that comes from heaven; if you eat this bread, you will not die. I am the living bread that has come down from heaven to rescue those who eat it. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever. The bread that I will give breathes life into the cosmos. This bread is My flesh.

The low whispers of some of Jesus’ detractors turned into an out-and-out debate.

Crowd:

What is He talking about? How is He able to give us His flesh to eat?

Jesus:

I tell you the truth; unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you will not know life. If you eat My flesh and drink My blood, then you will have eternal life and I will raise you up at the end of time. My flesh and blood provide true nourishment. If you eat My flesh and drink My blood, you will abide in Me and I will abide in you. The Father of life Who sent Me has given life to Me; and as you eat My flesh, I will give life to you. This is bread that came down from heaven; I am not like the manna that your fathers ate and then died! If you eat this bread, your life will never end.

He spoke these words in the synagogue as part of His teaching mission in Capernaum. Many disciples heard what He said, and they had questions of their own.

Disciples:

How are we supposed to understand all of this? It is a hard teaching.

Jesus was aware that even His disciples were murmuring about this.

Jesus:

Has My teaching offended you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascend to return to where He came from? The Spirit brings life. The flesh has nothing to offer. The words I have been teaching you are spirit and life, but some of you do not believe.

From the first day Jesus began to call disciples, He knew those who did not have genuine faith. He knew, too, who would betray Him.

Jesus:

This is why I have been telling you that no one comes to Me without the Father’s blessing and guidance.

After hearing these teachings, many of His disciples walked away and no longer followed Jesus.

Jesus (to the twelve):

Do you want to walk away too?

Simon Peter:

Lord, if we were to go, whom would we follow? You speak the words that give everlasting life. We believe and recognize that You are the Holy One sent by God.

(John 6:41-69)

Response in Prayer

Father in heaven, Holy Communion is precious to me. But after reading what Paul wrote the Corinthians and what Jesus said in today’s verses, I am convicted that I have sometimes approached The Supper as something mandatory and magical, not as a commitment to live for Jesus and not as a way to love my brothers and sisters as Jesus did. I pray for the Holy Spirit to transform me to be like Jesus. Father, please give me clarity of mind as I seek to live the righteous character and gracious compassion of Jesus with my brothers and sisters. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

 

 

 

The Power and Presence of Sin   

The apostle Paul tells us, “…by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world…” Romans 5:12.When sin entered, where did it reside? Did it hide in a cave? Or is sin only present in Satan himself? The apostle goes on to say, “…by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners…” Romans 5:19. Sin entered as a great pollutant that contaminated the heart and nature of fallen mankind. No one escaped its venom. From the first child of Adam who murdered his own brother, to the most “innocent” of persons in our day, all have sinned, Jesus Christ being the only exception to that absolute truth.

What gives sin such power? Even Jesus described it as a master that dominates people like a slave master. I believe sin to be the seed of rebellion (the lie) that Adam and Eve received into their heart and nature from the Serpent (Satan). It is as a single cell of cancer that never stops spreading. There is no cure until the whole is taken away. The power of sin is in its presence. Only where sin has no presence does it have no power.

Consider these two examples: One man has wrestled with lusts for years.  He has prayed, fasted, and taken every step possible to keep it subdued. There are many places he will not go, not because they are sinful places, but because the lusts within him so easily revives and begins to war in his thoughts and imaginations. So far this man has kept himself from fulfilling the unclean desires that are within. He has never committed an act of adultery or fornication, and does not partake of pornography. This man has power over the unclean lusts that lie within him, but it is a constant battle that never ceases. In the best of times the uncleanness seems to be dormant, but it is always ready to revive and roar.

Another man does not struggle with such things. He faces the same tests of living in this world with all the opportunities for sinful acts that are common to men.  He also does not commit adultery, fornication, or partake of pornography. In fact he never even desires or contemplates such things. It is just not in his heart to want or to do anything of that nature.

I cannot help but have respect for the first man. He lives every day in a battle with lusts, but he keeps himself from fulfilling the act of the sinful thing. His determination and fortitude is to be admired. Yet with all the power he exercises over the sin, he is not free from it. If at any time he lets down his guard he will fall into its darkness and shame.

You cannot rightfully claim that this second man has power over unclean lusts. In fact no one knows what course he would take if these things were actually in his heart. Would he be weak or would he be strong? He might fail on the first encounter. But this second man does not need strength to overcome uncleanness because it has no place in his heart. The truth is that no one needs power over sin if sin has no presence within them. Yes, as we are sent by the Holy Ghost we are given “…power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy…” Luke 10:19, but this is power over things that withstand the work of God, not things that are within our own heart and nature.

Christ did not come to give us power over sin. He came to “take away the sin of the world.” I John 3:5. His blood washes the contamination of sin out of his people. I John 1:7. When Jesus said “you shall find rest unto your souls” Matthew 11:29, he was promising the end of a warfare and not the beginning of a lifelong struggle. As long as you seek power over something that is in your heart or nature, you are setting yourself up for a battle that will never end. Jesus never said he would give you power over it. He said “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8:36. When Cornelius and those with him were filled with the Holy Ghost, God had already, in a moment of time, purified their hearts by faith. Acts 15:9. Sin had lost its presence in them!

“Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.” John 14:30

 

 

 

Quote of the Day

“With the new day comes new strengths and new thoughts.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

 

 

 

 

 

Humor…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sleepy Sunday

 

 

 

Daily Prayer for August 11

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the Lord returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes. Isaiah 52:7–8, NIV

Lord our God, grant that we may be your watchmen, who can understand what you mean for our time. We thank you for all you have already done, for every change to the good among the nations. For the nations must bow to your will so that nothing happens unless accomplished by you. Judge us wherever necessary. Open our eyes to see where we are wrong and where something does not go according to your Spirit. Be with us and give us strength. Raise up more watchmen everywhere, in every place and in every home. Wherever something happens to move people’s hearts, let the watchmen proclaim, “This comes from God. It does not matter how much we suffer. This comes from Jesus Christ, who suffered and died, but who rose again.” Raise up such watchmen among young and old everywhere on earth, to the glory of your name. Let there be a people who go to meet you with shouts of joy and thanksgiving. Amen.

 

Daily Dig for August 11

Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt

In all that happens, good or bad, Christ is present. So instead of resignation and worry, we should always trust that things will change, even if we have to go through hell first. For the purpose of life is Christ. God has promised to re-create heaven and earth and bring the whole world into the light of the Savior. “I am making everything new!” (Rev. 21:1–5). This is our hearts’ deepest longing, that Christ reconciles the whole cosmos. He is the ruler over all, and his light will fill the entire universe.

Source: The Gospel of God’s Reign

 

 

The Daily Word of Hope Devotional

—Dion Todd

Like Paul, we are to discipline our bodies and make it obey us, rather than following what it desires. Extremes are dangerous and we all need boundaries in our life. How do you maintain a healthy balance? If you have ever wondered, then this is for you. 

Too Much Happiness

Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Philippians 4:5 KJV

There are so many things in this life that God has given us to enjoy, and He does want us to have pleasure while we are here. Relationships, eating, drinking, work, health, exercise, hobbies, are all valuable pursuits. However, none of these are to become the end goal and sole focus of your life.

Anytime something becomes more important in your life than God, then the cart is getting in front of the horse. Before long your life will take on an unhealthy balance. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit and it almost the opposite of addiction. Like Paul, we are to discipline our bodies and make it obey us, rather than following what it desires.

‘But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.’ (1 Corinthians 9:27).

Jesus told a parable in Luke 12:21 about a man who hoarded wealth and the last verse was: “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” The problem was the man was ‘not rich toward God’ not because he was wealthy. God wants you to have wealth, but not for wealth to have control you. God wants you to have food, but not for food to have control over you.

So put God first in your life. Involve Him in your work, in your relationships, in your hobbies, pray over your meals, and during your workouts. If you do this, then things will balance and He will show you when enough is enough. When He is invited into your life, He will take part in your activities and help you maintain a healthy balance. Moderation in all things, including moderation.

Prayer: Heavenly Father I thank You so much for all that You have given me. Please help me discipline my life and learn when to say no. Help me to know when enough is enough. Teach me Your way and give me a clear vision of the bigger picture. Make me steadfast, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.

Bible Fun Fact: Lions killed people 3 times in the Bible (1 Kg 13:23-24)(1 Kg 20:35-36)(Dan 6:24).

 

 

What Jesus Did! ‘Beyond the Harsh Words, to Graciousness!’

[Jesus said,] “What is the price of five sparrows — two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” — Luke 12:6-7 NLT

 

Key Thought

Jesus’ words in the previous sentences were strong; some would even say his words were harsh. Jesus reminded us, however, that God’s desire is not to punish, harm, or bring retribution on us. His desire is to love and bless us. One clear example is simply to look in the created world and see how he has provided for all sorts of animals and birds because of his loving care. Long before anyone had ever heard of organizations like PETA or the Humane Society, God showed his love by giving each creature its space and place. Yet we are definitely more valuable than any animal or any other thing that God created. Jesus wants us to know how precious we are to God, so he taught this lesson in Luke 12 and then went out and demonstrated it on the cross!

Today’s Prayer

Father, thank you for knowing me, valuing me, and loving me. Most of all, dear Father, thank you for sending Jesus to show your great love for me. In Jesus’ name, I offer my deepest thanks and praise. Amen.

 

Daily Wisdom:

 

Today’s Verse:

Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

Ah! The “Golden Rule” is so straightforward, isn’t it? Sometimes we make things, especially religious things, far too complicated and complex. I love the Bible because it is so often practical and plain when God deals with our behavior. You want to know how to treat someone? Then do for them what would be a blessing if it was done to you! If it wouldn’t bless, encourage, build up, support, comfort, or help you, then don’t do it to them. If it would hurt, wound, depress, spite, or discourage you, then don’t do it to them. Treat others with the same dignity, kindness, love, respect, and tenderness with which you would like to be treated. Simple to understand; revolutionary to do!

My Prayer…

Almighty God, thank you for making some things so simple to understand. Please fill my heart with your love as I try to live the “Golden Rule” in my relationships. In the name of the Lord Jesus I pray. Amen.

 

A Year with Jesus: ‘Scour Away the Filth’

Note from Jesus

Dear Faithful Follower,

Even when Paul first worked with the Corinthians, he sought to help them turn from the unbridled immorality that was a part of their city’s culture. This lifestyle change was a predictable challenge that My new disciples faced in most places (1 Thessalonians 1:8-10; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12).

The grip of their immoral past was hard to break. Many activities in Corinth were tied to the worship of idols and the pervasive paganism of the city. The Corinthians encountered cultic prostitution at the pagan temples. Meat bought in their city market was first sacrificed to the idols before being available for sale. Pagan celebrations involving sexual immorality and drunkenness were connected to feasts and trade guild meetings. Pagan celebrations and sacrifices went with athletic contests and theater productions.

Paul tried to teach these new Christians that their lives were to be holy. Their lives were to be lived in total dedication to honor Us — Father, Son, and Spirit. This sense of holy purpose meant their bodies were sacred and should be used to glorify Us (1 Corinthians 6:18-20). Paul had repeatedly taught them, both when physically present and through letters, about their need to practice holiness in all things. This teaching meant getting away and staying far away from sexual immorality, idolatry, and paganism.

In Paul’s letter that you know as 1 Corinthians, he referred to a previous letter to the Corinthian Christians and his earlier teaching about avoiding immorality (1 Corinthians 5:9). That previous teaching was very similar to what you find in a passage from 2 Corinthians included in the verses below. As you read these verses, try to think through the implications of Paul’s teachings for you in your culture. How will you apply these teachings to your world so saturated in sexual immorality, false religions, greed, and materialism?

How are you going to live as My holy person in your immoral culture and influence that culture for good?

How are you going to influence your culture while not letting the bad parts of your culture influence you?

As you live and serve Me in the culture around you, what are the limits of Christian fellowship?

These are hard questions. Rather than answer these questions for you, I am asking you to wrestle with them as you follow Me. I want your heart to belong to Me. If your heart belongs to Me, you will work through these questions seeking to honor Me with a holy life that demonstrates My compassionate concern for the lost. Think through what Paul wrote and see how his teachings apply to you. When you read his teachings this way, you will have more empathy for the Corinthians. You will get a clearer understanding of the challenges they faced in their day if they obeyed Paul’s teaching. You will also be better prepared to face similar challenges in your day.

Verses to Live

How are you going to impact your culture with My character and compassion without getting entangled and soiled with its immorality?

In the verses below, you find two readings from Paul’s letters to the Corinthians. The first passage is one verse from 1 Corinthians and refers to what Paul taught in a previous letter that he wrote the Christians in Corinth. The second section is from 2 Corinthians and addresses the same matters as referenced in the first passage. The final short paragraph is Paul’s exhortation to the people based on what he had written in the previous verses. This part is at the heart of what I want you to incorporate into your life.

In the letter I wrote to you previously, I made it clear that you are not to band together with those who have embraced immoral lives.
(1 Corinthians 5:9)

Don’t develop partnerships with those who are not followers of Jesus’ teachings. For what real connection can exist between righteousness and rebellion? How can light participate in darkness? What harmony can exist between the Anointed and Satan? Do the faithful and the faithless have anything in common? Can the temple of God find common ground with idols? Don’t you see that we house the temple of the living God within us? Remember when He said,

“I will make My home with them and walk among them.
I will be their God,
and they will be My people.

“So then turn away from them,
turn away and leave without looking back,” says the Lord.

“Stay away from anything unclean, anything impure,
and I will welcome you.

“And I will be for you as a father,
and you will be for Me as sons and daughters,”
says the Lord Almighty!

Because we have these promises, dearly loved ones, out of respect for God we should scour the filth from our flesh and spirit and move toward perfect beauty and holiness.
(2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 2 Corinthians 7:1)

Response in Prayer

Father, make me Yours completely. Set me apart from those who do not know You. I want to display Your grace to others and live Your holiness before them. May my whole spirit, soul, and body be kept free from any sort of sin as I await the glorious coming of My Lord and Savior Jesus, the Anointed. You, O God, are faithful. I know that You can be trusted to make this happen in me to Your glory. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

This prayer is adapted from Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24.

 

 

 

Sunday Humor…

 

God bless you all!!

Make – Up Time!

 

Daily Prayer for August 4

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1–3, NIV

Dear Father in heaven, we thank you for the blessings you give us on earth, for it is through your gifts and work, and through the work of your children, that we can believe and be saved. Protect us here in our household. Let us make allowances for one another in love and spare no effort to maintain unity in the Spirit through the bond of peace. Grant us new strength and new gifts whenever we need them on the path you have set for us. Grant that we may rejoice and trust in you until we reach the goal. Amen.

 

Daily Dig for August 4

Joan Chittister

Prayer that is regular confounds both self-importance and the wiles of the world. It is so easy for good people to confuse their own work with the work of creation. It is so easy to come to believe that what we do is so much more important than what we are. It is so easy to simply get too busy to grow. It is so easy to commit ourselves to this century’s demand for product and action until the product consumes us and the actions exhaust us, and we can no longer even remember why we set out to do them in the first place.

Source: Wisdom Distilled from the Daily

 

 

Verse of the Day, Illustrated

 

 

The Daily Word of Hope Devotional

—Dion Todd

God Called to the Man

They heard Yahweh God’s voice walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden. Yahweh God called to the man, and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ Genesis 3:8 WEB

Adam walked with God in the garden of eden. Then the serpent talked Eve into disobeying the command of God so that she could have the knowledge of ‘Good and Evil.’ Since they already had the knowledge of good, they only lacked the knowledge of evil. The call of the dark side overcame them both. Then immediately after they disobeyed the Lord, the enemy brought shame and fear on them in order to drive them even further away. Adam and Eve hid in the trees from the presence of the Lord.

I find it comforting that the Almighty God, the Creator of heaven and earth, came down and called to Adam. He said to him ‘Where are you?’ God knew exactly where Adam was, even better than Adam did. Yet instead of pointing directly at him, God called to Adam and waited for him to answer. God gave Adam space, and called for him from a distance. He could just have easily struck Adam with a lightning bolt, or picked him up by his ear, but instead He waited for Adam to answer Him on his own. Where are you?

When you stumble, God will always call for you. You can run, but you can’t hide from the presence of the Lord. The mistakes that you have made, He already knows about so there is nothing to hide from. Jesus has already paid for your sin, even the ones in your future. With a simple prayer, you can have a clean slate and be washed as white as snow. So don’t try to cover up your mistakes. Instead, learn from them. His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). Don’t put on a church face for we are not fooling Him with our religious shenanigans. Just be real, be yourself, and talk to Him wherever you are without hiding from His presence.

Prayer: Heavenly Father I thank You today for Your mercy. I pray that You draw my heart to You and teach me to hear Your voice clearly. May Your will be done, in my life. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray.

Bible Fun Fact: Amen means basically “so be it.”

 

 

Daily Wisdom: Galatians 5:16

 

Passion for Praise: ‘Joyful!’

 

Spiritual Warfare: ‘Love God, Be Loyal, and Follow All His Directions’

God’s Power for Our Battles

Today’s Prayer

Lord, most of my life I have lived to please myself. But from here on, Lord, I want to live to please You. I love You above all else and all others. Teach me Your ways, Lord, and reveal Your plan for me as I read Your Word and try my best to follow all Your commands and instructions. Above all else, Lord, I want to be known as being loyal to You. And from now on I will trust You to make a way for me through this life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

A Year with Jesus: ‘Stand Firm’

Note from Jesus

Dear Believer,

Paul was confident that he taught the truth I wanted the Thessalonians to know. He claimed the authority of an apostle, an emissary sent by Me, yet he ministered with the loving touch of a tender parent (1 Thessalonians 2:4-12) and a protective shepherd. Paul was aware that there were many who would steer these new disciples astray with false teaching or use persecution to try to intimidate these new believers so that they would abandon their faith. The Thessalonians faced both of these forms of the evil one’s opposition to their faith, yet there were still faithful disciples there!

Paul lived in the same world as these disciples did. He also faced bitter opposition from false teachers, and he endured persecution from opponents to My message. So while he was confident in his authority as an apostle and teacher, he also recognized his own need for the prayer support of these new believers.

As Paul wrote to the Thessalonians a second time, the intensity of every issue was turned up a notch or two compared to when he wrote his first letter to them. Persecution was worse. False teaching was more apparent. Laziness and idleness among believers were worse. Paul’s authority and motives were more deeply questioned. Questions about My coming in glory still remained. But Paul carried his loving and supportive tone throughout his second letter. His confidence was in Our — Father, Son, and Spirit’s — work among these new believers. Paul was quick to affirm the good things these new disciples were doing even as he acknowledged the difficult things they were facing and the hurtful things they had done.

Underneath Paul’s message, he pointed to three things he trusted:

1. His confidence in the message he preached and taught: “[A]ll you need to do now is stand firm and hold tight to the line of teachings we have passed on to you, whether in person or in a letter.”
2. His confidence in the Father’s work: “[T]he Lord is true to His promises; He will hold you up and guard you against the evil one. We do not doubt the Lord’s intentions for you…”
3. His confidence in these new believers: “[W]e are confident that you are carrying out, and will continue to carry out, the commands we are sending your way.”

As you look at the challenges to faith in your time, what is the basis of your confidence? How are you going to help encourage the faith of those new disciples around you and those whose faith is weak or beginning to fail? I want you to do more than see what Paul did to bless these new disciples; I want you to be looking for new or struggling disciples to encourage and bless!

Verses to Live

Feel the love and the longing Paul has for these new believers as he writes them. Paul fills this letter with words of assurance, challenge, comfort, and confidence.

We cannot help but thank God for you at all times, because from the beginning He handpicked you for salvation through the Spirit’s sanctifying work and your belief in the truth. He called you to this when we shared our good news with you. Now you can take part in the glory of our Lord Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King. So, brothers and sisters, all you need to do now is stand firm and hold tight to the line of teachings we have passed on to you, whether in person or in a letter.
(2 Thessalonians 2:13-15)

Brothers and sisters, having shared all this, let me ask you to pray for us. Pray that this message of the Lord will spread quickly and receive the praise and respect it deserves from others as it has with you. Pray also that we would all be rescued from the snares of harmful, wicked people — after all, not all people are believing. Still, the Lord is true to His promises; He will hold you up and guard you against the evil one. We do not doubt the Lord’s intentions for you; we are confident that you are carrying out, and will continue to carry out, the commands we are sending your way.
(2 Thessalonians 3:1-4)

Response in Prayer

Father, I am touched by Paul’s way of speaking to these new believers. I am reminded of several new believers that I need to encourage and support as they seek to grow in Jesus. Open my eyes to see new or struggling believers You want me to encourage and bless. Spirit, please give me the right attitude and the right words and demeanor to help them. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Illustration

 

 

Without Intimacy With Jesus, We Will All Be Spiritual Schizophrenics

10:00AM EDT 8/2/2019 BERT FARIAS

(Pexels/Flickr)

There are many things that will rob, steal and plunder our love and affection for the Lord Jesus. It is not just obvious sins and acts of carnality and disobedience which spoil us of the nearness of His presence, but it is also the good and acceptable things, which while having their proper place in the Christian life, have a tendency to make one devoid of the real mind of Christ. Such things as meetings, communions, baptisms, buildings, programs, doctrines, finances or other things that concern the church and ministry system, apart from the mind of Christ, will dry up the real heart of the Christian life. Often it’s these very things that rob us of the hallowing intimacy which we are to experience with God’s throne of grace and seat of mercy.

Here is the question we must ask ourselves in evaluating our love and devotion to God: What are we doing on the inside? Where, or toward what, are we directing our will and desire? That is what marks our life in relation to God. This Scripture gives us a sober warning:

“Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.” (John 5:21, TLB)

We are admonished in Scripture to guard our hearts (Prov. 4:23), to seek God with our whole heart (Ps. 119:2), to sanctify the Lord in our hearts (1 Pet. 3:15), to return to our first love (Rev. 2:4-5), and to beware of being cheated in our relationship to Christ (Col. 2:8). There are a lot of things we can do in this life to gain success, wealth, prestige, a name and reputation, a church and a ministry, but there’s nothing more fulfilling to the human heart than having an intimate, personal and growing relationship with the Lord Jesus.

Here is another reason why we must find time, especially as ministers, to get away with God.

Intimacy, the Cure for the Imitation of Men

“Therefore, knowing that they would come and take Him by force to make Him king, Jesus departed to a mountain by Himself alone” (John 6:15, MEV).

The world had no influence whatsoever on our high priest. He didn’t need men to give Him authority. Publicity and popularity were never His goal.

More than once, Jesus warned others not to make Him known (Matt. 12:16). The moonlight, not the spotlight, was the highlight in Jesus’ ministry. He spent many nights and early mornings alone in prayer.

The mountain was His preference. It was there that He secured the Father’s presence. It was there that He made His choices while blocking out other voices. It was there where He was given new manna for each new day.

This is where Jesus received His authority.

Priests (ministers and saints), hearken! If you do not spend time with God alone, you will always be a clone. You will clone ministry ideas, visions and strategies from others. You will copy and imitate the gifts and graces of others. Your authority will only come from man. You will drink from someone else’s well (anointing). You will steal someone else’s word. You will be a spiritual schizophrenic.

Fresh manna every day will result in doing things God’s way. Fresh bread bakes in the oven of fresh fellowship. You will always have hot bread (messages) for yourself and to serve the people.

Many of God’s priests have not worn their garments well. They have neglected the lot and portion of their lives and ministries, who is the Lord Himself. Instead of the Spirit’s incubation giving them fresh revelation, they allow insecurity and intimidation to produce a soulish imitation void of God’s power. In making their own plans and choosing their own course, they invite a spirit of divorce to come between themselves and the Lord.

A glad reunion awaits them, if they would only turn to the Lord with all their hearts. Intimacy with God is the cure for the imitation of men.

Bert Farias’ books are forerunners to personal holiness, the move of God and the return of the Lord. They also combat the departure from the faith and turning away from the truth we are seeing in our day. Cleansing the Temple is his most recent release. You can follow him personally on Facebook, his Facebook ministry page, orTwitter.

 

 

Prophetic Word: Everything Is About to Fall Into Place

Author Joe Dawson

The Spirit of the Lord spoke to me and said, “Everything is about to fall into place.” I asked the Lord if He was speaking this to just me, or if this was a word for many other people. The Lord immediately spoke to me, and I knew this was a word for so many people in the body of Christ in this hour.

Many have been through years of difficult circumstances, faced roadblock after roadblock and withstood intense spiritual warfare. The delay you’ve been experiencing has left you weary, discouraged and wondering, God, when am I going to get my breakthrough?

My friends, this is your season! This is a season where everything is about to fall into place. As breakthrough comes and things are falling into place you will be able to look back and see what God was doing the whole time. Past seasons of trial, tribulation and delay will make sense in light of what God is about to do in your life!

Everything God has promised you is coming to pass, and everything you need to move forward toward your destiny is falling into place. God wants to move you forward in the season.

As He moves you forward, the delay that has kept you from your promises will be broken, and you will get take hold of what you have been believing for so many years! This is a season to advance. Go after all that God has called you to and draw near to Him in this season.

In this season, you will see all of those things that you never could figure out how it would happen will begin to fall into place. Make fresh decrees and declarations over all of the prophetic words God has given you.

When the apostles were in the upper room on the day of Pentecost, the Bible says that “Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven” (Acts 2:2a). They had been praying in the upper room for 10 days straight, but then their “suddenly” moment came, and everything changed in a moment!

It may feel like you’ve been stuck in the pit, hitting the same roadblocks and going around the same mountain for years, but those things you have been praying for are going to suddenly manifest in your life. Sudden solutions are coming to the situations you can’t seem to figure out.

Breakthroughs are suddenly coming to those things you have been praying for. When you are in the perfect timing of God, what used to take you an hour will only take you 10 minutes. This is a season where things are falling into place, and things that have been difficult will suddenly come to pass.

The wind of God is going to hit what you have put your hands to, and delay will be broken off of your life! This is a season to advance with confidence because everything is falling into place!

Joe Joe Dawson is the founder and apostle of Roar Apostolic Network and Roar Church in Texarkana, Texas. Joe Joe is married to the love of his life, Autumn Dawson, and they have three children. The Dawsons teach a lifestyle of revival and awakening. Joe Joe is a visionary leader who empowers believers to accomplish the call that God has placed inside of them.

 

How Our Nightmares Can Reveal Godly Wisdom

Author Charity Virkler Kayembe

Yes, God can reveal His wisdom to us through nightmares. 

For God speaks once, yes twice, yet man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, in slumber on their beds, then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction, that He might turn aside man from his purpose, and conceal pride from man.

He keeps back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword … Behold, God works all these things, twice, three times with man, to bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living (Job 33:14-18, 29-30).

At times, God has repeatedly warned me that something is dangerous, but I’ve been a little rebellious and didn’t believe Him. I think, I’ve got this. I decide that maybe I can actually play with fire and not get burned.

So even though God keeps telling me, “Hey, don’t spend too much time getting involved with this person. This path leads where you don’t want to go!” Somehow, in my pride and selfishness, I think I know better and that I might be able to handle it just this one time.

In addition to spoken warnings during the day, God also gives me picture warnings at night. Dreams are much harder for me to ignore or deny—especially intense dreams, like nightmares.

Can God speak through them? Sure. He can. God will give me the same message: “Danger, watch out!” But the difference is, I’m living it. I am not just hearing Him say, “Going any farther down this road will lead to trouble and pain.” Instead, I’m dreaming it. I am actually going down that road—or in my case, it was a river.

Whitewater Terror

In my dream, I’m being carried quickly down a violent river. I was not in a raft; I was all by myself, and I was being tossed about the whitewater from rapid to rapid. I was totally out of control and could do nothing about it. It was scary and dangerous, and I was terrified. My heart was pounding; my hands were shaking, and I knew it was going to end very badly.

I wake up. God says, “See, told you.” I’m clearly distraught, and He calmly explains, “Well, if you would have listened to Me the first `0 times I told you in waking life, I wouldn’t have had to scream it in your heart at night.” Point taken.

Dreams are pictures that we live. We feel them. We can’t tell the difference between something we are dreaming and something that happens in waking life. That is why we sometimes wake up with sweaty palms and racing hearts. For all our bodies know, we really did just live that experience.

Not only are our physical bodies influenced by dreams; our emotions are also fully engaged. God can even fast-forward and let us experience during our night visions the future consequences of the path we’re considering taking. He does this as a blessing for us, to help make the message palpable so that we don’t miss it and disobey. He wants us to get on His best path and stay on it, following His perfect plans.

Pictures evoke emotion, and emotion moves us to action. Experiencing emotion is an extraordinary benefit of dreams, and we should always be mindful of the feelings we have in them. Dreams exaggerate to get our attention. They will also reoccur if we ignore their messages to us.

Face the Fear

Another reason we may experience nightmares is because they are the cry of an unhealed heart asking us to apply the prayer ministries of inner healing and deliverance to the areas of need within us. The next example illustrates this and comes from one of our CLU students, Karyn Pearson.

Pre-Ministry Dream: “I had a frightening reoccurring dream for 30 years. The dream was always about me running and hiding from a man. Sometimes it was someone else who was running and trying to hide; however, by the time I woke up, the person running would have morphed into me.”

Setting: “The dream changed after receiving prayer in waking life during a revival meeting at my church. The Lord ministered to me powerfully, and upon leaving the church, I knew I had been delivered from a spirit but didn’t know which one—until my dream that night.”

Post-Ministry Dream: “It started out the same way with someone chasing me; however, this time I turned around to face him and pointed to him, saying, ‘No! I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.’ I have not had that dream since!”

Action: “Running”

Emotion: “Intense fear”

Interpretation: “The dream was revealing the scream of my heart. I grew up in an alcoholic home with lots of fighting and violence. My father would physically beat my mother while he screamed at her. The Lord showed me that when the beatings would start, I would run for cover to escape him. This traumatic time opened a door in my life to the spirit of fear, which was often played out in this nightmare. However, after the Lord delivered me from fear the dreams completely stopped!”

Job Was Right

Praise God for His revelation through our dreams—even the “bad” ones. We want to remember that just because a dream is frightening doesn’t mean it’s not from God. When the Lord established His covenant with Abram, the Bible says that as deep sleep came upon the patriarch, “terror and a great darkness fell upon him” as well (Gen. 15:12). Likewise, when Jacob awoke from his dream of the heavenly ladder, he, too, was afraid (see Gen. 28:17). Obviously those dream encounters, scary as they may have been, were most certainly from God.

Job was right: While we are asleep in our beds God opens our ears and instructs us through our dreams at night to turn us back from the pit of destruction and to enlighten us with the light of life.

Charity Virkler Kayembe has a doctorate in biblical studies, is passionate about the sacred supernatural and writes about the unfolding adventure that is walking by the Spirit on her blog at GloryWaves.org. She has been featured on Sid Roth’s It’s Supernatural!,Cornerstone TV, Charisma magazine and The Elijah List. Charity is the co-author of four books, including Hearing God Through Your Dreams, Unleashing Healing Power Through Spirit-Born Emotions and Everyday Angels.

 

 

 

One Habit That Can Change Your Life – Now and Forever

By Rebecca Barlow Jordan

What if I told you about one habit that can change your life in almost every area? What is one thing, one simple application, one decision–five words–that can make your life better?

This One Habit That Can Change Your Life Is No Secret

That one habit is really not a secret. David the Psalmist discovered and wrote about it in Psalm 56:3 NKJV: Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. David knew what it meant to be afraid, and he knew what it meant to trust God.

You guessed it. You spell the habit that can change your life,  T-R-U-S-T.

Can You Trust in Every Situation?

Recently I meditated on that verse and wondered, what if I applied that same habit to every problem and every negative emotion I encountered daily? What if I could learn to trust God in every situation?

We already know how human we are. So does God. He made us. But simply being aware of that one habit, of applying that one truth could help us win some daily battles. And we all know how those dailies lead up to weekly and monthly and yearly failures if we simply ignore and give in.

The Trust Challenge

So I’m giving you a “Trust Challenge.” Make your own list of negative emotions or habits that need work, or areas in which you want to rely on God more. Then place an “I will trust (in God)” after it. Replace something negative with the positive habit of trusting. I’ve listed some examples below:

Whenever I’m afraid, I will trust in God.

Whenever I’m confused, I will trust in God.

Whenever I’m tired, I will trust in God.

Whenever I’m weak, I will trust in God

Whenever I’m lonely, I will trust in God.

Whenever I’m tempted, I will trust in God.

Whenever I’m angry, I will trust in God.

Whenever I’m discouraged, I will trust in God.

Whenever I’m disappointed, I will trust in God.

Whenever I’m hurting, I will trust in God.

Whenever I’m sick, I will trust in God.

Whenever I’m worried, I will trust in God.

Whenever I fail, I will trust in God.

I added that last one to help you whenever you blow it trying to trust. And you will. But keep trusting. God is faithful. He can be trusted. And He wants to help you.

This One Habit That Can Change Your Life Is a Positive Choice

We’re not talking about positive thinking, but a personal commitment, a positive choice. This one habit that can change your life can bring a peaceful attitude and a sense of freedom in your spirit. Practice it often. You can’t control your circumstances. You can’t change other people.  And you can’t change yourself. Only God can do that. But you can change your perspective, how you handle difficulties, and how you approach life. You can decide to trust the only One who can make sense out of anything and everything. Trust God. In everything. In every way. All the time. Simply TRUST. And let God do the rest.

It can change your life. He can change your life.

My Personal Prayer for You

Lord, we give in so easily to the difficulties that surround us. Worry or fear can easily overwhelm us, and lead us away from trusting You. Yet in Your wisdom and love, You have given us every reason to trust You. You hold the keys to life and happiness. In You we can find peace and courage to overcome any obstacle. Help us develop a trust in You at all times, because You never fail us!

Day-votedly Yours,

Rebecca

Your might also enjoy this post I wrote called, A Prayer for Peace Within.  

It’s Your Turn

What about you? What situations make it hard for you to trust God? Will you accept the Trust Challenge today? I love to hear from readers. You can always write me through my contact page. Just fill out the basic name and address info, and then the email will come to me. We’ll never share your name or info with anyone without your permission.

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Welcome!

 

 

Daily Prayer for July 21

My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young – a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Psalm 84:2–4, NIV

Lord God, our souls long for you and for your glory, for the day when it shall be said, “All is accomplished! Now your kingdom comes. Now your day appears. When we look back on all that has happened to us, everything becomes clear.” We thank you that we can live without fear, again and again refreshed and renewed, waiting for the good you give on earth. Show us the way we have to go. Grant your blessing in our hearts so that in need and death, in fear and distress, we may always have light and strength. You are our salvation, Lord our God. From you comes the salvation of our souls. We trust you today and every day. We praise your name, and in you we hope for the day you hold in readiness for the whole world, the day when light will dawn in every heart. Amen.

 

 

Daily Dig for July 21

Anna Mow

The big obstacle to God’s grace is bitterness. Some people complain because they are not blessed by God as others have been. They do not realize that in thinking of themselves, they open the door to bitterness and close it to God’s grace. No matter what happens, we dare never be bitter or resentful.

Source: Two or Ninety Two

 

 

Today’s Verse Illustrated…

 

 

Daily Wisdom:

 

Passion for Praise: ‘You Alone are My Hope’

 

Spiritual Warfare: ‘Who Are You Trying to Please?’

God’s Power for Our Battles

Lord, forgive me for focusing on my popularity with people instead of my work as a servant of Christ and of Your Kingdom. I confess that I’ve often neglected my duties as a Christian in order to win favor and approval of the people around me and this present world. I don’t want to live like that anymore. Help me to seek to please You from here on, asking You each day about what I can do for the Kingdom, Lord, and grant me the courage to accomplish Your will for my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Illustration

 

A Year with Jesus: ‘God’s New Creation Counts for Everything’

Note from Jesus

Dear Faithful Friend,

I told My disciples in the last few hours before My crucifixion, “I don’t call you servants any longer; servants don’t know what the master is doing, but I have told you everything the Father has said to Me. I call you friends” (John 15:15). To some of My friends, I revealed deeper things in special revelation to give them the authority to teach the good news about Me in all of its simple truth. The apostle Paul was one of these special people. The Father revealed Me to Paul so that he could proclaim My story, share My grace, and bring My salvation to “outsider nations.”

Paul didn’t learn this message from any mortal (Galatians 1:11-17; Galatians 2:1-10). He didn’t get the details of the gospel from the apostles or any other witnesses. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul was battling to preserve this authoritative message about the Father’s grace. The Galatians were trying to add Jewish practices to the gospel — practices established in the law given to Moses and other practices added by tradition. Paul was right in adamantly declaring that any gospel that added requirements to the gospel of grace received through faith is really no gospel at all (Galatians 1:6-9).

Finding new life in Me and becoming a “new creation” come only from being “in” Me. Paul told the Corinthians:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
(2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV)

Paul made it clear to the Galatians that this “new creation” happened through faith and was experienced in baptism. This new life could not come through any form of law-keeping or doings works of the law of Moses:

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
(Galatians 3:26-29 NIV)

During our continuing journey through the New Testament over the next few months, you will see time and again that people will try to add some additional requirement to My simple gospel. Thankfully, Paul never abandoned what the Father had revealed in him (Galatians 1:15-16): I AM the good news the world needs. I AM “the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NLT). So Paul reminded his Galatian brothers and sisters at both the beginning and the end of his letter that there is only one gospel, the one delivered to him from God about Me. Paul also reminded the Galatians that there is only one thing that ultimately matters: “God’s new creation is what counts, and it counts for everything.”

Verses to Live

As you read these seemingly unconnected passages from the beginning and the end of Galatians, remember what I said about one, simple, and transformational message. There is only one. That message finds its focus in Me. When I come into a person’s life, I make everything new. This change is what matters!

Surely you are familiar with my personal history, with my dedication to the teachings and traditions of Judaism. I persecuted the church of God — in fact, I meant to destroy it. I excelled in the teachings of Judaism far above other Jewish leaders, and I was zealous to practice the ways of our ancestors. But God — Who set me apart even before birth and called me by His grace — chose, to His great delight, to reveal His Son in me so I could tell His story among the outsider nations. I didn’t confer with anyone right away, nor did I go to those who were already emissaries in Jerusalem. I went straight to Arabia and later returned to Damascus.

After living this adventurous mission for three years, I made my way to Jerusalem and spent 15 days with Cephas, whom you know as Peter. But I didn’t see any emissary other than James, our Lord’s brother. (You can be certain that what I am offering you is an authentic account. Before God, it’s the whole truth — I wouldn’t lie.) Later I journeyed to Syria and Cilicia; and since I had spent so little time in Judea among the churches of the Anointed One, no one there could pick me out of a crowd. But stories of my call and mission preceded me: “The very man who wanted to kill us all is now preaching the faith he once labored to destroy.” And so they praised God for the miracle He did in my life.
(Galatians 1:13-24)

The troublemakers who are putting pressure on you to be circumcised are trying to impress the flesh. They want to avoid the persecution that comes from preaching the cross of the Anointed One, the Liberating King. But even those who receive circumcision can’t keep the law — although they think they can — and they hope to influence which way you go with your own skin so they can have bragging rights over your flesh.

May I never put anything above the cross of our Lord Jesus the Anointed. Through Him, the world has been crucified to me and I to this world. Let me be clear: circumcision won’t save you — uncircumcision won’t either for that matter — for both amount to nothing. God’s new creation is what counts, and it counts for everything. May peace and mercy come to all of you who live by this rule and to the Israel of God.
(Galatians 6:12-16)

Response in Prayer

Father, forgive me for the times I’ve added requirements to the simple, pure, and powerful gospel about Jesus. Thank You that Your gospel is so simple, clear, and focused. Thank You for Jesus Who makes this message Your powerful and simple truth that brings new life. I thank You in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Illustration

 

 

The Daily Word of Hope Devotional

—Dion Todd

A Wonderful Life

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. Let endurance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2 WEB

My Dad was born during the great depression in the early 1930s. They had no electricity or running water in the rural areas where he grew up. There was no refrigeration, so they had to carry blocks of ice from the ice house in order to keep things cool in a cellar. Money was scarce. No one in the area had a telephone, and the family shared an outhouse. They had none of what most of us take for granted…but they were happy.

It was a hard life, but there was an incredible generation of people that came out of that era. When times became hard, the people adapted and became tough. The other side of the coin is that like a child, when life becomes too easy, we tend to become spoiled, unthankful, and unhappy. Bored.

We often think that if we had such and such, then we would be happy. The reality is that seventy percent of the people that win the lottery, end badly. Many commit suicide, and their divorce rate is four times that of the national average. That doesn’t sound that happy.

Many people are having it tough today and are going through so much just to live, but these trials will only make you better. You will become a wiser, stronger, better person when you come out the other side, and eventually you will. We need to learn to be content wherever we are like Paul wrote about in Philippians 4:12.

We watched a documentary recently on happiness and after a careful study, they found that your circumstances only account for ten percent of your total happiness level. After your basic needs were met like food, water, and shelter, adding more belongings made little difference. Possessions have diminishing returns. Their studies showed that people who lived in poverty in third world countries, were often happier than people living in a mansion in America.

It turns out that pursuing happiness directly, only made it more elusive. While things like helping others, resulted in a huge happiness boost. It is better to give than to receive. When people focused less on themselves and on their own needs, it actually caused them to be happier in life.

I felt that it went right along with scripture. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Give, and it will be given unto you. Pray for others, and your own circumstances will change. So seek the happiness of others, and your own happiness will improve.

When your faith is stretched, it will come back stronger. Just like you have to stress a muscle to make it grow, so does your faith. Don’t get too stressed out in the hard times. Pace yourself. When you burn a candle at both ends, it will not last very long. Learn to be content where you are, for you already have a wonderful life.

Prayer: Heavenly Father I thank You today for the wonderful life that You have given me. I appreciate all that You have blessed me with. Please help me see through Your eyes and impress on me what really matters. Make what is important to You, important to me. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray.

Bible Fun Fact: Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kg 11:3

 

 

Prophetic Word: God Is Releasing a New Measure to Break Off Your Limitations

God does not want his children “just getting by.” (Rawpixel/Pexels.com)

The Lord has been speaking to me recently about a new measure. As I was in prayer, the Lord spoke to me about a new measure that He is releasing to individuals in the body of Christ.

I believe that this new measure is an opportunity for us to get rid of limitations we have placed on ourselves. This new measure is coming to break off any limitations we have placed on what God can do in us, our families, health, finances, ministries, businesses and lives! There is no limit or measure to what God can do and wants to do in every area of your life.

Recently, the Lord spoke to me about breaking the lack off the people in our ministry. I immediately knew that this was a charge not just for us but for the whole body of Christ. God wants His children to quit “just getting by.” As people of God, we need to challenge the way we have thought about finances. God does not just want us to be blessed but for us to step out of lack and be a blessing to those around us and others in the kingdom of God.

We have placed limitations on ourselves to “just get by,” but this new measure cannot come if we continue to think this way. You may have limited yourself before or become dull and stale, but it is time for a new measure. I don’t know what old system or mindset you have been using to measure yourself or your life with, but there is a new measure! The new measure comes from the kingdom of God. There is no lack, sickness or failure in the kingdom of God.

When I was younger, I played softball with a traveling team. I was talking to a professional softball player one time, and he said, “Joe, what are you aiming for when you hit the ball?” I answered, “The fence.” Then he said, “Joe, you do not need to be aiming for the fence. If you aim for the fence, you’ll hit it just over or just before. See, the trees behind the fence?” I said, “Yes sir.” He said, “Aim for the trees behind the fence.”

What was this man teaching me? You can only go as far as you aim. There is no limit to what you can do as long as you don’t limit yourself. It’s time to aim higher than we ever have before. It’s time to get out of our own way and step into the new measure. It’s not time to swing for the fences, it’s time to swing for the trees. It’s time to live without any limitations and receive the new measure!

Joe Joe Dawson is the founder and apostle of Roar Apostolic network and Roach Church Texarkana. Joe Joe is a visionary leader who empowers believers to accomplish the call that God has placed inside of them. His heart is to see this nation awakened and for every individual to experience personal revival.

 

 

 

How to Handle Struggles in Life

By Rebecca Barlow Jordan on Jul 18, 2019 08:00 am

How do you handle struggles in life? Should you deny them? What does God want you to do? How does He feel about them?

No matter what your struggles are in life or how difficult they may be, here are some promises from God’s word to encourage you.

You have seen me tossing and turning through the night. You have collected all my tears and preserved them in your bottle! You have recorded every one in your book (Psalm 56:8 TLB).

This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers (1 Timothy 4:10 NLT).

You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope (Psalm 119:114 NLT).

I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us (Philippians 3:13-14 NLT).

Keep looking up, because God has so much more encouragement to offer in His Word!

My Personal Prayer for You

Lord Jesus, You have told us to expect struggles in life, but thank you for your promises of comfort and encouragement. Help us to keep our eyes on You, trusting you for the strength and the help to come through each one with victory. You are indeed our refuge and strength, and with You all things are possible. Our eyes are looking upward and outward to the end of the race, because one day You will meet us there. Thank You for catching our tears, for holding us up, and for never leaving us. You are amazing, God!

Day-votedly Yours,

Rebecca

You might also like these posts I wrote called, When the Only Place We Can Look Is Up, and Finding Faith When You Are Struggling.

It’s Your Turn

What about you? How do you handle struggles in life? Do you try to tough them out yourself, or do you lean on God and others for help? I love to hear from readers. You can always write me through my contact page. Just fill out the basic name and address info, and then the email will come to me. Your name or info will never be shared with anyone without your permission.

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Daily Humor

 

 

 

So Long!!  God bless!!!!

 

 

 

Good-bye, Son…Hello, New Daughter??

 

 

Daily Prayer for July 14

At that time I will answer the prayers of my people Israel. I will make rain fall on the earth, and the earth will produce grain and grapes and olives. I will establish my people in the land and make them prosper. I will show love to those who were called “Unloved,” and to those who were called “Not-My-People” I will say, “You are my people,” and they will answer, “You are our God.” Hosea 2:21–23, TEV

Lord our God, kindle true light in our hearts and minds, that we may recognize what we are and become free of everything false and dishonest. Let this light of righteousness, this judgment, go through all nations, that people no longer use empty words when they talk of “mercy” and “truth.” Grant that your mercy and your truth find the right soil and bear fruit. May they find soil prepared by you, for you judge us and make right what is wrong in our earthly life. We thank you that however painful many of our experiences are, we may still say, “Through how much need has not our merciful God spread out his wings to protect us!” Amen.

 

Daily Dig for July 14

Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt

Now, more than ever, we must proclaim, “The Lord is at hand!” We are part of this, quietly and actively, through our faith and expectation. It is enough for us to know that God is weaving his design in the warp and weft of the world. His goal will be reached, not just for this or that person, but for everyone.

Source: Everyone Belongs to God

 

The Daily Word of Hope Devotional

—Dion Todd

The Black Sheep

Out of that terrible travail of soul, he’ll see that it’s worth it and be glad he did it. Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant, will make many ‘righteous ones,’ as he himself carries the burden of their sins. Therefore I’ll reward him extravagantly’ the best of everything, the highest honors’Because he looked death in the face and didn’t flinch, because he embraced the company of the lowest. He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many, he took up the cause of all the black sheep. Isaiah 53:11 ESV

I grew up as the least of my family, who at the time was the least of another family. The youngest of thirteen kids and a stepchild on top of that. Every day, it was made clear that I did not belong there and never would.

Have you ever felt like the black sheep in the family? Made some mistakes, or maybe like me, you are the mistake and never able to get free of it? After enough pain we become closed off to the world.

Be encouraged. Jesus has friends in low places and He found me there. Jesus redeemed me, added me to His family and healed my heart. He took up the cause of troubled and hurting people and He will take your burden today if you will let Him.

Remember, today is the first day of the rest of your life. What you have been in the past is gone and you decide who you will be from this day forward. Remember that if you are a black sheep, your brightest days are still ahead of you!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I believe that You are there for me. When the world looks the other way, You still look my way. Help me to see the world through Your eyes, in the name of Jesus I pray.

 

Bible Fun Fact: Manasseh was the longest reigning king at 55 years (2 Kg 21:1).

 

 

Today’s Verse: 1 Timothy 5:1

Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

There is an eagerness, passion, and a clear sense of purpose that can go with being young — headstrong, untested, and rash is how some who are older might describe it. There is a surety with age because of tried and true methods proven over time — staid, predictable, and unmovable is how some who are younger might describe it. These differences can cause tension and conflict; yet both have something to be learned from the other. No matter how mistaken an older Christian may be, he or she should be treated with the respect that comes from a life proven in faith. But older Christians must also be willing to receive correction from a younger one, especially if it is done prayerfully by a young believer who has demonstrated his humility, love, and respect toward those who are older.

My Prayer…

O Eternal Father, God of my ancestors’ history and the assurance of my future, please help me be a person of integrity, especially when I deal with those who are not of my age group. May I be respectful and careful with my tone as I speak with those who are older. May I be pliable and open to change when confronted with my errors by those who are younger. Most of all, Father, please lead those people into my life who will love me enough to forgive my errors and also love me enough to point them out to me and to help me grow beyond them. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

 

Passion for Praise: ‘All You Servants of the Lord’

 

Spiritual Warfare: ‘God’s Power Over Death for Us!’

God’s Power for Our Battles

Today’s Prayer

Lord God, I praise You as Creator and Lord of all the earth — even with the total power over death and the grave. When death threatens my own live, Lord, remind me that I need not fear it because You are the One with the ultimate power and control — even over death itself. Remind me that the last enemy to be destroyed and removed is death (1 Corinthians 15:26), and that death is not the end; but rather just a transition toward eternal life in heaven forever with You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

A Year with Jesus: ‘A Clear Command’

Note from Jesus

Dear Lover of God,

During My earthly ministry, I was asked: “which commandment is the greatest?” (Matthew 22:36). Quoting Old Testament Scriptures, My reply was

“‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”
(Matthew 22:37-39 NLT)

In this two-part answer, it is essential to remember that the first part, loving God, is the basis for the second part, loving your neighbor. As John said,

We love because He [God] has first loved us. If someone claims, “I love God,” but hates his brother or sister, then he is a liar. Anyone who does not love a brother or sister, whom he has seen, cannot possibly love God, whom he has never seen. He gave us a clear command, that all who love God must also love their brothers and sisters.
(1 John 4:19-21)

Sometimes theologians make things so much more complex than they really are. They did it in My day when I walked the streets of Galilee, Judea, and Samaria. Some still do it in your day. However, as John said, here’s “a clear command”:

“Love your neighbor as yourself”!

This command is what I want to emphasize today and what I want you to live in your life every day.

Arrogance, prejudice against the foreigners, bigotry toward other races, playing favorites based on earthly status, judging people by their appearances, murder, adultery, and covetousness can all be countered by a simple, yet profound, concept:

“Love your neighbor as yourself”!

This command is the Father’s royal law. This order is the law that gives you freedom. This charge is the only debt you should ever owe anyone. Faithfully living this one principle satisfies the heart of the law as you live in relationship with others with the righteous character and gracious compassion of your Father in heaven!

Remembering this principle is important because I care deeply about how you talk to each other and how you talk about each other and how you interact with each other. How you treat those on the margins of your society matters deeply to Me. Whether you care for the widows, orphans, and foreigners among you reveals how closely your heart is aligned with My heart. How you treat the poor, hungry, imprisoned, sick, and those without shelter matters to Me immensely. I care so deeply about these things and these people that your treatment of them will be one of the ways you will be judged to be My disciples on the last day (Matthew 25:31-46).

So practice love and mercy! Give graciously to those in need. Speak blessings and not curses into the lives of those around you. The list could go on and on, but I don’t need to get so specific. I want to remind you again of a clear command, pure and simple. Don’t just know the words, but evaluate how you treat everyone by this standard:

“Love your neighbor as yourself”!

Verses to Live

As I’ve already emphasized, what I want you to understand from the following verses is really pretty simple: “Love your neighbor as yourself”! The Father said it in the law. I said it in My ministry. James and John taught it in their writings. The apostle Paul proclaimed it repeatedly in his letters. So quit quibbling over the details of Scripture. Live the heart of Your Savior. Reflect the character of your Father in heaven. Display the fruit the Spirit longs to bring into your life. Obey this clear command: “Love your neighbor as yourself”!

If you put yourself on a pedestal, thinking you have become a role model in all things religious, but you can’t control your mouth, then think again. Your mouth exposes your heart, and your religion is useless. Real, true religion from God the Father’s perspective is about caring for the orphans and widows who suffer needlessly and resisting the evil influence of the world.

My brothers and sisters, I know you’ve heard this before, but stop playing favorites! Do not try to blend the genuine faith of our glorious Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, with your silly pretentiousness. If an affluent gentleman enters your gathering wearing the finest clothes and priceless jewelry, don’t trip over each other trying to welcome him. And if a penniless bum crawls in with his shabby clothes and a stench fills the room, don’t look away or pretend you didn’t notice — offer him a seat up front, next to you. If you tell the wealthy man, “Come sit by me; there’s plenty of room,” but tell the vagrant, “Oh, these seats are saved. Go over there,” then you’ll be judging God’s children out of evil motives.

My dear brothers and sisters, listen: God has picked the poor of this world to become unfathomably rich in faith and ultimately to inherit the Kingdom, which He has pledged to those who love Him. By favoring the rich, you have mocked the poor. And, correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t it the rich who step on you while climbing the ladder of success? And isn’t it the rich who take advantage of you and drag you into court? Aren’t they the ones mocking the noble name of our God, the One calling us?

Remember His call, and live by the royal law found in Scripture: love others as you love yourself. You’ll be doing very well if you can get this down.
(James 1:26-27; James 2:1-8)

Don’t owe anyone anything, with the exception of love to one another — that is a debt which never ends because the person who loves others has fulfilled the law. The commands given to you in the Scriptures — do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not take what is not yours, do not covet — and any other command you have heard are summarized in God’s instruction: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Does love hurt anyone? Absolutely not. In fact, love achieves everything the law requires.
(Romans 13:8-10)

For the whole law comes down to this one instruction: “Love your neighbor as yourself…”
(Galatians 5:14)

But if you show favoritism — paying attention to those who can help you in some way, while ignoring those who seem to need all the help — you’ll be sinning and condemned by the law. For if a person could keep all of the laws and yet break just one; it would be like breaking them all. The same God Who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also says, “Do not murder.” If you break either of these commands, you’re a lawbreaker, no matter how you look at it. So live your life in such a way that acknowledges that one day you will be judged. But the law that judges also gives freedom, although you can’t expect to be shown mercy if you refuse to show mercy. But hear this: mercy always wins against judgment! Thank God!
(James 2:9-13)

Response in Prayer

O Father, open My heart to love others, especially those in need, as You have loved me. O Jesus, thank You for showing me this kind of love in action through Your earthly ministry. Holy Spirit, keep pouring love into my heart so that it overflows into the lives others. I commit to love my neighbor as I love myself. I ask for your help to live Your righteous character and holy compassion in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

 

No One Ever Said No Problem It’s easy to read past Bible warnings about idolatry. Few of us worship graven images. No one has ever visited me and asked for help with their idol-worship problem. No one ever said, “I struggle with idolatry.” Pray for the the Holy Spirit to convict us of whatever it is that draws us away from the cross.
	Blessings, Dr. Steve Greene

Did You Ask Someone to Smile Today? Smile for the Selfie I’ve been so tempted to take selfie pictures on my vacation. Then I thought, Who would really care? Do my selfies add any value to the content I produce? Nope. While we live in the selfie generation, we aren’t required to be of it. Take pictures of others. Ask them to smile. It might be their first of the day.
	Blessings, Dr. Steve Greene

 

 

Chief of Sinners     

Why would the apostle Paul, a man who according to every scriptural record lived an impeccable and godly life, refer to himself as the chief of sinners? Is there a part of his life we know nothing about? Or (as some insist) did he have a secret besetting sin? Did he truly consider himself the worst of the worst, or was he just expressing false humility? When considering all the sinners he helped bring to Jesus Christ through his ministry, how could he still consider himself the chief?

When we look at the scriptural record of Paul the apostle, the idea that he had a secret or besetting sin is absurd. If he did, we should discard everything he wrote that we call scripture because his worst besetting sin would have been hypocrisy. Look at some of his words in reference to himself.

“For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness: Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others…” I Thessalonians 2:5-6

“Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe:” I Thessalonians 2:10

“But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” II Corinthians 4:2

Paul manifested the gospel he preached in every way; in heart, in life, in action, and in the power of the Spirit. He was not a hypocrite. He preached what he believed; and what he believed was the secret of the godly and victorious life he lived. It was Christ living in him!

Before he came to Christ, all evidence is that he was a sincere and devoted man. In fact he did not commit sin, as he understood it to be. After becoming an apostle he referred to his life before his conversion to Jesus, saying, “…touching the righteousness which is in the law, (I was) blameless.” Philippians 3:6. He was devoted to the Jewish faith, zealous of the Law, and highly regarded by others. Galatians 1:14. Even as an apostle, he reminded Peter that before believing in Jesus, they as Jews had not been sinners like the gentiles. Galatians 2:15. So what was it that caused this man to refer to himself as chief of sinners? To understand the truth sometimes we have to read more than just three words.

“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” I Timothy 1:12-15

Paul’s claim of being the chief of sinners is based upon what he did before he surrendered to Jesus Christ. Just two sentences prior to calling himself chief of sinners, he reminded us that he “…was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious:”Even though he “did it ignorantly in unbelief” he still did not excuse himself. Paul told the believers at Corinth “For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” I Corinthians 15:9.

As Paul gave witness before King Agrippa, he had this to say: “…many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.” Acts 26:10-11. Paul never downplayed or whitewashed his horrible actions. He was open and honest about what he had done.

How could someone do such horrible things “ignorantly in unbelief”? The answer to that question is found in the Law of Moses. Under the Law it was commanded: “And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him…” Leviticus 24:16. When Paul (Saul of Tarsus) approved the stoning of Stephen, the charges were that Stephen “…ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law…” Acts 6:13-14. Saul of Tarsus believed his persecution of the church was fulfilling the righteous judgement of God against blasphemers. As an apostle he would look back on his zeal for God under the Law saying, “…Concerning zeal, persecuting the church.” Philippians 3:6.

Paul’s words in the 7th chapter of Romans speak of his time of persecuting the church. As he gave himself to this mission of stopping the “blasphemers,” something began to work in him. Hatred for these “blasphemers” took hold and began to consume him. The scripture says Saul was “breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord…” Acts 9:1. Yet they did not respond with hate; just as Stephen used his last breaths to pray “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” Acts 7:60. Saul began to recognize that something was not right in his own heart, but when hatred and rage get a stronghold in you, it becomes the one in control. He said, “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.” Romans 7:15. Saul knew he was out of control, but he could do nothing to stop the rage that rose up from within. This “Jesus hater” who had been so righteous in his own sight finally began to realize that he was the one who was “carnal, sold under sin.” Romans 7:14.

When Paul surrendered to Jesus Christ, the grace of God washed the sin and hatred from his heart, life, and nature I Corinthians 15:10, but he never forgave himself for being a persecutor of the church. Can you imagine the effect on Paul, who suffered so much to reach the souls of men for Jesus Christ, when he considered those he had caused to be put to death for their faith in Jesus? Or what about those he had compelled to blaspheme the name of the Lord? Do you think Paul ever forgave himself for causing them to renounce their faith and damn their own souls? Paul’s heart must have been broken over and over again when he remembered these things. The love of Jesus Christ and the souls of men meant more to Paul than even his own soul Romans 9:3, yet he had once done everything in his power to destroy both. You would never convince him that among a world full of sinners whom Christ came to save, he was not the chief of them all!

God Bless,
Pastor Keith Surface
Calvary Outreach Ministries

 

 

 

 

NATIONAL NUDE DAY

On July 14th, laundry is unnecessary. It’s National Nude Day! Enjoy an air bath or explore the naturist movement.

National Nude Day is a way to keep cool on a hot, sticky summer day. Nudist groups around the world celebrate this holiday and take it quite seriously!  Nudists (also known as naturists) are not perverts, even though their desire to go “au natural” might be offensive to the conservative population!  Nudists are individuals who believe the human body is most beautiful in its natural state. Whether or not you agree with them, nudists encourage people to shed the restrictions of clothing and be natural.

Noted for enjoying the natural state, Benjamin Franklin would reportedly take air baths by the open window of his room allowing the fresh air to drift around his birthday suit.  The postmaster didn’t invent the naturist movement, nor did it take any particular nation by storm. Its observance is firmly planted during the middle the summer months of the Farmer’s Almanac for a good reason; the Northern Hemisphere doesn’t mess around in January!

Some of the obvious benefits of the lifestyle include lighter luggage when traveling for vacation and as mentioned before, smaller loads of laundry. There are other benefits, too. Without the shields of clothing, the wrinkles and sagging that comes with time cannot be camouflaged. Acceptance becomes very real and normal and reassuring.

However, wearing sunblock is still advisable during any outdoor activities. Watch out for poison ivy, oak, and sumac. Roses do have thorns, among many other plants and animals. When recommended, wear protective gear. Skateboarding comes to mind.

Other related events taking place in July include International Skinny Dipping Day and International Nude Recreation Week.

HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL NUDE DAY

However you chose to celebrate this holiday, avoid breaking any Public Decency Laws. Learn about clothing optional resorts and privacy fencing.  Post on social media using #NationalNudeDay.

HISTORY OF NATIONAL NUDE DAY

The founder of National Nude Day is unknown. However, the holiday has origins in New Zealand

 

 

On a personal note…

My son, Steven, recently moved out of our home and in with a girl he met years ago.  They live about 80 miles away now and won’t be able to visit much.  Though I miss him, I realize that he hasto make his own choices in life……so, I wish them luck and God’s blessings!!

 

 

 

Humor Time…

 

 

Loony Toons…

 

 

 

 

 

Let Freedom Ring!

 

Daily Prayer for July 7

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23, NIV

Lord our God, we thank you for all you have done for us, for all you are doing for us, for deliverance from need and death. We thank you for all the signs you give us that you hear our prayer when, without wavering or weakening, we set our hopes on you. We thank you that we can be without fear of sin and death, for you stand by us in everything. In spite of our imperfections you show us your goodness again and again. May the light in our hearts never be extinguished, the light that enables us to look into heaven and earth and see the good that is on its way to us today. May joy remain with us, and may we have the strength to be a community that follows the paths of life which bring praise and honor to you. Amen.

 

 

Daily Dig for July 7

Dorothy Day

Paperwork, cleaning the house, dealing with the innumerable visitors who come all through the day, answering the phone, keeping patience and acting intelligently, which is to find some meaning in all that happens – these things, too, are the works of peace.

Source: The Catholic Worker, Dec. 1965

 

 

Verse of the Day

for Sunday, July 7, 2019

Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

Jesus taught us that worship is not about a place, but about our Father (John 4:21-24). Knowing that our Father is worshipped by the heavenly hosts should inspire us, humble us, and motivate us to do the same, no matter where we may find ourselves. Above all other qualities, God is holy. Three times the heavenly beings acknowledge his holiness — he is special, undefiled, pure, perfect, and something much more than everyday and mundane. His glory fills the earth and sky. He is bigger than all we can imagine. He is worthy of our worship, reverence, and awe.

My Prayer…

Holy God, Holy Father, Holy King of the ages, I praise you for the wonderful gift of your grace. I know that in comparison to your glory, I am not worthy to be in your presence. But you have made me worthy and holy by the sacrificial blood of Jesus, the Lamb slain for my sins. Thank you for this incredible gift so that I may worship you as I should! In Jesus’ name I praise you. Amen.

 

 

 

—Dion Todd

to provide for those who mourn in Zion, to give to them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Yahweh, that he may be glorified. Isaiah 61:3 WEB

Have you ever felt so down, so lethargic, that you begin to ask yourself ‘What is the point of it all?’ There are many things in this verse but the one that I want to mention today is the ‘spirit of heaviness’, better known by its bona fide name: ‘Depression.’

It can settle on anyone given the right circumstances and none of us are immune to it. We all like to think that we have it together, but really we are just one phone call away from crying at any given moment.

Once when we were overworked and nearly burned out, we went to an exhilarating praise and worship conference that lasted for three days. After the first night, I began to feel lighter, and brighter. Each hour that we spent there seemed to bring renewal, a refreshing of our spirit, like standing under a waterfall.

When I had arrived, I was pretty down and cynical, but afterwards, I was as light as a feather and cheerful. By the time I left the conference, I felt like I was walking on air and didn’t have a care in the world. I would not have cared if the world were ending. That time soaking in praise and worship brought immediate change in our life. We had exchanged the spirit of heaviness for the garment of praise.

Praise and depression are polar opposites and repel each other. If you are down, depressed, heavy, you will not feel like praising the Lord. If you are praising the Lord, then you will not feel like being depressed. If you are feeling ‘heavy’ today, find some good praise and worship music and soak in it for an hour. Listen to it while working. Begin to praise the Lord along with it, and that spirit of heaviness will flee out of hearing range. The garment of praise drives away the spirit of heaviness.

Prayer: Heavenly Father I praise You today, please deliver me from the spirit of heaviness. Fill my life with Your presence, bring the right people, the right music, and the right opportunities into my life, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.

Bible Fun Fact: The 10 commandments had writing on both sides (Ex 32:15).

 

 

 

 

What Jesus Did! ‘Blessed Eyes!’ — Luke 10:23-24

Key Thought

The apostles were common men given an incredible blessing. They were blessed to be able to see God’s ultimate promise fulfilled and embodied in Jesus. We have received their testimony to this Word, this fulfillment of God’s promises, in the Gospels. We are incredibly blessed, indeed. Jesus is the tuning fork of all revelation and the fulfillment of all of God’s plans. If we are going to understand Scripture and God’s plan for salvation, we begin with Jesus. Let’s rejoice at the privilege of living in the light of the glory of Christ.

Today’s Prayer

Father, how can I ever thank you properly for the incredible grace of knowing Jesus, and in knowing Jesus, understanding your incredible love and grace? Never let me lose my sense of wonder at knowing Jesus, in whose name I offer my devotion, thanks, and praise. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

• 1 Peter 1:10-12
• John 17:6-8
• Hebrews 1:1-3

 

Daily Wisdom: Psalm 119:1

 

Passion for Praise: ‘You Unfailing Love’

 

A Year with Jesus: ‘First Mission Is Completed!’

Note from Jesus

Dear Disciple,

In today’s verses, Luke writes about the last part of Paul and Barnabas’ first missionary journey. As you saw yesterday, they developed a strategic rhythm in sharing the gospel. They would share My message first in the synagogues with Jews and God-fearers. Then, when resistance and opposition mounted, they would go to non-Jews in that same city. The methodology was quite effective. However, it brought a lot of resistance among some in the Jewish community:

Finally the Jews and outsiders who opposed them joined forces and enlisted the political leaders in their plan to beat and stone Paul and Barnabas. They learned of the plan and escaped to Lystra and Derbe in Lycaonia, and the surrounding countryside, where they continued proclaiming the good news.
(Acts 14:5-7)

This resistance, even when in the form of persecution, did not stop Barnabas and Paul. The power of the Holy Spirit and the joy of My grace buoyed them. Furthermore, the resistance did not keep additional people from believing their message.

Along the way, Barnabas and Paul met some challenges that were quite different from the ones of their Jewish upbringing. In places where superstition and false religion were the customs, Barnabas and Paul found their miracles didn’t always point people to Me. Instead, the miracles sometimes created confusion and false worship of the miracle workers. Rather than accept the worship and adulation of the crowds, Paul and Barnabas taught the truth and pointed the people to Me:

Friends! No! No! Don’t do this! [That is, don’t worship us, Paul and Barnabas.] We’re just humans like all of you! We’re not here to be worshiped! We’re here to bring you good news — good news that you should turn from these worthless forms of worship and instead serve the living God, the God Who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that they contain.

Soon, My faithful emissaries, Barnabas and Paul, were facing attacks from hostile non-believing Jews, non-Jews who did not understand their message, and political leaders who were incited by leading Jewish officials to oppose My messengers. To prepare the new believers for what was ahead, Barnabas and Paul did two very important things. First, they warned these new believers that they must face “many persecutions as we enter the kingdom of God.” Second, they appointed leaders — godly older men called elders — to help guide these new communities of believers. When they returned to Antioch (in Syria) where they began their mission efforts, they reported on the great work We — Father, Son, and Spirit — had led them to do and empowered them to accomplish.

Verses to Live

As you read the verses below, a new era in the life of My people and a new era in sharing My message had fully begun. Now there were disciples of different nationalities, cultures, and languages coming into My family. This diversity was a glorious beginning. However, many roadblocks, difficulties, hardships, and persecutions lay ahead. But nothing could stop the advancement of the good message of the Father’s grace. That message focused on what I had done in My life, teaching, death, burial, resurrection, exaltation and sending of the Spirit. This message was empowered and validated by the Holy Spirit.

This first mission of Barnabas and Paul wasn’t easy. But when they returned, they could truthfully say, “Our first mission is completed!”

In Lystra they [Paul and Barnabas] met a man who had been crippled since birth; his feet were completely useless. He listened to Paul speak, and Paul could see in this man’s face that he had faith to be healed.

Paul (shouting):

Stand up on your own two feet, man!

The man jumped up and walked! When the crowds saw this, they started shouting in Lycaonian.

Crowd:

The gods have come down to us! They’ve come in human form!

They decided that Barnabas was Zeus and Paul was Hermes (since he was the main speaker). Before they knew it, the priest of Zeus, whose temple was prominent in that city, came to the city gates with oxen and garlands of flowers so the Lycaonians could offer sacrifices in worship to Paul and Barnabas! When they heard of this, Paul and Barnabas were beside themselves with frustration — they ripped their tunics as an expression of disapproval and rushed out into the crowd.

Paul and Barnabas (shouting):

Friends! No! No! Don’t do this! We’re just humans like all of you! We’re not here to be worshiped! We’re here to bring you good news — good news that you should turn from these worthless forms of worship and instead serve the living God, the God Who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that they contain. Through all previous generations, God has allowed all the nations to follow their own customs and religions, but even then God revealed Himself by doing good to you — giving you rain for your crops and fruitful harvests season after season, filling your stomachs with food and your hearts with joy.

In spite of these words, they were barely able to keep the crowds from making sacrifices to them.

Then unbelieving Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and incited the crowds against the Lord’s emissaries. The crowds turned on Paul, stoned him, dragged him out of the city, and left him there, thinking he was dead. As the disciples gathered around him, he suddenly rose to his feet and returned to the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe. After they proclaimed the good news there and taught many disciples, they returned to some of the cities they had recently visited — Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch in Pisidia. In each place, they brought strength to the disciples, encouraging them to remain true to the faith.

Paul and Barnabas:

We must go through many persecutions as we enter the kingdom of God.

In each church, they would appoint leaders, pray and fast together, and entrust them to the Lord in Whom they had come to believe.

They then passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. They preached their message in Perga and then went to the port of Attalia. There they set sail for Antioch, where they were first entrusted to the grace of God for the mission they had now completed. They called the church together when they arrived and reported all God had done with and through them, how God had welcomed outsiders through the doorway of faith. They stayed with the disciples in Antioch for quite a while.
(Acts 14:8-28)

Response in Prayer

O Father, I want to have the same joyful courage in my time as Paul and Barnabas demonstrated. I know that living the values of Your kingdom and sharing Your grace with others will not always be appreciated. However, I also know that the world needs these kingdom values. I know that so many need to discover Your saving grace. Help me please, dear LORD, to know how to share your message effectively and not worry about the hardships that may come from bringing Your grace to the unbelieving world. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

 

 

Christ in the Comic Strips

Which Cartoon Above Best Represents the Gospel Most Christians Hear Today?

Today, far too many Christians and churches across America find themselves captive to a paralyzing “crisis of Christology”—a disastrous shortfall in how we see, seek, savor, and speak of God’s Son for ALL he is right now as Lord and King of all.

Primarily, this is because of how many of us have come to Christ to start with. Unfortunately, the saying that “the Jesus we win them with is the Jesus we keep them with” is too often true. That Jesus is “too small.”

In this guest blog post, Brian Steele, pastor at Christ the King Community Church in Bellingham, Washington, analyzes the situation in a very creative way—using “comics”!

He gives us fresh insights to help us walk with Jesus and share him in view of how great our Lord Jesus Christ really is! These challenging excerpts come from his new book, The Field Guide to Finding God’s Really Real Kingdom, coming out in September.

– David Bryant

The following is excerpted and adapted from Brian Steele’s book, The Field Guide to Finding God’s Really Real Kingdom, which will be released in the fall of 2019. Feedback and conversation are welcome at kingdomfieldguide@gmail.com.

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Christ in the Comic Strips

Christ the Bridge Girder?

A popular comic is often used in evangelism and mission trips to illustrate the gospel message.¹ The image does voice some truth of the gospel. But it more loudly proclaims what David Bryant has termed the “Crisis of Christology.”

A solitary person is shown pondering the impossible gap between God and man. The poor soul’s sin carries a death penalty, and the flames of hell perilously await below. In using this comic, the evangelist typically points out to a lost sinner the good news—that Christ’s payment on the cross bridges this chasm so that he can reach eternal life with God.

This carries some truth—but it’s only a partial truth that creates a peril. Does this partial truth even begin to describe the treasure hidden in the field of Matthew 13:44? Is that the fullness of what Jesus meant that the “kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:15)? Is this how Jesus instructed his disciples to preach the gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 24:14)? If that’s the fullness of the gospel, then Christ is little more than a bridge girder—some metal truss whose sole function is to span a fiery chasm and get walked over. That is a crisis of Christology.

In a church desperately needing a Christ awakening, the gospel often gets reduced to some version of “Jesus died for you. Believe in him, escape hell, and go to heaven.” However, that’s not the gospel of the kingdom. Why? Because it doesn’t address God’s kingdom nor the exalted King. I wish this were a straw man argument. An evangelist who avoids the news of the kingdom undercuts the news that there is now a new King ruling.

The Gospel of the Kingdom

The gospel of the kingdom is good news about the kingdom. And if we don’t shareabout the kingdom then are we really about the kingdom?

To be fair, the gospel of the kingdom is difficult to preach to people who don’t seem to have mental categories for kingdoms. To be honest, for full disclosure, I’ve even led a missionary effort in Honduras where we used this very same comic strip to share the gospel in a mountainside village.² We painted this mural on a water tank.

Please hear me carefully on this. The cross of Jesus does bridge the gap between God and us. We are delivered from the eternal consequences of our sin by the sacrifice of Jesus. But we contribute to the crisis of Christology if we avoid preaching, teaching, and sharing about the kingdom.

A typical pushback in American churches is that people “don’t understand kingdoms” since we live in a country that rebelled against a king. But shouldn’t that same logic prevent teaching about justification, sanctification, substitutionary atonement, or eternal punishment for sins? Aren’t these ideas even stranger than the concept of a kingdom? For that matter, shouldn’t the math teacher avoid instruction on differential equations since the students don’t understand calculus? Perhaps the foreign language teacher should avoid Spanish since the students speak English.

The position of “we don’t understand kingdoms” falls apart when you look at the media consumed by western cultures. Our movies, TV shows, and video games are absolutely dominated by kingdom narratives. Every year people spend billions of dollars consuming kingdom stories. Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey—all of them are kingdom stories. The opening weekend of Marvel’s “End Game” movie netted $1.2 billion alone. That is a kingdom story if it is nothing else. At the heart of all these movies are the burning questions “Who will reign? Who deserves the throne? Who is king?” Practically all of the entertainment we consume has kingdom themes. We are desperately starving and thirsty for kingdom narratives. Why? Because we were made and designed to live in an eternal kingdom. The kingdom narrative is etched in our very DNA.

Our problem is not that people don’t understand kingdoms. Our problem is that people only understand kingdoms. But we have stripped the kingdom from the gospel. Tragically, in modern culture, virtually the only place you can go and not hear a really good kingdom story is in the church—the body of Christ the King.

The Zoom Problem

Somehow, in our gospel presentations, we zoom in very tightly on atonement theology and often completely miss the larger picture of the kingdom that atonement secures for us.

In our Christological-Crises worldview, we almost entirely focus tightly on the wounds of the sacrificial Lamb hanging on the cross. But then in our limited frame, we miss the sign hanging above that Lamb on the cross that reads, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (John 19:19).

Ironically, when Pilate wrote the inscription above Jesus on the cross, he used three languages—Aramaic, Latin, and Greek—so that the widest possible audience would understand that Jesus’ claim to be king landed him on the cross. Yet our modern gospel too often doesn’t bring that same message for its audience. Yes, Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead. But don’t stop there. Please! He is the crucified and risen King who began to bring his kingdom to earth as it is in heaven. The marks inscribed on the sign above the crucified King are at least as important as the marks of the nails in the hands and feet of the risen King. This is getting towards the gospel of the kingdom.

When the Apostle Paul met with the elders of the church in Ephesus, he had a very instructional conversation with them. He insisted that he didn’t hold anything back but declared to them the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). But what were the dominant theme and primary content of that whole counsel? Paul says that he had testified to the “gospel of grace” and “gone about proclaiming the kingdom” (Acts 20:24-25).

Paul is very concerned that the leaders of the Ephesian church know he gave them a complete account of the gospel. Nothing was withheld by Paul for their benefit. As Paul summarized his teaching, what was the content? Repentance, faith, the lordship of Jesus, and the gospel of grace. Isn’t all of this captured in our comic strip of the poor soul looking to cross the chasm of eternal fire? Yes, except there’s something else. Paul went about “proclaiming the kingdom” (vs.20:25). Anything else? Yes, he was calling people to faith not just in Jesus but in the Lord Jesus Christ (vs. 20:21). His call wasn’t just to prompt people to believe that Jesus exists. Paul was prompting people to give their loyalty, obedience, and trust to Jesus as the Christ—the King. His gospel was immersed through and through with God’s work to establish his kingdom.

It couldn’t be otherwise. The whole counsel of God without the kingdom of God is not the whole counsel of God just as the gospel of the kingdom without the kingdom is not the gospel of the kingdom. The gospel must necessarily include the kingdom. Sharing the gospel without the kingdom is like selling a new car without the engine. Or, more accurately, it is like selling a car without the car. Paul is defending himself against the potential allegation that he’s sold the church in Ephesus a lemon.

Was it only in Ephesus that, for some reason, Paul spoke about the kingdom? Was there some cultural reason for him to put the gospel in a kingdom frame there that’s not needed elsewhere? Not at all. The kingdom was a universal and constant theme as Paul shared the gospel of the kingdom in all of his writings, in all of the places he visited, to all audiences—both Jewish and Greek.

There’s no coincidence that the book of Acts is bookended with kingdom proclamations. Acts begins with Jesus in Jerusalem “appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:1-3). And the book of Acts ends with Paul in Rome saying that from morning until evening he “testified to the kingdom of God” (28:23-24) and that he lived there for two whole years “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ” (30-31).

The author Luke bookended his account with Jesus and Paul teaching about the kingdom to let us know that is the whole context by which we can understand everything in between.

We Need a New Comic Strip

Perhaps we can hijack that popular comic strip and bend it towards a gospel that includes the kingdom. Would it look something like my own adapted version below?

That’s more like it! Jesus Christ—the King—left his throne in heaven to bring the good reign of his kingdom to earth, making the way, securing his victory, by suffering on the cross. Why? He did it to bring the blessing of God to every family and every nation on earth. It is a campaign of conquest. Not to enslave but to set free. Not to subjugate but to empower. Not to rob but to give. Jesus came bringing crowns with him to restore our rightful place of ruling with him for eternity—beginning right here and now. This is the good news of the kingdom. The news is that Christ is now King. The wicked tyrant of darkness has been defeated and deposed. Our participation in that evil mutiny can be forgiven, and we can be adopted into the royal family of light—becoming heirs of the kingdom. In that, we begin to understand the treasure hidden in the field (Matthew 13:44).

The Kingdom Story of Scripture

The very narrative arc of scripture has become collateral damage through the crisis of Christology. If you can’t see Jesus for who he is as the supreme King of Kings, then you can’t see the grand sweep of his kingdom coming from the opening to the close of scripture.

The Bible is a kingdom story. Period.

If we want a one-verse summary of the Bible’s narrative arc, then Revelation 11:15 will do nicely: “The kingdoms of this earth have become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”

A three-verse suite of passages also neatly ties the story together. First, YHWH told Moses, “I will make you a kingdom of priests” (Exodus 19:6). Then Peter told the early church, “you are a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9). Finally, the Apostle John tells us in his vision, “you have made them a kingdom of priests” (Revelation 5:10).

Still not convinced the Bible is a kingdom story? Look at the six most common nouns in the whole of scripture:

1. Lord (used 7,484 times)

2. God (3,969)

3. One (2,485)

4. Son (2,331)

5. King (2,314)

6. People (2,213)

Ernest Hemingway is purported to have made a bet with friends that he could write a novel in six words. He wrote: “For sale: baby shoes. Never worn.” I believe these six most common nouns in the Bible listed above capture the narrative arc of the kingdom story: “Lord God One. Son King. People.”Or it could also be written, “Lord God. One Son. King-People.”

Take the biblical text from the passion narratives of the four gospels and make a word cloud. Now, look at the central, most important word in the account of Christ’s betrayal, trial, and crucifixion.

Why is “king” the central word of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John’s passion narratives? Because the Bible is a kingdom story. And Jesus is King.

The four major covenants also have explicit kingdom purposes.

Covenant	Kingdom Purpose	References
Abrahamic	-Populate the citizenry -Locate the King’s territory -Mandate the King’s mission	Genesis 12:1-3; 15:1-6; 17:1-8
Mosaic	-Consecrate the royal citizens –Regulate the relationships -Cultivate the law of love	Exodus 19-24
Davidic	–Coronate the King -Elevate the King’s glory -Insulate the King’s realm	2 Samuel 7; 1 Chronicles 17:1-14
New Covenant	-Commemorate the King’s triumph -Anticipate the King’s return -Delegate power to the King’s people	Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-20; 1 Corinthians 11:17-26

Each of these themes is also captured in the updated gospel comic above. Go back and look at the second comic. Per the Abrahamic Covenant, can you see “all of the families of the earth being blessed” through the “Son of Abraham”? In fulfillment of the Mosaic Covenant, can you see how the loving rule of the Anointed One is brought to bear in the kingdom citizens as they love the Lord their God and neighbors? Per the Davidic Covenant, can you see the “Son of David” extending the rule of his eternal throne to the whole world? And per the New Covenant, can you see the bread and cup reminding kingdom citizens not to forget the victory of the cross nor the coming ultimate consummation of the King’s rule?

Resurfacing the Romans Road

Often the “kingdomless” gospel shared with people draws a few passages from Paul’s letter to the Romans—and we call this the “Roman Road of Salvation.” However, the typical Roman Road leaves out Paul’s emphasis on God’s kingdom and instead has a narrow focus on faith, sin, and forgiveness. The hearer is left with only a walk across the gulf of flames by the cross of Jesus. But if we must go down a Roman Road, can we at least always include the kingdom context that immersed Paul’s theology?

For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:17)

If we must draw comics of this cosmic story, can we at least reflect the resounding heartbeat of that story? Doesn’t this updated gospel comic better reflect the core message these Bible passages present as the “gospel of the kingdom”?

For a Christ awakening, let’s take instruction from Jesus’ parable of the four soils (Matthew 13:1-23). Read that parable closely. The seed is the “word of the kingdom” (vs. 19). The good soil represents those who “hear and understand” the word of the kingdom (vs. 23). If that’s true, let’s speak and teach the word of the kingdom so that people can hear and understand the word of the kingdom, yielding a crop of thirty, sixty, or even a hundredfold.

It might seem silly to spend so much time looking at comic strips. But there is something extremely powerful in those simple drawings because they represent the stories in our heads. And stories are powerful. Stories shape our worldview. Personal stories literally control what we can see. The story in your head drives your life in the world.

God’s kingdom is really real. Jesus Christ is the really real king. The story in our head must align with the reality of the world. If our personal narrative does not include God’s kingdom, then we aren’t living as if Jesus is King. And if we are not living as if Jesus is King, we have a true crisis of Christology. In choosing your comic, you are choosing your Christ.

 

Pastor Brian Steele began looking at the parable of the hidden treasure in Matthew 13:44 in 2012. Since then, seven years of research, meditation, prayer, and study of that single parable has led him to be fully convinced he has still only scratched the surface of the riches of Christ and his kingdom. This cumulative work will be released in a series of books to help others discover the greatness of God’s kingdom. The first book in the series, The Field Guide to Finding God’s Really Real Kingdom, will be released in the fall of 2019.

In addition to being a pastor at Christ the King Community Church in Bellingham, WA, Brian is also a professional geologist and is in (partial) recovery from a birdwatching addiction. He loves exploring alpine wildernesses of the North Cascades while living in Whatcom County, WA, with his wife, Katie.

 

 

 

Comics and Humor…

 

 

 

 

 

Out With June…Here Comes July!

 

Daily Prayer for June 30

At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.” Matthew 11:25, NIV

Lord our God, we thank you for your Word, which is light and strength to us. We thank you for all you give us. We thank you that we may be counted among the simple-hearted, among the children. We do not want to be anything great in the world. We want only to be with you as your children, helpless little children, watched over by you, the Creator and Father of all. Grant us your blessing. Help us in all that is good and right, also in our daily work, so that we can be your children and do what you have commanded. May your name be honored at all times, your kingdom come, and your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us the wrong we have done as we forgive those who have wronged us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

 

Daily Dig for June 30 Thomas R. Kelly There is something about deepest humility which makes us bold. For utter obedience is self-forgetful obedience. No longer do we hesitate and shuffle and apologize because, say we, we are weak, lowly creatures and the world is a pack of snarling wolves among whom we are sent as sheep by the Shepherd (Matt. 10:16). I must confess that, on human judgment, the world tasks we face are appalling – well-nigh hopeless. Only the inner vision of God, only the God-blindedness of unreservedly dedicated souls, only the utterly humble ones can bow and break the raging pride of a power-mad world. Source: William Penn Lecture, 1939, “Holy Obedience”

 

 

Today’s Verse:

Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

When Jesus proclaims that he is the ”Good Shepherd,” he means that he will lay down his life for us! For us, however, it means all that Micah promised — strength, majesty, security and peace.

My Prayer…

Loving and eternal God, thank you so very much for sending Jesus to be my sacrificial Shepherd. In a world gone crazy, his strength sustains me, his majesty overwhelms me, and in him I find my security and peace as I face the future. In the name of Jesus I thank you. Amen.

 

Daily Wisdom:

 

Passion for Praise: ‘Why Tremble?’

 

A Year with Jesus: ‘Greater Things’

Note from Jesus

Dear Disciple,

Even after I ascended back to the Father, the work of My apostles reminded people that My power and presence were still at work. I was calling Saul to turn from being the persecutor of My people to becoming the great proclaimer of My message, especially to Gentiles. I was also at work in the ministry of Peter to reach both Jewish people and non-Jewish people. Saul’s conversion brought peace to My persecuted disciples. Peter’s ministry also brought the true fullness of life — real peace, true shalom — to My people.

When you read about the two events (the healing of Aeneas and the raising of Tabitha) from the ministry of Peter in the verses below, you should be reminded of My miracles when I was physically on earth. The healing of Aeneas should remind you of those I healed who were paralyzed (Luke 5:17-26). Peter makes it clear that I actually healed Aeneas:

Peter:

Aeneas, Jesus the Anointed heals you. Get up! Now you can make your own bed!

And immediately — he got up! All the local residents — both of Lydda and nearby Sharon — saw Aeneas healthy and strong again, so they turned to the Lord.

The raising of Tabitha (also called Dorcas) has language similar to two people I raised from the dead: the son of the widow at Nain (Luke 7:11-16) and Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8:40-56).

I want you to understand that My now being at the Father’s side doesn’t mean I have quit My ministry with you, to you, and through you. I promised you this:

I tell you the truth: whoever believes in Me will be able to do what I have done, but they will do even greater things, because I will return to be with the Father. Whatever you ask for in My name, I will do it so that the Father will get glory from the Son.
(John 14:12-13)

What you see happening is that as My disciples were scattered by the martyrdom of Stephen and the persecution that broke out with his stoning, My power and presence went with them. I was present with them and powerful through them through the Holy Spirit. Instead of My work remaining confined to just the familiar areas of My earthly ministry — Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and Galilee — I was working through My disciples in many places around the world.

So please, dear disciple, don’t think I AM detached from your struggles, hardships, pains, and sorrows because I AM now in heaven. Your problems touch Me. I care about you. I work through your problems. Sometimes I even do astounding things to bring the Father glory in the middle of them. Please know that wherever My people call on My name in prayer and honor Me as Lord in praise and in their lives, I AM present and powerful. In fact, I AM actually doing more through My people than I could when I was limited to one place at one time while I was present in My earthly ministry (John 14:12-13; John 16:5-11). So believe that I AM with you and will do greater things through you than I did when I was in My earthly ministry!

Verses to Live

As you read these stories from Peter’s ministry, listen to how they sound like My earthly ministry and realize I AM still among you and working through you to bring grace, healing, and hope!

And so the church enjoyed a period of peace and growth throughout the regions of Judea, Galilee, and Samaria. The disciples lived in deep reverence for the Lord, they experienced the strong comfort of the Holy Spirit, and their numbers increased.

Peter hadn’t been idle during all this time. He was having a number of amazing experiences of his own, traveling from group to group and visiting the various communities of believers. Once he came to a town called Lydda, a border town between Samaria and Judea, and met with God’s special people there. He visited a man named Aeneas. This poor fellow had been paralyzed for eight years, unable to leave his bed.

Peter:

Aeneas, Jesus the Anointed heals you. Get up! Now you can make your own bed!

And immediately — he got up! All the local residents — both of Lydda and nearby Sharon — saw Aeneas healthy and strong again, so they turned to the Lord.

In a nearby coastal city, Joppa, there lived a disciple whose Aramaic name was Tabitha, or Dorcas in Greek. She was a good woman — devotedly doing good and giving to the poor. While Peter was in Lydda, she fell sick and died. Her fellow disciples washed her body and laid her in an upstairs room. They had heard Peter was nearby, so two of them went with an urgent message, “Please come to Joppa as soon as possible.”

Peter went with them and immediately entered the room where the corpse had been placed. It was quite a scene — the widows of the community were crowded in the room, weeping, showing the various items of clothing that Dorcas had made for them.

Peter asked them to leave the room; then he got on his knees. He prayed for a while and then turned to her body.

Peter:

Tabitha, get up!

She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up. Giving her his hand, Peter lifted her up. Then he called in the other disciples — including the widows — and reintroduced them to their beloved friend. The news of this miracle spread throughout the city, and many believed in the Lord. Peter stayed in Joppa for some time as the guest of Simon, a tanner by profession.
(Acts 9:31-43)

Response in Prayer

O Father, I pray in the mighty name of Jesus that You use me to be a blessing to others. I want to bring healing, hope, and tender care. May all I touch with grace know that I do it in the name of Jesus and for Your glory, dear Father. Amen.

 

 

The Daily Word of Hope Devotional

— Dion Todd

The Treasure Chest

They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Its length shall be two and a half cubits, its width a cubit and a half, and a cubit and a half its height. You shall overlay it with pure gold. You shall overlay it inside and outside, and you shall make a gold molding around it. Exodus 25:10 WEB

The ark of the covenant was about the size of a small seaman’s chest, built from acacia wood, and covered in pure gold. A cubit is 18 inches, so the ark would have measured around 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches tall.

Inside of the ark was the ten commandments, which were written on tablets of stone, and a few other priceless treasures, like Arron’s staff that had budded almond blossoms, and a golden pot of the manna that they ate in the wilderness (Hebrews 9:4). The ark was a sacred treasure chest.

The ark was made from natural wood that was cut from trees which grew out of the earth. Men are often compared to trees in scripture (Psalms 1:3, 37:35, 92:12, Song 7:7, Jeremiah 17:8, Mark 8:4 ). It was then overlaid in pure gold, which in scripture typifies God’s divine nature. Gold is an element and unlike other precious stones, it did not derive from anything else. Unlike diamonds which are created from other materials under immense pressure and temperature over time, gold in its pure form existed from the beginning, and there will be streets of pure gold in heaven (Revelation 21:21).

So when examining the ark, we find something made of common materials, overlaid with something extremely rare, something eternal. The common, overlaid with the divine, then filled with precious treasure. Paul wrote that ‘we have this treasure in earthen vessels’ (2 Corinthians 4:7) meaning the treasure is inside of us.

We used to sing a song in church that was: ‘More of Jesus, Less of Me.’ While this is a great religious saying, and I even like the song, that is not what God actually wants. It would be better sung as: ‘More like Jesus.’ God already had the world without you in it, and then He added you to it in order to make it a better place.

You were no accident, and neither was I. We are here because God chose us to be for such a time as this. If the Lord wanted less of you, He is quite capable of making that happen. Every breath that you take is an assurance that you are still supposed be here.

What we need is all of us, covered by all of Him, and filled with His Holy Spirit, just as the ark of the covenant was made of wood, and then covered in pure gold. The natural covered by the divine, and filled with His presence, filled with His word. The best people that I know are people who were just themselves, while walking with Jesus. They never became ‘religious’ but just loved God.

Today, you are God’s treasure chest. God wants to cover you with His likeness, put His word inside of you, and fill you with His Holy Spirit. They say that some people bring out the best in you. Jesus will bring out the best in all of us.

Prayer: Heavenly Father I thank You for making a place for me. Mold me into who that I should be, and help me fulfill my purpose here. Please fill me with Your word and Your Spirit, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.

Bible Fun Fact: Esther and Song of Solomon are the only books of the Bible that do not contain the word “God.”

 

 

Prophetic Vision of Heaven: Your God-Given Calling Will Have Eternal Impact

Author:  Jennifer Eivaz

My husband and I have two wonderful children, one boy and one girl. Our son, David, is a basketball enthusiast who is almost ready to start driving and then our daughter, Christiana, is quite the creative and attends elementary school.

He is the God of the Impossible

Perhaps you didn’t know that I’m physically unable to have children. Still, the Lord saw fit to show me both of my children in two separate visions well ahead of time. I saw their gender and heard their names as He prepared our home for a miracle. He really does know us in His heart before we are born, and He knew my children before they ever came into being (Jer. 1:5). Despite my physical limitations, I still became pregnant, and both children came just as He promised.

Surprisingly, I became pregnant a third time but then lost the pregnancy through a miscarriage. I was devastated and experienced a deep grief that gnawed at me for years.

As I initially prayed through the problem, Jesus gave me a clear vision shortly after the miscarriage. I found myself in heaven standing before Him. He opened His hand, and I saw our miscarried child being carried so carefully in the palm of His hand. This experience didn’t take away the pain, but it helped me to know that she wasn’t gone forever. She may have died on earth, but she was alive in Christ, and I will see her someday.

A Glimpse Inside Heaven

This last year, I was taken to heaven again. (By the way, these visions can seem so real that it’s hard to say if it’s really a vision or not. Still, everything must be in congruence with the Bible and so I will carefully point to the Scriptures as I describe what happened.)

While in heaven, I saw a beautifully dressed young girl, and she was playing with a group of other children. I knew in my heart that she was my daughter whom I had miscarried on earth. She also appeared to be around the age she would have been if she had lived.

When she saw me, she excitedly grabbed my hand and took me to see the flowers growing nearby in a field. To my amazement, the flowers began to speak to me in a very soft, sing-song type of voice. I couldn’t make out what they were saying/singing, but the Bible does say that all creation speaks, and this was a fascinating example of that (Rom. 1:20).

Then I looked on the horizon and saw the mountains. They were moving back and forth, but here it was a gentle movement and not a violent one. Again, the Bible says that mountains shift and move in His presence and at the sound of His voice (Ps. 97:5; Mark 11:23-24).

Finally, my daughter spoke to me and said, “I can’t wait to hear you tell me the stories that I’ve already read about.” I knew what she was referring to. I had read in Psalm 139:16 about the book that God wrote about our individual lives before we ever got here. Apparently, she had read my book, and at this point I sort of lost myself. I asked her, “Do you want me to just come over now?” She replied, “No. You’re not finished yet.” And then the vision ended.

Now I want to assure you that this was not some kind of necromancy. I didn’t conjure this up or even expect it. I was clearly in heaven and saw many children who had died on earth but were alive in Christ. That’s important to clarify, because some might try in their grief to contact the dead, and that is scripturally off-limits. I believe Jesus allowed this heavenly encounter at a key time in my life so I could finally resolve the grief I still felt and be encouraged to finish my race because I’m not finished yet. And either are you. You are not finished yet. You need to finish.

Are you stuck in disappointment? Has something or someone died, and are you still stuck in grief, not wanting to move forward? I want to encourage you that you can move on now and fully respond to the upward call of God in your life. The Holy Spirit is here and fully willing to help you.

Your Calling Began in Eternity

Your calling in God began in eternity, and your calling will have an eternal impact. This can explain why all of heaven is waiting for you to finish. There will be those in heaven who have read your book and are waiting upon you to finish. I also believe that you too will be asked to “tell them the stories that they’ve already read about you.”

Be encouraged today. I am praying for you.

Jennifer Eivaz is the bestselling author of both The Intercessors Handbook and the newly released Seeing the Supernatural. She is also a featured writer for several online publications, including the Elijah List and Charisma magazine. Jennifer is a vibrant minister and conference speaker who carries the wisdom and fire of the Holy Spirit. She is passionate to equip the Body of Christ for effectual prayer, to hear the voice of God accurately, and to experience genuine encounters with His glory. Jennifer is the founder of Harvest Ministries International and executive pastor with Harvest Christian Center in Turlock, California. Jennifer is married to HCC’s Senior Pastor Ron Eivaz, and they have two wonderful children.

 

 

Lack of This One Thing Hinders God’s Power

7:00AM EDT 6/28/2019 BERT FARIAS

(Photo by Roberto Nickson on Unsplash)

We were seated in the living room praying and worshipping with a few people. While my eyes closed, suddenly, I felt the embrace of a dear sister who was asking me to forgive her for speaking sharply to me. Up until that moment, the worship was dragging, but when she did that, the presence of the Lord greatly increased as I fell to my knees in tears.

Here’s what the Lord said to me while I was on my knees:

“This one small and seemingly insignificant act carries the weight of the kingdom of heaven and its operations. This one small act exemplifies the most important thing that needs to happen in many of My churches in this hour. For you’ve written about the importance of the moving of My Spirit and of My power, and rightly so, but you need to write and speak of this one act of love and forgiveness. Love and forgiveness are lacking in My shepherds and in My people, and this lack is hindering My power.

“For the strife and division in my body is great. In one city or town many churches stand at ought against one another, and many pastors hold grudges and are offended at one another. One is jealous and competes with another; one is offended at the other and harbors unforgiveness in his heart; and so My body is divided and defiled.

“For this one small act is a demonstration of what needs to transpire among My people. Love and unity must prevail, for it is the bond of true maturity, and within it lies a greater manifestation of My power.”

If this aforementioned sister had not obeyed her heart to come to me and apologize, we probably would’ve just continued to worship and override the diminishing presence of God in our midst. Perhaps we would’ve just excused it as tiredness among the people or a lack of anointing in the one facilitating the worship, when the truth was that as soon as forgiveness was released, the crescendo of the presence of God was evident to everyone. I’m not saying that the lack of the manifestation of God’s presence is always due to strife and unforgiveness, but often it is.

Think of what we miss when we have schisms in our churches. Not only is there a diminishing effect of the anointing of the Spirit, but our faith and prayers are hindered through unforgiveness in many hearts.

“And when you stand praying, forgive if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven may also forgive you your sins. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your sins” (Matt. 11:25-26).

Reconciliation between brothers is priority in the kingdom of heaven, and Jesus admonishes us to make things right.

“Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go on your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matt. 5:23-24).

Cultivating a real sensitivity to the Lord begins by getting in touch with your own heart and with the love of God that has been shed abroad there by the Holy Ghost (Rom. 5:5).

Are you in touch with the true spiritual condition of your heart? Has pride blinded you? Can you see the beam in your own eye, or only the mote in your brother’s? Many are those who claim love for God but who have fallen so short of loving people. Be not deceived. Our measure of love for God is only as great as the measure of love we show our brothers and sisters.

“If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar. For whoever does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? We have this commandment from Him: Whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4:20-21).

“God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16b).

Let’s make it our aim to love better because without it, we are just a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal (see 1 Cor. 13:1).

 

 

 

Now Some Humor…

 

 

 

 

 

Rainy Sunday Travelers

 

 Daily Prayer for June 23

And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Colossians 3:14–l5, NIV

Lord our God, grant your peace in our hearts. Grant that we may be your children, allowed to serve you in true peace through the forgiveness of sins. Turn your eyes to the world and its sin, that something new may come for all who are deeply unhappy, groaning under the anguish of their lives. Your mercy is great, your compassion is beyond measure. For Jesus Christ’s sake you will bring into the world the salvation that is promised. You will bring the great day of Jesus Christ the Savior, who has shed his blood for us. He can come to those now in need and misery, bringing his peace and his power into their hearts so that even death turns into life and everything serves your praise and glory, Lord our God and Father in heaven. Bless us and bless our nation. May life from heaven grow in those who understand you and who are to be your people. May your will be done, Lord God, until your kingdom comes in its fullness and all the world may see that Jesus Christ is the Lord, to your glory, O God
our Father. Amen.

 

Daily Dig for June 23

J. Heinrich Arnold

Jesus came as a physician for the sick and a shepherd for the lost – not only for the just and righteous. He is God’s love at work on earth. If we really understand this, we will realize that following Jesus means suffering. It cannot be a comfortable way.

Source: Discipleship

 

 

Today’s Verse:

Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

When you think about the large cities of our modern world, what do you think about? Jesus sees them, and passionately yearns for the lost people in those great cities to be saved!

My Prayer…

Most holy and loving God, revive in us, your Church, a passion to reach the lost people of the world’s great cities with the gospel and grace of your Son. In the name of the world’s only true Lord and Savior, Jesus, I pray. Amen.

 

Passion for Praise: ‘Solid Rock’

 

with Jesus: ‘Growing through Problems’

Note from Jesus

Dear Beloved,

The apostle Paul spoke the truth about Our — Father, Son, and Spirit’s — desire for Our new covenant people when he wrote:

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
(Galatians 3:26-28 NIV)

However, it often takes time for social reality to be brought into conformity with My will. So My disciples must always seek to live the values and ethics of My kingdom even if the world doesn’t appreciate those values.

Almost everyone in the earliest days of the church was Jewish. Prejudice was a significant problem. Sometimes that prejudice manifested itself toward non-Jews coming into My spiritual family — the dominant problem addressed in Acts chapters 10-15. However, prejudice was also an issue between sub-groups within the Jewish community. In the verses below, Grecian Jews who were in Jerusalem and who had become My disciples made an accusation of discrimination. Their widows who did not speak the native language in Jerusalem were being overlooked and were going hungry while the native-speaking widows were receiving better care and more ample provision as the early Christians shared their possessions (Acts 4:32-35).

Rather than denying the accusation of prejudice or ignoring this charge of discrimination, My apostles acted very wisely. Notice what they did:

1. Openness
   The apostles brought all the community of disciples together to discuss this issue — no secret meetings and no sweeping the problem under the rug!
2. Calling
   The apostles pointed out that their primary calling was to proclaim the message they had received from God.
3. Involvement
   The apostles called on the church family to be involved in the solution to this problem — more than just being open with the communication, the apostles were asking for help in selecting men to find a solution.
4. Direction
   The apostles gave clear criteria for selecting those who would be part of the ministry team to the Grecian widows and asked the whole congregation to put forward leaders who fit this description.
5. Participation
   The congregation of believers selected seven men who fit the criteria of being full of the Spirit and wisdom.
6. Empathy
   The congregation recognized the need for those who could understand both the language of the Grecian widows and also their plight as hungry foreigners in the homeland of their ancestors. So they chose men who had Greek names — one was even a non-Jewish proselyte — and who would be familiar with the Greek language these widows spoke.
7. Appointment
   The apostles publicly commissioned or ordained these men for service and publicly prayed for their ministry.
8. Growth
   The problem was overcome, the message continued to spread, and many came to faith in Me.
9. Equipping
   Some of these men selected to serve the widows later became very important leaders in other ways.
10. Focus
    The apostles devoted themselves to their calling — prayer and sharing My message — while encouraging and equipping others to engage in ministry.

Before you read the verses below, review the ten principles of great leadership and congregational problem-solving that are listed above. These are great principles to put into practice among My people today. Every problem has a potential for disaster or development. Led by the Holy Spirit, the apostles turned this potentially crippling problem into an opportunity for the development and growth of My disciples.

Verses to Live

Imagine how unaddressed prejudice could have wrecked the growth of My early church. However, the Spirit’s guidance through Godly leaders turned around this potential disaster. Instead of disaster, the actions of My leading disciples became the springboard for greater growth. It also provided a new group of leaders the opportunity for development and service.

Things were going well, and the number of disciples was growing. But a problem arose. The Greek-speaking believers became frustrated with the Hebrew-speaking believers. The Greeks complained that the Greek-speaking widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food. The twelve convened the entire community of disciples.

The Twelve:

We could solve this problem ourselves, but that wouldn’t be right. We need to focus on proclaiming God’s message, not on distributing food. So, friends, find seven respected men from the community of faith. These men should be full of the Holy Spirit and full of wisdom. Whomever you select we will commission to resolve this matter so we can maintain our focus on praying and serving — not meals — but the message.

The whole community — Greek-speaking and Hebrew-speaking — was very pleased with this plan, so they chose seven men: Stephen (a man full of faith and full of the Holy Spirit), Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas (a Greek-speaking convert from Antioch). These men were presented to the apostles, who then prayed for them and commissioned them by laying their hands on them. The message of God continued to spread, and the number of disciples continued to increase significantly there in Jerusalem. Even priests in large numbers became obedient to the faith.
(Acts 6:1-7)

Response in Prayer

O Father, please bless our leaders in Your church today. Give us the courage to select leaders based on their Spirit-led wisdom and their ability to serve, with empathy, those who need to be served. I pray that Your leaders can be open and courageous in dealing with problems like prejudice, division, and hunger among Your people. Help us, O LORD, to demonstrate Your love for all people in the way we treat each other. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

 

 

The Daily Word of Hope Devotional

—Dion Todd

When You Cannot Face the Wind

Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land. And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. Acts 27:13 ESV

Paul was now a prisoner and being carried by ship to eventually witness to Caesar, but on the way they were caught in a terrible storm. They could not face the strength of the wind and were driven by the storm for two weeks, completely out of control.

However, they were completely in God’s control because He controlled the wind that drove them. They finally landed on a beach, and the Holy Spirit used Paul to heal all the diseases on the entire island of Malta. They all came to know the Lord. It was just a side trip on his journey.

Sometimes in life we face winds like this, and no amount of prayer, or giving, or crying seems to change our course. Just remember that when a storm blows you off course that God is controlling the direction of the wind. We will be driven right to where God wants us to be.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I know that You control the wind and that this will pass. I will come through this and have a testimony of Your greatness in the name of Jesus I pray.

 

Bible Fun Fact: There are 180,552 words in the New Testament (KJV).

 

 

What’s Your Quarrel? What’s Your Quarrel? “The one who is patient calms the quarrel” (Prov. 15:18). Stay patient today. Don’t offer railing for railing. Blessings, Dr. Steve Greene

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now Some Humor…

 

 

 

 

 

Well, family members began their road trip this morning and it is RAINING!  I wish them safe and fun travels…..may God watch over them and protect them……….Have a good time, guys!!!!  We love you!!

 

 

 

What’s A Dad?

 

 

Daily Prayer for June 16

In my Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. John 14:2–3, NIV

Lord God, we thank you that you have upheld us and brought us to the Savior. Help us to remember this truth through your Holy Spirit, and constantly remind us while still on earth to live in heaven with all your angels. We are helpless without you. Your Spirit alone can overcome our sinful nature so that we never forget to be in heaven with the Savior now and in eternity. Amen.

 

Daily Dig for June 16

Johann Christoph Arnold

Once we become fathers, we remain fathers until we die. A true father must be a leader – a captain who guides his family’s ship through perilous waters to safe shores, a general who rallies his troops to take on the daily battles.

On the other hand, a father should also model love and compassion. Jesus was not afraid to compare himself to a hen gathering her chicks. He also wept. These qualities belong to true manhood, and a true father will seek to embody them.

Source: Re-founding Fathers

 

 

Let’s share today’s Verse….

 

 

The Daily Word of Hope Devotional

—Dion Todd

The Dead End

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Psalms 32:8 NIV

Recently when the Lord was ready to start something new in our life, He started closing out the old. Of course we panicked, tried giving more, praying more, fasting more, serving more, but nothing helped. So we decided we would do this, but this turned out to be a dead end. Then we decided we would do that, but that went nowhere either.

It seemed that each time that we were about to give up, something would appear to give us a little hope, but then turn out to be a dead end. In time, the Lord opened the door that we were supposed to go through and it turned out great. All the worry, struggling and despair was for nothing. God had a plan that we could not see and He had to close down part one before He could begin part two.

The next time that you are looking at one dead end after another, know that God is bringing something new to your life, and it is going to be good. The chaos that is going on in your mind will be for nothing. It is just a transition to something new and better, and the dead end is part of the process.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please help me see past the dead end and know that You are working behind the scenes. I know that the plans that You have for me are good and the right door will open, in the name of Jesus I pray.

Note: Happy Father’s Day! We pray that you all have a joyful day as we celebrate the fathers in our lives, and honor our heavenly Father, who loves us more than we will ever comprehend! 

Bible Fun Fact: The KJV Bible is the only book in the world with one billion copies in print.

 

 

 

What Jesus Did! ‘Mountains and Valleys’

The next day, after [Jesus and the disciples] had come down the mountain, a large crowd met Jesus. A man in the crowd called out to him, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, my only child. An evil spirit keeps seizing him, making him scream. It throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It batters him and hardly ever leaves him alone. I begged your disciples to cast out the spirit, but they couldn’t do it.” Jesus said, “You faithless and corrupt people! How long must I be with you and put up with you?” Then he said to the man, “Bring your son here.” As the boy came forward, the demon knocked him to the ground and threw him into a violent convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit and healed the boy. Then he gave him back to his father. Awe gripped the people as they saw this majestic display of God’s power.

— Luke 9:37-43a NLT

Key Thought

Although Jesus’ exaltation from the transfiguration experience with Moses and Elijah and from God’s blessing on the mountain was a great experience, he came down the mountain to face disappointment once again. A father said, “I begged your disciples…, but they couldn’t do it.” After their great mission trip where they preached and healed, after their experience in helping feed 5000, once again they were suddenly limited and lacking. I don’t know about you, but my ministry often goes that way, too. Sometimes I feel so powerful and useful to the Lord, and he does great things. Bottom line: Just as Jesus’ disciples often disappointed him, other Christian servants are going to disappoint us, and we may disappoint them sometimes also. However, Jesus didn’t give up on his disciples when he was discouraged with them, and we must not give up on each other when we let each other down. While he rebuked them, he remained faithful to them. His goal was to make them into God’s men. He would not let his discouragement with them keep him from his task!

Today’s Prayer

Father God, please help me not to be overly discouraged when other Christians don’t measure up to what I think they ought to be or when I do not measure up to what I should be. Help me be gracious with them just as you are. Guard my heart against bitter discouragement and cynicism about the failure of other believers and about my own failures. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

• Luke 6:42
• 2 Corinthians 7:6
• Galatians 6:9

 

with Jesus: ‘The Stubbornness of Unbelief’

Note from Jesus

Dear Follower,

I challenge you to consider two questions about the verses you find below:

1. Why do you think that Mark included this story about the unbelief of the folks from My “hometown” and among My “own people” and in My “own household”?
2. Who are My hometown folks and family today?

If you are My disciple, you are part of My family. Mark included the episode below from My ministry to speak to My family and warn them (and warn you) of a great danger — the “stubbornness of their unbelief.” This warning is about a specific kind of “stubbornness” and “unbelief.”

Over the centuries of church history, My disciples have often thought they knew what they could expect from Me. Many times they ended up under-expecting. They came up with theologies that limited My power and presence. They quit believing that I could or would do great things through them. In the process, they limited what I could do for them, with them, and through them because of the “stubbornness of their unbelief.” Mark included this episode from My life to speak to this kind of loss of expectation, this “stubbornness” of “unbelief” in the people in his day. The gospel of Mark in your Bibles warns you about this same “unbelief.”

In a few days, we will begin an extended look into the book of Acts. Then, we will go through the rest of the New Testament story together. In the book of Acts, you will read about My disciples and what the Holy Spirit did for them, with them, and through them. You may be tempted to believe that the kinds of things you see in the book of Acts could never happen in your time. I want you to be aware that any lack of expectation still limits the power I can release into your life and the lives of those you love just as My relatives lack of expectation did in My hometown.

The power of My gospel to reach lost people in every place in every age is still present through the work of My Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, the “stubbornness” of “unbelief” I confronted in My hometown also happens in your day. This lack of expectation contributes to My repeated frustration with My family — My modern-day “hometown” and My “own people” and “household.” This “stubbornness” of “unbelief” prevents Me from doing any “great works” for them, among them, and through them.

Please believe! Please expect more! Please read your Bibles to see that We — Father, Son, and Spirit — long to do in your day the things We’ve done before. Don’t let it be said in your day that I AM limited “by the stubbornness of their unbelief.”

Verses to Live

In the following verses, Mark reported things that happened in My hometown of Nazareth. Notice that the people there were astonished at My teaching. They also knew about My miraculous powers. However, they couldn’t see past their own familiarity with Me, My family, and what they thought they knew about Me. They refused to accept My teaching and My miracles. Their lack of faith prevented them from experiencing all that I wanted to bring to them and do among them

Don’t let your past experiences place limits on what you think I can do for you, in you, and through you. Remember this about Us — Father, Son, and Spirit: We “can do so many awe-inspiring things, immeasurable things, things greater than [you] ever could ask or imagine through the power at work in” you (Ephesians 3:20).

Jesus went back into His own hometown where He had grown up, and His disciples followed Him there. When the Sabbath came, He went into the synagogue in Nazareth and began to teach as He had done elsewhere, and many of those who heard Him were astonished.

Those in the Synagogue:

Where did He gain this wisdom? And what are all these stories we’ve been hearing about the signs and healings He’s performed? Where did He get that kind of power? Isn’t this Jesus, the little boy we used to see in Joseph’s carpenter shop? Didn’t He grow up to be a carpenter just like His father? Isn’t He the son of Mary over there and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, Simon, and their sisters? Who does He think He is?

And when they had thought about it that way, they became indignant and closed themselves to His message.

Jesus (seeing this):

A prophet can find honor anywhere except in his hometown, among his own people, and in his own household.

He could not do any of His great works among them except with a few of the sick, whom He healed by laying His hands upon them. He was amazed by the stubbornness of their unbelief.
(Mark 6:1-6)

Response in Prayer

Today, O God, I pray as Habakkuk did many years ago:

Lord, I have heard of your fame;
I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord.
Repeat them in our day,
in our time make them known.

In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

---

Prayer from Habakkuk 3:2 NIV.

 

 

Princess Sassy Pants & Co.™

Just breathe…And trust that you are right where you need to be.

 

 

FATHER’S DAY

Father’s Day is observed annually on the third Sunday in June.  This day is set aside to honor the role that fathers play in the family structure and society.

After the success of Mother’s Day, Father’s Day observances began to appear.  The road to this national observance was not easy.

• The first recorded celebration of Father’s Day happened after the Monograph Mining Disaster, which killed 361 men and left around 1,000 children fatherless in December 1907.  Grace Golden Clayton suggested to her pastor Robert Thomas Webb a day honoring all those fathers.  On July 5th, 1908, a gathering in honor of these men took place at Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South, now known as Central United Methodist Church, in Fairmont, West Virginia.
• In 1910, the YMCA in Spokane, Washington recruited several clergymen with the help of Sonora Smart Dodd to honor fathers throughout the city.  The date was set for June 5th but was later changed to June 19th (the 3rd Sunday in June) as many clergymen needed more time to prepare.
• Harry C. Meek, a member of Lions Clubs International, claimed that he first had the idea for Father’s Day in 1915.  Meek argued that the third Sunday of June was chosen because it was his birthday.  The Lions Club has named him “Originator of Father’s Day.”  Meek made many efforts to promote Father’s Day and make it an official holiday.
• After a visit to Spokane in 1916 to speak at a Father’s Day celebration, President Woodrow Wilson wanted to make it official, but Congress resisted fearing that the observance would become too commercialized.
• President Calvin Coolidge stopped short of issuing a national proclamation in 1924
• Sonora Smart Dodd continued to work to make Father’s Day a national observance.  In 1938, she collaborated with the Father’s Day Council, a group of New York Men’s Wear Retailers for the commercial promotion of the observance.  Many Americans resisted the holiday for decades because of these attempts to commercialize the day.
• In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers on the third Sunday in June.
• President Richard Nixon signed into law a permanent national holiday in 1972 over 50 years after Mother’s Day came into existence.

 

Now, some Fathers’ Day Humor….

 

5 Verses for Fathers Happy Father’s Day! 5 Verses for Fathers “But while he was yet far away, his father saw him and was moved with compassion, and ran and embraced his neck and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). “Furthermore, we have had human fathers, and they corrected us, and we gave them reverence” (Heb. 12:9). “Like a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord gives compassion to those who fear Him” (Ps. 103:13). “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). “The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, and he who fathers a wise child will have joy of him” (Prov. 23:24).

Blessings, Dr. Steve Greene

 

 

A Prayer for Fathers and Grandfathers

Here is a prayer for fathers and grandfathers: to bless you for every good work and every act of love you have ever offered on behalf of the ones you love. If you are Dad or Granddad, you are deserving of blessing and honor for who you are and for all you do, no matter what your age, single or married.

Dear Lord,

Bless every father and every grandfather with the best of your spiritual blessings today. Let him know he is not alone in the tasks you have given him to provide for and support those under his care. Show him how much you delight in his work, and affirm the value of whatever You have given him to do—both as a father or grandfather and as a child of Yours. Confirm his worth daily so he has no reason to doubt whether he is loved in the eyes of his Heavenly Father.

Show Him What a Difference He Makes

Create in him a deep sense of trust in You, knowing that He can count on You to help him lead and protect those dependent on him. Let him know that every unselfish act of love and encouragement he has offered has been a gift that You receive gladly. Show him how effective the prayers of a godly man really are, and what a difference he has and can make to those around him, no matter how big or small the assignment.

When challenging times push him beyond his limits, assure him that You can take Him further into the realm of possible impossibility. Speak deep into his spirit the powerful words he longs to hear from You—that nothing can ever separate him from Your love.

Reward Him for His Faithfulness

Help him to grasp firmly the promises of Your Word, standing with faith on the things You declare are true. Reward him for his faithfulness past, present, and future. Assure him that true success and satisfaction don’t lie in his accomplishments or accolades, but in the steadfast, Christ-like character You are forming in him.

Demonstrate to him Your amazing grace and forgiveness as he seeks to love and to know you with all of his heart, soul, and mind. Release him from unwanted burdens of false guilt, and bless him for his willingness to keep short accounts with You. Enable him to forgive both himself and others. Help him to see his children or grandchildren through Your eyes. Assure him that in Your hands is the safest place they can ever be. Strengthen his confidence in the Only One who can bring good out of any situation.

Give Him Godly Wisdom and Passionate Faith

Teach him how to meet the needs of his child’s life that are within his ability to do so, but help Him to trust You for the rest. Push out any needless fears, and grant to him godly wisdom and spiritual guidance to lead and direct those precious children in Your path. When the time comes, help him release them into Your hands with prayerful love.

Complete any healing of past hurts or regrets that may interfere with parenting or grand parenting his children. Then build in him a sense of joy, humility, and playfulness that draw his family close. When plans don’t develop as he hopes, or dreams are not yet realized, open his eyes to see beyond this world to a greater joy that never disappoints. And remind him often that you are a Father who will never leave or abandon him or his loved ones.

Give him a passionate faith, a persevering spirit, and a powerful testimony that overcomes any weakness or doubt. Help him wear the armor of God daily You have provided for him as a spiritual leader and child of God.

Bless Him with Your Best

May this prayer for fathers and grandfathers remind him of how much he is loved. Today, and for all the days of his life, fill him with the best of Your blessings. One day I prayer he will stand before you and hear Your ultimate words of praise, “Well done, my son, well done!”

In Jesus’s name,
Amen

This prayer originally appeared as A Prayer of Blessing for Fathers and Grandfathers on Crosswalk.

Happy Father’s Day

As a father or grandfather, you probably struggle with inadequacy, doubt, and fear in parenting or grandparenting. Am I doing enough, being enough, leading my children in the right path? Am I meeting their needs? What more should/can I do to help my kids find their way in life? No matter how your father influenced you, positive or negative, you want more for your children. You want them to stand firm in their faith, even as you desire that for your own life.

Know that Jesus loves you and wants those same things for you, and that your work is never in vain. While you may never receive all the appreciation you deserve here on earth, God knows. And He will applaud you as His Christ-one in eternity when you stand before Him and hear His “Well Done!” You bring pleasure to Him, just being His child and doing what you can as a father or grandfather.

Happy Father’s Day to every dad and granddad. I hope this prayer for fathers and grandfathers will encourage your heart on Fathers’ Day and every day of your life.

I like to repost this prayer of blessing for fathers and grandfathers each year on Father’s Day. You might also enjoy these posts I wrote called, Five Characteristics of the Perfect Father, and What Is a Father? A Father’s Day Tribute.

It’s Your Turn

How has God blessed you as a father or grandfather? What would you add in your prayer of gratitude to your father or grandfather? You can always write me through my contact page. Just fill out the basic name and address info, and then the email will come to me. Your name or info will never be shared with anyone without your permission.

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