And Elisha prayed, & said, "Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, & he saw. And behold the mountain was full of horses & chariots of fire all around Elisha. (2 Kings 6:17 NIV)
Oh to see things from Gods perspective. We see the problems, circumstances, struggles, & enemies when God sees the solution. He says "What are you worried about I have sent all of these angels to fight for you?". He brings us through battle after battle & yet we doubt because our focus is on circumstances instead of the Lord of all Creation. I think that's part of the maturation process, learning to see things as Christ sees them. So what battle are you facing today? I encourage you to open your eyes & see things from Gods perspective. See the angels surrounding you. See the hand of Almighty God moving on your behalf. See the fiery chariots & horses there to fight for YOU. The fight might be lopsided but it might just be lopsided in your favor.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Monday, March 3, 2014
Enter
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus (Heb. 10:19 NIV)
When you pray, did you know that you are entering His presence? My next question is HOW are you entering His presence? Do you enter with confidence & faith or is it more of "I know you probably wont but I hope you do". Christ by His shed blood has made it possible for us to enter into Gods presence. That same blood is why we can enter with confidence because there is power in that blood. If you are Gods child, the power of that blood is for YOU. We often believe that God will do it for someone else but not for us. Today I want you to remember to enter into Gods presence with confidence in the blood of Jesus Christ. Know that He shed His blood for you so that you could enter with confidence. God loved you enough to send His only Son to shed His blood for you so why would He not want to show His power through your life.
When you pray, did you know that you are entering His presence? My next question is HOW are you entering His presence? Do you enter with confidence & faith or is it more of "I know you probably wont but I hope you do". Christ by His shed blood has made it possible for us to enter into Gods presence. That same blood is why we can enter with confidence because there is power in that blood. If you are Gods child, the power of that blood is for YOU. We often believe that God will do it for someone else but not for us. Today I want you to remember to enter into Gods presence with confidence in the blood of Jesus Christ. Know that He shed His blood for you so that you could enter with confidence. God loved you enough to send His only Son to shed His blood for you so why would He not want to show His power through your life.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Go Away
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, & he will flee from you. (James 4:7 NIV)
Ever feel like things are coming at you in waves. You get through one wave & are feeling good about the victory when suddenly here comes the next. It could be a trial, struggle, temptation, or sin that you've been dealing with. Two keys, first submit to God. Give it over to God & let Him take it & deal with it. Acknowledge His authority & lordship over your life. He is your power source. You have to stay connected to Him. Secondly, you have to resist the devil. If you are Gods child, he has no authority in your life. Christ has already paid the price for you. Remind him of his place & the end result of his story. Remind him of Who you belong to & that its time for him to go. You have to stand strong. Gods word promises that if you Satan will flee from you. God has already provided your way to victory, Ive reminded you of what you need to do, so go out & claim the victory.
Ever feel like things are coming at you in waves. You get through one wave & are feeling good about the victory when suddenly here comes the next. It could be a trial, struggle, temptation, or sin that you've been dealing with. Two keys, first submit to God. Give it over to God & let Him take it & deal with it. Acknowledge His authority & lordship over your life. He is your power source. You have to stay connected to Him. Secondly, you have to resist the devil. If you are Gods child, he has no authority in your life. Christ has already paid the price for you. Remind him of his place & the end result of his story. Remind him of Who you belong to & that its time for him to go. You have to stand strong. Gods word promises that if you Satan will flee from you. God has already provided your way to victory, Ive reminded you of what you need to do, so go out & claim the victory.
Monday, February 24, 2014
I Will Give You Rest
"Come to Me, all of you who labor & are heavy laden, & I will give you rest. (Matt. 11:28 NKJV)
Anybody out there tired? Anybody feel like you've been beaten down & you just need to catch your breath & get your second wind? Christ is the place to go. You can go to Him & rest there in His strength & in His arms. Too often we try to go on our own & that's what wears us down. If we would just rely on Him & trust in Him, our burden would be so much lighter. As in one of my favorite books, "Pilgrims Progress" we spend too much time carrying around that backpack of the past, our fears, worries , & failures. If we would take that backpack to the cross & leave it there, Christ will dispose of it for us & we can walk much lighter. Sometimes, we get tired & its hard to take that rest but we can always go to the One Who gives us rest. If youre feeling tired & worn down claim this promise for your day & rest in our Redeemer. He will refresh you.
Anybody out there tired? Anybody feel like you've been beaten down & you just need to catch your breath & get your second wind? Christ is the place to go. You can go to Him & rest there in His strength & in His arms. Too often we try to go on our own & that's what wears us down. If we would just rely on Him & trust in Him, our burden would be so much lighter. As in one of my favorite books, "Pilgrims Progress" we spend too much time carrying around that backpack of the past, our fears, worries , & failures. If we would take that backpack to the cross & leave it there, Christ will dispose of it for us & we can walk much lighter. Sometimes, we get tired & its hard to take that rest but we can always go to the One Who gives us rest. If youre feeling tired & worn down claim this promise for your day & rest in our Redeemer. He will refresh you.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Whats their need
Jesus went throughout Gaililee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, & healing every disease & sickness among the people. ( Matt. 4:23 NIV)
Christ is our example. This was an example of His ministry. A model that I would think would be good for us to follow. First He went. He went to the people were who needed Him. As Christians we need to be in the world making a difference. How do we do that? Follow Christs example. He preached. He healed. He met their needs. Our preaching carries a lot more weight when we're showing enough concern for them to meet their needs. God can multiply our abilities, talents, & resources to do just that. If we will be about following His example, He will use us to do great things. I believe God is wanting to unleash His power through believers who trust Him enough to allow Him to work through them. Would you like to be one of those believers who had the power of the Holy Spirit moving through them? Lets set about following His example & watch what He does.
Christ is our example. This was an example of His ministry. A model that I would think would be good for us to follow. First He went. He went to the people were who needed Him. As Christians we need to be in the world making a difference. How do we do that? Follow Christs example. He preached. He healed. He met their needs. Our preaching carries a lot more weight when we're showing enough concern for them to meet their needs. God can multiply our abilities, talents, & resources to do just that. If we will be about following His example, He will use us to do great things. I believe God is wanting to unleash His power through believers who trust Him enough to allow Him to work through them. Would you like to be one of those believers who had the power of the Holy Spirit moving through them? Lets set about following His example & watch what He does.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Know the Power
I want to know Christ & the power of His resurrection & the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, & so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Phillipians 3:10 NIV)
As Christians, I think we often underestimate the power that we have available to us. We have the same power as was used to raise Christ from the dead. I think we have not even come close to seeing what God can do through us if we would only let that power work through us. I think part of the reason for that is when struggles & difficulties come we give up too soon. God uses those struggles to grow us, refine us, & to make us more fruitful for Him. We have to remember that as we go through those struggles, we still have that same power available to us. Instead of being defeated & turning back too soon, we need to access that power that comes from Almighty God & move those mountains. There will be struggles in life but God promises to use them for our good. So when they come, stay faithful & use the power & watch what God does with you.
As Christians, I think we often underestimate the power that we have available to us. We have the same power as was used to raise Christ from the dead. I think we have not even come close to seeing what God can do through us if we would only let that power work through us. I think part of the reason for that is when struggles & difficulties come we give up too soon. God uses those struggles to grow us, refine us, & to make us more fruitful for Him. We have to remember that as we go through those struggles, we still have that same power available to us. Instead of being defeated & turning back too soon, we need to access that power that comes from Almighty God & move those mountains. There will be struggles in life but God promises to use them for our good. So when they come, stay faithful & use the power & watch what God does with you.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Keep on Speaking
One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, don't be silent. For I am with you, & no one is going to attack you & harm you , because I have many people in this city. (Acts 18: 9&10 NIV)
Today I think it has become increasingly easy to be quiet & not share Gods word with others because we can feel concerned with what others might say or do in response. However, Christs words to Paul apply to us today as well. We need to keep sharing Gods word. We need to live it, speak it & walk it. The world needs Gods word now more than ever. There are many out there misrepresenting it & its up to us to speak the truth. We can do this because we know that Christ goes with us. If Christ is with us, we have nothing to fear. Also, the world will tell us that there aren't many Christians left but just as God says here in His word He has many of us left. We need to work together to continue speaking His word, encouraging each other, & doing the work Christ has given us to do. I encourage you today, don't be afraid, keep speaking, keep working. God has a great work for us to do & remember, He goes with us.
Today I think it has become increasingly easy to be quiet & not share Gods word with others because we can feel concerned with what others might say or do in response. However, Christs words to Paul apply to us today as well. We need to keep sharing Gods word. We need to live it, speak it & walk it. The world needs Gods word now more than ever. There are many out there misrepresenting it & its up to us to speak the truth. We can do this because we know that Christ goes with us. If Christ is with us, we have nothing to fear. Also, the world will tell us that there aren't many Christians left but just as God says here in His word He has many of us left. We need to work together to continue speaking His word, encouraging each other, & doing the work Christ has given us to do. I encourage you today, don't be afraid, keep speaking, keep working. God has a great work for us to do & remember, He goes with us.
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