"Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1: 4,5) We find in the scripture that Jeremiah was called to do a work from the highest authority, God Himself. Jeremiah had doubt at first, "I cannot speak for I am a youth" (vs6), and the Lord reassured him of the appointment by telling him "Do not say I am a youth, for you shall go to all to whom I send you and whatever I command you, you shall speak...For I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord." (vss 7,8)
I like the way the NIV puts verses 17-19 "Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land ... They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you" The Message Bible translates it this way: "I'm making you as impregnable as a castle, immovable as a steel post, solid as a concrete block wall. You're a one-man defense system against this culture...they won't even scratch you. I'll back you up every inch of the way."
God has made all of us as "iron pillars", "immovable steel post", "solid concrete block walls" by His power, by His authority, and by His appointment. I believe that we don't realize sometimes just how much power and authority that we have and that we have all the tools to defeat the enemy when he comes against us. God wants us to be the people that He has raised us up to be and not fall by the way side. The Bible says that in that great day there will be some that fall away. What's going to cause them to fall away? Will it be because they forgot about being a "fortified city, an iron pillar?"
I want to take authority today on the appointment that comes from the Lord: to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. We have been empowered by the Holy Ghost to overcome the enemy when he tries to cause us to fail and we have power to overcome him in this spiritual warfare that is raging around us! "Get yourself ready" today to carry out the appointment that God has given you as an individual and seek revival for yourself and let it spark a revival in someone else!!
Friday, May 10, 2013
Thursday, May 9, 2013
God's Will
"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Ephesians 5:1,2). As you read on in this chapter it explains how to be an imitator of God, verse 17 says to "Understand what the will of the Lord is". How do we communicate and cultivate the will of God in our lives? Prayer, fasting, reading God's Word and fellowship with the Spirit!
I Thessalonians 4:3 says "It is God's will that you should be sanctified". A little bit about sanctification for a moment...I remember a conversation during one of the holidays in times past where my mom told us when she stopped smoking ... she said, "You know when I stopped smoking? When I got sanctified!" You see sanctification will allow us to live a holy life before the Lord because it causes us to not want to do the things that we used to do and that are sinful! Verse 4 goes on to say "that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God...". Verse 7 says "For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life." If we are to understand the will of God in our lives we have to be sanctified, we have to live pure, holy lives before Him!
Why should I fast, pray and read my Bible? So that "The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, ... give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might" (Ephesians 1:17-19). In other words, "to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing Him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for Christians, the utter extravagance of His work in us who trust Him - endless energy, boundless strength!" (the Message Bible)
In my prayer this morning I asked the Lord to sanctify me! All of me! Yes I did this a long time ago too, but I believe that you can't out ask God! Do you need to "understand the will of God in your life"? Talk to Him!
I Thessalonians 4:3 says "It is God's will that you should be sanctified". A little bit about sanctification for a moment...I remember a conversation during one of the holidays in times past where my mom told us when she stopped smoking ... she said, "You know when I stopped smoking? When I got sanctified!" You see sanctification will allow us to live a holy life before the Lord because it causes us to not want to do the things that we used to do and that are sinful! Verse 4 goes on to say "that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God...". Verse 7 says "For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life." If we are to understand the will of God in our lives we have to be sanctified, we have to live pure, holy lives before Him!
Why should I fast, pray and read my Bible? So that "The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, ... give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might" (Ephesians 1:17-19). In other words, "to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing Him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for Christians, the utter extravagance of His work in us who trust Him - endless energy, boundless strength!" (the Message Bible)
In my prayer this morning I asked the Lord to sanctify me! All of me! Yes I did this a long time ago too, but I believe that you can't out ask God! Do you need to "understand the will of God in your life"? Talk to Him!
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Jesus' Compelling Love
Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:14 "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all..." The word compel in the original language carries a sense of being driven on a course from which you cannot deviate. No other options exist. There's no other course possible. Paul's attitude toward following Jesus was right on course. We see that Paul followed Jesus, not just because of his own love for Jesus, but for the love Jesus has for Paul. This is why we should follow Christ, because His love compels us!
Christianity is a course that should not be deviated from no matter what the cost or circumstance. Notice what else Paul says in this scripture, "because we are convinced." Conviction! The love of Christ compels us with nothing less than conviction. I believe that conviction is not only for the time that God is calling us unto Salvation, as Christian people we are being convicted everyday so as to live a life full of blessings! Don't turn a deaf ear to the convicting Spirit of God because he just wants us to draw close and grow in him!
This compelling love from Jesus should radiate in our lives so that we live a transformed life in Christ. Our transformation through the love of Christ should cause an unbelieving world to see the glory of God in our actions, talk, business dealings, friendships, etc... Let's follow Jesus fully today and let His compelling love run through our hearts! God Bless!
Christianity is a course that should not be deviated from no matter what the cost or circumstance. Notice what else Paul says in this scripture, "because we are convinced." Conviction! The love of Christ compels us with nothing less than conviction. I believe that conviction is not only for the time that God is calling us unto Salvation, as Christian people we are being convicted everyday so as to live a life full of blessings! Don't turn a deaf ear to the convicting Spirit of God because he just wants us to draw close and grow in him!
This compelling love from Jesus should radiate in our lives so that we live a transformed life in Christ. Our transformation through the love of Christ should cause an unbelieving world to see the glory of God in our actions, talk, business dealings, friendships, etc... Let's follow Jesus fully today and let His compelling love run through our hearts! God Bless!
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Fragrant Worship
I'm excited about what I feel in the air in these days to come. I sense a moving of the Holy Ghost across this land and I want to be a ready and willing vessel that can be used to reach someone for the Gospel of Christ! I like the passage of David's writtings in Psalm 145 where David said, "I will exalt you, my God the King. I will praise your name for ever and ever. Everyday I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom." (vss. 1- 3 niv) The NKJV says that "His greatness is unsearchable" (vs 3) that means that God's greatness is beyond our understanding! We aint got it all together yet! I know that isn't proper english but it's whats in my spirit, we aint got it all together and we need to do what David did and learn how to praise the Lord daily - for ever and ever and then we will learn how to "humble ourselves" and seek God's face and He will teach us new and great things!
Paul said that "we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing." (2 Corinthians 2:15) Whether people accept God's salvation and live or they refuse it and perish, we have to be a fragrance of Christ to God and to all those we come in contact with. We as children of God, need to learn how to get wrapped up in worship! We need to learn how to put things aside - bills, jobs, relationships, sickness, family, etc... and allow God's Holy Spirit to transform us into the people of God that He's intended for us to be! We need to WORSHIP GOD with our daily living and in the sanctuary!
When we stop looking on the outside appearance of man and begin to see the heart of God in them, then we can be transformed ourselves. So what if someone leading worship has a few tatoos on their skin or their hair is long or maybe they have a few piercings! Who are we to judge? We are not God! We are to worship the God that created all of us to be unique in our own ways and for the glory of God to be shown in our lives!
Paul said that "we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing." (2 Corinthians 2:15) Whether people accept God's salvation and live or they refuse it and perish, we have to be a fragrance of Christ to God and to all those we come in contact with. We as children of God, need to learn how to get wrapped up in worship! We need to learn how to put things aside - bills, jobs, relationships, sickness, family, etc... and allow God's Holy Spirit to transform us into the people of God that He's intended for us to be! We need to WORSHIP GOD with our daily living and in the sanctuary!
When we stop looking on the outside appearance of man and begin to see the heart of God in them, then we can be transformed ourselves. So what if someone leading worship has a few tatoos on their skin or their hair is long or maybe they have a few piercings! Who are we to judge? We are not God! We are to worship the God that created all of us to be unique in our own ways and for the glory of God to be shown in our lives!
Friday, May 3, 2013
Mind Game No More
Have you ever been talking with someone about Salvation and they make a comment like this one, "I can't seem to forget all the things that I've done wrong" or "I feel in my heart that something has changed, but in my mind I can't seem to forgive myself." As I was reading the first chapter of Colossians this morning, I was drawn to verses 21 & 22 "Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation - "
Paul says that we have the assurance, through Jesus Christ, that we are NO LONGER ALIENATED from God. When I look at the word, alienated, I automatically think of "outerspace", "the far-side", "a great distance away", etc... Once we were, as sinners, a long way from God and distanced from God, but through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and the resurrection of His body, we have been made "heirs" with Christ and have the presence of God IN US!
I think a lot of Christians today fight the "battle of the mind" and allow the devil to trick them into believing that they are not forgiven. The battle of Salvation has already been won through Jesus, all we have to do is believe that He was and IS and is to come! John 14: 6 tells us of Jesus being the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Whatever circumstance you may be going through today, Jesus is the WAY. Don't let your "mind" tell you any different. A lot of the times we let the struggle in our minds dictate our lives, but the bible says that we are to "offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God in spiritual acts of worship and to not conform to the pattern of the world, but be transformed by renewing our minds" (Romans 12: 1,2). We can win the battle in our minds by letting God transform us from the inside - out! I have come to know that when I am "mindful" of God's ways, my struggle with temptation, bad attitude, fleshly motives, etc... decrease because I believe what Paul said to the church at Ephesus, "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4: 22-24)
Let's strive to have the "mind of Christ" each day and to live a life that is pleasing to God. Remember, that Jesus paid our sin debt and all we have to do is receive and accept. Our minds may remember "the evil behavior" but God has forgotten our sins and given us a renewed life in Him! May God Bless you today!
Paul says that we have the assurance, through Jesus Christ, that we are NO LONGER ALIENATED from God. When I look at the word, alienated, I automatically think of "outerspace", "the far-side", "a great distance away", etc... Once we were, as sinners, a long way from God and distanced from God, but through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and the resurrection of His body, we have been made "heirs" with Christ and have the presence of God IN US!
I think a lot of Christians today fight the "battle of the mind" and allow the devil to trick them into believing that they are not forgiven. The battle of Salvation has already been won through Jesus, all we have to do is believe that He was and IS and is to come! John 14: 6 tells us of Jesus being the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Whatever circumstance you may be going through today, Jesus is the WAY. Don't let your "mind" tell you any different. A lot of the times we let the struggle in our minds dictate our lives, but the bible says that we are to "offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God in spiritual acts of worship and to not conform to the pattern of the world, but be transformed by renewing our minds" (Romans 12: 1,2). We can win the battle in our minds by letting God transform us from the inside - out! I have come to know that when I am "mindful" of God's ways, my struggle with temptation, bad attitude, fleshly motives, etc... decrease because I believe what Paul said to the church at Ephesus, "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4: 22-24)
Let's strive to have the "mind of Christ" each day and to live a life that is pleasing to God. Remember, that Jesus paid our sin debt and all we have to do is receive and accept. Our minds may remember "the evil behavior" but God has forgotten our sins and given us a renewed life in Him! May God Bless you today!
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Solitary Confinement
"The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place." Mark 6: 30-32 (niv)
As I was reading this passage of scripture I noticed that before the event of feeding the five thousand could happen, Jesus encouraged the disciples to get some much needed rest and nourishment. They had a physically demanding responsibility lying ahead of them and with all that they had already done, they were not in "shape" to press on. So, they went with Jesus, to a solitary place. They had a job at hand, but needed some quiet time, in a quiet place where they could have fellowship and be nourished and refreshed!
How are we when it comes to being nourished and refreshed? I take this passage this morning and call it to be for me, as to my needing to be refreshed in Spirit, to get alone with God and allow Him to nourish me and feed me! Webster's dictionary defines nourish as - to provide with food or other nutriment necessary for life and growth; to foster the development of; to keep alive: maintain.
It is of great importance, that I allow God to nourish me for the necessity of life and growth in this Christian walk. Life eternal and growth in the Spirit. We must allow God to foster the development of our Christian lives with some "solitary place time." We must put ourselves in a position to be maintained through the power of the Holy Spirit for the nourishment of the power of God. We have a physically and Spiritually demanding responsibility before us to live our lives as vessels for the Kingdom of God and to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. Are you getting the refreshing nourishment that you need to do your part? Find your "solitary place time" today with God! Be blessed in the name of the Lord!
As I was reading this passage of scripture I noticed that before the event of feeding the five thousand could happen, Jesus encouraged the disciples to get some much needed rest and nourishment. They had a physically demanding responsibility lying ahead of them and with all that they had already done, they were not in "shape" to press on. So, they went with Jesus, to a solitary place. They had a job at hand, but needed some quiet time, in a quiet place where they could have fellowship and be nourished and refreshed!
How are we when it comes to being nourished and refreshed? I take this passage this morning and call it to be for me, as to my needing to be refreshed in Spirit, to get alone with God and allow Him to nourish me and feed me! Webster's dictionary defines nourish as - to provide with food or other nutriment necessary for life and growth; to foster the development of; to keep alive: maintain.
It is of great importance, that I allow God to nourish me for the necessity of life and growth in this Christian walk. Life eternal and growth in the Spirit. We must allow God to foster the development of our Christian lives with some "solitary place time." We must put ourselves in a position to be maintained through the power of the Holy Spirit for the nourishment of the power of God. We have a physically and Spiritually demanding responsibility before us to live our lives as vessels for the Kingdom of God and to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. Are you getting the refreshing nourishment that you need to do your part? Find your "solitary place time" today with God! Be blessed in the name of the Lord!
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
The Voice
1 Samuel chapter 3 tells of the calling of a young man named Samuel. Samuel was staying with Eli (the priest) and was awakened by a voice calling out his name. Samuel went to Eli to see what the call was all about. Eli told Samuel to lay back down because he had not been the one to call out his name. After about the third time of Samuel's awakening to the voice of the Lord, Eli recognized what was going on and sent Samuel back to bed, but this time instructed him to call on the name of the Lord for He was the one doing the calling. See, the Bible says that Samuel didn't know the Lord yet - in other words - he had no relationship with the Lord and in having no relationship with Him, he had no knowledge, or recognition of His voice or fellowship with God. Eli, being a priest, practiced having a relationship with God, therefore, had a recognition of the voice of God.
When someone calls you on the phone that you haven't spoken with in quite a while, you may not know or recognize that voice. When your spouse, child, sibling, or best friend calls you on the phone you have no doubt who you are talking to without even asking! That's the way we ought to recognize the voice of God!!!
We have to be able to hear God when He is calling our name. He calls our name when He has a mission for us to do, when He has a plan for our life, when He wants to fellowship with us, when He wants us to be effective in the Harvest for His Kingdom, etc... There are many reason that God calls out our name and we have to be like Eli and recognize the voice of God in order to act upon the calling!
When someone calls you on the phone that you haven't spoken with in quite a while, you may not know or recognize that voice. When your spouse, child, sibling, or best friend calls you on the phone you have no doubt who you are talking to without even asking! That's the way we ought to recognize the voice of God!!!
We have to be able to hear God when He is calling our name. He calls our name when He has a mission for us to do, when He has a plan for our life, when He wants to fellowship with us, when He wants us to be effective in the Harvest for His Kingdom, etc... There are many reason that God calls out our name and we have to be like Eli and recognize the voice of God in order to act upon the calling!
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