Romans 9:17-18
For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.” So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen. (NLT)
As believers partaking in the benefits of a relationship with Jesus, we know He is alive today. We see Him working in and around us every day. But others do not know Him as being alive. To them He is may be just a name in a book.
The Word tells us that we are in Jesus and He is in us. Therefore, God’s glory is in each believer. And it is for the purpose of displaying His power to others that they may see Jesus in each of us. It is His light that is to shine though us in all we say and do.
The words out of our mouths should be formed by the Holy Spirit that lives within us and not out of our carnal mind. But it is up to us to allow Him to work through us. As we lay hands on others we can pray with our carnal mind that the Father touch them in Jesus name. And He promises to hear our prayers.
We can also lay hands on the sick and see them recover by letting the Holy Spirit do His work through us directly. The Holy Spirit living in us is the living Jesus for the entire world to see. But it is up to us to let Him out.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Tell Everyone
Acts 12:16-1717
Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed. He motioned for them to quiet down and told them how the Lord had led him out of prison. "Tell James and the other brothers what happened," he said. And then he went to another place. (NLT)
When something good happens we are always ready to tell about it. Like when our favorite team wins the game. We talk about it all day to everyone we meet. We are so excited. Or if we won the prize at the office party. We are quick to tell about our worldly good fortune.
Peter was excited about what had happened to him. He was in prison and an angel sprung him. He was free by an act of God. He went directly to Mary's house to tell them what had happened, but he did not stay. He went on to tell others.
When God touches our lives, it should not be a secret. Yes it was a personal thing when He healed us or spoke into our lives in some way. But we need to not keep it to ourselves. We need to go around knocking on doors and tell.
As we tell the story of what Jesus has done for us we do two things. First we reinforce what He has done in us which diminishes what the enemy is trying to do to take it away. And second we encourage others about Jesus and what it means to have a relationship with Him.
By spreading the good news of Jesus in our lives, we are spreading the Good News to others.
Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed. He motioned for them to quiet down and told them how the Lord had led him out of prison. "Tell James and the other brothers what happened," he said. And then he went to another place. (NLT)
When something good happens we are always ready to tell about it. Like when our favorite team wins the game. We talk about it all day to everyone we meet. We are so excited. Or if we won the prize at the office party. We are quick to tell about our worldly good fortune.
Peter was excited about what had happened to him. He was in prison and an angel sprung him. He was free by an act of God. He went directly to Mary's house to tell them what had happened, but he did not stay. He went on to tell others.
When God touches our lives, it should not be a secret. Yes it was a personal thing when He healed us or spoke into our lives in some way. But we need to not keep it to ourselves. We need to go around knocking on doors and tell.
As we tell the story of what Jesus has done for us we do two things. First we reinforce what He has done in us which diminishes what the enemy is trying to do to take it away. And second we encourage others about Jesus and what it means to have a relationship with Him.
By spreading the good news of Jesus in our lives, we are spreading the Good News to others.
Monday, October 11, 2010
The Plan
Colossians 4:5-6
Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. (NLT)
Most of us have heard the old adage If you fail to plan you plan to fail. So we set out on our life journey with a plan. We set goals for our lives and work our plan. Schooling leads to job opportunities and they set us out on our carrier path with the ultimate goal of a comfortable retirement package.
It all sounds good, but most never make it. The schooling that looked so right did not get us into that perfect job. We either did not end up liking what we trained for or there just were not jobs available in that field. Or the jobs were available, but the carrier path never unfolded. The result was that we did not end up meeting those goals set early on.
Then we met Jesus. These earthly plans we had depended on all of a sudden were meaningless. We now understood that He held the ultimate plan and He would help us meet the true goals of life, if we would allow Him to do so.
In our Bible we read the Great Commission and found ourselves eager to do what He told us. We were so eager we told everyone we met about our encounter with Jesus and how they had to meet Him, too. We set our goals and made our plan, once again. We decided how we could best do the job for God and became a salesman for Jesus.
But He tells us to live wisely among those who are not believers, and to make the most of every opportunity. We realized that it is His plan and not ours that will complete the journey. If we wait on the Lord, He will show us when it is time to tell our story. He makes the opportunities and it is up to us to listen for them and then act in faith on them.
And when we do step out and speak we are to let our conversation be gracious and attractive so that we will have the right response.
Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. (NLT)
Most of us have heard the old adage If you fail to plan you plan to fail. So we set out on our life journey with a plan. We set goals for our lives and work our plan. Schooling leads to job opportunities and they set us out on our carrier path with the ultimate goal of a comfortable retirement package.
It all sounds good, but most never make it. The schooling that looked so right did not get us into that perfect job. We either did not end up liking what we trained for or there just were not jobs available in that field. Or the jobs were available, but the carrier path never unfolded. The result was that we did not end up meeting those goals set early on.
Then we met Jesus. These earthly plans we had depended on all of a sudden were meaningless. We now understood that He held the ultimate plan and He would help us meet the true goals of life, if we would allow Him to do so.
In our Bible we read the Great Commission and found ourselves eager to do what He told us. We were so eager we told everyone we met about our encounter with Jesus and how they had to meet Him, too. We set our goals and made our plan, once again. We decided how we could best do the job for God and became a salesman for Jesus.
But He tells us to live wisely among those who are not believers, and to make the most of every opportunity. We realized that it is His plan and not ours that will complete the journey. If we wait on the Lord, He will show us when it is time to tell our story. He makes the opportunities and it is up to us to listen for them and then act in faith on them.
And when we do step out and speak we are to let our conversation be gracious and attractive so that we will have the right response.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Seeing is Believing
Acts 13:12
When the governor saw what had happened, he became a believer, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord. (NLT)
Have faith you say. Well Dianne and I had faith to go to that meeting the day she was miraculously healed of Crohn's disease. That was faith to go. We had already been praying and had been seeking all the earthly possibilities we could find.
During that morning we saw things happen in front of our eyes. People were coming up on the platform in pain. You could see it on their faces and in their stature. Then with a quick touch and the name of Jesus the pain left and they could do what they were unable to do before. We saw what had happened.
Our housekeeper had told us about it, but we had not seen. We wanted to believe and had just enough faith to go. Sometimes that's all it takes.
Had we seen healing on television we probably would have rationalized them away as smoke and mirrors. You know those weight loss ads? They show you the before person and then the picture of that same person a few weeks later with a new body. Sure you say and somehow know it cannot be that easy.
But we did see it with our own eyes and heard the teachings about the Lord straight from the Bible. It was so simple when we realized what Jesus had told us in His Word. We are all to lay hands on the sick and see them recover!
When we saw what had happened, we became believers. Then when hands were placed on Dianne she was instantly healed. We saw. We believed. We received. Thank you Jesus.
When the governor saw what had happened, he became a believer, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord. (NLT)
Have faith you say. Well Dianne and I had faith to go to that meeting the day she was miraculously healed of Crohn's disease. That was faith to go. We had already been praying and had been seeking all the earthly possibilities we could find.
During that morning we saw things happen in front of our eyes. People were coming up on the platform in pain. You could see it on their faces and in their stature. Then with a quick touch and the name of Jesus the pain left and they could do what they were unable to do before. We saw what had happened.
Our housekeeper had told us about it, but we had not seen. We wanted to believe and had just enough faith to go. Sometimes that's all it takes.
Had we seen healing on television we probably would have rationalized them away as smoke and mirrors. You know those weight loss ads? They show you the before person and then the picture of that same person a few weeks later with a new body. Sure you say and somehow know it cannot be that easy.
But we did see it with our own eyes and heard the teachings about the Lord straight from the Bible. It was so simple when we realized what Jesus had told us in His Word. We are all to lay hands on the sick and see them recover!
When we saw what had happened, we became believers. Then when hands were placed on Dianne she was instantly healed. We saw. We believed. We received. Thank you Jesus.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Abba Father
Galatians 4:6
Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." (NLT)
The verses before this tell us that God sent Jesus to redeem us so we might receive the full rights of sons. As sons and daughters, we have varying ideas of what that means.
It depends on the childhood we had. For some of us it was a loving family life with our Dad coming home from work and loving on us. Vacations were fun as we went away to the beach or on a trip to the mountains. Family meant together.
For others, we had childhoods that were well off, but our father was never around. Our mother ruled with the threat of what our father would do if we got out of line. He worked all the time and was out of town often. Vacations, when we got to take one, were times away from home usually without Dad.
And then there were families where the parents split while we were young. We went to live full time with mom and spent little time with dad. Mom would anxiously await the monthly child support check, but that was the bulk of our involvement with him. He was our biological father, but not much of an influence in our lives.
There are many other scenarios we could talk about and yours might be unique. In any case there are two ways we come to Christ viewing God the Father. He is either a loving, caring Father God or one whose love is questionable or perhaps conditional.
The Spirit of Christ lives within us. He is the Holy Spirit. He calls out to Abba, which is Aramaic for Father or Daddy. But do we feel the same way about our Father God as the Holy Spirit does? Do we give the Holy Spirit permission to accept the Father's Love?
Without fully accepting His Love, how can we accept the full rights as sons and daughters?
Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." (NLT)
The verses before this tell us that God sent Jesus to redeem us so we might receive the full rights of sons. As sons and daughters, we have varying ideas of what that means.
It depends on the childhood we had. For some of us it was a loving family life with our Dad coming home from work and loving on us. Vacations were fun as we went away to the beach or on a trip to the mountains. Family meant together.
For others, we had childhoods that were well off, but our father was never around. Our mother ruled with the threat of what our father would do if we got out of line. He worked all the time and was out of town often. Vacations, when we got to take one, were times away from home usually without Dad.
And then there were families where the parents split while we were young. We went to live full time with mom and spent little time with dad. Mom would anxiously await the monthly child support check, but that was the bulk of our involvement with him. He was our biological father, but not much of an influence in our lives.
There are many other scenarios we could talk about and yours might be unique. In any case there are two ways we come to Christ viewing God the Father. He is either a loving, caring Father God or one whose love is questionable or perhaps conditional.
The Spirit of Christ lives within us. He is the Holy Spirit. He calls out to Abba, which is Aramaic for Father or Daddy. But do we feel the same way about our Father God as the Holy Spirit does? Do we give the Holy Spirit permission to accept the Father's Love?
Without fully accepting His Love, how can we accept the full rights as sons and daughters?
Monday, September 13, 2010
In the Spirit
Romans 8:9
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. (NLT)
Jesus told His followers to gather together and wait. He promised to have the Father send the Holy Spirit to live in all believers from then on. As such, we who believe have been sent the Holy Spirit as well.
Wow! We have the spirit of the living God living in us. That is hard to wrap our human minds around. And yet we still sin. We have been brought up listening to man, learning from man, and doing what man does. Unless we give way to the Holy Spirit and let Him speak to us and guide us daily, it is easy to keep on keeping on just as we have always done.
How do we get the Holy Spirit and how do we know we have Him? I believe it happens as soon as we truly accept Jesus into our heart. The only reasons the first followers had to wait was because Jesus had not gone to the Father yet. Since then, He has continued to sit at the right hand of the Father.
In the Great Commission Jesus tells us to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. Those who believe will be saved and will be baptized. Jesus baptized by fire-the fire of the Holy Ghost. It is then that the Holy Spirit is activated in each believer with the evidence of speaking in tongues.
Later in verses 26-27 Paul speaks about praying in the Spirit, the tongues He has given us. I believe this opens a direct line between our spirit and the Father's spirit. This is how we receive whatever we need from God. This is how we receive power to do the miraculous.
Paul tells us to pray without ceasing and I believe this is about praying in our prayer language. The more we do the stronger in the Spirit we get. Try it!
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. (NLT)
Jesus told His followers to gather together and wait. He promised to have the Father send the Holy Spirit to live in all believers from then on. As such, we who believe have been sent the Holy Spirit as well.
Wow! We have the spirit of the living God living in us. That is hard to wrap our human minds around. And yet we still sin. We have been brought up listening to man, learning from man, and doing what man does. Unless we give way to the Holy Spirit and let Him speak to us and guide us daily, it is easy to keep on keeping on just as we have always done.
How do we get the Holy Spirit and how do we know we have Him? I believe it happens as soon as we truly accept Jesus into our heart. The only reasons the first followers had to wait was because Jesus had not gone to the Father yet. Since then, He has continued to sit at the right hand of the Father.
In the Great Commission Jesus tells us to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. Those who believe will be saved and will be baptized. Jesus baptized by fire-the fire of the Holy Ghost. It is then that the Holy Spirit is activated in each believer with the evidence of speaking in tongues.
Later in verses 26-27 Paul speaks about praying in the Spirit, the tongues He has given us. I believe this opens a direct line between our spirit and the Father's spirit. This is how we receive whatever we need from God. This is how we receive power to do the miraculous.
Paul tells us to pray without ceasing and I believe this is about praying in our prayer language. The more we do the stronger in the Spirit we get. Try it!
Monday, September 06, 2010
Complete Harmony
Romans 15:5-6
May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (NLT)
Living in harmony with others seems a day-to-day challenge for most of us. Sometimes we just have to grit our teeth and push through the day. Complete harmony? Are you kidding?
But think about it. Jesus did it. And as His followers we should be able to do the same. So why does it seem impossible?
We are born again but living in this mortal body. As our relationship with God grows and we allow Him to change us, we take on more and more of the mind of Christ. You see, we can try to be that nice person who is in harmony with others, but it is just a mask we wear. We act the way we believe we should while inside we may be screaming. So what others see of us is not who we really are, yet.
It is through quiet time with God that we build that relationship. It is through time in His word and time in prayer coupled with giving the Holy Spirit permission to change us. We can read all we want and say as many prayers as we can, but without giving it all up to Him, we stay the same.
And change does not happen all at once. God changes us over time and in the sequence He knows is best for us. But as the Holy Spirit reveals things in us that may be holding us back from receiving more, we need to give that thing to God as well. When we do, we change a little more.
Did you give something new to God today?
May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (NLT)
Living in harmony with others seems a day-to-day challenge for most of us. Sometimes we just have to grit our teeth and push through the day. Complete harmony? Are you kidding?
But think about it. Jesus did it. And as His followers we should be able to do the same. So why does it seem impossible?
We are born again but living in this mortal body. As our relationship with God grows and we allow Him to change us, we take on more and more of the mind of Christ. You see, we can try to be that nice person who is in harmony with others, but it is just a mask we wear. We act the way we believe we should while inside we may be screaming. So what others see of us is not who we really are, yet.
It is through quiet time with God that we build that relationship. It is through time in His word and time in prayer coupled with giving the Holy Spirit permission to change us. We can read all we want and say as many prayers as we can, but without giving it all up to Him, we stay the same.
And change does not happen all at once. God changes us over time and in the sequence He knows is best for us. But as the Holy Spirit reveals things in us that may be holding us back from receiving more, we need to give that thing to God as well. When we do, we change a little more.
Did you give something new to God today?
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