Resting In The Strength Of The Lord

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griefs, help, rest, sorrow, strength, weakness

2 Corinthians 12:9
My grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness.

Have you ever been to the point of ‘I just can’t take this anymore?’ Well, you’re not alone I can’t image there is a person out there that hasn’t experience this at one time or another in their life. We all have come to a point where the pressures of life seem a little overwhelming and almost too much for us to bear. Jesus experienced the same thing too, once in the garden of Gethsemane and than again on the cross. In the garden he prayed in agony saying, “Oh my Father if it be possible, let this cup pass from me nevertheless not as I will but as thou wilt” (Matt. 26:39). And on the cross he cried out “…my God, my God why hast thou forsaken me” (Matt. 27:46).

Jesus went through it so that we could have his life. Isaiah 53:4 says, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted.” Why? So we can have his life. He bore it; he didn’t give up so that we would never have to give up. Jesus knew that you and I would not be able to bear it alone. Therefore, he came to dwell within us so that when you feel like you just can’t take it anymore, all you have to do is lean back and rest in the strength of the Lord for his strength is perfect in weakness. He took our weakness to give us his strength.

Heb 2:18 says, “For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.”

The Face Of Glory

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grace, Jesus, life, light, moses, prosper, shekinah

2 Corinthians 4:6
“For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Genesis 1:2 describes the state of the earth before God said “let there be light.” The earth was dark, without form and void. But when God said “let there be light” things changed. The earth began to prosper and bring forth because the light had come.

Jesus said in John 8:12, “…I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. Jesus Christ is the light of life. He is the light that causes us to prosper in life, we only need to look upon him.

When Moses went up to Mt. Sinai for the second time to receive the law, the bible says in Exodus 34:29, “…that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.” The glory of God was on the face of Moses. But when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses they were afraid to come close to Moses. Moses put a veil on his face so that the people could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished (2 Cor. 3:13). The veil on Moses face separated the people from the glory of God just as it did in the tabernacle. The veil separated the people from the holies of holies where the shekinah glory of God presided, where the light of God presided.

When Jesus died on the cross the veil was torn from top to bottom and the glory that was behind the veil was placed on the face of him who came and died and rose again and released to us the covenant of grace. And as the candIestick in the holy place of the tabernacle gave light to the shewbread, altar of incense and the holies of holies, when we look at Jesus Christ, the Holyspirit gives us revelation into the knowledge of the glory of God. His glory that gives us life, sustains us keeps us and causes us to prosper.

This is why Paul could say “we are troubled on every side yet not in distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair” (2 Cor. 4:8); because every time we are faced with trouble as we are beholding Jesus Christ and the finish work of Calvary the light of the shekinah glory of God shines into our life and we prosper.

“Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body” (2 Cor. 4:10).

The Gospel Of Jesus Christ

Tags

Christ, glory, gospel, grace, Jesus

This is the gospel of Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” John 3:16.

Jesus came into this world in response to God’s love for man. Man had sinned and the judgment for sin was death. Man needed a savior, a redeemer, someone to save him from death. The same word that God used to create the heavens and the earth took on the formed of flesh, empty himself of his divine privileges, humble himself, took our sins upon himself and became obedient to the death of the cross (Philippians 2:5-8). God the Father poured all of his wrath and judgment for our sins upon the body of Jesus. Isaiah 53:5 says, “But he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed.” He came, he died and three days later he rose again with all power and is seated at the right hand of Majesty on High.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is so plain and simple to understand that even a child can receive. We don’t need to dress it up with fancy words. Paul said in I Corinthians 2:4-5, “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and power that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” And in Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” The gospel of Jesus Christ all by itself is the power of God unto salvation.

When Jesus came to this earth he came as a baby and he was born in a manger. When he went into Jerusalem he was riding upon a donkey. His disciples took their garments and laid them upon the donkey. To the Jews he was a stumbling block they weren’t expecting their Messiah, their King to come in such a fashion. Even his disciples seemed to disapprove of his choice of transportation. I mean if you are going to present yourself as King you will need a better ride. Therefore they attempted to dress up the donkey with their garments. To the Greeks it was foolishness for a king to speak of dying for his subjects (I Corinthians 1:22-24).

But there was a reason then as it is now that the King of kings; and Lord of lords; came without any earthly fanfare. And the reason is simple, he needed none. He alone all by himself is the power of God unto salvation. We don’t need to dress him up for men to receive him we simply need to give men Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God. Where there is a revelation of Jesus Christ there is power. When men see Jesus Christ, in all of his loveliness, splendor and power their lives are transformed from glory to glory by the power of God. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Releasing The Power Within

Tags

faith, healing, power, provision

Ephesians 3:14-21

When Paul saw that the church at Ephesus was about to give up, he prayed that they would be strengthened with power by Christ’s spirit in the inner man and then that Christ would dwell in their hearts by faith.  I used to think when Paul prayed this prayer he was praying that they become believers but then I realized they were already believers.  So why would Paul pray this prayer?  Well, I believe that Paul was praying that the church would receive a deeper revelation of the grace of God. Paul goes on to pray that they “being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.” The breadth, length, depth and height is a picture of the cross.  The Holyspirit was praying through Paul that we all receive a deeper revelation of the finished work of calvary because the more we come to know, understand and believe in what Christ has accomplished for us on the cross the more that his life would be operative in us.  It is His grace that releases His faith, that releases His power within us.

Paul goes on to pray  “now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”  Yes God can do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think but it is according to the power that worketh in us.  If we don’t know how to release the power that is in us it will never benefit us.  Yes it is there but it is not being use and therefore God is limited as to how much He can do in your life. For example, you could go to Best Buy and purchase a dvd player,  get it home, plug it up and play dvds but if you don’t read the manual you will never know all of its capabilities. You might not ever be able to record other dvds or record your favorite tv shows or do anything else that it can do.  The power to do it would be there but you wouldn’t know that you have it because you’ve never read the manual. Power that worketh is power that is being used. Christ is the power that is in us and the Word of God is the manual.  The more revelation of Christ that we receive, the more of His power that will be working in us and then God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think. 

When I get a revelation of  Christ as my healer, I receive His faith for healing and that faith releases His power of healing  within me.  And with His power of healing working God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that I ask or think in my body. Likewise, when I get a revelation of Christ as my provider, I receive His faith that releases His power of provision within me and with His power of provision working God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that I ask or think in my finances.

Okay, now that you know how to release the power of Christ within you, it really doesn’t matter what tribulation, persecution or trouble you are facing you don’t have to give up. You are loaded with power. All you need to do is pick up the manual, the Word of God and ask the Holyspirit to give you a revelation of Jesus Christ in His grace for your situation and you will receive His faith that releases His power within you and God will do exceeding abundantly above all that you ask or think on your behalf.

On The Outside Looking In

2 Kings 7:3-4

“And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate; and they said one to another, why sit we here until we die? If we say, we will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there; and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians; if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.”

These four leprous men couldn’t go into the city because the law demanded that if you were unclean with leprosy you had to dwell alone outside the camp (Lev. 13:46). So they sat outside the gate of the city, starving to death, living in condemnation. However, at some point in the night they realized that what was on the inside of the gate would bring them death and being on the outside looking in was also bringing them death. So they said to themselves, “why sit we here until we die?” They rose up at twilight and went to the camp of the Syrians. When they arrived no one was there because the Lord had caused the host of Syria to hear noises of chariots, horses, and a great host. The Syrians were so afraid, they thought the king of Israel had hired the Hittites and the Egyptians to come and help them. They rose up and fled in the twilight and left all their stuff. (2 Kings 7:3-7)

Many christians today are like these lepers, living on the outside of the gate but still looking to what’s on the inside. Inside the gate is the law outside the gate is grace. Hebrews 13:12 says, “wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.” Jesus has meant all the demands of the law and has taken all of our sins, guilt and shame. Therefore, “let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach” (Heb. 13:13). Since grace is on the outside this means they were on the outside looking in with their backs to grace and their faces to the law. Turn away from looking at what’s inside the gate and face forward to Jesus Christ and the finish work of Calvary and live!

When they went forth they found no one there to condemn them. No one to cry out unclean, unclean, unclean. And because there was no one there to condemn them they were free to take all that their hearts desired. You’re clean, you’re clean, you’re clean! You know what to do from here.

Bridging The Gaps-Part 1 (Identity)

Colossians 1:26-27

“Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Bridge – A structure carrying a pathway or roadway over a depression or obstacle; a time, place, or means of connection or transition. A means to get from one point to another.

One of the major gaps that we face in life deals with our identity. Who we are verses who we perceive ourselves to be. Adam received his identity from God. When he opened his eyes he beheld the glory of God and the first voice he heard was the voice of God. This is how Adam knew who he was; Adam knew he was like God. Therefore, what you behold is who you will be and what you here is what you will believe.

Many people young and older are suffering from identity crisis. They have no clue of who they are, they float thru life asking the question, who am I? Not understanding this is exactly the place where the enemy wants them to be; not knowing who they really are. He knows that if he can keep you from knowing who you are he can keep you from accessing all the power and authority that is yours. He knows that if you bridge the gap between who you are to who you are in Christ, there will be nothing he can do to you. When he came to Jesus in the wilderness the question he gave was “if thou be”, he was questioning Jesus identity, he knew if he could get Jesus to question His identity he could defeat him. But Jesus knew that He came from the Father and that He was in the Father and He and the Father were one. Jesus saw Himself in the Father and he used that power and authority to defeat the enemy. In the same way Jesus saw Himself in the Father we must see ourselves in Him. The enemy wants to keep you wondering who you are by causing you to use something outside of Jesus to identify yourself.

First we identify ourselves through our parents, then our friends, then society. If you could really discover who you are through your parents the question of who you are wouldn’t be an issue. Furthermore, if you could find yourself in your parents than all that they are you would be. For instance, if your parent is an alcoholic you would identify with that and think that is who you are. No, you must go higher to see who you really are. You must go to the source of your existence. You must go to your Father to know who you really are. And the only way to the Father is through Christ. Christ is the bridge to the gap of who you are verse who you perceive yourself to be. When you use something outside of Christ to bridge that gap it becomes a wall not a bridge. It keeps you away from knowing who you really are. The only way to know who you really are is to look at Jesus. As you behold Him in all his loveliness, splendor and power you are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Cor. 3:18)

When you understand that as He is so are you in this world, when you understand that as He is lovely; so you are lovely, as He is confident; so you are confident; as He is gentle; so you are gentle. As He is glorious; so you are glorious it changes everything.

This is why the enemy wants to keep you reaching outward instead of looking within. Because He is Christ in you the hope of glory. Christ in you is the power to reign in life. Everything you hear about Jesus you need to say that’s me, that’s who I am. You see, you’re not just who your mother named you, but you are a child of God an heir of God a joint-heir with the Lord Jesus Christ. And the bible tells us in 1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now are we the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when He shall appear we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is.” What does it mean when He shall appear? I know John is talking about Christ’s second coming but right now when He appears that means when we see Him, when we get a revelation of who He is we are changed into what we see from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord.

Bridging The Gaps-Part 2 (Character)

What we do speaks of our character. If you are experiencing a gap with you identity you will experience a gap in your character. Until you know who you are will you not be able to change what you do. Until you know that you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus; you will never develop a righteous character. Righteousness is not right doing but it is the person of Jesus Christ in you. Under the law man became righteous by doing; under grace we do righteously because we have been made righteous. 2 Cor. 5:21 says “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” So you see, if you don’t know who you are, if you don’t know that because of Calvary you have been made righteous, if you don’t identify with that you will never do righteously.

I think most of us have read Romans. 7:15-25. Where Paul was struggling with what he wanted to do verse what he was doing. But in Romans 8:1 Paul says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus…” Paul received a revelation that caused him to identify with Christ and it set him free from trying to fulfill the righteous requirements of the law. He realized that he could never keep the law and by trying to do so he was killing himself. All that he had to do was rest in what Christ had accomplished for us at Calvary. He didn’t have to live under condemnation any longer. Condemnation is a wall it separates us from God because it stops us from approaching God. It means that we are not looking to Jesus the only way to the Father. It means were not identifying with Him in His righteousness it means that we are still trying to be righteous by doing right.

The more you see that you have been made the righteousness of God in Christ the more your life will line up with what you see.

Bridging The Gaps – Part 3 (Destiny)

Ephesians 1:11 “…being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after counsel of His own will.”

Each of us are born with a God-given purpose. The gap between where you are and where you are destined to be is called development. Jesus is the bridge to get you from where you are to where He has purposed for you to be. Sure, you might not like where you are right now, but don’t rush the process. Allow Him to work out His plan in your life. You don’t have to worry about missing it because God not only has the plan but He has the method by which to work out His plan and the time in which to fulfill His plan in your life.

Jesus came to this earth with the Father’s purpose and plan for his life. He said in John 4:34″…My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work.” He carefully sought the Father’s method for fulfilling the Father’s plan for His life. In the garden of Gethsemane He intensely prayed with sweat and blood for the Father’s method. He knew that He had to die, death was not in question because that was the Father’s plan which He gladly accepted. But here in the garden it was the method in which to fulfill the plan. And He says “…O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me except I drink it, thy will be done (Matt.2:42).” He not only accepts the Father’s plan but the Father’s methods. In contrast, Adam in the Garden of Eden rejected the Father’s method for his life. Jesus also waited on the Father’s time to fulfill His plan. Jesus knowing who he was could have started his ministry at any tme. But He didn’t rush the process, He sat and learned from teachers in the synagogues and subjected Himself to his earthly authority. And in the Father’s time, Jesus knowing who He was, having being subjected to every temptation of man, yet without sin, went to Calvary, hung on the cross and fulfilled His destiny. Knowing who He was gave Him his character and His character brought Him to His destiny.

If you want to get to where God has destined and purposed for you to be you must first see yourself in Jesus. Then you must allow Him to develop you in your character, gifts and talents. Pray for His methods to fulfilling his plan for your life. I know it’s good to admire people and maybe even look up to them and want to do what they do. But we must go beyond individuals and seek the Father’s methods for His plan in our lives. Remember you don’t have to worry about missing it. In other words, you’re not too old and you haven’t messed up enough. Look at Moses he attempted to use his own method to fulfill God’s plan for this life and ended up spending 40 years in the desert attending to sheep that really didn’t belong to him. Those 40 years weren’t wasted years they were years of development. And when it was God’s time, He came forth and fulfilled his destiny. Jesus is the bridge to our identities, our character and our destinies.