Enough Is Enough

Tags

happiness, joy, trouble

John 16:33
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.  In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Jesus Christ came into this world to die for our sins and give us his eternal life.  He told us that we would have tribulations in this world but he also said be of good cheer because he has overcome the world.  Therefore we should be of good cheer everyday of our lives no matter what is going on.  It doesn’t matter if times are good or if you are experiencing some kind of crisis you can be of good cheer.

At some point in every believers  life you have to say enough is enough either I am going to believe God or not.   Our lives should not be this emotional roller coaster where we are of good cheer when things are good and down when things are bad.   I don’t believe that we should be so easily moved.  Psalms 125:1 says “they that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.”  We are believers and that makes us unmovable.  We don’t have to be moved by the things that we experience in this world; Jesus Christ has overcome the world.  Everything that you and I would experience in this life Jesus Christ has overcome it.  So don’t worry, don’t fear be of good cheer.

You are already a believer, you don’t have to try and believe,  just stand on what you already believe; Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God.  He is greater in you than he that is in the world (I John 4:4).

Grace From Start To Finish

Tags

grace, help

2 Corinthians 12:9
“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness…”

When we come to God for salvation we come totally depending upon him to save us.  We realize that we need a savior and that we can’t help ourselves so we look to Jesus Christ and the finish work of Calvary. The only thing that we do is receive.

The same way that we come to God to receive eternal life is the same way that we must receive all the blessings and promises that accompany our salvation.  Simply receive.  There need not be any effort on our part; just receive.

However, it seems that after we receive grace we feel that we need to help God do what only he can do.  Not realizing that God doesn’t need our help to do what he does his grace is sufficient.

2 Chronicles 14 tells of Asa king of Judah, how God blessed him and gave him rest because his heart was to God. But because God had given him rest, he decided to build cities with walls and towers and gates and bars (2 Chron. 14:7).  But was it not God that gave him rest?  God  had given him rest before the walls and towers, gates and bars.  God was his fortress but Asa felt he need to help God do what only God can do.   Soon after they built, the Ethiopian army came upon them with a mighty host.  Judah was clearly out number, what was Asa to do?  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this one out; he went back to what he started out with he called on the name of the Lord and the Lord delivered him without any help for him (2 Chron. 14:11-12).

God doesn’t need our help, he is good and able all by himself.  His grace is sufficient for us we  just need to receive it.

How Good, How Pleasant

Tags

brethren, love, peace, unity

Psalm 133:1
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”

Every parent want their children to love one another and dwell in peace.  Our heavenly Father  wants the same thing for his family.  As a matter of fact Jesus said “this is my commandment that ye love one another, as I have loved you. When we love one another as he commands it releases a sweet aroma that lets the world know that we belong to him.

Jesus prays in John 17:21, “that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” To be one is to have no preference and no prejudice it’s to know that we have the same blood flowing through us, that’s the blood of Jesus, and that makes us family.

When we love one another as he loves us the world believes in Jesus.  Therefore,  love is the key to evangelism.  How simple, to evangelize the world all we have to do is love one another.

However, in order for us to love one another as he loves us we must first see and receive his love for us.  We must see how because of love he came into a world he created, suffered, bleed and died to paid a debt he didn’t owe and forgave us our sins all to bring peace back to his family.

For where there is peace there the blessing is released, even life for evermore (Psalm 133:3).

God Is Our Provider

Tags

provider, provision

Before the fall Adam didn’t work to provide for his basic needs God provided for Adams needs. But after the fall God told Adam “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground…” (Gen 3:19).  Well, if Adam didn’t have to work for his needs why did he work?  I believe God gave Adam the job of dressing and keeping the garden so that Adam could display the gifts and talents that God created in him and so that Adam at the end of the day could look at what he had done and say it is good.

God never intended for us to work for our needs this is why Jesus tells us to “take no thought for your life” (Matthew 6:25).  If he wanted us to work for our needs he would have said get a good paying job so you can provide for your needs.  No, we work to display the gifts and talents that God has created in us.

Does this mean we don’t have to work? Absolutely not.  God will use our gifts and talents to bring increase and provision into our lives.  What he wants us to know is that our jobs are not our source of supply, he is.

Many people are without jobs today and they are praying for God to give them jobs. But their prayers are not God give me a job so that I can display the gifts and talents you have created in me; but it’s God give me a job so that I can provide for my needs.  God is our provider, our source and our resource not our jobs.  When you know, understand and believe this it removes the stress and fear from your life.

Just think if you were a billionaire and you lost your job, would you care? Would you worry about how you’re going to feed your family? I don’t think so.  Well, that is the way we should be everyday of our lives whether you’re lost your job or not.  We have Jesus Christ, who is better than a billion dollars.  He is our provider and he has and he will continue to meet your needs.

He Cares For You

Tags

cares, rest

I Peter 5:7
“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

Christ caring for us not only means that we are on his mind and that he is concern and compassionate about us, but that he takes the care that we cast upon him and meets the need.

God is all knowing therefore, he knew what we would need and when we would need it.  He knew every care that we would ever have and he made provision for them through Jesus Christ who is well able to handle our cares.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:25 “therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.  Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” What we will eat, drink and put on are cares, and Jesus tells us to take no thought or don’t think about it.  Why? Because our Father in his omniscience has already thought about it and provided for it.  All we have to do is cast it upon him and rest in him to provide.

When Jesus went to Martha and Mary’s house, Martha was so careful about providing for Jesus she couldn’t see that he wanted to provide for her.   Jesus said to her, “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things” (Luke 10:41).  A heart that is careful and troubled is a thorny heart or an unrestful heart and an unrestful heart is an unbelieving heart.  Martha could probably hear what Jesus was saying from the other room but the words sown was being choked amongst the thorns (Matt. 13:22-23).   Jesus continues and tells Martha, “But one thing is needful; and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:42).  I used to think that the one needful thing that Jesus was talking about was the word.  While that is true it can’t be the one needful thing in this text because the word sown on thorny ground is unfruitful.  So the one needful thing that Jesus wanted us to have is a restful heart. When we  cast all our cares upon him we maintain a restful heart and a restful heart is good ground for the word to produce an abundant harvest in our lives.

In His Presence

Tags

communion, joy, presence

Psalms 139:7
“Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?”

There is no place we can go to hide from God. Everywhere we are he is. Therefore, you don’t have to wait for Sunday morning to enjoy his presence he is where you are right now.

All it takes is for you to cultivate his presence. When you cultivate something you are stirring it up. You can stir up the presence of God in you anytime and anywhere by acknowledging he is there. He is there when you get up and have your morning coffee, when you read the paper, or brush your teeth, comb your hair, get the kids dress for school, whatever you’re doing and where ever you are he is there.

We don’t have to call him down, he is here in us abiding with us waiting and listening to what we have to say. Stir up his presence in you today by “speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of Jesus Christ” (Eph 5:19-20).

Lift Up A Praise

Tags

death, life, praise

Acts 16:25
And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God and the prisoners heard them.

In every midnight situation you have a choice, a choice whether to speak life or death.  And the choice you make will determine what power will be lifted up in your life.

Paul and Silas locked up in a Roman prison could have complained. They could have talked about the beating they took, the smell of the jail or how unfair it was for them to be in that situation.  But instead they choose to sing and praise God.  They choose to speak life.  And when they did it not only affected their lives but the lives of those that heard them.  The power of life loosed them all from their chains. Acts 16:26 says “And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison where shaken; and immediately all the doors where opened, and everyone’s bands where loosed.

Now if speaking life can cause this to happened what do you think speaking death will do?  It would have caused the foundations of the prison to remain firm and unmovable.  It would have kept the doors to the prison shut and everyone would have remained in chains.  But as they began to sing and praise God the atmosphere in the prison changed.  The atmosphere was right for a midnight miracle.  It affected the other prisoners they all fell under the banner that Paul and Silas had lifted up.  The banner whose power and authority no prison could keep and no chain could hold.

However, if you don’t say anything your situation will remain the same. If the enemy can’t get you to speak death, he’ll try to keep you from saying anything.  Have you ever noticed that in some crisis situations you feel very heavy and you don’t want to talk to anyone?  Well, that the enemy trying to get you to keep your mouth closed. He knows that when you open your mouth and began to praise God doors will open and chains will fall off.

Even in their midnight crisis, Paul and Silas sang and praised God and in doing so they were saying to God in all things you have the preeminence.

Victory Is Jesus Christ

Tags

celebrate, victory

Psalms 41:11
“By this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me.”

If we didn’t know we have victory we would easily give up, but since we know, we might as well celebrate!

Victory is not only what Christ gives to us but it is who He is in us.  Therefore, we can celebrate everyday regardless of what we’re facing because victory is in us.  Knowing this takes the power out of whatever problem or situation you are face because you know are the winner.  And winners celebrate!

Let me let you in on some inside information; over 2000 years ago Jesus Christ hung on the cross and said “It is finished.” He spoiled principalities and powers, made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it and give us victory (Colossians 2:15).  Furthermore, 1 John 5:4 says, “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world; and this is the victory that overcometh the world even our faith.  Faith is Christ in us and Christ is the victory that overcometh the world.  Therefore, since you know you have the victory you can celebrate!  Celebrate what?  Victory! Celebrate Jesus Christ! He did the fighting so you and I don’t have too, our job is to thank and praise Him for who He is and what He has done.

When we celebrate victory, we are magnifying Jesus Christ and putting our problems in its proper place, underneath our feet.  We see that our enemy the devil, no matter what weapon he fashions against us cannot triumph over us. So celebrate today!

 

Eyes Of Mercy

Tags

love, loving-kindness, mercy

Psalms 123:1
“Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.”

What does it mean unto thee lift I up mine eyes? I know that it might seem obvious but sometimes the most obvious things are those that we miss.  First let’s look at  the word “unto.” The prefix un means to do the opposite or reverse and the word “to” indicates direction.  When you put them together it signifies to change direction.    To look away from what you where looking at before and look to Christ.

The Psalmist goes on to say “behold as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God until that he have mercy upon us.”  A servant is totally dependent upon that which his master can give.  He knows that his master knows he is a servant and unable to supply for himself.  Our Father knows that we are unable to do anything without him that why he had mercy upon us.

When we look away from the hand of man and lift up our eyes to Christ  we find  his eyes are always looking back at us with mercy and loving-kindness.  We have a promise that surely goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives. (Psalms 23:6)

Why did He Do It?

Tags

grace, Jesus, love

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Most of us have asked the question why did God do what he did for us. Why did it please God to crush his only begotten Son for us? There could be no other answer than the one he gave which is he loved us.

David said in Psalms 8:3-4 “when I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man that thou art mindful of him or the Son of man that thou visitest him?” In other words, what are we that you have made us a little lower than Yourself and given us the rule over the works of your hands? Is it not that we are the object of his love? Maybe if the children of Israel coming out of Egypt had considered this question they would not have been so rebellious. Because as we see God’s love and receive God’s love we are able to love him with that same love and obedience born out of love is worship.

When Jesus talked with the disciples on Emmaus road he open the scriptures to them and began to expound to them why it was necessary for him to come and die and suffer the things that he did. He was telling them all this was necessary to fulfill the Father’s love. The cross is the expression of God’s love for us. Therefore, whether God is blessing us or chastising us it’s Jesus and therefore it’s love.

From Genesis to Revelation all that God has done and all that he has said is because he has chosen to love us.