COME ALIVE TODAY :
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. – 2 Corinthians 5:17
Resurrection. What do you think of when you hear that word? Most people think of the past. Of a stone rolled away. An empty tomb. And a risen Lord.
Praise God, Jesus is alive today!
What we don't fully understand is this: He's not the only One who has been resurrected. We've been resurrected too!
We were spiritually resurrected the day we made the Lord Jesus Christ the Lord of our lives. That day we passed from death to life. The greater part of your resurrection has already happened!
Think about it. When you made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, the Spirit of God hovered over you. The glory of the Lord came into your being. And that glory consumed the old, sinful man that you were. That old man died. And in his place a new creature was born.
Oh yes, there will be a day when the earthly body you live in will be raised and glorified--but you don't have to wait until then to be free from sin and from the sickness and poverty and failure that goes with this natural world. You're free from all that right now!
You may be sitting there thinking, "Well, if I'm so free, why can't I quit smoking? Why can't I lose this weight? Why am I always sick?"
Because you've let Satan convince you that you're still under his power. You've let him talk you into living as if you're still spiritually dead!
So, today I want you to begin considering yourself alive! Begin thinking of yourself as one who already has the life of God instead of an earthly being who's waiting for the resurrection. Consider yourself dead to sin and alive to the power of Jesus. You'll find yourself living a whole new life today!
WHO’S AT THE CENTER?
The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations. —Psalm 33:11
Recently, I had what for me was a “Copernican moment”: I am not at the center of the universe. The world doesn’t revolve around me. It doesn’t move at my pace, in my terms, nor in accord with my preferences.
Though we might wish it to be otherwise, life is not all about us. Everything revolves around the Lord. In Psalm 33, we read that all nature revolves around Him and His control (vv.6-9). He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the ocean in vast reservoirs. Everything in nature operates in accordance with the laws He has set.
The nations also revolve around the Lord (vv.10-12). No plan or scheme can stand up against God’s. Ultimately, it is the Lord’s plan that will stand forever. His intentions can never be shaken.
Finally, the lives of all humanity revolve around the Lord (vv.13-19). God sees the whole human race. He made our hearts, and He understands everything we do. And He has the power to intervene in our lives and deliver us from situations spinning out of control.
Our life is created to be centered on God, not self. How thankful we can be to serve such a powerful God, who has every aspect of our lives under His control.
Teach me, Lord, to live out the truth of Psalm 33. May I revere You as I should. May I and all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of You, for Your counsel and plans stand forever.
When we die to all about us, we live to God above us.
CLOSER THAN YOU THINK :
“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded” (Hebrews 10:35, NIV)
Have you been praying and believing for something that seems like it’s taking a lot longer than you thought? Many times, people can miss God’s best simply because they give up before they see their “due season” come. Don’t let that be you! Be encouraged today, your answer is closer than you think. If it seems like things are getting more difficult, remember, when the intensity heats up, that means you are closer to your victory. It’s always darkest just before the dawn arrives.
You serve a faithful God, and He’s working behind the scenes on your behalf. Don’t cast away your confidence today because your reward is coming. And just like a new mother forgets about her labor pain when she is finally holding her newborn, you’ll forget about your struggle when you are holding on to your promise.
While you are waiting, keep an attitude of faith and expectancy. Wake up every morning and say out loud, “I’ve come too far to give up now. My due season is coming. I will reap my harvest.” Stay in faith and look for His hand of blessing because He has promised you victory, and it’s closer than you think!
Your Children Released From Captivity
Thus saith the Lord; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they [your children] shall come again from the land of the enemy. And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come again to their own border. - Jeremiah 31:16-17
Jesus has redeemed us from the curse. Many of us have been well taught about that redemption where sin, sickness and poverty in our own lives are concerned. But we often fail to realize that redemption has power over the destruction the devil tries to bring on our children's lives as well.
Deuteronomy 28 states the curse of the law in verses 16-68. Notice what that curse says about children. "Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand" (verse 32).
"Thou shall beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity" (verse 41).
Many Christian parents are still suffering needlessly under that curse. Their children are being taken captive by drugs, alcohol and perversions. But it doesn't have to be that way! Since Jesus broke the curse of the law, these parents have the authority in the Name of Jesus to order Satan out of their children's lives.
Don't let the devil run roughshod over your children! When you see the first warning signs of rebellion in them, confess the promises of God over them and refuse to give the devil any room to operate.
Remember, the children don't understand the unseen forces that are coming against them. So it's your responsibility to stand against those forces on their behalf. Exercise that responsibility. Then take every opportunity to minister love to them.
God knows how to deliver your children. Do your part and trust Him to do His. He will bring them back from the land of the enemy!
KNOW YOU ARE GOD’S BELOVED AND WIN
…“You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” - Mark 1:11
As Jesus came out of the waters of baptism, the heavens parted, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him and the Father said to Him, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Then, going into the wilderness in the power of knowing that He was the Father’s beloved, our Lord Jesus overcame every one of the devil’s temptations.
My friend, when you know that you are the Father’s beloved because you are in Christ the Beloved, you will have the power to overcome every challenge the devil throws at you. You are probably familiar with the story of David and Goliath, but did you know that David’s name means “beloved”? It takes one who knows that he is God’s beloved to bring down the giants in life!
So whether your giant is a financial crisis, chronic illness or destructive addiction, rest in the knowledge that you are God’s beloved. It will strengthen and sustain you, and give you the faith, favor and wisdom to knock your giants down!
WHAT RICHES WERE MEANT TO DO :
Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. – Ephesians 4:28
It always amazes me when I preach about prosperity and someone comes up to me and says, "I don't need much prosperity. I'm a simple person with a simple life. So I just ask God for enough to meet my needs."
They think that's humility, but it's not. It's selfishness! They don't realize it, but they're actually saying, "All I care about is meeting my own needs. I have no ambition to help meet anyone else's."
They could ask God for a million dollars, take out just enough to meet their needs, and give the rest away. But that doesn't even occur to them because when it comes to money, they've been brainwashed by a world that says if you have it, you've got to keep it.
That philosophy has hindered the ministry of Jesus Christ on the earth today. It has caused preachers to set aside their calling and get secular jobs just to survive. It's handicapped churches and stunted the growth of ministries that could have reached thousands more for the Lord.
It takes money to preach the gospel. Jesus Himself knew that, and contrary to what some people think, His ministry was not a poor one. He had so much money coming in and going out through His ministry that He had to appoint a treasurer. His name was Judas.
But Jesus didn't store up that money for Himself. He gave it to meet the needs of those around Him. He had such a reputation for giving that on the night of that last Passover when Judas left so abruptly, the disciples assumed that Jesus had sent him out to give to the poor.
Can you imagine how much and how often Jesus must have given to the poor for the disciples to make that assumption?
Jesus never built a worldly empire for Himself. But that doesn't mean He was poor. It means He was the greatest giver who ever walked the face of this earth, and it's time we started following in His footsteps.
Don't turn down the wealth God wants to give you just because you don't "need" it. Dare to accept it, then pass it along to those who do. Stop working for a living and start working for a "giving." Discover for yourself what riches were really meant to do.
BLESSED WITH THE EXCELLENT AND THE PLENTY :
DEUTERONOMY 28:4 - “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
Would you want to buy a chair that Jesus made? I would, even if it cost US$1,000 because it would be of superb quality. Whatever Jesus did, He did it with perfect excellence.
And because Christ is in you, the things which you produce will be of exceptional quality too. That includes your children, who will be champions. Deuteronomy 28:4 says, “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks”.
God was using terms that the Israelites understood since they were farmers and shepherds. Today, “your ground” is the place of your work. This means that “the produce” of your work shall be of excellent quality.
That is not all. God promises that quantity will always follow quality because Deuteronomy 28:11 says that the Lord will “grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body,” which means that you will have plenty of children, “in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground,” which means that your business will flourish and you will be a leading producer in the area of your specialty.
My friend, your excellence and plenty do not come by your efforts. They come by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who paid for you to have divine provision—“though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich”. (2 Corinthians 8:9)
Jesus was made destitute of all material things at the cross. He had nothing! As He hung on the cross, He watched the Roman soldiers gamble for His robe. His last possession on earth was gambled away. He became poor, so that you could be blessed with the excellent and the plenty
God's Word is the most powerful thing on earth & in heaven. It's the absolute truth. God's Word never changes, & God never breaks His Word.
God doesn't just barely meet our needs. He is the God of Abundance!
JESUS IS MIGHTY TO SAVE, HEAL AND DELIVER
Isaiah 63:1 Who is this who comes from Edom, With dyed garments from Bozrah, This One who is glorious in His apparel, Traveling in the greatness of His strength? --- " I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save."
2 Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like one who treads in the winepress?
3 " I have trodden the winepress alone, And from the peoples no one was with Me. For I have trodden them in My anger, And trampled them in My fury; Their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, And I have stained all My robes.
4 For the day of vengeance is in My heart, And the year of My redeemed has come.
5 I looked, but there was no one to help, And I wondered That there was no one to uphold; Therefore My own arm brought salvation for Me; And My own fury, it sustained Me.
6 I have trodden down the peoples in My anger, Made them drunk in My fury, And brought down their strength to the earth."
7 I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD And the praises of the LORD, According to all that the LORD has bestowed on us, And the great goodness toward the house of Israel, Which He has bestowed on them according to His mercies, According to the multitude of His lovingkindnesses.
8 For He said, "Surely they are My people, Children who will not lie." So He became their Savior.
9 In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the Angel of His Presence saved them; In His love and in His pity He redeemed them; And He bore them and carried them All the days of old.
10 But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; So He turned Himself against them as an enemy, And He fought against them.
11 Then he remembered the days of old, Moses and his people, saying: " Where is He who brought them up out of the sea With the shepherd of His flock? Where is He who put His Holy Spirit within them,
12 Who led them by the right hand of Moses, With His glorious arm, Dividing the water before them To make for Himself an everlasting name,
13 Who led them through the deep, As a horse in the wilderness, That they might not stumble?"
14 As a beast goes down into the valley, And the Spirit of the LORD causes him to rest, So You lead Your people, To make Yourself a glorious name.
Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. – 2 Corinthians 5:17
Resurrection. What do you think of when you hear that word? Most people think of the past. Of a stone rolled away. An empty tomb. And a risen Lord.
Praise God, Jesus is alive today!
What we don't fully understand is this: He's not the only One who has been resurrected. We've been resurrected too!
We were spiritually resurrected the day we made the Lord Jesus Christ the Lord of our lives. That day we passed from death to life. The greater part of your resurrection has already happened!
Think about it. When you made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, the Spirit of God hovered over you. The glory of the Lord came into your being. And that glory consumed the old, sinful man that you were. That old man died. And in his place a new creature was born.
Oh yes, there will be a day when the earthly body you live in will be raised and glorified--but you don't have to wait until then to be free from sin and from the sickness and poverty and failure that goes with this natural world. You're free from all that right now!
You may be sitting there thinking, "Well, if I'm so free, why can't I quit smoking? Why can't I lose this weight? Why am I always sick?"
Because you've let Satan convince you that you're still under his power. You've let him talk you into living as if you're still spiritually dead!
So, today I want you to begin considering yourself alive! Begin thinking of yourself as one who already has the life of God instead of an earthly being who's waiting for the resurrection. Consider yourself dead to sin and alive to the power of Jesus. You'll find yourself living a whole new life today!
WHO’S AT THE CENTER?
The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations. —Psalm 33:11
Recently, I had what for me was a “Copernican moment”: I am not at the center of the universe. The world doesn’t revolve around me. It doesn’t move at my pace, in my terms, nor in accord with my preferences.
Though we might wish it to be otherwise, life is not all about us. Everything revolves around the Lord. In Psalm 33, we read that all nature revolves around Him and His control (vv.6-9). He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the ocean in vast reservoirs. Everything in nature operates in accordance with the laws He has set.
The nations also revolve around the Lord (vv.10-12). No plan or scheme can stand up against God’s. Ultimately, it is the Lord’s plan that will stand forever. His intentions can never be shaken.
Finally, the lives of all humanity revolve around the Lord (vv.13-19). God sees the whole human race. He made our hearts, and He understands everything we do. And He has the power to intervene in our lives and deliver us from situations spinning out of control.
Our life is created to be centered on God, not self. How thankful we can be to serve such a powerful God, who has every aspect of our lives under His control.
Teach me, Lord, to live out the truth of Psalm 33. May I revere You as I should. May I and all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of You, for Your counsel and plans stand forever.
When we die to all about us, we live to God above us.
CLOSER THAN YOU THINK :
“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded” (Hebrews 10:35, NIV)
Have you been praying and believing for something that seems like it’s taking a lot longer than you thought? Many times, people can miss God’s best simply because they give up before they see their “due season” come. Don’t let that be you! Be encouraged today, your answer is closer than you think. If it seems like things are getting more difficult, remember, when the intensity heats up, that means you are closer to your victory. It’s always darkest just before the dawn arrives.
You serve a faithful God, and He’s working behind the scenes on your behalf. Don’t cast away your confidence today because your reward is coming. And just like a new mother forgets about her labor pain when she is finally holding her newborn, you’ll forget about your struggle when you are holding on to your promise.
While you are waiting, keep an attitude of faith and expectancy. Wake up every morning and say out loud, “I’ve come too far to give up now. My due season is coming. I will reap my harvest.” Stay in faith and look for His hand of blessing because He has promised you victory, and it’s closer than you think!
Your Children Released From Captivity
Thus saith the Lord; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they [your children] shall come again from the land of the enemy. And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come again to their own border. - Jeremiah 31:16-17
Jesus has redeemed us from the curse. Many of us have been well taught about that redemption where sin, sickness and poverty in our own lives are concerned. But we often fail to realize that redemption has power over the destruction the devil tries to bring on our children's lives as well.
Deuteronomy 28 states the curse of the law in verses 16-68. Notice what that curse says about children. "Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand" (verse 32).
"Thou shall beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity" (verse 41).
Many Christian parents are still suffering needlessly under that curse. Their children are being taken captive by drugs, alcohol and perversions. But it doesn't have to be that way! Since Jesus broke the curse of the law, these parents have the authority in the Name of Jesus to order Satan out of their children's lives.
Don't let the devil run roughshod over your children! When you see the first warning signs of rebellion in them, confess the promises of God over them and refuse to give the devil any room to operate.
Remember, the children don't understand the unseen forces that are coming against them. So it's your responsibility to stand against those forces on their behalf. Exercise that responsibility. Then take every opportunity to minister love to them.
God knows how to deliver your children. Do your part and trust Him to do His. He will bring them back from the land of the enemy!
KNOW YOU ARE GOD’S BELOVED AND WIN
…“You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” - Mark 1:11
As Jesus came out of the waters of baptism, the heavens parted, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him and the Father said to Him, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Then, going into the wilderness in the power of knowing that He was the Father’s beloved, our Lord Jesus overcame every one of the devil’s temptations.
My friend, when you know that you are the Father’s beloved because you are in Christ the Beloved, you will have the power to overcome every challenge the devil throws at you. You are probably familiar with the story of David and Goliath, but did you know that David’s name means “beloved”? It takes one who knows that he is God’s beloved to bring down the giants in life!
So whether your giant is a financial crisis, chronic illness or destructive addiction, rest in the knowledge that you are God’s beloved. It will strengthen and sustain you, and give you the faith, favor and wisdom to knock your giants down!
WHAT RICHES WERE MEANT TO DO :
Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. – Ephesians 4:28
It always amazes me when I preach about prosperity and someone comes up to me and says, "I don't need much prosperity. I'm a simple person with a simple life. So I just ask God for enough to meet my needs."
They think that's humility, but it's not. It's selfishness! They don't realize it, but they're actually saying, "All I care about is meeting my own needs. I have no ambition to help meet anyone else's."
They could ask God for a million dollars, take out just enough to meet their needs, and give the rest away. But that doesn't even occur to them because when it comes to money, they've been brainwashed by a world that says if you have it, you've got to keep it.
That philosophy has hindered the ministry of Jesus Christ on the earth today. It has caused preachers to set aside their calling and get secular jobs just to survive. It's handicapped churches and stunted the growth of ministries that could have reached thousands more for the Lord.
It takes money to preach the gospel. Jesus Himself knew that, and contrary to what some people think, His ministry was not a poor one. He had so much money coming in and going out through His ministry that He had to appoint a treasurer. His name was Judas.
But Jesus didn't store up that money for Himself. He gave it to meet the needs of those around Him. He had such a reputation for giving that on the night of that last Passover when Judas left so abruptly, the disciples assumed that Jesus had sent him out to give to the poor.
Can you imagine how much and how often Jesus must have given to the poor for the disciples to make that assumption?
Jesus never built a worldly empire for Himself. But that doesn't mean He was poor. It means He was the greatest giver who ever walked the face of this earth, and it's time we started following in His footsteps.
Don't turn down the wealth God wants to give you just because you don't "need" it. Dare to accept it, then pass it along to those who do. Stop working for a living and start working for a "giving." Discover for yourself what riches were really meant to do.
BLESSED WITH THE EXCELLENT AND THE PLENTY :
DEUTERONOMY 28:4 - “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
Would you want to buy a chair that Jesus made? I would, even if it cost US$1,000 because it would be of superb quality. Whatever Jesus did, He did it with perfect excellence.
And because Christ is in you, the things which you produce will be of exceptional quality too. That includes your children, who will be champions. Deuteronomy 28:4 says, “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks”.
God was using terms that the Israelites understood since they were farmers and shepherds. Today, “your ground” is the place of your work. This means that “the produce” of your work shall be of excellent quality.
That is not all. God promises that quantity will always follow quality because Deuteronomy 28:11 says that the Lord will “grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body,” which means that you will have plenty of children, “in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground,” which means that your business will flourish and you will be a leading producer in the area of your specialty.
My friend, your excellence and plenty do not come by your efforts. They come by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who paid for you to have divine provision—“though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich”. (2 Corinthians 8:9)
Jesus was made destitute of all material things at the cross. He had nothing! As He hung on the cross, He watched the Roman soldiers gamble for His robe. His last possession on earth was gambled away. He became poor, so that you could be blessed with the excellent and the plenty
God's Word is the most powerful thing on earth & in heaven. It's the absolute truth. God's Word never changes, & God never breaks His Word.
God doesn't just barely meet our needs. He is the God of Abundance!
JESUS IS MIGHTY TO SAVE, HEAL AND DELIVER
Isaiah 63:1 Who is this who comes from Edom, With dyed garments from Bozrah, This One who is glorious in His apparel, Traveling in the greatness of His strength? --- " I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save."
2 Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like one who treads in the winepress?
3 " I have trodden the winepress alone, And from the peoples no one was with Me. For I have trodden them in My anger, And trampled them in My fury; Their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, And I have stained all My robes.
4 For the day of vengeance is in My heart, And the year of My redeemed has come.
5 I looked, but there was no one to help, And I wondered That there was no one to uphold; Therefore My own arm brought salvation for Me; And My own fury, it sustained Me.
6 I have trodden down the peoples in My anger, Made them drunk in My fury, And brought down their strength to the earth."
7 I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD And the praises of the LORD, According to all that the LORD has bestowed on us, And the great goodness toward the house of Israel, Which He has bestowed on them according to His mercies, According to the multitude of His lovingkindnesses.
8 For He said, "Surely they are My people, Children who will not lie." So He became their Savior.
9 In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the Angel of His Presence saved them; In His love and in His pity He redeemed them; And He bore them and carried them All the days of old.
10 But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; So He turned Himself against them as an enemy, And He fought against them.
11 Then he remembered the days of old, Moses and his people, saying: " Where is He who brought them up out of the sea With the shepherd of His flock? Where is He who put His Holy Spirit within them,
12 Who led them by the right hand of Moses, With His glorious arm, Dividing the water before them To make for Himself an everlasting name,
13 Who led them through the deep, As a horse in the wilderness, That they might not stumble?"
14 As a beast goes down into the valley, And the Spirit of the LORD causes him to rest, So You lead Your people, To make Yourself a glorious name.
Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment