HOLD TO HIS “YES” FOR YOUR FUTURE ….
Have you ever fallen into that trap of thinking that you have to make something happen? You focus more on your efforts and ability than you do on God’s efforts and ability. I know in my life, I have told God about some amazing ways to fix stuff! But God doesn’t really need our brilliance, He needs our trust. He wants our “Yes."
What are you believing God for today? What are the desires of your heart? When things don’t happen the way we expect or as quickly as we expect, we can be tempted to get discouraged. But just because people have told you “no” or circumstances have told you “no” doesn’t mean God is saying “no.” Don’t give up hope just because you can’t see the promise yet. God is saying, “I haven’t left you. I haven’t gone anywhere. I haven’t turned my back on you!” God is right there with you. He doesn’t expect you to do it on your own.
You may have had some big doors close in your life. People may have discouraged you or talked down to you. Maybe it looks like the world has told you “no," but there’s a “yes” stamped in your heart. Our biggest job is to step over all the “no’s” and keep moving forward. “No’s” tear us down and discourage us, but God’s promises always build us up. His promises build your character, faith and testimony. He wants you to grow and find strength in Him so you can hold on to His “yes” for your future!
“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through Him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.” (2 Cor. 1:20, NIV)
THE GREATNESS OF HIS FAVOR :
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us...raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. - Ephesians 2:4–7, NKJV
Oftentimes, people set their focus on what God has done in the past — how He parted the Red Sea or stopped the sun for Joshua or fed thousands of people with just a little boy’s small lunch. Yes, God has performed many amazing miracles throughout history, and it’s important that we give Him praise and glory. But at the same time, we also have to look forward to what God wants to do in our lives today. In this verse, Paul says that “in the ages to come,” God would do things that far supersede anything He’s ever done before. I believe that the “ages to come” he’s talking about is this day and time we’re living in right now. God wants to outdo Himself in our generation!
Remember, God is a God of increase. Where you are today is not where you are supposed to stay. He has greater levels of His favor and blessing in store for you. Dare to dream big! Dare to keep a God-sized vision in front of you! Dare to take hold of every blessing the Lord has in store for you!
INSTRUMENT RATED
'The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.' Psalm 119:130 NKJV
In order for you to be instrument rated, an instructor will accompany you on your training missions. The instructor will place a long-billed cap on your head, so that all you can see is the instrument panel in front of you. That's because this is all you'll be able to see when you're flying in storm conditions. You must learn to work your instruments and radio, doing many turns and being able to bring the plane down within a few feet of the landing strip. And you must do all this without ever looking to see where you are, without the confirmation of your senses. This simulated blindness, causing confusion to the average person, is soon overcome by disciplined training. The flights 'under the hood', as the procedure's called, become merely routine flights.
What happens when unprepared Christians are plunged into darkness by the trials of life? They begin to question what's happening. Everything was going well; all they could see ahead was fair weather. But now they've lost their sense of direction because they have not spent time in God's Word. They have not been taught to trust God regardless of what they see or feel, so they get discouraged, sometimes backslide, and sometimes even blame God and get swallowed up in bitterness.
Paul writes to Timothy, 'Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analysing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.' (2 Timothy 2:15 AMP)
LOVED TO LOVE
Therefore love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. —Deuteronomy 10:19
Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s life was at risk every day he stayed in Hitler’s Germany, but he stayed nonetheless. I imagine he shared the apostle Paul’s view that being in heaven was his heart’s desire, but staying where he was needed was God’s present purpose (Phil. 1:21). So stay he did; as a pastor he offered clandestine worship services and resisted the evil regime under Hitler.
Despite the daily danger, Bonhoeffer penned Life Together—a book on hospitality as ministry. He put this principle to the test when he lived and worked in a monastic community and when he was imprisoned. Every meal, every task, and every conversation, Bonhoeffer taught, was an opportunity to show Christ to others, even under great stress or strain.
We read in Deuteronomy that just as God ministered to the Israelites who were leaving Egypt, He instructed them to imitate Him by loving and hosting strangers and widows (10:18-19; Ex. 22:21-22). We too are loved by God and empowered by His Spirit to serve Him by serving others in countless ways each day through kind words and actions.
Who on our daily journey seems lonely or lost? We can trust the Lord to enable us to bring them hope and compassion as we live and labor together for Him.
That I may serve Him with a full surrender,
My life a crucible, His eye the test,
Each hour a gift from Him, the gracious Sender,
Each day a pledge to give to Christ my best.
The more we understand God’s love for us the more love we’ll show to others.
LEAVE THE PAST BEHIND :
But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before. – Philippians 3:13
Failures and disappointments. Aches and pains from the past that just won't seem to go away. Most of us know what it's like to suffer from them but too few of us know just what to do about them. So we limp along, hoping somehow they'll magically stop hurting.
But it never happens that way. In fact, the passing of time often leaves us in worse condition--not better. Because, instead of putting those painful failures behind us, we often dwell on them until they become more real to us than the promises of God. We focus on them until we become bogged down in depression, frozen in our tracks by the fear that if we go on, we'll only fail again.
I used to get caught in that trap a lot. Then one day when I was right in the middle of a bout with depression, the Lord spoke up inside me and said:
"Kenneth, your problem is you're forming your thoughts off the past instead of the future. Don't do that! Unbelief looks at the past and says, "See, it can't be done." But faith looks at the future and says, "It can be done, and according to the promises of God, it is done!" Then putting past failures behind it forever, faith steps out and acts like the victory's already been won.
If depression has driven you into a spiritual nosedive, break out of it by getting your eyes off the past and onto your future--a future that's been guaranteed by Christ Jesus through the great and precious promises in His Word.
Forget about those failures in the past! That's what God has done (Heb. 8:12). And if He doesn't remember them any more, why should you?
The Bible says God's mercies are new every morning. So if you'll take God at His Word, you can wake up every morning to a brand-new world. You can live life totally unhindered by the past.
So, do it! Replace thoughts of yesterday's mistakes with scriptural promises about your future. As you do that, hope will start taking the place of depression. The spiritual aches and pains that crippled you for so long will quickly disappear. Instead of looking behind you and saying, "I can't," look ahead and say, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!"
YOU ARE SET FREE FROM THE CURSE!
LUKE 13:11–13 And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
One of my favorite stories in the Gospels is of Jesus healing a woman bowed over with a spirit of infirmity for 18 years. Imagine never being able to see the sky or rainbows, but only the dust of the earth and the grubby feet of people—what a painful existence she lived!
I love how Jesus saw her and immediately called her over to receive a miracle from Him. The woman had been bound in this condition for 18 years, a number which represents bondage in the Bible. When Jesus said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity,” He was proclaiming liberty over her and setting her free from the bondage of the devil. He laid hands on her and she immediately received her healing.
Today, you have already been set free from the curse of sickness by Jesus’ one perfect sacrifice at the cross. Believe it and proclaim your liberty won by His finished work!
GOD IS YOUR STRENGTH :
EPHESIANS 6:10 - Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
When you say, “I can manage this problem by myself, Lord,” God says, “Okay, you do it then.” But when you say, “Help me, Lord! I need You. I cannot do this on my own,” God says, “Good, I have been waiting for you to say that. You cannot, but I can. Now, watch Me!” That is how God is—He loves it when you depend on Him.
You see, when you think that you are strong and don’t need God, He cannot help you. But when you need Him and look to Him, He will not leave you weak and helpless. He comes and becomes the strength of your life. He becomes the breakthrough that you need.
A church member with a smoking habit came to me one day and said, “Pastor, please pray that God will help me. I want to stop my smoking habit.”
I told him simply, “You cannot, but God can.”
He replied, “Yes, I know that I can’t. But with God’s help, I will discipline myself and try my best to quit the habit.”
I told him, “No, you cannot, but God can.” I repeated this to him a few times until he realized that it was not his self-discipline or willpower that would help him overcome his smoking habit, but the power of God. He finally understood that true deliverance from this destructive habit would not come by his own strength, but by “[being] strong in the Lord and in the power of His might”.
When I saw him again a few weeks later, he said, “Pastor, since that day, I didn’t even try to stop myself from smoking. But each time I lit up, I told God, ‘I cannot, but You can.’ Then one day, the craving was gone! Jesus has completely delivered me from my bondage to nicotine!” This man experienced true deliverance, not just an outward form of discipline and willpower.
So when you say, “I can do something about it,” you are still relying on your human strength. But when you say to God, “I cannot, but You can,” you have just tapped into the real source of your strength—Jesus. And as you rest in His strength, you will see His power manifesting in your life!
Have you ever fallen into that trap of thinking that you have to make something happen? You focus more on your efforts and ability than you do on God’s efforts and ability. I know in my life, I have told God about some amazing ways to fix stuff! But God doesn’t really need our brilliance, He needs our trust. He wants our “Yes."
What are you believing God for today? What are the desires of your heart? When things don’t happen the way we expect or as quickly as we expect, we can be tempted to get discouraged. But just because people have told you “no” or circumstances have told you “no” doesn’t mean God is saying “no.” Don’t give up hope just because you can’t see the promise yet. God is saying, “I haven’t left you. I haven’t gone anywhere. I haven’t turned my back on you!” God is right there with you. He doesn’t expect you to do it on your own.
You may have had some big doors close in your life. People may have discouraged you or talked down to you. Maybe it looks like the world has told you “no," but there’s a “yes” stamped in your heart. Our biggest job is to step over all the “no’s” and keep moving forward. “No’s” tear us down and discourage us, but God’s promises always build us up. His promises build your character, faith and testimony. He wants you to grow and find strength in Him so you can hold on to His “yes” for your future!
“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through Him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.” (2 Cor. 1:20, NIV)
THE GREATNESS OF HIS FAVOR :
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us...raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. - Ephesians 2:4–7, NKJV
Oftentimes, people set their focus on what God has done in the past — how He parted the Red Sea or stopped the sun for Joshua or fed thousands of people with just a little boy’s small lunch. Yes, God has performed many amazing miracles throughout history, and it’s important that we give Him praise and glory. But at the same time, we also have to look forward to what God wants to do in our lives today. In this verse, Paul says that “in the ages to come,” God would do things that far supersede anything He’s ever done before. I believe that the “ages to come” he’s talking about is this day and time we’re living in right now. God wants to outdo Himself in our generation!
Remember, God is a God of increase. Where you are today is not where you are supposed to stay. He has greater levels of His favor and blessing in store for you. Dare to dream big! Dare to keep a God-sized vision in front of you! Dare to take hold of every blessing the Lord has in store for you!
INSTRUMENT RATED
'The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.' Psalm 119:130 NKJV
In order for you to be instrument rated, an instructor will accompany you on your training missions. The instructor will place a long-billed cap on your head, so that all you can see is the instrument panel in front of you. That's because this is all you'll be able to see when you're flying in storm conditions. You must learn to work your instruments and radio, doing many turns and being able to bring the plane down within a few feet of the landing strip. And you must do all this without ever looking to see where you are, without the confirmation of your senses. This simulated blindness, causing confusion to the average person, is soon overcome by disciplined training. The flights 'under the hood', as the procedure's called, become merely routine flights.
What happens when unprepared Christians are plunged into darkness by the trials of life? They begin to question what's happening. Everything was going well; all they could see ahead was fair weather. But now they've lost their sense of direction because they have not spent time in God's Word. They have not been taught to trust God regardless of what they see or feel, so they get discouraged, sometimes backslide, and sometimes even blame God and get swallowed up in bitterness.
Paul writes to Timothy, 'Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analysing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.' (2 Timothy 2:15 AMP)
LOVED TO LOVE
Therefore love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. —Deuteronomy 10:19
Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s life was at risk every day he stayed in Hitler’s Germany, but he stayed nonetheless. I imagine he shared the apostle Paul’s view that being in heaven was his heart’s desire, but staying where he was needed was God’s present purpose (Phil. 1:21). So stay he did; as a pastor he offered clandestine worship services and resisted the evil regime under Hitler.
Despite the daily danger, Bonhoeffer penned Life Together—a book on hospitality as ministry. He put this principle to the test when he lived and worked in a monastic community and when he was imprisoned. Every meal, every task, and every conversation, Bonhoeffer taught, was an opportunity to show Christ to others, even under great stress or strain.
We read in Deuteronomy that just as God ministered to the Israelites who were leaving Egypt, He instructed them to imitate Him by loving and hosting strangers and widows (10:18-19; Ex. 22:21-22). We too are loved by God and empowered by His Spirit to serve Him by serving others in countless ways each day through kind words and actions.
Who on our daily journey seems lonely or lost? We can trust the Lord to enable us to bring them hope and compassion as we live and labor together for Him.
That I may serve Him with a full surrender,
My life a crucible, His eye the test,
Each hour a gift from Him, the gracious Sender,
Each day a pledge to give to Christ my best.
The more we understand God’s love for us the more love we’ll show to others.
LEAVE THE PAST BEHIND :
But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before. – Philippians 3:13
Failures and disappointments. Aches and pains from the past that just won't seem to go away. Most of us know what it's like to suffer from them but too few of us know just what to do about them. So we limp along, hoping somehow they'll magically stop hurting.
But it never happens that way. In fact, the passing of time often leaves us in worse condition--not better. Because, instead of putting those painful failures behind us, we often dwell on them until they become more real to us than the promises of God. We focus on them until we become bogged down in depression, frozen in our tracks by the fear that if we go on, we'll only fail again.
I used to get caught in that trap a lot. Then one day when I was right in the middle of a bout with depression, the Lord spoke up inside me and said:
"Kenneth, your problem is you're forming your thoughts off the past instead of the future. Don't do that! Unbelief looks at the past and says, "See, it can't be done." But faith looks at the future and says, "It can be done, and according to the promises of God, it is done!" Then putting past failures behind it forever, faith steps out and acts like the victory's already been won.
If depression has driven you into a spiritual nosedive, break out of it by getting your eyes off the past and onto your future--a future that's been guaranteed by Christ Jesus through the great and precious promises in His Word.
Forget about those failures in the past! That's what God has done (Heb. 8:12). And if He doesn't remember them any more, why should you?
The Bible says God's mercies are new every morning. So if you'll take God at His Word, you can wake up every morning to a brand-new world. You can live life totally unhindered by the past.
So, do it! Replace thoughts of yesterday's mistakes with scriptural promises about your future. As you do that, hope will start taking the place of depression. The spiritual aches and pains that crippled you for so long will quickly disappear. Instead of looking behind you and saying, "I can't," look ahead and say, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!"
YOU ARE SET FREE FROM THE CURSE!
LUKE 13:11–13 And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
One of my favorite stories in the Gospels is of Jesus healing a woman bowed over with a spirit of infirmity for 18 years. Imagine never being able to see the sky or rainbows, but only the dust of the earth and the grubby feet of people—what a painful existence she lived!
I love how Jesus saw her and immediately called her over to receive a miracle from Him. The woman had been bound in this condition for 18 years, a number which represents bondage in the Bible. When Jesus said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity,” He was proclaiming liberty over her and setting her free from the bondage of the devil. He laid hands on her and she immediately received her healing.
Today, you have already been set free from the curse of sickness by Jesus’ one perfect sacrifice at the cross. Believe it and proclaim your liberty won by His finished work!
GOD IS YOUR STRENGTH :
EPHESIANS 6:10 - Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
When you say, “I can manage this problem by myself, Lord,” God says, “Okay, you do it then.” But when you say, “Help me, Lord! I need You. I cannot do this on my own,” God says, “Good, I have been waiting for you to say that. You cannot, but I can. Now, watch Me!” That is how God is—He loves it when you depend on Him.
You see, when you think that you are strong and don’t need God, He cannot help you. But when you need Him and look to Him, He will not leave you weak and helpless. He comes and becomes the strength of your life. He becomes the breakthrough that you need.
A church member with a smoking habit came to me one day and said, “Pastor, please pray that God will help me. I want to stop my smoking habit.”
I told him simply, “You cannot, but God can.”
He replied, “Yes, I know that I can’t. But with God’s help, I will discipline myself and try my best to quit the habit.”
I told him, “No, you cannot, but God can.” I repeated this to him a few times until he realized that it was not his self-discipline or willpower that would help him overcome his smoking habit, but the power of God. He finally understood that true deliverance from this destructive habit would not come by his own strength, but by “[being] strong in the Lord and in the power of His might”.
When I saw him again a few weeks later, he said, “Pastor, since that day, I didn’t even try to stop myself from smoking. But each time I lit up, I told God, ‘I cannot, but You can.’ Then one day, the craving was gone! Jesus has completely delivered me from my bondage to nicotine!” This man experienced true deliverance, not just an outward form of discipline and willpower.
So when you say, “I can do something about it,” you are still relying on your human strength. But when you say to God, “I cannot, but You can,” you have just tapped into the real source of your strength—Jesus. And as you rest in His strength, you will see His power manifesting in your life!
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