Friday, April 25, 2014

PRESS ON


 THE GOOD LIFE WITHOUT THE SWEAT :

MATTHEW 6:26 - Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

Most people are of the opinion that the good life does not happen without hard work and buckets of sweat. They believe that to achieve success, you first need to have this educational certificate, that professional qualification, this particular job and that many years of hard work. I have good news for you: God has a better way.

We all must work, but the world wants you to believe that there is a natural process of sowing, reaping and gathering, accompanied by waiting, toiling and stress, before the good life actually comes. But God says, “My people do not need to go through this natural process to enjoy the good life for they are not of this world’s system. They can operate out of My economy and I can give them the good life straightaway!”

In the same way that God feeds the birds which do not go through the sow-then-reap-then-gather system of the world, He wants to and will do much more for you!

Your heavenly Father wants you to know the generosity of His heart toward you and how much He wants to make you successful. A case in point is what happened to a church member who believed this truth. After leaving his previous job, he trusted God to provide him with a better one. Within just four months, he found himself heading two companies.

His newly formed distribution company not only clinched a major project in Singapore, but was also made the principal distributor in Southeast Asia for a popular line of products from the United States. His second company, which provided consultancy services, was given two projects by a Korean and a Hong Kong company for a six-figure consultancy fee in US dollars.

Today, God wants you to know that you are not of the world’s system. You are of the kingdom of God—the same kingdom that feeds the birds that do not toil, but simply trust their Creator for all their provisions in life. Be convinced that you are of more value to your heavenly Father than the birds, and let Him give you the good life without the toiling and laboring of the world

BORN INTO PRIVILEGE :

Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant].James 4:10 Amplified Bible (AMP)

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared... - 1 John 3:2, ESV

What if you had been born to the Rockefeller family? You’d expect to have some advantages, wouldn’t you? If you were born into the Kennedy family or the Bill Gates family, you’d probably get preferential treatment. You’d expect things that other people may not expect.

The good news today is that when you receive Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you are born again into the right family! You come from a royal bloodline. Your Father owns everything. He has special connections. Now you need to hold your head up high and start expecting to stand out from the crowd. Start expecting good breaks, divine connections and opportunities to come your way. You have favor because of who your Father is. You are born into privilege, so expect His abundant favor on your life today!

Have a Blessed Day. God Bless U !!!

THE GOSPEL IS THE POWER OF GOD :


Matthew 9:38, "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest."

People are born again through the power of the Word of God, not through prayer. Prayer is very important, but it is not a substitute for the Gospel.

Many people petition God for someone to be saved and can't understand why it hasn't happened yet. We don't have to ask the Lord to save anyone. He isn't willing that anyone should perish. He has already made provision for everyone's salvation.

So what do we pray concerning someone coming to the Lord? Jesus said to pray that the Lord send laborers across their path. They need to hear the Word. Also, we should bind the influence of the god of this world (Satan) who tries to blind them to spiritual truth (II Cor. 4:4).

God is more motivated to save our loved ones than we are. We don't need to plead with Him, but rather we need to become a channel for Him to flow through to reach that person. We do that by sharing the good news (Gospel) with them and/or praying that others will come across their path who will do the same.

The Gospel is the power of God that releases the effects of salvation in our lives (Rom. 1:16). If a person needs healing, it's in the Gospel. If deliverance is needed, it's in the Gospel. Prosperity, answered prayer, joy, peace, love - they are all found through understanding and believing the Gospel.

The Gospel is the good news that although we are sinners and worthy of God's wrath, God, in love, sent His Son to be our substitute, bearing our punishment, so that we could be made completely righteous in His sight. It's based only on our faith in this completed work of Christ and not our own performance. Now that's GOOD NEWS!

DOWN THE UP STAIRCASE


If My people . . . will humble themselves, and pray . . . and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin. —2 Chronicles 7:14

The video starts with a puppy at the top of the stairs afraid to go down. Despite much encouragement from people cheering at the bottom, Daisy can’t figure it out. She wants so badly to join them, but fear keeps her pacing the landing. Then a bigger dog comes to help. Simon runs up the steps and then back down, showing Daisy how easy it is. Daisy is not convinced. Simon tries again. This time more slowly. Then he watches Daisy try again. But Daisy still is too scared. Once again Simon goes to the top and demonstrates the technique. Finally Daisy dares to let her back legs follow the front ones. Simon stays beside her. She makes it. Everyone celebrates!

What a beautiful picture of discipleship. We spend much of our time trying to teach others to climb up, but the more important, and more difficult, thing to learn is how to “go down.” Throughout Scripture we read that God desires humility of us. Because the people of Judah humbled themselves, the Lord said, “Therefore I will not destroy them” (2 Chron. 12:7).

On numerous occasions, God demonstrated humility by coming down (Ex. 3:7-8; 19:10-12; Micah 1:3). Finally God sent Jesus, who spent His life teaching the technique we are to follow (Phil. 2:5-11).

More like the Master I would ever be,
More of His meekness, more humility;
More zeal to labor, more courage to be true,
More consecration for work He bids me do.

No one will learn anything at all unless he first learns humility.

PRESS ON IN PATIENCE :

...be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. – Hebrews 6:12

You've been walking by faith. You've been believing God to meet your need. But what do you do when the results seem slow in coming and you are tempted to give up?
Be patient!

There is not much said about patience these days. But, when it comes to receiving from God, it is just as important as faith.

It will make the difference between success and failure for you.

Patience undergirds and sustains faith until the result is manifested. After you have meditated on the promises of God and have them in your spirit, patience will encourage you to hold steady. Patience is power. It has the courage to refuse the lie of Satan that says the Word is not working for you. It knows that God's Word has never failed. Patience will not draw back in fear but will press forward in faith until you have the answer.

When the results of your faith seem slow in coming, don't give up! Continue to put the Word first, with patience, and you will surely receive the promise of God!

BUY FROM ME

REVELATIONS 3:14 "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, 'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:
15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.
16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
17 Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' --- and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked ---
18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
22 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." ' "

Things in life are not free including our salvation, healing, deliverance and prosperity which Jesus bought with His own sufferings and life on Calvary!

Only blind and deceived ones think they will get something for nothing! God Himself has told us to buy from Him with the price of our own lives and total surrender to him  gold refined in the fire, that we may be rich; and white garments, that we may be clothed, that the shame of  our nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint  our eyes with eye salve, that we may see. Otherwise if we don’t accept His rebuke and chastening and are not zealous and repent, we will be vomited out of His mouth.

It is our responsibility, not God’s, to hear His voice and open the door so that He can come into us and dine with us and we with him. For only to those who overcome their blindness, poverty and wretchedness He will grant to sit with Him as He had also overcome and sat down with His Father on His throne.

The bottom line is that we must use our spiritual ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to all of us and react accordingly or we will find ourselves in a place we never expected to be!

PRAYER FOR THE DAY :

"If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast." (Psalm 139: 9-10)

Dear Lord God, I praise You. I honor You. This is the day the Lord has made; let me rejoice and be glad in it. Let the larks sing out a new song to greet the Lord when all the happy angels are singing hymns of praise around the holy throne. I lift up my voice to praise God and pray that surely mercy and grace shall follow me all the days of my life, I lack of nothing for God is my creator and provider.

Gratefully, in Jesus’ holy name. Amen !!!

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