HEAVEN’S CURRENCY
And whatever you ask for in prayer, having faith and [really] believing, you will receive. - Matthew 21:22, AMP
In the natural realm, we exchange money for the things we want and need. But in the spiritual realm, faith is what we exchange. The Bible tells us that when you pray, have faith, and you will receive it. Faith moves mountains. Faith pleases God. Faith is what opens spiritual doors. What is faith? It’s believing in God and His goodness. It’s knowing that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Faith is believing that the promises of God are true. It’s obeying His Word. Faith causes you to act.
Where does faith come from? It’s a gift from God. Everyone is given a measure of faith, but we have to steward it and help it grow. Romans tell us that faith grows by hearing the Word of God. The more you hear the Word of God, the more your faith will grow. The more your faith grows, the more you will see the promises of God come to pass in every area of your life. Remember, faith is heaven’s currency. So invest your faith by investing time in His Word!
ESCAPE CONDEMNATION
Matthew 26:2 - "Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified."
In Israel, crucifixion was a common sight. This practice was first mentioned in scripture as one used by the Egyptians (Gen. 40:19). Anyone hung upon a tree was accursed by God according to the Mosaic law (Dt. 21:22-23).
Failure to obey the law brought on the curse. Praise God that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by bearing the curse for us. Now, through Christ, we will never receive any curse from God even though we still disobey the law in some way. Justice was satisfied when Jesus died for the law that we broke, thus paying the prescribed penalty and bearing the curse.
There is no condemnation awaiting us from the law; for we died in Him.
A Christian who still walks in condemnation is being condemned by the devil or himself. It's not God who condemns us (Rom. 8:34). It is the law that brought God's adverse sentence against us.
When the government condemns a building it is declared unfit for use and must be destroyed. Likewise, when Satan condemns us, he makes us feel unfit for use and ready to be destroyed. Since the Christian is no longer under the law, he should no longer be condemned or feel unfit for use. We have been accepted by the Father through Jesus.
God convicts of sin but He doesn't condemn (Rom. 8:34). Conviction is solely for our profit with no malice, while condemnation includes punishment. Satan is the one who condemns the Christian, but the Holy Spirit has given us the power to escape that condemnation.
THE LESSON OF THE HULA HOOP
Let us not grow weary while doing good. —Galatians 6:9
One of my favorite childhood toys is making a comeback—the hula hoop. My friend Suzi and I spent hours on the front lawn perfecting our technique and competing to see which of us could keep a hoop circling our waist longer. This year I relived that part of my childhood. While sitting in a park, I watched as children of all ages and sizes tried their hardest to keep hula hoops from falling to the ground. They twisted and turned with all their strength, but despite their exertion the hoops landed on the ground. Then a young woman picked up a hoop. With hardly any motion, she moved it smoothly and rhythmically up and down from her waist to her shoulders and back to her waist. Her success depended on strategic movement, not vigorous motion.
In our spiritual lives, we can expend all kinds of energy trying to keep up with others in service to God. But working to exhaustion is not a virtue (Gal. 6:9). Before feeding thousands of people with only five loaves and two fish (Mark 6:38-44), Jesus called His disciples away to rest, proving that He doesn’t need our frantic exertion to accomplish His work. The truth Jesus taught His disciples, He wants to teach us: Quiet obedience accomplishes more than wild activity.
Help me, Lord, not to compare myself and what I do with others. May I serve where You want me to serve and do it in Your strength. I love You and give myself to You.
Jesus wants willingness, not weariness.
TAKING COMMUNION ...
'He took bread, blessed and broke it.' Luke 24:30 NKJV
Taking communion can be a meaningless ritual, or an intimate time spent in the presence of Jesus. Read the story of Cleopas and his companion, they were travelling home to Emmaus when Jesus suddenly appeared and walked along with them. First He opened their eyes to see that the crucifixion wasn’t the tragedy they thought, but a fulfilment of prophecy and God’s way to redeem a lost world; something to celebrate and not be sad about. Later, as He sat in their home and ate supper with them, ‘He took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they [knew] Him.’ (Luke 24:30–31 NIV) Are you battling fear and doubt today? Are you wondering if God will keep His promise to you? He will! Earlier that day, Cleopas and his companion met some women who had just been to the empty tomb and reported that Jesus was alive. But try as they might, they couldn’t believe it. This story proves that Jesus loves doubters enough to walk with them, take away their fears, and strengthen their faith. And guess when He did it? As they broke bread. So next time you’re taking communion, stop and pray, ‘Lord, speak to me. Show me Your will and Your way.’ That’s a prayer He will answer. Your mind may be confused and your anxiety great, but if you’re spiritually hungry He will show up and meet you at the point of your need.
PROCLAIM THE LORDS DEATH
1 Corinthians 11:26 - For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lords death till He comes.
In the Old Testament, whenever the children of Israel sacrificed a lamb for a burnt offering as they faced a strong enemy, victory was theirs. For example, in 1 Samuel 7:7-11, when the Philistines were coming against them, the prophet Samuel offered a lamb as a burnt offering. As it was being offered, the Lord came like a loud thunder on the Philistine army, confusing them. This led to victory for the Israelites.
Every time something bad happened to the children of Israel, by offering a lamb sacrifice, they were proclaiming the Lords death, and the battle would turn in their favor.
Today, when we are faced with an enemy, how do we offer our burnt offering? How do we proclaim the Lords death and come out victorious? Do we ask Jesus to come down to where we are at and die on the cross all over again?
Of course not. Jesus died once for all our sins past, present and future. (Hebrews 10:12) His work is perfectly perfect and completely complete, so He doesn’t have to die for us again. Today, we proclaim His death simply by partaking of the Lords Supper.
Every time you partake of the bread and wine, you declare to the principalities and powers of darkness that the Lords death avails for you. Every time you partake, you are saying that because Jesus has been judged and punished in your place, you cannot be judged and punished. Because Jesus died young in your place, you will live long. And because He conquered death and stripped the devil of his powers, you will not be defeated. The victory is already yours!
That is why the psalmist David said, You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies (Psalm 23:5) The Lords table is prepared for you in the presence of your enemies because when you partake of the bread and wine, you will see your enemies tremble and scatter! Why? Because when you proclaim the Lords death through the Holy Communion, you are reminding the devil and his cohorts of their humiliating defeat at Calvary’s cross! (Colossians 2:15)
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?
In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. —John 16:33
In C. S. Lewis’ book God in the Dock, he wrote: “Imagine a set of people all living in the same building. Half of them think it is a hotel, the other half think it is a prison. Those who think it a hotel might regard it as quite intolerable, and those who thought it was a prison might decide that it was really surprisingly comfortable.” Lewis cleverly used this contrast between a hotel and a prison to illustrate how we view life based on our expectations. He says, “If you think of this world as a place intended simply for our happiness, you find it quite intolerable; think of it as a place of training and correction and it’s not so bad.”
Sometimes we expect that life should be happy and pain-free. But that is not what the Bible teaches. For the believer, this world is a place of spiritual development through both good times and bad. Jesus was realistic when He explained what to expect in life. He told His disciples, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). In facing life’s blessings and bruises, we can have the inner peace that God is orchestrating events according to His sovereign plan.
Christ’s presence in our lives enables us to “be of good cheer” even in the midst of pain.
He whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best—
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.
In the midst of troubles, peace can be found in Jesus.
HOW TO BE HAPPY (3) :
'We wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our...Saviour, Jesus Christ.' Titus 2:13 NIV
Hope brings happiness, but scepticism never can. You may be alive when Christ returns, or you may be resur-rected to meet Him in the air. Either way, Jesus is coming again! Don’t let doubters or false date–setters dull your sense of hope. Ray Bakke shares this story: ‘I knew an old Glasgow professor named McDonald, who, along with a Scottish chaplain, was put in a prisoner–of–war camp. A high wire fence separated the Americans from the British, and McDonald was put in the American barracks. The Americans had a little homemade radio and were able to get news from the outside. Every day McDonald would take a headline or two to the fence and share it with the chaplain in the ancient Gaelic language, indecipherable to the Germans. One day news came that the German High Command had surrendered. McDonald took the news to his friend, then watched him disappear into the barracks. A moment later a roar of celebration came from inside. Life in that camp was transformed. Men walked around singing and shouting, waving at the guards, even laughing at the dogs. When the German guards finally heard the news three nights later, they fled into the dark, leaving the gates unlocked. The next morning, Brits and Americans walked out as free men. Yet they had truly been set free three days earlier by the news that the war was over.’ The certainty of Christ’s soon return sets you free to hope, to rejoice in the worst of circumstances, and to live with purpose. For God’s redeemed people, the best is yet to come!
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