Monday, August 31, 2015

RESPOND

 
 RELEASE THE ANOINTING INTO YOUR SITUATION

Leviticus 2:1 - ‘When anyone offers a grain offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour. And he shall pour oil on it, and put frankincense on it.

The grain offering in the Old Testament speaks of Jesus’ sacrifice, and oil in the Bible speaks of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. So the grain offering of fine flour, which had oil poured on it, speaks of Jesus’ humanity being anointed by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is fully God. But when He came to earth, He literally emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant. (Philippians 2:7) That is why He needed to be anointed of the Holy Spirit before He could begin His ministry. (John 1:33) Though fully God, He did things by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus was anointed to bring the blessings of God into the lives of people. He first spoke of His anointing when He was preaching in His hometown—“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor…” (Luke 4:18)

Today, Jesus’ anointing has come upon you. (1 John 2:20) The Bible says that “the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you”. (1 John 2:27) But how is this anointing in you released?

My friend, it is when you call upon Jesus’ name. In Song of Solomon 1:3, the virgins, representing the church, love His name, which is like ointment poured forth when spoken. When they called upon His Name, His fragrance was released and the anointing was poured forth.

So when you call upon the name of Jesus, you are releasing His anointing. Call upon His name when you are feeling down and His anointing will lift your spirit up. If you are feeling dry and empty, just say, “Jesus, Jesus.” Before you know it, a river of refreshing will gush forth as His anointing flows. Call upon His name when you need a breakthrough and His anointing will release it to you.

Romans 10:13 says that “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved”. So call on Jesus’ name and watch His anointing release your deliverance, healing, protection and provision, and make you whole!

CHOOSE PEACE ...

Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration and holiness without which no one will [ever] see the Lord. - Hebrews 12:14, AMP

Holiness is so important to God. The Bible says that holiness is the key to seeing the Lord. When you obey the Word of God and allow Him to work in your life, you are pursuing holiness. You will see the Lord working in your life.

Notice this verse starts by saying that we should live at peace with the people around us. When we have peace in our lives, our homes and our relationships, it opens the door for God to work. But when we have strife, bitterness, anger or resentment in our relationships, it blocks God’s blessing. Remember, when it comes to disagreements in relationships, it doesn’t always matter who is right, it matters what is right. And choosing peace is right.

Is there someone in your life today that you need to restore peace with? A simple act of kindness, a note or small gift can open the door for restoration in your relationships. Step out today and let peace create a foundation for the blessing God has in store for you!

WHAT YOU NEED IN THE WILDERNESS (3)

'...He brought you water out of hard rock.' Deuteronomy 8:15NIV

What else do you need in the wilderness? Water! You can live without food for about forty days, but without water you’ll die much faster. It’s the same in the spiritual realm; you can get by in life without a lot of things, but you won’t make it without God. In the wilderness God was teaching His people a lesson He wanted them to remember when they arrived in the Promised Land:‘Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord…Who brought you out of…slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you.’ (Deuteronomy 8:12–16 NIV) Note the words ‘that it might go well with you’. In spite of what you’re going through today, God has great blessings in store for you. But in order to handle them properly you must learn humility, develop a heart of gratitude, and never forget that He alone is the source of every good thing you’ll ever have. Then God added this P.S.: ‘If you ever forget…you will surely be destroyed.’ (Deuteronomy 8:19 NIV) That’s how serious He is about making sure you depend on Him each day.

WHAT YOU NEED IN THE WILDERNESS (4)

...And there was none feeble among His tribes. - Psalm 105:37 NKJV

Notice something else Israel enjoyed in the wilderness: divine health. Think of the health issues you’d expect among two million people walking through endless desert with no doctor or hospital in sight. Yet from the youngest to the oldest, ‘He…brought them out…and there was none feeble among His tribes.’ That’s because they lived on a diet provided by God Himself. Their troubles began when they complained and wanted to go back to the food they ate as slaves in Egypt. Hello! There’s an important lesson here for those who live on fast foods that promote ailments like heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Imagine pouring five pounds of sugar into the fuel tank of your car and complaining that it won’t run properly. Now, when health problems run in your family, or economic circumstances force you to eat less than ideal food, God understands and you can go to Him with confidence, believing, ‘…the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up…’ (James 5:15 NKJV) But when the choice is between exercising wisdom in order to have good health or exercising faith in order to be healed, your choice is clear. When Israel entered the Promised Land, God told them, ‘…serve the Lord…and He will bless your bread and your water…take sickness away from the midst of you…[and] fulfil the number of your days.’ (Exodus 23:25–26 NKJV) But don’t forget, He also gave them dietary laws to live by that set them apart from the surrounding nations. Question: How many of us fail to ‘fulfil the number of [our] days’ and the assignment God gives us, because we refuse to exercise wisdom and discipline when it comes to our diet? Think about it!

WORSHIP FROM YOUR HEART

And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. - Mark 14:3-6

The spikenard was a fragrant plant, and its roots were used in Jesus' day to make an aromatic, costly perfume and ointment. The plant, itself, grows in the Himalaya mountains at an elevation of 11,000 to 17,000 feet. For centuries, it was used by Hindus as a medicine and perfume and was an actively traded commodity. Its great cost stemmed from that it had to be transported over 6,000 miles to reach Palestine, and depending on quality, it sold for as much as 400 denarii per pound (or $750 an ounce, is the modern purchasing equivalent). That made it more valuable than gold. This ointment was worth at least two and one-half times more than the thirty pieces of silver that Judas received for betraying the Lord, which is why Judas was so upset. This perfume was worth two and one-half times what Judas thought Jesus was worth.

Judas didn't care about the poor. He wanted to have the money that the perfume could have been sold for in his bag (he was the treasurer for Jesus) so he could steal it. This is a very serious crime that Jesus no doubt knew about, but scripture never mentions Him confronting Judas.

Judas' reaction to this act of pure worship is typical of the reaction toward worship of many people today. Judas and some of the other disciples, thought this was a waste. That was only because they didn't value Jesus as highly as Mary did. Mary had seen Jesus raise her brother from the dead and her heart was overflowing with love and worship. The disciples were looking on the outward things while Jesus was looking at Mary's heart (1 Sam. 16:7). Those who cannot see beyond the physical realm will be offended at others' displays of worship. True worship comes from the heart.

RESPOND TO GOD'S DIRECTION

For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. - Luke 19:26

What was it that this wicked servant didn't have that caused his master to take back the money he had given him? It wasn't the tangible money that he had been given. He had kept that laid up in a napkin and he still possessed it. What he was missing and what the other servant had that caused the lord to give this pound to him was faithfulness. Those who are faithful with what God has given them will be given more, and those who are wasteful will have what God has given them taken away and given to another.

Christians will one day stand before the Lord for the purpose of receiving rewards, and all our actions will be revealed, whether they were our own doings or directed by the Spirit of God. Those who were not governed by the Holy Spirit in their actions will see all their good works burned up in that day when we stand before the Lord and He tries our works. Those who acted only under the guidance of the Holy Spirit will find that their works will endure the test and they will receive a reward.

Many people choose to do good things thinking that God will be pleased. But our positive response to God's direction (faith) is what pleases God (Heb. 11:6). We were created with a purpose and every individual has a God-given plan for his life. We need to let God work in and through us and faithfully fulfill what He has called us to do.

VERIFY THE TRUTH

[The Bereans] searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. —Acts 17:11

“A deadly jungle spider has migrated to the US and is killing people.” This was the story sent to me and to others on my friend’s email list. The story sounded plausible—lots of scientific names and real-life situations. But when I checked it out on reliable websites, I found it was not true—it was an Internet hoax. Its truth could only be verified by consulting a trusted source.

A group of first-century believers living in Macedonia understood the importance of confirming what they were hearing. The folks in Berea “received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). They were listening to Paul, and wanted to make sure what he was saying lined up with the teachings of the Old Testament. Perhaps he was telling them that there was evidence in the Old Testament that the Messiah would suffer and die for sin. They needed to verify that with the source.

When we hear spiritual ideas that disturb us, we need to be cautious. We can search the Scriptures for ourselves, listen to trustworthy sources, and seek wisdom from Jesus, our Lord.

God’s truth stands any test.

FORGET NOT HIS BENEFITS ...

Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits - Psalm 103:2

God has given us many benefits today! He’s given us so much to be thankful for. When you meditate on His goodness, faithfulness and blessings in your life, it will change you on the inside. When you focus on the fact that He saved you and set you free, the challenges and obstacles in your life will begin to fade away. Psalm 103 goes on to say that “He crowns you with love and compassion and satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed.”

No matter what you may be facing today, forget not His benefits! God wants to satisfy you with good things. If you need healing today, healing is a benefit. If you’ve made mistakes in your life, forgiveness is a benefit. If you feel tired and overwhelmed, strength is a benefit. As you turn your thoughts toward the Father today, He will strengthen and empower you to live as an overcomer in every area of your life!

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