They Had Been With Jesus

Prayer in its basic form is simply communication, or communion, with God. Another way to say this is talking with God or just spending time with Him. It is about relationship and letting Him share His love and heart with us. Prayer is so much more than working through a "shopping list" or "wish list" with the Lord; it is about being with Him. Rom 12;1-2 tells us that as we present ourselves to God He transforms us, or starts changing us to be more like Him.

In Acts 4 there is an account of one of Peter's sermons where he proclaimed the message of the resurrection. Verse 12 – "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

Verse 13 provides a powerful insight from those who were listening to the preaching, it reads; "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus."

What a powerful observation, the people who were listening knew that Peter and John had been with Jesus. This realization got the crowd's attention and the result was more people coming to Jesus. Because Peter and John had spent time with Jesus, their lives had been changed, people saw it, and it helped to change them too.

This happens with us too! As we spend time with Jesus it makes a difference in our lives, and the result can be eternal changes in the lives of people we come in contact with. God moves in many ways and answers prayers differently – and one of those ways can be the change He brings about in our lives.

Take some time to apply this, present yourself to God, spend time with Jesus, and see what He will do. Think of the powerful testimony and the powerful working of the Holy Spirit that can come forth from the people of God. May people be able to look at us and see that we have been with Jesus.

Let's make a difference by letting Jesus change us and show forth His love through our lives.

Praying Scary Prayers

I was recently in an online discussion about what it means to pray a scary prayer. Here is what I shared;

I think that any prayer that addresses loss of our own control and depending more on the Lord can be a frightening experience. Those situations and promptings from the Lord where we need to step out of our comfort zone. Any situation that means we have to "step off the cliff" of our perceived safety or step away from the safe routine that we can live in.

However, while it can seem to be scary, aren't these types of prayers the very ones that the Lord wants us to pray? Doesn't He want to draw us more and more into a close relationship with Him where we learn to depend on Him more than the circumstances or our own wisdom?

Yes, this can be a scary process, to start learning about increased dependence and greater obedience - but I would submit that it is as we lose our life that we will find our life. As we give up our selfish and limited ways we will start to experience a whole new level of relationship with Jesus.

I think this is a little bit like learning to fly; we have to step out of a comfortable frame of reference and into one that is not so familiar - but one that is so much more wonderful and awe inspiring than we have ever known before.

I think this process is about learning to walk in the Spirit, really walking in the Spirit and learning to depend on Jesus and not on ourselves. On face value this may be scary, but as we enter into a greater dependence on the Lord there is a whole new dynamic and depth we can enter into. That is where we start experiencing the faithfulness and wonder of the Lord, and start seeing the miraculous more and more.

These, "I will do your will, not my will" or ""what ever you want Lord" type of prayers are not easy for any of us. They may be scary, or seem scary, but they are the way for us to really start living and experiencing the abundant life (John 10:10) that Jesus has for us.

The Little Things

In this world today many of us set high expectations and put pressure on ourselves to do the right thing, or to do something big that impacts many lives. This pressure to do something significant can be pretty big at times. I know I will often look for clear results or some kind of big response from the people around me.

However, what I find works best is focusing on the little things- things like being faithful, being honest, being kind, showing up to work on time, being willing to help another, praying for people and situations, and of course hearing the Lord and doing what He leads us to do. Each of us could develop a long list of the little things that we can do, because chances are most of us are doing several of these little things. Yet, many of us do not look at these little things as significant. Rather, we look for the big things, the big impacts, and when we don't see them we can become disappointed.

The truth is that these little things are in fact big things, or they add up and create a big thing. Doing what is right and honorable, being faithful, showing kindness, and being willing to do for others will always make a difference. In Matt 5:16 Jesus told us to let our good works shine before others, because this brings glory to God. When Jesus said this He did not qualify it and teach that only big and important things make a difference – He simply said to let our good works shine.

Each and every day we do things that bless others and help to make a difference in the lives around us. We may not remember them, but as we walk in the love of Christ, as we are kind, as we listen, as we take a moment to help, as we do something as simple as smile and say good morning – as we do these things we make a difference.

Hang in there, don't give up, and keep on doing what you know to do, for it will make a difference. When we do something in love, no matter how little it may look, it is big.

Little things make a big difference.

God bless you all

Put on your Required Attire

Paul speaks clearly in Eph 6:10-20 about spiritual warfare and about being clothed with the armor of God, or "the required attire" as a friend of mine recently called it.

Paul tells us what the armor is;

The Belt of Truth

The Breastplate of Righteousness

Having our feet shod with preparation of Gospel of Peace

The Shield of Faith

The Helmet of Salvation

The Sword of the Spirit - which is the Word of God

We are to put it all on, and we are to stand. It's about being equipped and it's about being ready. Having done all, to stand - having put on all the armor, having received all that the Lord has given us, and putting it to use.

Stand and pray, stand at the ready, and be ever perseverant to enforce the victory that Christ has already won. The sense here is that we are to be on duty as soldiers. We are to be watchmen on the wall, we are to understand that our life and our faith is not just for our own personal benefit, rather we have been commissioned to proclaim the Gospel (Matt 28 and Mark 16 the great commission) , to bring reconciliation (2 Cor 5, new creatures in Christ and ambassadors), and to minister freedom and release (see Is 61:1-2 and Luke 4:18-19 the ministry of Jesus).

What a wonderful opportunity and privilege, to be called and equipped, and be able to serve the Lord. Oh that more Christians would recognize we are to be active and be ministering, we are to be serving and praying and proclaiming. This is about being on the offense. When Jesus talked about the gates of hell not even being able to prevail against the church, He was not talking about the church being defensive and the devil not being able to get us. Rather, He was saying that the Church will be able to expand and have influence, authority, and dominion - that ultimately not even hell will be able to stand. We will see ultimate victory walked out, but for now we are to get ready, to stay ready, and stand.

God bless you all.

Yes, let's put on our "required attire" and be active and engaged as men and women of God.

A New Revelation of the Love of the Father

There are so many who do not know or do not understand the free and flowing love of God the Father. So many, including many of His followers (believers, Christians), only see the requiring and judging side of the Lord. So many walk in guilt and shame because of their sin, and wind up in bondage and condemnation because they think they have to live a certain way, or have to do certain “religious things” to get the Lord’s favor.

Lord, open our eyes and help us to bring revelation to those around us. Help us to bring a new understanding of Your love and the freedom you want all to walk in.

God so loved that He gave.... (John 3:16) – He lives to give out of His love

God demonstrated His love to us that while we were enemies Christ died for us (Rom 5:8) - it is not about being good enough to receive, it is about simply receiving.

Our Father encourages all to ask and lavishes good things to those who come to Him (Matt 7:7-11)

Our Father gives out freely of the Holy Spirit to all who ask (Luke 11:9-13)

The ministry that Jesus was sent to do was to bring freedom to the captives, He came not to rally the healthy, but to gather all the hurting, the sick, and those who need healing. The anointing on Jesus is to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, to bring sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. (Luke 4:18-19; Is 61:1,2)

So many need to simply know that they are loved and accepted. People need to see that the Lord is not a stern and mean God who is always looking for what is wrong in their life. Instead, people need see the love and compassion of a Father who desperately longs for His children to return to Him. May people see the Lord as the father in Luke 15, who daily looked for, hoped for, and prayed for the return of his son. The father’s heart was poised for reconciliation and reunion - He was not there to judge or require.

Let a revelation come forth, let people see, really see and really understand the love of God.

The best way for us to be able to deliver this message to a needy world is for each of us to receive a fresh new understanding and revelation of the love of the Father. As we experience this and as the love of our Father God embraces us we will be able to minister with a new level of power and effectiveness – because He has made us to be ambassadors of His love.

God bless you all.

Let Encouragement Flow

As followers of Christ we have opportunity to help make a positive difference in the world. This is because our relationship with Jesus makes a difference in us. Following Christ and staying in close relationship with Him is not only wonderful and a blessing for us personally, but it reaches out past our individual lives and touches those around us. The Lord blesses us and in turn we have opportunity to bless others.

Matt 10:8 ... freely you have received, freely give…

In Ephesians we are instructed to speak the truth in love that we may all grow in Him because each joint (each person) is doing its part - the result is the growth of the Body in love.

Eph 4:15-17

15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

If we are encouraging and strengthening one another in Christ, the result will be a positive, powerful and healthy Body of Christ - one that will overflow with goodness and life and blessing that will touch the lives of those in the world.

God is so good, because as we are receiving and sharing His life it changes us for the better. Remember, He moves in us so that He can move through us. Let’s poise our hearts toward Him and let His life and love flow. As we do this we will see the Body of Christ come alive in the world and we will see people reached for Christ in a powerful way.

Most of the time in life it is the simple things, it is the small things that make the big differences. So don’t count out the power and the life changing impact there is in simple prayers and simple acts of love and encouragement. As we do this we will fulfill what Jesus prayed in John 17:20-21 – people will see love and unity in us, and they will come to Christ.

Beloved let us love one another, and let the love of Christ be manifest in each and every one of us.

Trusting in the Lord

Proverbs 3 is one of those sections of scripture that is good to keep coming back to. As we read this Proverb it has the effect to help remind us and ground us in the Lord.

Prov 3:5-6

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

To trust the Lord is vital, and without our dependence on Him we have nothing, and we are going nowhere fast.

In the OT (Hebrew) this word trust means to take refuge in, to put your confidence in, to be sure.

In the NT (Greek) this word means to have faith in, to believe, to trust.

Trusting in the Lord is active; it is something that we do. We rely on Him, we depend on Him, we put our hope in Him, we trust in Him. Simply put, as we trust in Him, we don’t have to depend on ourselves; rather we are depending on Him. The consequences of not trusting the Lord, not depending on Him, is that we get into trouble and sin. However, when we trust in Him, when we rely on Him, we are kept safe and life is so much better. Most times when we struggle with sin it is because we are trying to depend on ourselves and not on Jesus and the personal relationship we have with Him.

Prov 3:5 & 6 speaks right to this issue. It plainly says; trust in Him – not in yourself. It goes on to tell us to acknowledge Him, and this means to gain knowledge of Him, to know Him, especially as we look to Him (as we see).

As we look to the Lord and get to know Him better, we are able to see what He is about and we can simply follow Him. As we acknowledge Him (look to the Lord), the promise is that He will direct our paths – He will lay thinks out for us. This is pretty straight forward and simple; look to God, follow Him, and you will go the right way.

This same teaching came from Jesus. This is how He lived His life on the earth, He trusted in and depended on the Father and He looked to Him to follow Him and make sure He was on the right path.

John 5:19

Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

Let’s thank God for the clarity and simplicity of the Word, and let us continue to look to Jesus, follow Jesus, and keep on the path that He has set before us.

One more nugget from Proverbs 3

Prov 3:13

Happy is the man who finds wisdom,
And the man who gains understanding

It’s pretty easy to see that wisdom in the Proverbs is speaking of Jesus. We are instructed to seek wisdom, not our own ways and not the ways of those that would want to seduce us and lead us into sin.

A simple definition of sin is not trusting in Jesus, not depending on the Lord. If we hold fast our relationship with the Lord and walk through life depending on and trusting in Him – things go a lot better.

Prov 3:18 tells us one of the benefits of wisdom.

She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are all who retain her.

Wow – wisdom is a tree of life.

In the beginning the Lord provided the tree of life for Adam and Eve, but as they got their eyes off of Him, and started relying on their own understanding as they were being tempted they fell into sin. The same happens to us every time when we look to our own reasoning and follow the voice of temptation.

Let us trust in Him, let us follow closely; and as we do He will lay out the path for us and we will find a tree of life.

God bless you all.