Month: January 2025

Supernatural Life Unique to Christians Alone

John 20:22
And with that He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

It was the evening of the first day of the week. The disciples, fearing the Jews after the crucifixion of their Master, were meeting behind locked doors. With the appearance of Jesus, they were at once at peace. But then a greater thing happened, Jesus gave them the Holy Spirit. All that had been gathered in the room in fear suddenly began a supernatural life which is unique to Christians alone. They were sent forth to continue the work that Jesus had been sent to do by His Father.

As the New Year begins, how many of us are sheltering ourselves away from the world? How many of us are letting our fears hold us back from doing the work that Jesus was sent to do? Do we not recognize that the same power that was given to the early disciples is also given to us?

Let us begin our new year under the guidance of Our Comforter, the Holy Spirit. He has been given to us to instruct us and empower us to do the work of the Father. He has been sent to supernaturally strengthen us. He comes along side of us to provide the power and protection that we need to overcome the enemy, the world around us and even our own flesh, all of which are trying to bring us down.

We can be sure that we will encounter some failure. In all likelihood, our failures will come from the fact that we have turned once again to rely on our own strength. We must be continously aware that our own strength will never be enough to meet the demands and challenges of this world. Our strength must come from the Lord, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit that He gives us.

Let us take hold of what has been promised to us. Let us surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Let us commit to joining Our Precious Savior in doing the work of the Father in the new year.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing Your Holy Spirit to come along side of us to be our counselor. We praise the name of Jesus who defeated all evil when He died on the Cross so that we could defeat the evil that comes against us. We pray that you will teach us to accept our utter failure without Christ. Help us to realize our best will never be good enough until we are cleansed by the blood of Our Savior and receive His Holy Spirit into our lives. Help us Father to build our lives on the Rock that is Jesus Christ. May the Holy Spirit embolden and strengthen us to do the work of the Son. We ask all these things in the name of Our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.

Our Advocate, Our Comforter, Our King

Hebrews 4:16
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

The buddy bench has shown up in children’s playgrounds at elementary schools. It is a bench placed on the edge of the play area. It serves as a silent summons for help or support. When a child needs a friend, he or she sits on the buddy bench. When a child feels left out or left behind, he or she sits on the buddy bench. When a child longs for a helping hand, a listening ear, an empathetic soul, he or she sits on the buddy bench. This precious playground seat carries no stigma nor shame; it merely issues an unspoken invitation for comfort.

As we approach the new year, how many of us are already in need of comforting support? As we find ourselves burdened by broken relationships, financial challenges or perhaps trouble at work, whom among us would not like to look up in the center of our day’s activities and see a buddy bench where we could go to find the aid that we need.

Fortunately for all of us, the buddy bench has been in place for us throughout our days on this earth. In every challenging time or moment in our lives, we have the infallible mercy seat of Jesus Christ to turn to. Our Savior King is waiting on us to turn to Him for all of our present needs. His seat summons us to come with our burdens. We are graciously invited to the mercy seat where grace reigns. We can go to His throne with boldness. There is no stigma or shame in seeking His aid. In fact, it is quite the opposite. God is glorified when we go to His throne to seek the comfort of the Advocate that is there for us, Jesus Christ.

Let us go boldly to the mercy seat in our times of need. Let us confidently accept the invitation to draw near to the Throne of Grace. Let us rejoice in knowing that our all-sufficient Lord is waiting for us to take a seat of comfort beside Him.

Let us also be mindful of those in the world that do not yet know Our Savior King. Let us be ready to provide a buddy bench for them.

Prayer
Heavenly Father we thank You for the mercy seat that You have provided for all men. We rejoice in knowing that we have a Comforter that waits to hear from us. We bless the name of Jesus who insured that our every need will be met when He died on the Cross for us. We come to you boldly and confidently to receive the merciful pardon of our sins, the grace that we need to purify our souls, as well as, all that is required for our daily needs. We ask all these things in the name of Our Advocate, Our Comforter, Our King, Jesus Christ.

Real Productivity Comes When We Wait on the Lord

Psalm 130:5
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.

In our society, patience is a lost virtue. Everybody wants satisfaction instantly. Nobody is willing to wait on anything. This may be especially true at the start of a new year as many of us have such strong intentions of getting our new year off to a good start. Each of us is anxious to jump into the new year to get on with our perceived new paths to being more productive and more prosperous.

This rush to get things done is in direct opposition to how Our Heavenly Father works. No single thing is done in His kingdom until everything is in perfect order for the perfect result. This is especially true in our lives. The Lord does not want us to advance until He has prepared us and our surroundings properly. If we try to move ahead of God’s plan, we will meet heartbreak and disappointment.

From a human perspective, we can make a lot of good decisions in our lives without God. We can also accomplish a lot things deemed good by the world without God. We cannot, however, accomplish anything of real kingdom value without placing our reliance on Our Heavenly Father and waiting on Him to direct us through His Holy Spirit. In order to be deemed good and faithful servants, we must learn to wait on the Lord in all things. We must learn to wait on His grace and the working of His power in our lives.

Let us believe God to be who He says He is. Let us learn to wait for God to open doors for us. Let us learn to rest until He puts things in perfect order for us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for working all things in our lives for our good when we trust in You. We thank You for providing the Holy Spirit to be with us always to remind us to lean on You and not on ourselves. We pray, Lord, that you will give us the patience to wait on you. We ask that You show us how to be still in the valley as you prepare the mountain top for us and those that You have given us to serve. We rejoice in Your faithfulness. We ask all these things in the name of the One who did nothing without knowing He was operating in Your will, Your Son, Jesus.

Grasping the Mind of the Lord

Galatians 1:15-16
But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;

As human beings, we all attain some level of learning, understanding and wisdom. Too often, however, we are satisfied with gaining this insight through the counsel of men. Is it possible that there is more for us to learn? Is it possible for us to delve deeply into the riches and inconceivable perfection of Almighty God? Is it possible for us to grasp the mind of the Lord?

All the head knowledge in the world cannot prepare us to fully understand the essence of Almighty God and His plan for the world. Let us be aware that we are given the opportunity to be enlightened beyond our normal human capability. Our Heavenly Father reveals the deepest mysteries through His Holy Word and through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Our challenge is to let go of our reliance on the words of man and grab on to the living words of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us.

To expose ourselves to the treasures of the mind that await, we need to set aside quiet time if we want to hear what God wants to say to us. We have to prepare ourselves through the reading and study of the Bible. We have to find a time and place where we shut out the clamor of the world and just listen.

Let us seek our counsel from the One who is waiting for us to welcome Him into our lives. Let us ask Him to reveal all of His mysteries to us. Let us go to him daily with a simple question, “Father, what do you want to reveal to me today?”

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that You are always with us, ever ready to speak to us and ever ready to hear our prayers. We pray that the Holy Spirit will guide us in finding and setting aside a quiet time and place to study Your Holy Word and to commune with You each day. Lord, may we learn to delight in Your Word and delight in Your presence. We ask that through Your Holy Spirit that we learn how to experience the revelations of who You are. Through Your grace, may we begin to understand all of Your wonderful mysteries. We pray these things in the name of the living revelation of Your Word, Jesus Christ.

Step by Obedient Step – the Challenge of Our Faith

Hebrews 11: 8
It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.

What an amazing example of living in faith is provided by the story of Abraham. It was a great step of faith for Abraham to leave his family and his homeland in response to God’s calling on his life. He did not even know where God was leading him. Yet he faithfully followed the path that the Lord laid out for him. And for his simple act of faith, he became the father of all nations.

Abraham was called out of his own country. He was called away from his family. He was called away from his father’s house. He was called from the only culture that he knew. It is not likely that God will ask us to follow a similar plan as Abraham. He is not likely to call us away from relatives, friends and acquaintances. He is not likely to call us away from the neighbors and neighborhoods where we find our comfort. In fact, it is quite likely that these are the places that He will call us to serve. But just like Abraham, we can be assured that we will be challenged in some major way by our calling.

In challenging each of us, God will ask us to take simple steps of faith. As we respond obediently, He will put before us the next step which usually will require a little more faith in Him and a little more of letting go of faith in ourselves. We may not become a father of a nation by yielding to our calling, but we will surely gain more than we ever imagined.

Let us step out in faith when we sense the urging of the Holy Spirit. Let us follow God’s calling even when we are not sure where we are going. Let us reap the harvest of our journey.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for having a unique plan for each of us. We rejoice in knowing that the reward that You have prepared for us if we respond to Your calling is beyond our imagination. We pray, Father, that you will give us the strength and guidance to follow the path that you have laid out for each of us. Even though we may not know our destination, Lord, may your Holy Spirit keep us steadfast in our journey to stand before you in the image of Your Son. We pray these things in the precious name of the author of our faith, Jesus Christ.

Jesus Provided Permanent Access to Our Father in Heaven

2 Chronicles 5:7
Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the holy of holies, under the wings of the cherubim.

The Holy of Holies, also known as the Most Holy Place, was the inner room of the Jewish Temple in which was kept the Ark of the Covenant, the Mercy Seat, the Cherubim, manna, Aaron’s rod and a copy of the 10 Commandments. It was the place where blood was sprinkled on the Mercy Seat (the lid on top of the Ark) as an atonement for the sins of Israel. The single high priest designated for duty on the day of atonement was the only person allowed to enter the Holy of Holies. That was the only time in the entire year that anyone could enter. It was the only path and process that the Jewish people had in order to gain access to Almighty God.

Jesus changed all of that. Upon His death on the Cross, the veil that separated the people from the Most Holy Place was torn in two. In one divine moment access to the throne of God was opened to all people for all time.

As we leave the old year behind and prepare to enter the new year ahead, let us consider what a wondrous privilege we have been given. We no longer have to wait on anyone to enter into a direct, intimate relationship with Our Father in heaven. Our High Priest, Jesus Christ, permanently opened the way for us to enter the Holy of Holies.

As we take advantage of our blessing, let us remember that it is pleasing to God when we enter His throne room. But let us be sure to learn from the actions of the high priest in approaching the Most Holy Place. As we approach Almighty God, let us enter His presence with awe and reverence. Let us enter His gates with thanksgiving and with praise. Let us seek personal cleansing and forgiveness through the confession of our sins.

Let us pray under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Let us pray in accordance with the Holy Word of God. Let us make a personal commitment to surrender to His will for our lives.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us access to Your throne through Your Son, Jesus Christ. We bless the name of Your Son for providing the pathway for us to have a personal relationship with You. We pray, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit will help us to approach Your throne in the manner that is pleasing to You. We ask that we be given the grace that we need to pay the price necessary to gain the intimacy that we seek with You. We ask all these things in the name of our High Priest and Mediator, Jesus Christ.

Putting Our Trust in Almighty God in the New Year

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

What better way to start the New Year than to proclaim our hope promised to us in Jeremiah 29:11. Hope in the promises of Our Savior will never fail us. Hope in Our Savior will never disappoint us. Hope in Our Savior will result in nothing short of us spending eternity in bliss under the glory of Almighty God in the company of the gathering of saints.

We should know that our hope and our future is not limited just to us as individuals. We should claim this hope for our nation as well. If we return to being a nation that puts its trust in God, as our currency declares for all to see, we will see our nation rise up once again to claim its seat as the most powerful nation on earth.

But it all depends on where we place our hope. Society would lead us to believe that our hope is rested in the men and women who are our elected officials. They certainly play a role. But as the promise of Jeremiah teaches, our hope is in the Lord who declares His good plans for us. Yet in our society today, we find it often regarded as shameful to proclaim hope in Jesus Christ. In Paul’s writings to the Romans, he prepares us for these times as he establishes that there is to be no shame in following and putting our eternal hope in Jesus Christ. Who could have ever imagined that there would be a time when this teaching would be relevant throughout most of the Western world. Yet here we are.

Christians are mocked daily on talk shows, news shows and entertainment shows. To publicly stand for the very truths given to us by Our Heavenly Father makes us bigots, haters, etc. Now more than ever, we are called to share our good news with the world around us. The hope that we have in Christ is the only hope left for our nations.

Let us wait not a minute longer to proclaim our personal and national hope in Jesus Christ. Let us boldly claim His promise for our welfare and our future.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for this new year that You have given us. We thank You for providing the Holy Spirit to give us the wisdom we need to see through false teaching and the strength that we need to stand against the lies that this world is trying to get us to accept. We pray also, Father, that Your Holy Spirit will give us the courage we need to boldly present the “way, the truth and the life” that is in your Son, Jesus. We ask all these things in the precious, holy and mighty name of Jesus Christ.