Kindness Made Easy
In Christ you get to live from a place of abundance that makes kindness come easy
As a young boy spending a few years in south Florida we lived in a very small town. So I could ride my bike wherever I wished. In town there was a five and dime store and they carried plastic army men and marbles for twenty five cents a bag. For a dime you could get smaller bag of less appreciated marbles.
One day while on my way to the store to get one of those less appreciated bags of marbles I walked past a distinguished older black man wearing a nice white hat. I remember being impressed by him for some reason I just couldn’t figure out. He just seemed like the kind of guy you just wanted to get to know. He was fumbling in his pocket as he walked and when he pulled out his hand I noticed he dropped some change. I picked up the change and let me tall ya to me it was like finding a fortune. Especially on my way to the five and dime store. But before the man could turn the corner I ran and caught up with him. I said, “Mister you dropped this on the sidewalk back there.” He looked at me and smiled real big and then said, “Son, here take this quarter and go buy yourself something at that five and dime place back there. It’s not often I get to run into an honest young man like yourself.” I nearly shouted, “Thank you Sir!” Now whether or not that old man did that stunt on purpose to test me I do not know, but I sure liked that man a lot. He was very friendly towards a young boy like myself. I got myself a big bag of premium marbles with it too! In fact, my most favorite shooting marble I ever had came from that bag I bought that day.
I share that story because even if the man had not given me any reward for being kind I would have still been rewarded. It felt good to return that money to the rightful owner. Kindness rightly motivated is often its own reward.
When the live life you have doesn’t feel empty to you, because you know you are highly favor and blessed, your kindness flows from the abundance of your contentment. It is kindness made easy.
When you belong to Jesus you have that type of abundance flowing in you every day because the Scripture says you are complete in Him. You lack nothing! You have been given everything in Christ! Kindness is made easy for anyone who truly believes in Jesus.
Right Living
How much do you understand about life according to the Spirit?
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
As far as heaven is concerned when someone is in Christ, they really are in Christ. His history becomes a part of their history.
For Scripture to say you are seated with Christ in the heavenly places is not figurative language. It is very real because it is speaking in spiritual terms.
So here we have Paul saying to the Galatians that he was crucified with Christ. By being placed in Christ His death on the cross becomes your death on the cross as well. All that you are now and are meant to be spiritually speaking is swallowed up in Christ!
That is why Paul could say so boldly, “it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” You see if we died with Christ then that means we were also raised in newness of life with Christ!
That means the life you now live in the flesh you are to live by faith in the Son of God, who loved you and gave Himself for you. You are no different than Paul because Paul is not talking about any type of special apostolic privilege in this text.
Paul is speaking of a spiritual reality, a position that he now knows he inhabits in Christ and a reality that is his because Christ lives in him. This is the real deal for every true believer in Christ!
Knowing this and believing it to be true so that it is embraced as who you are and what you are called to be is where your victory over the power of sin comes from. This moves you away from being identified with your flesh and all it’s weakness. It moves you to being identified with the truth about who you really are and where you really live your life from.
Once you get hold of this you are empowered to rise above the weaknesses of the flesh and live from a place of real faith in the finished work of Jesus. In that place of living there is no more condemnation because it is life lived according to the Spirit.
You are not the sum of your fleshly weakness. You are a heavenly being who has been placed in Christ and now Christ is living in you. This is a truth well worth meditating on again and again. I hope you will do so today, and always.
New Covenant Believing
How much do you understand about the New Covenant
Acts 15:6 Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. 7 And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, 9 and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 10 Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”
The church was young and the main hub of it was still at Jerusalem. But it had at least began to spread due to the persecution that arose in Jerusalem. So the church at Antioch had experienced being troubled by well meaning but very wrong men from Judea who insisted Gentile believers must be circumcised and keep the law. Paul contended with these men fiercely opposing their view fo the gospel. So the Antioch church sent Paul and Barnabas to the Apostles and Elders at Jerusalem for a verdict concerning this dispute.
After hearing Paul and Barnabas testify about how the Lord had been using them and doing miracles, signs and wonders through their ministry they worked to reach a final verdict that still remains in force to this day. In reaching that verdict and writing a letter to the Gentile churches Peter offered the line of thought I shared at the beginning of this encouragement to be considered.
“Why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?”
They settled that salvation is purely by grace through faith in Jesus. It is the same for everyone Jew or Gentile. This New Covenant work of Jesus that brings us such a great salvation is made real through faith in Him and nothing else. The Promise of the Holy Spirit is received in the same manner through faith. It is all built of the favor of God coming to us simply by believing in Jesus. It not any more complicated than that.
This is the wonderful beauty of the New Covenant. It does not come with unreasonable demands that the flesh is too weak to keep. It doesn’t come as a proof of how unrighteous man is. It comes with proof of how generous and righteous the Son fo God is and how freely He offers the opportunity of being made righteous through Him.
You now have a righteousness you could never earn no matter how good you might try to be. It is God’s own righteousness and it has granted you favor with God unlike anything ever experienced by mankind at anytime. You get to revel in a relationship with God as His beloved child now! I sincerely hope you are taking full advantage of such a great opportunity to daily have access to your Father who loves you and is faithful to you. Jesus did it all! He left nothing undone that needed to be done for this New Covenant to work perfectly all the time. You are brought in and kept by the same means. Isn’t Father, Son and Spirit wonderful?! Oh praise His name!
Thanksgiving
There are many reasons to be thankful when you know Jesus
Colossians 2:6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” Very powerful words when it comes to knowing how to walk with Jesus through life.
You are to be rooted and built up in Him. They key to all this is the “in Him” part. You’re meant to live aware of being “in Christ” at all times.
In order to live in such an awareness you must first learn to walk by faith. Faith in the Son of God who loves you and gave Himself for you. Daily reminders of His sacrifice of love to bring you to Himself is a good thing that will spark an attitude of thanksgiving in you.
You see, you are meant to abound in the revelation of His love and redemptive work so complete that it is why you are kept and made secure. When the true gospel has been taught to you, and you meditate upon it and own it by faith, it will lead to you abounding in it with thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is a way of life when you walk by faith in Jesus the way you were created to. How can you be anything but thankful for all He is, and all he has done?
Today and everyday is a good time to reflect on who Jesus is in your life and all that He has done on your behalf to make you forever in right standing with the Father.
Here in the United States we celebrate Thanksgiving Day as a way of remembering. It signifies the offering of thanks given by the pilgrims for the faithfulness of God to see them through extremely difficult times and help them become established.
I pray you will be encouraged by this eternal truth regarding being rooted and grounded in Jesus. An eternal truth that can uphold you through any storm. A reminder of His great love. Surely, as a believer in Jesus, you can take that truth to heart and render the fruit of an abounding thanksgiving.
May your today be kissed with gratitude of heart for all that Jesus has done out of love for you. May it as well be verbalized around whatever table you find yourself gathered at on this day, so that all who gather with you may know the depth of thanks you feel for the One who loved you and gave Himself for you. Happy Thanksgiving!
Grace For Grace
Jesus went all out to make sure you could take advantage of something wonderful
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ” 16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.
According to this declaration in the gospel of John, you already have the fullness of Jesus because you were given favor to get favor.
You were given grace (unmerited favor) in order to get grace (Unmerited favor). You are the recipient of a double portion!
The One who is full of grace and truth dwells within you and you have been placed in Him.
He freely offers you the Promise of the Father which is the same Holy Spirit who helped Him when He walked this earth as a man.
Jesus lived submitted to the Holy Spirit and relied on His help as a man. Now you have the same opportunity and privilege because Jesus made it possible to receive the Holy Spirit of promise.
By giving you grace for grace He opened the way for the Holy Spirit to come and dwell in you and to guide you into all truth concerning Him.
Jesus made it possible for you to be kept by the Holy Spirit as opposed to you trying to keep yourself. You have been given heavenly support for your journey!
What is fullness? In the Greek it is that which completely fills.
Basically what John is saying is that which which filled Jesus to overflowing is what you receive. You receive it because Jesus made sure you had the grace to get grace.
Jesus did it all! Jesus left no stone unturned and no deed undone!
Jesus did a complete work and guaranteed you would get to be a recipient of the same Holy Spirit that was the essence of His fullness.
Acts 19:1 And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples 2 he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. 7 Now the men were about twelve in all.
His fullness is your privilege to take advantage of if you believe these words to be true. You get to be refreshed and filled daily just for the asking. It is your New Covenant privilege in Jesus Christ to enjoy such a distinct and wonderful privilege. I encourage you to take advantage of it each and every day. Be filled!
A New Creation
Do you know what you have become since you are to Jesus?
2Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
I love this verse of Scripture. It has been a home base Scripture for me my many years of knowing Jesus. I love how it conveys no respect of persons here. It says, “if anyone.”
That means no matter who you are, where you came from, what race, gender, socio economic status, language or age, if you were placed in Christ by grace through faith in Him, you are a New Creation. You were made in likeness to be able now to receive the same Holy Spirit who empowered Him when He walked this earth.
I love this language because of how supernatural it is. It is by no means merely religious. It does not say I came to a particular well respected group and decided to live differently on my own just to fit in and be a part. It says I became something completely different from what I was before. It says I can have the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead living within me now.
I became a new creation, a brand new species, someone born from above. I am now a heaven born child of God. That’s why the old things have passed away and all things have become new. I was once spiritually dead and unaware. Now I am spiritually alive and very aware!
I remember on that day that Jesus welcomed me and changed me. The drive home was entirely different than before. The sky seemed different, the song of birds seemed even sweeter and I was appreciating things that before were never even in my view or sphere of liking. At one moment I was one way and when He finished with rescuing me and placing me in Him I was someone different. All this was a change from the inside.
This change made things awkward for me and my friends of old. The change was so apparent it made them uncomfortable around me, whereas before they greatly desired to be around me. It wasn’t that I was being religious with them in any way, it was simply my desires had suddenly shifted. The things I once enjoyed with them no longer were delights to me. It felt out of step with who I had become. The old things had passed away and all things had become new to me.
I live in the power of this verse of Scripture everyday as I walk in fellowship with Jesus. How about you? Are you aware of just how much He changed you when He rescued you from your sin and your old self? Did you experience that newness of life where everything began to be different? You see being born again is a supernatural experience that changes who we are. Supernatural New creation reality is one of the many wonders and part of the beauty of the New Covenant.
I encourage you to live today as the glorious new creation you became when you were placed in Christ at your salvation. Live as who He made you, it is what is most natural to you now because it is the power at work within you. Old things are gone, behold all things are new.
A Good Confession
Did you know that speaking what God has promised is important and powerful in your life?
There’s something powerful in knowing there’s just no possible way you can ever be defeated. How would it make you feel if you were convinced you will always win no matter what? In the Letter to the Romans in the Bible there is an undeniable truth full of promise and hope.
Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
30 And having chosen them, He called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. 31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. 35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
You and I are loved by God no matter what might be happening right now in the world around us, or in our own personal lives! We are loved with an everlasting love because Christ is in us, and we are in Christ by grace through faith! The times we are living in are filled with deception and strong delusion and those who can think clearly are becoming more and more uncommon. But it is a comfort to know that we are loved so greatly and cared for so attentively by the very One who created all things. The Almighty, All-Powerful, Most Holy, Most Loving, Never Changing, Always Faithful, Most Reliable, Promise Keeping God is your Father. He has promised to make sure all things work together for you are called according to His purpose for you and you love Him because He first loved you. Nothing can separate you from His love and who dares to accuse you because no one can condemn you. Stand firm in the reality of His love and promise to keep you.
I believe and because I believe I speak this good confession of faith. Why not hear yourself saying out loud what God says about you? I encourage you today to make a similar confession.
Healing, God’s Blueprint
Did you know that healing is part of the blueprint of God’s creation?
Psalms 139:14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.
After speaking of how amazing it is the God created him the Psalmist calls God’s works marvelous and claims His soul knows it very well.
In other words the Psalmist is convinced of what he has just proclaimed with regard to being fearfully and wonderfully made by God and that God’s works are marvelous. The question is am I convinced of the same?
I wish to speak to this idea of how we were made and use it to substantiate the idea that God likes it when we are well and would never wish us to be sick or diseased.
In creating us God made our human bodies capable of fighting off sickness and disease. Our bodies kick into high gear when they are invaded by a bacteria, virus or other intruder that would make us sick. Our bodies have an amazing ability to heal when a bone is broken, or we are wounded in some way.
Why would a creator build this into a body if He did not wish that we be whole?
Why create the highest form of creation itself and make it capable of fighting off such things and healing itself if there is no desire for that creation to be well?
Now I challenge you to add to that the idea that God is now a Father to those who come to Him in relationship through Jesus Christ. I further challenge you to add to that idea the testimony of Scripture time and again revealing how much He is for us and not against us. Then finally consider how there is not one single testimony in Scripture that reveals Jesus refused to heal anyone who came to Him for healing. Jesus made it clear He had come to show us the Father and said if we had seen Him we had seen the Father. The way Jesus treated people in need is how the Father wanted them treated, and it revealed the Father’s compassion and mercy.
Healing is part of God’s Blueprint as is revealed in so many ways.
God can heal you just as easily as He forgave you and made you righteous. It is by the same means, it is a gift and it works on the basis of faith. So I speak healing to you today. I declare that He is not only able to heal you, He is willing. The One who is the Divine Healer lives within you! You have been hidden with Him in God. Stand of the truth of His Healing Blueprint for your life today.
No Reluctance
How well do you know God as your Father?
Have you ever been online shopping and found something you were looking for that you knew the value of and when you noticed how ridiculously low priced it was you struggled to say yes to it?
The reluctance to “pull the trigger” so to speak, is rooted in a suspicion of it being real. It’s just too good to be true. How, or why, would anyone sell such an item at such a low price when it sells everywhere else for way more than they are saying they would take for it.
We wrestle with things in life due to suspicion much more than we might realize. Suspicion is the opposite of trust. If I trust someone I am not suspicious of them. If I lose trust I become suspicious. Whenever we are hurt, disappointed or feel let down by someone because what we expected them to be, or to do, that did not come to pass we are prone to lose a measure of trust in them.
I struggle to trust mechanics. Most people I know say they struggle to find one they can trust. I’ve been ripped off before by shops claiming to give good service at a reasonable price. It makes it hard to trust after that happens to you.
Our ability to just respond to them making their promises gets harder and harder each time our expectation fo them is not met.
This phenomenon happens to believers in the call to believe God and take Him at His word. You see whenever someone has been misled by their own desires and expectations they placed on God, as opposed to discovering more about who He truly is and what He is truly like, they wind up disappointed that things didn’t turn out as they had planned. When God does not perform according to they misguided idea of Him, they become hurt. But it is not God who hurt them, it is their reluctance to take the time to get to know the truth concerning Him as opposed to seeing Him only the way they wish to. It is misguided expectations or notions about Him that complicate things.
For instance, did you know that there is no reluctance in heaven as it pertains to God being Himself and doing all He has actually said He would do?
When our faith and expectation align with who He truly is and what He has truly promised He will do, heaven is not reluctant to see it come to pass. All the angels and other created beings of heaven trust God and take Him at His word and do whatever He says needs to be, and should be done. They do this with no reluctance. They do not question His wisdom in it, they simply immediately do whatever He has declared needs to be done. They know His motives are always perfect.
Reluctance is not a trait of the kingdom of God. It is a trait of the flesh and of those who live outside the kingdom of God. God will be who He is to you and I every time. He will also do according to what He has promised to you or I. He will be and do without any reluctance on His part. As a Father who loves us He desires that we get to know Him better so we better understand who He is and what His ways are. Our reluctance towards His will for our lives will always spring out of a lack of trust, and trust cannot go any further than the truth we’ve come to know concerning Him.
To be led by the Spirit we must grow in this way so we can trust at deeper levels and break free from our suspicions which fuel a reluctance to act. I encourage you to spend time with each day discovering more about who He truly is according to how He has revealed Himself through Jesus.
The Blessing Of Right Distraction
There’s such a thing as healthy distraction
Have you ever noticed that the more you dwell on a particular thing the more intense your awareness of it becomes?
I remember as a kid that if I hurt myself and I was bleeding that the more I focused on the bleeding and played the incident back through my mind the worse the situation became. My shock and initial yelp would evolve into a torrent of tears, sobbing and moans as though I might be dying.
Naturally I was in no danger of losing my life, just a thimble of blood and some play time were all that were at stake. But my dwelling on it often resulted in a loss of much more time than it should have. Amazingly, we can choose how we will frame any particular incident in life. The more dramatic we make it, the more time and energy it will claim by making it more difficult to overcome.
I had a coach who greatly helped me with accidents and pain. He taught me how to focus on something else so I could take my mind off what was happening and get through it much quicker. I am forever grateful to that man. He didn’t ask me to pretend it never happened, he just wanted me to not allow it to become more than it really was.
Now this correlates to our spiritual well being and progress. You see when we experience set backs, problems, or painful disappointments we can choose to play it back over and over again allowing it to grow larger, or we can focus our attention on the One who can help us.
Hebrews 12:1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Looking unto Jesus! I love that phrase in the letter to the Hebrews in the Bible.
A group of people were experiencing strong temptations, persecutions and threats of setbacks. They were being tempted to go backward, not forward. But they were encouraged to let themselves get distracted by looking at Jesus, the Author and the Finisher of their faith. There is something powerful about setting our gaze and thoughts on Jesus. It makes everything happening seem small by comparison and the temptations seem silly to us when we see His beauty before us.
Isn’t that what we all need in chaotic, painful and confusing times? I encourage you today to take a good long look at Jesus and see if it doesn’t have the power to ease the pain clear the confusion and release some joy in your soul. Such is the Benefit of Distraction when you are distracted by Him.
In My Name
Do you know what “In My Name” is really about?
Have you ever wondered what “In My Name” really means? It is widely used by multitudes in the church to end prayers and supposedly command things to happen. But is that really what it is about?
In a way, you could say that Jesus’ name has largely been treated like an incantation.
John 14:12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
This has confused some over the generations who have treated “In My Name” as being a phrase to add to the end of a prayer in order to guarantee the desired outcome, or to command things to happen. But, many have used the name in that manner and nothing happened. So some became disillusioned about prayer being answered or about the believers’ authority in Christ. The Bible testifies that hope deferred makes the heart sick. So to me, it is of great importance that we better understand what this is all about.
Mark 16:15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
The name of Jesus is not an incantation to be used to get a desired outcome. It is not the magic phrase that makes God want to do something He might otherwise be disinclined to do. Jesus modeled it for us.
John 17:6 “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7 Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You.
Now, to my knowledge there is no place in all of the Gospels where we find Jesus saying “In the Father’s Name.” When He is healing the sick, or raising the dead, performing miracles, or casting out demons, there’s no record of Jesus saying “in the name of the Father.” But we just read that Jesus manifested the name of the Father to the men He had been given.
The desire of the Holy Spirit is that we would be in such close fellowship with all three of the Godhead that our desires would reflect theirs just as Jesus’ desires reflected the Father’s.
That is why being unsure of God’s will cannot be overridden by adding, “In Jesus Name” to the end of a prayer or command. Adding the name does not activate our faith in Him. When Jesus said you will ask whatever you will “In My Name” and it will be done for you, He was not speaking of worldly desires being fulfilled by use of a magic phrase. Jesus was saying when you are determined to represent Me and you are asking for something rooted in what you’ve come to know about Me, it will be done for you. You see, when you know who He is, and you’re confident in knowing His ways, you have faith to speak and to act. (Acts 3:1-16) Peter and John knew Jesus well. They acted based on their knowing Him and knowing His desire. They did for the lame man what they knew Jesus would do. It resulted in a great miracle that opened a door of opportunity for them to preach the gospel.
In other words, you will be backed up when you are representing Jesus in your life! You and I are called to live in the power of “In My Name.”
He Sent His Word
God speaks healing to you today
When it comes to wanting to know what the Father is like there are glorious evidences of His goodness throughout Scripture if we can observe it.
For instance, way back long, long ago when Israel was in slavery God very mercifully determined their time in that situation had come to an end. So He set in motion His plan to deliver them. He used Moses as His vessel to go to Pharaoh and intercede for their release from slavery. Through a series of 10 plagues that God sent against Egypt to convince Pharaoh to let them go, they left Egypt. But they did not leave destitute bedraggled and unable to make the journey God was taking them on. They left healthy, wealthy and free.
It truly is amazing to to see how the Egyptians were so eager to see them go they gave them gold and goods for the journey, they just wanted them gone.
In the Psalms it says the following about that moment in history as the Israelites went out.
Psalm 107:20 He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
God made sure they were physically well when leaving their bondage behind. He even delivered them from their destructions. In other words God did a complete work of setting them free. So free they would never again go back into bondage to the Egyptians.
Even way back then there was something in the heart of God that desired to see His children being and doing well. There is no sickness in heaven and no one there is destitute, beaten down or dismayed. All sickness and discouragement is a direct result of the fall of man that gave sin a place here on this earth. It came under the curse of the fall. But God has seen fit to intervene as it pertains to that curse and bring healing on all fronts. He offers you spiritual, emotional and physical healing in His Son Jesus Christ.
The truth of Who He is and what He is like simply needs to be activated in the heart and the soul needs to be washed with the truth not only about His ability to heal, but also about His willingness to do so.
So based on who Jesus is and what Jesus is like and revealed the father to be like, I speak healing to you today in all three areas of your life. I declare that He who loves you is not only able to heal you, He is willing and desiring to do so. Go and have a blessed day today in His name and always. His grace and peace be with you.
Empowering Grace
You will never be unequipped to do whatever God might ask of you
I have a complete set of very helpful battery operated tools that I use often. They serve me well and enable me to complete a job effectively and efficiently.
I am very glad I have such tools when I am doing a project. I am able to achieve my goal of completing it much quicker and simpler than I otherwise might be able to do it.
To me, those tools serve as an example of empowering grace. If I had to do the same job using an older style tool it would involve more of my own energy and time. The challenge of completing it would be much greater and possibly discourage me from even wanting to attempt it. But with the empowering grace of a good tool the hope of completion in a timely and effective manner makes the prospect a bit more appealing than it might otherwise be.
When you came to Christ you received empowering grace. You received a grace that connects you to a vast array of helpful tools that are effective and make the challenge of doing the will of God in your life more appealing. You see He will never ask you do anything He will not give you what you need to do.
I’ve listened to people over the years talk about the will of God and some have said things like, “never say never to God or you will find yourself doing exactly what you said you will never do.” They say such things with a tone of dread like it is a warning meant to help me, or others, avoid God’s malicious intention to make us pay for saying never.
But is that really what God is like? Is that an accurate representation of who He is and how He is towards His children? Because of these types of ideas being bandied about in the body of Christ some have been discouraged from desiring to know the will of God for fear what it might mean to them in the way of hardships and difficulties. It is a sad commentary on who God is as a loving Father who is for us and never against us.
You’ve been given the Promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit, who empowers you to know Jesus more fully. He also connects you with everything you need to be able to do what He reveals He has planned for your life.
Nothing will ever be too hard for you if you learn to walk in His empowering grace. Walking in empowering grace encourages you to go deeper in trusting Him in all things and every situation. But if His goodness and faithfulness is allowed to be brought into question trust is hindered by a suspicion of His intention. He worked out the way for you to have the promise of eternity with Him along with a promise of hope for better things. Why would He after all that decide to be mischievous towards you and do things to torment you?
Your Father is good all the time and He offers to you an empowering grace today through Jesus that will equip you to not only know, but to be able to do, according to His good will and pleasure regarding you. I encourage you to let the Holy Spirit give you revelation of such things today so you can be about the Father’s business just as Jesus was. His will is always what’s best for you! There’s blessing in knowing and doing His will by His empowering grace.
The Wisdom Of Favor
There’s a wisdom to favor you need to be aware of always
Have you ever noticed how easy it can be to make a bad decision on something major because the wisdom of God was never sought in it and then turn around and blame God for a bad outcome?
This happens often. I know I have done it before. I have been faced with an important decision to make and thought I knew best what to do and did not even consider asking the Father about it. After all it was just something practical so why bother Him? But after making my own decision about it, and later regretting it due to it not turning out as expected, I found myself wondering why God let it happen.
Truth is He will let me have my own way if I want it. He will not force me to decide according to His wisdom. He will gladly and willingly give me His wisdom when I ask for it but He will not shove it down my throat so to speak.
I’ve seen this happen to people over relationships, houses, cars, employment, etc.
As soon as I think I am smart enough on my own to plow ahead and do my thing without taking advantage of the relationship I now have with my Father who knows all things, I tend to end up regretting it.
Sometimes along the way, there were times I thought I knew His wisdom on a matter and it still did not turn out the way I had hoped. I discovered I was not really hearing Him on it, I was hearing my own voice or the enemies voice and not discerning the difference. It was used, none the less by Him, to teach me how to discern the difference. So what was a momentary inconvenience or very disappointing hardship became a wonderful life and relationship lesson for my benefit. The more I get to know Him and His ways the better I know His voice.
I’ve done it myself, and know others who have made choices on their own and then been upset with God as though He should have stopped it from happening. He could have intervened and made all this go away. The more a grow in my understanding of having His favor, which is a grace walk, I realize most of my hardships I have brought on myself by not taking advantage of the access to His wisdom I have been freely offered. He is using every situation in my life to help me grow in relationship with Him. He is not causing any of the bad things to happen. But He will even use a bad thing of my own making to bring me into a deeper understanding that turns me to Him.
Think of what I am saying this way, it’s like having a professional mechanic as a dad and when your car breaks down you determine you will fix it yourself without even letting him know about it. He would gladly help you with it if you asked, but you want to do it yourself. In a healthy relationship there’s a humility that honors the other person and respects their wisdom. When that is truly active you ego to that person for advice and guidance.
Favor grants you the permission to go to your Father on any and every major decision you will ever make. He has already given you Helper in the Holy Spirit who is always with you to guide you if you will only allow Him to function in your life. Your Father greatly loves you. He is there for you. He’s given you His favor so you can approach anytime about everything happening in your life. I hope you’ll take heart and take advantage of His amazing wisdom of favor today and always. Have a blessed day!
Savor Your Tremendous Favor
You have tremendous favor that you need to savor
When thinking about what it looks like to have favor with God can anyone look beyond Jesus for an example?
Jesus walked in favor with His Father. Yet when we look at the things that unfolded in Jesus’ life we discover that not everyone liked Jesus.
The religious leaders hated Him. The town where the man with lots of demons lived whom Jesus set free asked Jesus to leave their territory.
Jesus spoke of places He had been to and His testimony didn’t sound to favorable based on how they had rejected Him.
Matthew 11:21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
Jesus, although he abided in favor with God His Father still experienced being rejected. Even His own brothers rejected Him.
John 7:1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. 2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. 3 His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. 4 For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” 5 For even His brothers did not believe in Him.
Favor does not pave an easy straight street under our feet and then line with extra exuberant cheerleaders on both sides who are always for us. But favor will at times open doors of opportunity for us and will always make it possible to commune with the Father at any and all times.
Knowing you have favor with God can produce favor with others. It doesn’t produce it with every single person you will ever meet but it will produce it with many who are sensitive the presence of God and moved by it. Knowing you have God’s favor to the point you are walking more and more confident increases the fragrance of Christ in your life.
2Corinthians 2:14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life.
When it comes to favor there’s nothing better or greater than having it with God and truly knowing you have it with Him. It will shield you against the rejections of others when you know you are loved by the One who truly matters most. It can also aid you in connecting with the right people in life as you discover who along the way is moved by the favor you are walking in with Jesus and the Father.
Savor the favor today and always!
Favor Applied
Do you know how to take advantage of God’s favor in every situation?
When we think of the favor of God that is ours now through Christ we should think of it in terms of how it brings us near to God and gives us ready access.
The grace we have received is meant to make that a reality 24/7 in our lives.
Now what grace is not guaranteed to do is shield us from any every situation life may throw our way. Being in the favor of God does not mean everything will go well 100% of the time so that we are never inconvenienced in any way.
In fact, Jesus promised that in this world we would have trials and tribulations. But thankfully He added that we should be of good cheer because He had overcome the world.
We will experience some rough patches in our journey of life, times when we are persecuted, misunderstood, inconvenienced in some ay or another, touched by the effects sin has had on this world and systems. But this does not take us out of favor with God or establish His favor is not at work in our lives.
It is in such times that the favor we’ve been given is powerfully activated because it allows us to run to Him freely to find mercy to help us in our time of need.
You see for the Bible to say we will have times of need should immediately let us know that favor is not about eliminating any and all situations that would potentially put us in place of need.
So long as we draw breath our faith will continually be needed and activated with regard to what it means to turn to our Father for mercy to help. Our faith will be activated in the area of our relationship to Him as well in the area of giving Him praise, and thanking Him for His faithfulness and goodness.
You are loved today and always with an everlasting love that will never fade. The throne of grace is open to you 24/7 365 days a year and 366 on a leap year. He will not turn His face away from you because the Son of His amazing love lives within you. You have favor today and always and despite whatever difficult thing you might be going through right now. I encourage you to receive His love and take advantage of His favor in your life today.
Of His Fullness
Where does your confidence in knowing God as Father come from?
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ” 16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
The Logos of God became flesh. Jesus was the embodiment of the heart of God the Father. Because God’s word conveyed His heart.
That word came and dwelt among us! Mankind witnessed His glory too! A glory of closeness with the Father as a Son never before witness in humanity. This Son was full of grace and truth.
Jesus was full of something! He was full of favor with God because that is what grace is. He was of favor as the Son of God. He was full of truth as the word made flesh!
John testifies that of the fullness of Jesus we have all received and grace for grace. We are given favor to get favor. Why so we can experience the relationship with the Father Jesus knows and experienced. Jesus prayed in John 17 we would share in that same glory as He had with the Father.
The next verses are intriguing as well. Moses was the one the law was given through. Moses was the vessel for ushering in the Law Covenant which stood in force until the cross took place.
Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Jesus brought us a New Covenant in which grace is our entrance and keeping in relationship with God and truth is our guide in living out our time here on this earth.
Now we need to understand that Jesus came to set the record straight on the Father. Jesus was the only One who could truly do that because Jesus was the only One who had truly seen the Father and knew Him from the right perspective. Only the perspective of Jesus regarding the Father is perfect. So we are wise to take to heart what Jesus says concerning Him and how Jesus walked to reveal Him. Jesus declared the Father!
Jesus went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed of the devil. Jesus was demonstrating what the Father was like and the Father was and will always be good. He is a gracious and kind Father to those who are His. He loves with an everlasting love and He sent His Son to forever fix the issue of broken fellowship and relationship with us. My right standing with the Father is only through Jesus according to the grace He has given to me and my knowing of the Father is to be according to the truth Jesus is and He revealed concerning Him. Looking unto Jesus the author and the Finisher of our faith! Jesus only Jesus! I will forever praise Him!
The Beauty of Favor
What gives you a right to know God?
Whenever we talk about grace we are actually talking about unmerited favor with God.
This unmerited favor has never been earned by any human being. It is a gift. When we hear of it with regard to Noah it say, “Noah found grace.” Think about that for a moment. Noah discovered something that existed on his behalf that he had never seen or understood before. So what was the grace Noah found?
Relationship with God. Noah heard God speak and he, by faith, acted on what he heard because he believed. Noah found grace. Noah realized God wanted to engage in fellowship with him and Noah engaged in return. Noah accepted the invitation initiated by God. The same is true of Abraham the Old Testament prophetic picture of faith and grace.
It is then that the whole righteousness by faith understanding enters the picture with regard to how God works.
Abraham believed and it accredited to him as righteousness. Another way to say that is Abraham believed God was real and really had invited him into relationship with Himself and God made it possible by imputing righteousness to Abraham. Abraham did not earn it, nor did Noah. You did not earn it, nor have I.
Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
Grace is unmerited favor!
Now this is a much bigger deal than many take the time to realize. This is what guarantees our continual relationship access with God and it has been secured for us through the obedience of Christ Jesus. Jesus is the gateway into this grace and He has secured an eternal grace for us.
The purpose for Jesus securing it for us is not so we can become the most popular among our peers and have everyone on this earth think we are special. It is so that we can have access and experience wide open unhindered access into a glorious privilege of fellowship with God.
Everything Jesus did points to the great privilege of knowing God and being in right relationship with Him. Without the favor of grace there would be no continual fellowship with God. The privilege would not exist. That is the beauty of favor! You and I get to know God as He wishes to reveal Himself and has revealed Himself through Jesus His Son. We now get to know Him as sons. We get to know Him as privileged ones. Privileged because we were born into this glorious position by an invitation from Him based on the merits of Jesus! Oh the beauty of favor! I do hope you will take time to enjoy this marvelous privilege today and always.
You Have Favor
What do you base your sense of well being on?
I know it isn’t Christmas time but I need to bring to our attention something I feel is very important and encouraging to think about. Luke 1:28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
Now that verse seems okay until you unpack the context Mary was living in. She was a young Jewish girl living in Nazareth under very difficult circumstances and being oppressed by the Roman Government at the time. In most cases many would argue she was anything but blessed and highly favored when you look at the conditions in which she had to live her life.
So, what if she had compared herself with others that lived at a much higher level of comfort and prosperity than she did, and determined her perspective would be shaped by these comparisons?
Thankfully, Mary chose to believe the angel despite the hardships she was under and accepted the invitation to become the mother of Jesus.
The measure of our happiness is not to be determined by the things we possess, or the level of living we can accrue in this life. It is definitely not to be found by comparing ourselves with others. It is best if it is determined by the blessing of life we have received in Christ Jesus. That’s the foundation of all lasting joy.
So I encourage you today to never allow your perspective to be colored by your surroundings, circumstances or by trying to compare with others. Such things are never permanent anyway. Let your perspective be determined by His love for you today and always!
Go and have the richly blessed day He’s ordained for you because you too are now favored and blessed in Jesus Christ.
The Pipeline of Faith
We all understand how pipes deliver things to us like water, fuel, and other needed day to day things. Faith is the pipeline of heaven.
Mark 7:25 For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” 28 And she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs.” 29 Then He said to her, “For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.” 30 And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.
A table symbolizes a place of receiving provision for life and health. It symbolizes abundance, connection, fellowship and joy. For this woman, even the crumbs from His table would be a blessing. To her, to be a dog getting the crumbs would be a blessing. Thus when we as His children have a place at the table we are very thankful. The table He sets is never empty. He sets us a table in the presence of our enemy! He wants the enemy to see how abundantly He has provided for us and how faithfully He cares for us. It is like rubbing salt in the enemy’s eyes. That is why we openly give praise to God for what we expect to receive from His table. We need at this point to give heed to something Scripture testifies to in,
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Everything to do with the kingdom begins at the point of faith for us. Everything flows to us through the pipeline of faith. No pipeline, no flow. No one goes to the table unless they believe there’s something for them and they will be welcomed to it. The Greek woman whose daughter was delivered bears witness to the willingness of Jesus, and Jesus is a witness to the willingness of the Father. She heard about Him and believed what she heard and went to where He was. She did not allow her own estimation of her unworthiness determine it for her, she based her decision and determination on His goodness and willingness, and she received according to her faith.
Her faith was not based on the thing she desired to see happen. Her faith was based on what she had heard concerning the kindness, goodness, ability and willingness of Jesus. Her faith was in His character and nature, not the outcome itself. She had heard He was loving and gracious and was able and willing to heal and deliver those who were coming to Him. Her faith brought her to Him. Everything we could ever need is found in Him and faith seeks to make us aware of Him and aware of what He is truly like.
You are loved today and always by your faithful gracious Heavenly Father. By coming to His Son Jesus in faith to be forgiven and made alive you became His child supernaturally and He is for you not against you. Everything in His kingdom is accessed by faith in Him. Faith is the pipeline through which His virtue flows in us and through us to bring His solutions into our lives on a daily basis. It is good to know Him for who He is based on how He has revealed Himself to be. I encourage you to approach Him in faith today and everyday.