ENTER DOUBT, EXIT FAITH - MAY 08

 ENTER DOUBT, EXIT FAITH - MAY 08

Matthew 14:30, "But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me."

MATTHEW 14:30-31

The reason Peter began to sink was because of his fear. In verse 31 Jesus used the word "doubt" in reference to Peter's fear. Fear is simply negative faith or faith in reverse. Where did this fear come from? Second Timothy 1:7 says, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love, and of a sound mind." It didn't come from God. This fear was able to come upon Peter because he took his attention off of Jesus and put it on his situation.

Fear or doubt cannot "just overcome" us. We have to let it in. If Peter had kept his attention on Jesus, the author and finisher of his faith (Heb. 12:2), he wouldn't have feared. In the same way that faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Rom. 10:17), fear comes by hearing or seeing something contrary to God's Word. We would not be tempted with fear or doubt if we didn't consider things that Satan uses to minister fear and doubt. The wind and waves didn't really have anything to do with Peter walking on the water.

He couldn't have walked on the water apart from Jesus even if it had been calm. The circumstances simply took Peter's attention off of his Master and led him back into carnal thinking. Likewise, Satan tries to distract us with thinking about our problems.

Peter's faith didn't fail him all at once, as can be seen by the fact that he only "began" to sink. If there had been no faith present, he would have sunk all at once and not gradually. This illustrates that the entrance of fear and the exit of faith do not happen instantly. There are always signs that this is happening. If we will turn our attention back to Jesus, as Peter did, He will save us from drowning. No problem is too big for God. We should cast our care about the problem over on God and just keep our eyes on Jesus, the Word.

GOD IS IN CONTROL OF THE AFFAIRS OF THE WORLD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY MAY 08, 2024.

SUBJECT: GOD IS IN CONTROL OF THE AFFAIRS OF THE WORLD!

Memory verse: "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” (Proverbs 15 vs 3.)

READ: First Samuel 2 vs 4 - 9: 

2:4: The bows of the mighty men are broken, and those who stumbled are girded with strength.

2:5: Those who were full have hired out themselves for bread; and the hungry has ceased to hunger. Even the barren has born seven; and she who has many children has become feeble.

2:6: The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up.

2:7: The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up.

2:8: He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts the beggar from the ash heap, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory. “For the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, and he hath set the world upon them.”

2:9: He will guard the feet of His saints, but the wicked shall be silent in darkness. “For by strength no man shall prevail.”

INTIMATION:

God is sovereign, He is in charge, and in control of the affairs of the world. God is not only the Creator of the world but He is also the Sustainer. In Him, everything is held together, protected, and prevented from disintegrating into chaos. At times it seems that God has let evil run rampant in the world, and we wonder if He even notices it. But God sees everything clearly—both the evil actions and the evil intentions lying behind them. God is All-knowing, and He will judge all sin. He will weigh everyone’s deeds and will reward all deeds accordingly: “...For the Lord is the God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed.” (First Samuel 2 vs 3.) 

Neither the righteous nor the wicked can escape His presence. God is not an indifferent observer. He cares and is active in our world. Right now His work may be unseen and unfelt, but don’t give up. One day He will wipe out evil and perish the evildoers, just as He will establish the good and reward those who do His Will. God does not lie, forget, change, or leave His promises unfulfilled. God’s plan stands forever! Remembering God’s sovereign control helps us put both world and personal events in perspective. 

Because we live in a world where evil abounds and where war and terrorism always threaten, we may forget that God is in control: He is solid as a rock, the one who knows what we do, sovereign over all the affairs of people, and He is the Supreme Judge who administers perfect justice. The Lord said, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor your ways My ways.” For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55 vs 8 - 9.) God’s wisdom and knowledge are far greater than any human’s. 

Many of us, observing the evils in our world, want God to act now. God will act when He is ready. We are like children who have difficulty grasping the concept of time. “It’s not time yet” is not a reason children easily understand because they only comprehend the present. As limited human beings, we can’t understand God’s perspective about time. We want everything now, unaware that God’s timing is better. When God is ready, He will do what needs to be done, not what we would like Him to do. We may be impatient as children, but we must not doubt the wisdom of God’s timing. 

When God planned and executed the redemption of the world through His Son, Jesus Christ, the world didn’t understand His plans. Satan thought that, as the ruler of the world then, the killing of Jesus, through his wicked agents, will accomplish his victory and establish his continued rulership over the world. But he didn’t know God’s plan: “Which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." (First Corinthians 2 vs 8.) Jesus was misunderstood and rejected by those whom the world considered wise and good. He was put to death by the rulers in Palestine—the high priest, King Herod, Pilate, and the Pharisees and Sadducees. And through their wicked deeds, God’s plan was accomplished. 

Let us not worry about the evils and misrule in the world today. The earth and its fullness are His. God will even work out His plans and purposes in the midst of them all. However, there is no ironclad guarantee that all believers will be delivered from difficulties and death in this cruel world. However, God can (and often does) miraculously deliver His followers from pain and death; although sometimes, for purposes known only to Him, He chooses not to. Thousands of Christian saints have been beaten to death, whipped, fed to lions, or executed (Romans 8 vs 35 - 36; Hebrews 11 vs 32 - 40). When faced with harsh realities, we must focus on the wise judgements of God. In times of crisis we can place our hope in God. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You are All-wise, All-knowing, and rules in the affairs of men. I staunchly trust in Your inconceivable wisdom, and I rest assured Your All-seeing eyes run over the earth, to reward everyone according to their deeds, and Your Throne to be established forever, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

WORD POWER - MAY 07

WORD POWER - MAY 07

Matthew 14:29, "And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus."

MATTHEW 14:29

This one word "come" was spoken by the one who made all things (Jn. 1:3) and it had just as much power in it as the words that were spoken at creation. This is where the power came from for Peter to walk on the water. Likewise, any word spoken to us by God carries in itself the anointing and power it takes to fulfill that word, if we will release it by believing it and acting on it.

We need to not only know God's power, but the greatness of God's power, and then the exceeding greatness of God's power. This exceeding greatness of God's power is towards us. That means that it is for us and our benefit. Some people get glimpses of God's power, but very few have the revelation that it is for us and at our disposal. It doesn't do us any good to believe that God has power if we don't believe that it will work for us. This great power of God is effectual only for those who believe. We must believe to receive, or if we doubt, we do without.

Despite all the criticism that might be leveled at Peter in this instance, he did walk on the water. There were eleven other disciples in the boat and although they clearly saw Jesus and Peter walking on the water, they still did not participate. One of the important steps in receiving a miracle from God is to leave the security of your natural resources (get out of your boat) and put yourself in the position where there has to be a miracle from God to hold you up. God is no respecter of persons (Rom. 2:11). Any of the disciples could have walked on the water, if they would have asked and gotten out of the boat.

CHRISTIANS ARE OVERCOMERS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY MAY 07, 2024.

SUBJECT: CHRISTIANS ARE OVERCOMERS!

Memory verse: "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; and they did not love their lives to the death." (Revelation 12 vs 11.) 

READ: First John 5 vs 4 - 5:

5:4: For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

5:5: Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

INTIMATION:

Christians are overcomers; They have been brought forth from God by their response to the grace of God that was demonstrated by offering of His only begotten Son on the cross as a propitiation for the sins of the whole world. They have obeyed the gospel, and thus, have been born of water and the Spirit. Their faith is their victory insofar as they are moved to respond to the Will of God. Therefore, the Christians’ faith has made it possible for them to overcome the world. Those who have obeyed have overcome the mentality and behavior of the world that is dominated by Satan as the temporary ruler of the part of the world that chooses to follow him. While Jesus is the permanent ruler of the whole world.

Christians became overcomers when Jesus, the Lamb, dealt the critical blow to Satan by the shedding of His blood on the cross for sins of the whole world. The victory was won by sacrifice—Christ’s death in our place to pay the penalty for our sins, and the sacrifice they make because of their faith in Christ. 

Jesus disarmed Satan and his agents—principalities and powers—and made made a public spectacle of them on the cross where He nailed them, and triumphed over them in victory for all believers (Colossians 2 vs 14 - 15). What Christ ‘disarmed’ on the cross was any embodiment of rebellion in the world—whether that be Satan and his demons, false idols of pagan religions, evil world government, or even God’s good angels when they become objects of worship. 

Christ has delivered the Christians from the power of darkness and conveyed them into the kingdom of the Son of His love (Colossians 1 vs 13). True believers have been transferred from darkness to light, from slavery to freedom, from guilt to forgiveness, and from the power of Satan to the power of God—the ultimate power in the universe. Satan has great power, but people can be delivered from his reign of spiritual darkness because of Christ’s victory on the cross. Satan is powerful, but Jesus is much more powerful. 

Christians have not only conquered the sin and death, they have also conquered the world because nothing in this world can separate them from the love of God. Satan has no subjective power over the Christian. Satan cannot of his will snatch the Christian from the love of God. He may go about in the world as a roaring lion (First Peter 5 vs 8), but His power of deception is not effective in reference to those who know and love the truth. He does not have the power to subject any Christian against his will who has given himself or herself to God. 

Christians now has power over the results of their sins by the power of the cleansing blood of Jesus. They have power over the kingdom of darkness by the power of the gospel and the word of God that they believe and preach. They are willing to die in Christ because they know that death is only a transition into a better realm—eternal life with Christ. And in Christ, God has freely given us all things that pertain to godliness and to a life of victory in this present evil age in which we are living (See Second Peter 1 vs 3). 

The Scriptures, in Romans 8 vs 37 - 39, contain one of the most comfortable promises in all Scriptures. Believers have always had to face hardships in many forms: persecution, hardship, illness, and even death. These sometimes cause them to fear that they have been abandoned by Christ. It is impossible to be separated from Christ. His death for us is proof of His unconquerable love. Nothing can separate us from Christ’s presence. God tells us how great His love is so that we will feel totally secure in Him. If we believe these overwhelming assurances, we will not be afraid in the face of life’s circumstances. 

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You, our most merciful and faithful God, for all You wrought in Christ for us. We have eternally overcome the world in Christ. Give me the grace to live worthily—in obedience, trust, and love for You, and in response to all You have done for me in Christ, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

ABOUT HUMILITY - MAY 06

 ABOUT HUMILITY - MAY 06

John 6:15, "When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone."

JOHN 6:15

Jesus "was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15). The temptation for Jesus to submit to the crowd and exalt Himself must have been there but He didn't respond to it. He came to do the Father's will and not His own will (Jn. 6:38). He immediately withdrew from everyone and spent all night in prayer with His Father. Prolonged prayer is an antidote for the temptation of pride and will work a God-type of humility in your life.

In Galatians 2:20, Paul is preaching a death to self, but it is very important to notice how this death took place. Paul said he was dead through what Jesus did. He experienced this death by simply reckoning what had already happened through Christ to be so (Rom. 6:11).

There are people today who have taken the "dying to self" doctrine to an extreme and, instead of being free of self, they are totally self-centered. They constantly think of self. It may be in all negative terms, but it is still self-centered. A truly humble person is one who is Christ-centered. Dying to self is not a hatred for self but rather a love of Christ more than self.

There are false religions that preach a denial of self. We need to be not just dead to self, but alive to God. A focus on the denial of self without the enthronement of Christ leads to legalism. True humility is not a debasing of self, or a hatred of self, or our accomplishments. It is simply an awareness that all that we have and are is a gift of God. Therefore, only a person who acknowledges God can operate in true humility.

ENSURE TO FULFILL YOUR PROMISES IN PRAYER!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY MAY 06, 2024.

SUBJECT: ENSURE TO FULFILL YOUR PROMISES IN PRAYER! 

Memory verse: "Then she made a vow, and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You wilt indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but wilt give Your maidservant a mail child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head." (First Samuel 1 vs 11.)

READ: First Samuel 1 vs 20 - 28:

1:20: So it came to pass in the process of that time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the LORD.”

1:21: Now the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the LORD the yearly sacrifice and his vow.

1:22: But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “Not until the child is weaned; then I will take him, that he may appear before the LORD, and remain there forever.

1:23: So Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him. Only let the Lord establish His word.” Then the woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him.

1:24: Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the LORD in Shiloh:. And the child was young.

1:25: Then they slaughtered a bull, and brought the child to Eli.

1:26: And she said, “O my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the LORD.

1:27: For this child I prayed; and the LORD has granted me my petition which I asked of Him.

1:28: Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the LORD.” So they worshipped the LORD there.

INTIMATION:

No one is forced by law to make a promise or vow to God, but once made, they ought to be fulfilled. God takes our promises or vows seriously, and requires that they be carried out (Deuteronomy 23 vs 21 - 23). We often have good intentions when making promises or vows because we want to show God that we are determined to please Him. God, however, expects you to fulfill your vow even if it is difficult to do so. For instance, if you vow to give ten percent of your income and suddenly some unexpected bills come along, God expects you to keep your promise, even when your faithful stewardship is costly. Therefore, be careful what you promise in prayer because God may take you up on it. 

Breaking a vow or promise is tantamount to breaking a trust, and breaking a relationship. Trust is still the bases of our relationship with God and others. Keeping vows and promises is important; it builds trust and makes committed human relationships possible. When you pray, ask yourself, 'Will I follow through on any promises I make to God if He grants my request?' It is dishonesty to ignore a promise, especially to God. God keeps His promises, and He expects you to keep yours. Although, we are not in a position to barter with God, He may still choose to answer a prayer that has an attached promise, and gets you committed to Him. 

Go to Him in prayers with total sincerity of heart and frankness in all intents and purposes. Don't keep anything back. Don't ask for what you really don't want, or promise to do something you can't or won't do. Remember He already knows your heart. Hannah so desperately wanted a child that she was willing to strike a bargain with God. God took her up on her promise, and to Hannah’s credit, she did her part, even though it was painful.

To do what she promised, Hannah gave up what she wanted most—her son—and presented him to Eli to serve in the house of the Lord. In dedicating her only son to God, Hannah was dedicating her entire life and future to God. Because Samuel’s life was from God, Hannah was not really giving him up. Rather, she was returning him to God, who had given Samuel to Hannah in the first place. These verses illustrate the kind of gifts we should give to God. Do your gifts cost you little (Sunday mornings, a comfortable tithe), or are they gifts of sacrifice? Are you presenting God with tokens, or are you presenting Him with your entire life?

Hannah had no child for her husband who really loved her. She was greatly discouraged and bitter because the husband's other wife had children and ridiculed her. Her loving husband could not solve her problem. She then turned in prayer to the Provider of solutions to all problems. Eventually, Hannah discovered that an honest and fervent prayer opens the way for God to work. Hannah made a vow in return for having a mail child, to dedicate him to God for a lifetime service. God gave her a son named Samuel. She lived up to her promise, and God even blessed her with five more children excluding Samuel. 

Any of us may face times of barrenness; when nothing seems to work in our work, service, or even relationships. And it is difficult to pray in faith when we feel so ineffective. But Hannah did! She so desperately wanted a child that she was willing to strike a bargain with God. God took her up on her promise, and to her credit, she did her part, even though it was painful. We should always be careful what we promise in prayer because God may take us up on it. It is better not to make promises than to make them and then later not keep them. It is best to count the cost beforehand and then to fulfill them. Prayer without complete sincerity is a sin, and an abomination before God.

Prayer: Abba Father, my utmost heart desire is to commune with You in complete frankness and sincerity of heart. For You already knows my thoughts before I say them, and is pleased with the truth. Give me the grace to keep any promises or vows I make to You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

GOD'S OPTIONS OR OURS? - MAY 05

GOD'S OPTIONS OR OURS? - MAY 05

Matthew 14:27-28. "But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer, it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou bid me come unto thee on the water."

MATTHEW 14:22-33

It is important to analyze Peter's statement. Peter was overwhelmed when he saw Jesus walking on the water, and he wanted to do the same. While there is really nothing wrong with his desire, the request he put before Jesus was totally wrong. He didn't ask the Lord if he wanted him to walk on the water, or if his faith was up to it. Instead he said, "If it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water." What was Jesus going to say, "It isn't me. Don't come."?

There are no other examples of someone walking on water in the Word of God. Jesus had a definite reason for walking on the water; however, Peter simply wanted to see if he could do it. God will permit us to do things that are not His perfect will for us.

Many times we hinder our own prayers by the way we ask things of God. We say, "Do you want me to do (a) or (b)?" The Lord may not want us to do either one. We should offer Him a third choice - (c) none of the above. We should trust God's wisdom and even allow Him to select the options.