We've heard it said so many times that we immediately make an automatic reply. We say, 'all the time' whenever we hear 'God is good.' So, let's don't differentiate: the God who is good does good work. He is attributed with "every good gift and every perfect gift" (Ja.1:17). There is nothing like a fresh communiqué from God. Call it what you will: He has many ways to release Himself to you. A revelation of the Word (or a rhema). A prophetic word that gets inside of you that neither dissipates nor allows you to hold to previous perspectives.
Many of you are about to embark on the most exciting journey of your lifetime. You've been asking the Lord for personal direction for yourself, your family, and your ministry, but you still have no clue which way to go. I have an awesome word for you today, and if you receive it, and run with it, it could change the trajectory of your life. The Lord showed me different scenarios of four groups of believers who were asking the Lord for direction, wisdom, and discernment.
A heart at peace gives life to the body. Proverbs 14:30 NIV The best way to know if you are embroiled in the things of the world is to be objective and ask yourself this: "Is my heart troubled?" I believe that the number one killer in the modern world is stress. Medical doctors in my church have told me that if a patient has high blood pressure, they can advise the patient to cut down on sodium. They can also advise their patients to cut down on other excesses such as sugar or cholesterol. But as doctors, there is one thing that they cannot control in their patients, and that is their patients' stress levels.
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3:3 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel." Mark 1:14-15 It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. Hebrews 9:27-28
Sometimes I get real intense in prayer and other times I back off. Sometimes it was so pressing and there were resistant forces and even some emotional wounds that I've backed off longer than I should have. And then the Lord calls me back, but I resist sometimes because I remember the pain in my emotions. It's not always bad like that, but sometimes it is. Once I get back, I am always glad that I did, because there are many rewards and sometimes, I will get to see some of the fruit of my labors and that brings a great joy.
How do we know if we really trust Jesus or not? He's the member of the Trinity who is most like us because He knows what it's like to live as a human. If we have a trust issue with Jesus, it will affect our relationship with those we love. Several years ago, I felt like I had a trust issue with Jesus. So, I asked, "Jesus, do I trust you completely?" I sensed there was still hesitancy. So, I asked Him, "When is the first time this mistrust happened?" I asked, "Jesus, is there a wall?" He said, "Yes." "Will you show me?" "Do you really want to see it now?" This time it was His voice speaking. I said, "Yes, of course. I don't want there to be a wall between You and me."
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, 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. Hebrews 12:1-2
I was filled with the Holy Spirit three weeks before I went to college, and I immediately became a serious student of the Bible. I remember waking up early and reading Scripture at my tiny desk in my dorm before my roommate woke up. My hunger for God's Word became insatiable, and my studies laid a strong spiritual foundation that I've built on ever since. One thing I discovered in those early days is that the Bible is all about Jesus. It is never boring when you realize this! It becomes like a puzzle to solve.
In historical narratives in the Bible or church records, we seldom read about the offspring of significant figures such as the original 12 apostles. For example, Peter was married, yet we find no record of his children carrying forward his traditions. Despite the belief that our progeny should surpass us, the zeal necessary for this progression is often not instilled in the next generation. The explanation? They do not have to pay the same price or undergo the same dramatic conversion experience their parents did. This essay will outline seven challenges that arise in generational Christianity:
The Divine intervention in the history of this world in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, as revealed in the gospel by John, is in the terms of Father, with the desired result of constituting His family and believers becoming His children, His sons. It is a wonderful thing to think of and to contemplate, that God has broken through into the history of this world and of man, with this great object and all that it means. Looking back over these four aspects of the intervention of God in Christ, we see that these are not watertight or self-contained, but they are but aspects of one relationship.
