Like He Said

Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.

Mark 16:7 NLT

We live in a day of broken promises and empty words. The result is that no one trusts anyone or anything except themselves... and that's a mistake. BIG mistake. In our finite minds, we then tend to project that same perception onto the Lord - especially if we don't get the answer we wanted for something we prayed about.

I love this passage in Mark 16, and I want to point out something important. Jesus is going ahead of you (to Heaven). You WILL see Him, just as He said... All those who are in relationship with Him (disciples) AND the ones who are sincerely trying, but messing up (including Peter) - He's going ahead, but we'll see Him, just like He said...

John 14:1-3 NKJV, Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

Numbers 23:19 NLT God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?

He did what He said and He'll continue to do so. What will you believe?

Prayer:

Father,
            Thank You for being a God of exceeding, precious promises and for being a God who cannot lie. Help us to see to the heart of the matter for those things in our lives that would cause us to not take You at Your Word. Deliver us from it and cleanse us from all unrighteousness and unbelief. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Out of Touch

FYI - My oldest brother is not long for this world... We made the trip to north Texas yesterday to be together with family. I am only able to connect on my phone right now, so I will resume posting when I return home.  Blessings on you and yours.

Psalm 67

May God be merciful and bless us. May his face smile with favor on us. Interlude
Psalm 67:1 NLT

May your ways be known throughout the earth,
your saving power among people everywhere.

May the nations praise you, O God.
Yes, may all the nations praise you.

Let the whole world sing for joy,
because you govern the nations with justice and guide the people of the whole world. Interlude

Prayer:

May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you.

Then the earth will yield its harvests, and God, our God, will richly bless us.

Yes, God will bless us, and people all over the world will fear him.

In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

In His Name

For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 

John 6:38 NKJV

Jesus often spoke about His purpose being to do the will of the Father. He spoke only what the Father said, did only what He had witnessed the Father do.

Matthew 6:10 NKJV reads, "Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Jesus always prayed the Father's will in all things.

So... let's be clear. When we pray in Jesus' Name, it is not a good luck charm, it's not a manipulation to "make" God do what WE want. It's coming in the authority of Jesus' Name, asking for - and expecting - GOD's will to be carried out. THAT's the authority of using the Name of Jesus! And GOD's will is always about the eternal.

What do we do when God's eternal will is not what we had in mind? Let me ask this - Do we want to serve a God whose will can be bent to serve our finite lives? No. The answer is no.

Prayer:

Father,
           We pray as Paul prayed, When we think of all this, we fall to our knees and pray to You, Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from Your glorious, unlimited resources You will empower us with inner strength through Your Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in our hearts as we trust in him. Our roots will grow down into God’s love and keep us strong. And may we have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep Your love is. May we experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then we will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from You. Thy will be done. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Asking Why

"I don’t think the way you think. The way you work isn’t the way I work.” God’s Decree. “For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think."
Isaiah 55:8-9 The Message

She was a Christian. So was her husband, and her children, and her siblings... We prayed and prayed in the Name of Jesus, we quoted Scripture and we believed and prayed some more, but she died, anyway. Why? It's a hard, hard place to be in. 

Do we trust God or do we indict Him? We may think we have no choice but to follow God. However, it is still our choice whether we seek Him and whether or not we choose to trust Him in all things despite what we have experienced. What about the next time someone is sick - will we still pray? 

"We don't know why she wasn't healed." That's probably what you're thinking, but I would exhort you to not buy any part of the devil's lies. God did NOT abandon her or her family and friends, nor will He! He did NOT abandon you. Think about this - is she healed now? It may be hard to comprehend and to bear, but in reality, the prayers for her to be healed were answered. Just not the way we wanted. Why? This might be a good time to reiterate "I don’t think the way you think. The way you work isn’t the way I work.”

Proverbs 3:5 tells us. it is written, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." This verse speaks to what everyone faces at some point who chooses to follow God - trust and choices. We all have decisions to make, and yet this Proverb clearly states that we should not trust our own thinking or reasoning. Remember, we trust God's TRUTH OVER the facts!

We don't understand, but here are a couple of things we DO know. 

    He promised to NEVER leave us or forsake us. Deuteronomy 31

    The gift of God is eternal life. Romans 6:23

The Bible also tells us that we live in a fallen world and we will all die. When we know Christ, however, we don't have to be afraid in that we have the assurance of heaven because of what Jesus Christ did for us. 1st Thessalonians 4:15-18, NIV, According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 

And then he says, Therefore encourage one another with these words. 

Prayer:

Father,
            Build a hedge of protection around our minds and hearts so that satan cannot defeat or discourage those who pray for healing. Anoint us with fresh fire! Let the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead, rise up in us with renewed fervor to make us passionate, fervent prayer warriors! Help us to realize the end result is not up to us, but trusting You in it is. Help us, O God! In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen