GROWING STRONG IN FAITH : No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God. - Romans 4:20, ESV In scripture, Abraham’s circumstances were beyond his control. He was way too old to have a child, but God promised him that he would have a son. What did he do while he was waiting? Scripture says, “He grew strong in faith by giving praise to God.” He got up every morning and said, “Lord, thank You for Your faithfulness. Thank You that my baby is on its way. Thank You that You are faithful to Your Word.” He kept thanking God for what he heard in his spirit, and eventually, the promise came to pass. Like Abraham, God has put dreams in your heart. He has spoken promises over you. Deep down you believe it will happen, but in the natural, it looks impossible. The odds are against you. It’s been so long. No, God is saying, “What I started in your life I will finish.” The key is to follow Abraham’s example and praise God while you wait. That’s one way to grow in faith. Keep praying. Keep believing. Keep expecting. Grow strong in faith and see His promises fulfilled in every area of your life! DONT LET YOUR FAITH SLIP : Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. – Hebrews 2:1 Something very serious has been happening to the Body of Christ. Weve often let the things which we have heard, the message of faith and righteousness, slip. Im not just talking about those believers whove been so surrounded by religion that theyve never heard about the power thats theirs in Christ Jesus. Im talking about those of us who have heard the Word and have known the thrill of living by faith. In my own life, for example, there were times when Id pray for healing. Id say all the right words, Thank God, I believe I receive... and all that. But inside Id be thinking, I wonder why God isnt healing me? You see, even though Id said that I believed I was healed, I hadnt really. Id staggered at the promise of God, believing what my body told me instead of the Word of God. I dont care how long youve been a believer or how long youve been practicing the principles of faith. You can easily slip into unbelief about the promises of God. And, when you do, it will cost you dearly. But if slipping into unbelief is so easy, you may say, how can we avoid it? Hebrews 4:11 tells us: Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. We must labor! Not by working with our hands and feet or struggling to get God to do something, but by spending time in Gods Word--hanging onto the promises of God by faith day after day. We must labor by hearkening to the Word and refusing to let it slip. Dont get casual about the Word. Dont make the mistake of thinking, Oh I know all that faith stuff. I know how to receive my healing. Dont slack off or one of these days the devil will catch you unprepared and steal you blind. Instead, dig more deeply in the Word than ever. Labor! Be diligent to keep your faith from slipping--and you wont have to fall! LOOKING FOR ZACCHAEUS Today salvation has come to this house. —Luke 19:9 Alf Clark walks the city streets looking for Zacchaeus. Well, not the actual one in the Bible—Jesus already found him. Alf and some friends who serve with an urban ministry do what Jesus did in Luke 19. They go purposefully through town to meet with and help those in need. Alf walks house to house in his neighborhood, knocking on doors and saying to whoever peeks out, “Hi, I’m Alf. Do you have any needs I can pray for?” It’s his way of opening up communication and—like Jesus did with tax-collector Zacchaeus—seeking to supply needed counsel and spiritual life and hope. Notice what Jesus did. Luke simply says that Jesus “passed through” Jericho (Luke 19:1). Of course, a crowd gathered, as usually occurred when Jesus came to town. Zacchaeus, being “height challenged,” climbed a tree. Jesus, while passing through, walked right over to his tree and told him He had to visit at his house. That day salvation came to Zacchaeus’s house. Jesus had “come to seek and to save that which was lost” (v.10). Do we look for Zacchaeus? He is everywhere, needing Jesus. In what ways can we share Christ’s love with people who need the Savior? God, guide our steps toward and not away from those who need You. Then guide our words and our actions so that we can be purposeful in our encounters with others. God’s good news is too good to keep to ourselves. R.S.V.P : Luke 14:16, 23 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: ...And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. The man who made the supper symbolizes God who has invited whosoever will to come to Him. The parable teaches that it is not God who fails to offer salvation to everyone, but rather it is the invited guests who reject Gods offer. These people had feeble excuses just like the excuses of those today who dont accept Gods offer of salvation. Therefore, the Lords Marriage Supper of the Lamb will be furnished with undesirables from the worlds point of view, not because God rejects the upper class, but because they reject Him. Those who have an abundance of this worlds possessions dont tend to recognize their need for God as much as those who are without. Jesus parable could also be applied to the Jewish nation. God offered salvation to the Jews but they, as a whole, refused Him. Therefore, the Lord sent His servants to the Gentiles to fill His kingdom. This very parable proves that the Lord is not advocating us using force to convert people to Christianity, because this man accepted the decision of those who rejected his invitation. Therefore, it must be understood that the Lord is admonishing us to compel them to come in by our persuasion or entreaty. The word compel denotes aggressiveness, even in persuading of people. The Church, as a whole, and all of us as individuals are not supposed to simply hang out our shingle and wait for the world to come to us. We are supposed to be aggressively going into all the world with the Good News. We have an urgent command to be a witness because the time before our Lords return is short. PRAYER TO END THE DAY : “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19) Dear Gracious God, I praise You. I adore You.Thank you Lord for this fruitful evening & Blessed workday... I lift up my voice to praise God for Your matchless mercy and grace bestow upon me throughout my sojourn on the earth. I give thanks to God for Your grace is sufficient for me in every situation. I repent before God for having rejected Your grace and tried to do-it-myself efforts as a result of failure. I regret so much. When I weep, God wipes off my tears and renew my strength to carry on the way. May God prune me and polish me with Your holiness and make me a blessing channel for others! Gratefully, in Jesus’ holy name. Amen !!! PRAYER FOR THE DAY : “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” (Psalm 118:29) Dear Lord God, I praise You. I honor You. The law of the Lord is perfect; reviving my soul this morning. I give thanks to God for waking me up for another beautiful day. Your unfailing love wraps me up like a cloak that I feel so warm at heart and my soul shouts out “Hallelujah” to the Lord jubilantly. May God anoint me with the oil of joy and fill me with the Holy Spirit in order to help me to achieve as many as good deeds throughout my sojourn on the earth! Let the prayer angel pray for all my needs will be granted by God on time daily. Gratefully, in Jesus’ holy name. Amen !!!
Posted on: Thu, 24 Jul 2014 10:49:32 +0000
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