February 17 2019

Naysayers


When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went out into all that land. Matthew 23:23-26

When Jesus came into the ruler’s house the crowd was already well into their grieving/mourning routine, playing flutes and wailing.  
When Jesus pointed out that the girl was not dead but just sleeping, He was giving them an opportunity to participate in the miracle.  
But they wouldn’t hear it.  
Instead, finding comfort in the discomfort they knew (grieving/mourning) they choose to ridicule Him.  
So what did Jesus do?  
He put them outside.  
When they were outside, He took the girl by the hand and she arose.  
Jesus gave them an opportunity to participate in the miracle, when they refused, He removed them.  The naysayers have to go.  
There are many in our circles that choose to find comfort in the discomfort of their current situations and ridicule our desire to participate in miracles. 
Like Jesus, we need to give them an opportunity to participate, but when the refuse we shouldn’t feel bad about leaving them outside the room.  
The miracle must go on without them.  
The dead things in our lives will be revived and the report of it will go out in all the land that Jesus is still Lord!

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February 16 2019

Self Sufficency

Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. Luke 13:10-13

The text says that this woman “could in no way raise herself up”.  
That tells me no matter what she did, what she tried, who she got help from, etc., she was unable to fix the spirit of infirmity that she suffered with.  
But when Jesus laid His hands on her, she was “immediately” made straight.  
We are a self-sufficient society.  
We have the knowledge, the experience and the means, for the most part, to take care of ourselves. We often feel like Jesus has nothing to offer.  
We have it taken care of.  
I’m here to tell you today that no matter how self-sufficient we believe we are every one of us have some area in our lives in which we can “in no way raise ourselves up”.  
We need the touch of Jesus in that area of our life to bring a “straightening”.   
No matter who or what you have to “take care of things”, let me tell you today, there is nothing like the touch of Jesus on your life! 
There are whole new levels and dimensions to be had when we truly get into the presence of the Lord!  
Self-sufficiency is not all that it is cracked up to be.  
Reach out today – He is waiting on you!

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February 15 2019

But……….

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:7-9

We are but earthen vessels, not vessels of gold, silver, precious metals, but simple earthen vessels.  But within our vessels we house the very power of God.   
Why in simple earthen vessels you ask?  
So that we may not claim that the power is of us, but rather of Him.  
What does that power allow?  
It allows a lot of but God’s……… 
hard pressed BUT not crushed; 
perplexed BUT not in despair; 
persecuted BUT not forsaken; 
struck down BUT not destroyed.  
The power of God within us allows us to say 
BUT GOD 
in any situation we find ourselves in, no matter how desperate it looks.  
What do you need to proclaim BUT GOD about today? 

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