As Humble as a Lamb

Peter was a follower of Christ who was privileged to walk with our King in the flesh... After His passion, Jesus remained with His disciples for 40 days, eating, drinking and sharing Kingdom things with them. When He ascended into Heaven on a cloud, the men who bore witness to this was assured that He would one day return again....and they knew there was much work to be done for His name's sake, until His return.

Our faithful God knew that His people needed Him, and thus, He did not leave us comfortless...He promised that the Holy Spirit, the third member of the God Head, would be with us to guide, counsel, convict, lead, protect, save, unify, teach and correct us, among many other things. But, most of all, I believe that one of the Holy Spirit's gifts to us is to empower us, causing us to be victors like Our Father which art in Heaven!

And so we read in the book of Acts, chapter 3, that a man who had been lame and begging for contributions by the gate called 'Beautiful' was healed by men of God who were empowered by His Holy Spirit. We know that when God performs a miracle in our lives the world looks upon us and marvels. But, how often do we get caught up in the the hype and forget that the miracle was not as a result of our own doing, but it was the work of God? I remember one time I attended a thanksgiving service at a sister's house and was fortunate to be a part of the worship team. After the service, a man came up to me and was going on and on about how great the worship was. I was so proud of myself that I forgot that it was not me at all but the Spirit in me who was using my vessel for His honor and glory! Right here in the scripture taken from Acts 3:12 (AMP), it says, 'And Peter, seeing it, answered the people, You men of Israel, why are you so surprised and wondering at this? Why do you keep staring at us, as though by our [own individual] power or [active] piety we had made this man [able] to walk?' Unlike me, Peter was quick to discern the devil's tactics in an attempt to cause him to become puffed up in himself. He quickly addressed the awestruck crowd letting them know that he was not responsible for the miracle they witnessed but the glory belonged only to God! 

The more I meditate on this portion of text, the more I begin to understand the humility that is required of us. This can only come from true love for God, and true relationship with Him. When we are able to recognize without any flicker of doubt that God is the source of all things and that all things belong to Him, we begin to fathom His value. We begin to appreciate that this God who formed the entire universe, is looking down at us, and attending to our needs. We begin to see our filth before Him because we begin to become familiar with His Holiness and purity. It is only then we can truly understand humility... knowing that all we are - we owe to God.

Let us take pattern from these men who sought after kingdom things, forsaking the flesh. Let us seek to become humble as we serve Christ. After all, the Bible says that those who humble themselves shall be exalted...(Matt. 23:12).

Love you all in Jesus' name!

Faith like a Mustard Seed....

The Bible tells us in Mark 11:24, 'Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye have received them, and ye shall have them. Therefore I say to you, Whatever things ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them'. Do you know in this scripture, God was speaking to believers? Yes, to you and me, the saved, adopted sons and daughters of God. He was giving us a glimpse into His Glorious Kingdom by telling us that whatever we want, because we are His, we only have to believe when we ask for it, and it shall be granted unto us! What a love from a generous Father! But, knowing that we are His, knowing that we can ask that the windows of Heaven be opened and His blessing be poured out upon us, still doesn't mean anything if we don't believe it can happen!
Matthew 17:20 of the Amplified version of the Word of God goes like this, 'He said to them, Because of the littleness of your faith [that is, your lack of firmly relying trust]. For truly I say to you, if you have faith [that is living] like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, Move from here to yonder place, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you'. Again, Jesus was speaking to believers. More interestingly, in this portion of text, He was addressing those most closest to Him - His disciples! These were the men who walked with Him, ate with Him, and performed miracles in His name! These were also the same men who were of little faith! So where does that leave us?
If you are anything like me, then you love God. There is nothing that satisfies you more than the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Yet, when the situations of life come against you, somewhere along the way you become weary.. and the doubt squirms its way into the matter. You say that it will all work out because you serve the One True and Living God, yet, you know you are doubting that the best is yet to come.. 
But, my brothers and sisters, here I am, a living testimony! My life is a series of ups and downs, with twists and turns that I didn't bargain for. But, I am learning everyday that the more I spend time in God's beautiful presence, the more I read and fill myself with the knowledge of who He is, the more I am able to build my faith..
Anna Rountree gives her testimony on www.spiritlessons.com of her experiences with God in Heaven. There, she shares an amazing truth that there are human organs and parts that are stored up in Heaven ready to be released to the sick among us - but we don't believe in His marvelous healing, so they remain there, and we grow more and more sick..
We pray for job promotions, new houses and vehicles, financial breakthroughs, healing, deliverance, marriage partners, and so many other things, but we don't believe that we can receive these things from our God. Therefore, there is no manifestation of His Might for the unbelievers to see..
Today, I just want to encourage you to know that God loves you more than you can ever imagine. Our minds are too limited to process the kind of love He has for us. He wants to give us the desires of our hearts - but we need only to believe...

Be an OVERCOMER!

'You're an Overcomer!' This line was taken from Mandisa's song entitled with that ever powerful word, 'Overcomer!' In this new year, 2015, God wants us to overcome the obstacles and barriers that have ever been plaguing our lives and holding us back from enjoying freedom in Him. He promises that this year will be an exciting one for His people, but we first have to get to that place with Him where there are no boundary lines. But how do we do this?
For me, I had to recognize that everyday I battle with generation curses and hereditary spirits that tackle me from every angle. I had been engaged in warfare, but I was not too sure who or what I was really fighting against. As a result, I begun to study what these things were so that I could better equip myself. Pastor Paula White says that if we examine our families, we would clearly see the patterns that emerge from generation to generation. Some of these curses may include divorce, cancer, alcoholism, depression, fornication, adultery, poverty, accidental and untimely death, particular sicknesses and diseases and many more.. Knowing these curses, means we can now attack the enemy will full force. Bear in mind that we have to be clothed with the full armor of God and have confidence in Him knowing that greater is He who is in Me than He who is in the world! Understand too, that even if the curse was not broken with us, with constant warfare, we can break them from our children's lives - and thus change our generations ahead of us.
The next thing is understanding that God is no man's debtor. Everything we do for God is rewarded. Colossians 1:5 of the Amplified version of the Bible tells us that, 'Because of the hope [of experiencing what is] laid up (reserved and waiting) for you in heaven...' Therefore, we seek to overcome the world knowing without a shadow of a doubt that there are things laid up for us in Heaven that our words cannot express and give honor to!
What is it that you want to see happen in your life this year? Get to a place with God where you can truly connect with Him and thus be able to proceed in His plan for your life. Jesus loves us so much more than human understanding permits us to comprehend. Trust in Him and call on Him to help you overcome the hurdles you are facing - Now!
Be ever blessed.