Using the keys

 

Revelation 1:1-18

I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave (Revelation 1:18).

 

 Read Acts 4:1-20 and consider what it means to have a clear understanding of your authority in Jesus.

What does it mean for you to have an identity based on heaven’s view rather than earth’s? What are some areas where you believe Jesus is calling you to walk in a greater sense of His authority?Based on the bulky size of the key ring that holds my car and house keys, losing it shouldn’t be an issue. But it seems that I’m always searching for my keys, and they’re hardest to find when I need them most. One time I lost a set of keys after wrapping up gift baskets we had made for a youth fundraiser. I imagined someone opening her gift, only to wonder how to claim the house and car that came with her basket!

 

In John 14:12, Jesus tells us, “Anyone who believes in Me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” This teaching has been a difficult one for me to wrap my mind around—especially reading about the incredible miracles Jesus performed. I’ve come to realize, however, the difference between knowing I’m a citizen of His kingdom and actually living as one.

 

Intellectually, we digest the truths of Scripture and seek to put them into practice. Yet one of the key elements of Jesus’ ministry was His authority—not in the sense of telling people what to do, but in His understanding of who He was and is. Extending far beyond information, His identity—and thus His authority—comes from heaven, not earth (Revelation 1:13-18). So should ours.

 

His life for ours, the cross was an identity exchange. But Jesus didn’t need to go to the cross to reclaim power He had somehow lost. After all, He had already demanded that the grave relinquish the dead, that bodies be healed, hearts be restored, and demons flee.

 

He died to hand us keys we had lost due to our sin. But, like any set of keys, ownership is only effective as we use them (Isaiah 22:22; Matthew 16:18-19).

 

 

 

 

 

Thief of time

 

Luke 9:57-62

Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family (Luke 9:61).

 Read Ecclesiastes 12:1-3 to see why it’s best to serve God now instead of later. Look up Acts 24:22-27 to see what happened when Felix put off making a decision.

 

What steps could you take this week to build God’s kingdom? How might God want you to change patterns of procrastination in your life?

 Maneesh Sethi hired a woman to sit at his computer and watch him as he worked. Armed with a list of his tasks, her job was to slap him if he tried to put off working by checking Facebook or scanning other websites. Later, he employed a tall Swedish man to do the same job—that guy hit a bit harder, according to Maneesh. Oddly, this rather extreme measure worked. Maneesh claims that his “slappers” helped him become 98 percent more productive by preventing procrastination during his workday.

 

It’s important to be productive in whatever job God has given us. Paul wrote, “Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically” (Romans 12:11). But we should also be diligent in our work for His kingdom. Jesus said, “We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the One who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work” (John 9:4).

 

Someone described procrastination as “the thief of time,” and this seems to fit with the sense of urgency Jesus wanted His followers to adopt. Once, Jesus invited a man to follow Him, saying, “Come, follow Me.” But the man said, “First let me return home and bury my father” (Luke 9:59). Jesus replied, “Your duty is to go and preach about the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:60). Then another man said, “I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family” (Luke 9:61). Jesus, who sees past our excuses, replied: “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).

 

God has called each of us to use our spiritual gifts to serve Him. If He’s tapping you on the shoulder today, asking, “When will you serve Me?” don’t put it off. Let Him know that you’re available—first time.

 

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Acts 27:27-44

Trust The Al Sufficient God..

 

 

I like to be in control. And the truth is, you probably do too.

 

“I’ve got this.”

 

“I can handle that.”

 

“I can make my own choices.”

 

The huge problem with this kind of self-sufficient thinking is that it puts you at the center of your life. Instead of our all-sufficient, sovereign God.

 

Find out why this is a recipe for sin and disaster.

 

It is not by might…..

Today is “Tomorrow”

Proverbs 27:1 Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

 I read some research by psychologist William Morriston who reported that 94% of the 3,000 persons he surveyed were enduring today in order to get to tomorrow.

 Do you know anyone like that? Perhaps you are one of those.

 Tomorrow, you’re going on vacation. Tomorrow, you’re going to get the house cleaned. Tomorrow, you’re going to start your diet. Tomorrow, you’re going to balance your checkbook. Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.

 The only problem is…tomorrow never arrives. When it gets here, it is today. And today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

 It is always today. Act accordingly!

Choosing the Longest Line

 

“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits…” (Psalm 130:5)

“The Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore He will rise up to show you compassion… Blessed are all who wait for Him!” Isaiah 30:18

 A young boy went  grocery shopping with his mother. Seeing the two checkout lines ahead, he made a quick strategic call: “Look, Mom! Those customers are moving faster. Let’s get behind them.”

 Why was he in such a hurry? Was he late for a football game or television program? Was an important person waiting outside the store? I suspect that this boy had just fallen victim to the no-time-to-wait mentality so many of us adults have.

 Waiting is not one of my strengths (and I’m sure I’m not alone in this sentiment; most of us really dislike waiting). I identify with Carlo Coretti, who wrote, “This pursuit of impatience easily drifts into my spiritual life. Wait on God? Wait for God? I need an answer now! An even more dangerous thought process proclaims, ‘I need spiritual maturity now.’”

 Has the pursuit of impatience drifted into your spiritual life as well? How does one gain spiritual maturity in a fast-paced world?

 Decide to choose the longest line up at every chance. Pray while you wait in line so you can live by the pace of the Holy Spirit.

Never Forsaken

 

Frequently we pray that God will not forsake us in our hour of trial and temptation, but we forget that this prayer should be on our lips at all times. There is no moment of our life, however holy, when we can live without God’s constant upholding.

Whether in light or in darkness, in communion with the Lord or in temptation, we at all times need the prayer, “O LORD, do not forsake me; be not far from me, O my God.” (Psalm 38:21) A little child, while learning to walk, always needs her parents’ aid. The ship abandoned by the captain drifts at once from its course. Likewise, we cannot do without continued aid from above.

Let it then be your prayer to-day: “Do not forsake me Lord. Father, do not forsake your child, or he will fall by the hand of the enemy.

 Shepherd, do not forsake your lamb, or he will wander from the safety of the fold.

Great Gardener, do not forsake your plant, or it will wither and die. ‘O LORD, do not forsake me; be not far from me, O my God,’ and do not forsake me at any moment of my life. Do not forsake me in my joys, or they will absorb my heart.

Do not forsake me in my sorrows, or I will murmur against you.

Do not forsake me in the day of my repentance, or I will lose the hope of pardon, and fall into despair.

 And do not forsake me in the day of my strongest faith, or my faith will degenerate into presumption.

Do not forsake me, for without you I am weak, but with you I am strong.

Do not forsake me, for my path is dangerous, and full of snares, and I cannot live without your guidance. The hen forsakes not her own brood, and I ask that you will even more cover me with your feathers, and permit me under your wings to find my refuge. ‘Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.’ (Psalm 22:11) ‘Leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.‘ (Psalm 27:9)”

 Question: Have you ever felt forsaken by God? Were you really forsaken

Let Go and Let God….Know God is in Control

 

Psalm 46:10 (GW) “Let go of your concerns! Then you will know that I am God. I rule the nations. I rule the earth

Psalms 46:10 KJV “Be still, and know that I am God:  I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth”.

Every day, you have to decide who’s going to be in control of your life — you or God.

 That choice is a battle. There are things in your life that you want to control. You want to make your own rules. But stress relief always starts with letting God be God. It always starts with saying, “God, I’m giving up control, because you can control the things that are out of control in my life.”

 Psalm 46:10 says, “Let go of your concerns! Then you will know that I am God. I rule the nations. I rule the earth” (GW).

 I don’t know what you’re going to face this week. You don’t, either. But I can already tell you what God wants you to do: Let go, and know. Let go of control, and know that God is in control. Let go, and know! This is the first step to calmness in your life.

Whenever we face out-of-control situations, we tend to go to one of two extremes. For some of us, the more out-of-control our life gets, the harder we try to control it. Some of us do the exact opposite: We just give up! We have a pity party and invite ourselves to it.

 Both of those reactions to stress are foolish. They The number one reason we under stress is because we in conflict with God. We are trying to control things that only God can control. We can’t control our husbands or our kids or your wives or our job or our future or our past or any of that stuff. The more we do it, the more we are trying to play God, and that puts us in opposition to God. Not only are we going to lose that conflict, we also going to be tired.

 From today learn to let go and let God; and the testimonies would be amazing.

Millions of people pray the Serenity Prayer, which is based on the Lord’s Prayer, but most have never read the last eight lines to the prayer: “Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, taking as Jesus did this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that you will make all things right if I surrender to your will so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with you forever in the next. Amen.”

 That’s where the power is! There is power when you surrender to God the very things you’ve been trying to take control of from him.

 What is the result — physical, emotional, and spiritual — when you surrender to God the things you want to control?