Jesus is Coming!
pray
Make the Move
Think back to how many times you have moved from one address to another. For some people, that exercise doesn’t take much effort because they’ve lived in the home they grew up in. Then there are those average movers that have resettled less than a dozen times and have found their place. I counted sixteen times I have moved, and praise God I don’t see any more moving in the future. Moving, however, is not something we only do physically because of job changes or marriage, but it is also something you do spiritually. To experience God, you must move! You must move from a relationship with God into fellowship with God, and yes, there is a difference. A relationship with God through Jesus Christ can certainly open the doors of heaven when you die, but with a intimate fellowship with God, the life of God will flow through you. So the question here is, are you in fellowship with God or just in a relationship with Him? If you’re in a relationship with God, you live with the “I don’t feel like it” attitude. I don’t feel like praying. I don’t feel like going to church. I don’t feel like reading God’s Word. In a relationship, you let your feelings mostly dominate your life when it come to spiritual matters. A relationship with God doesn’t create a sensitivity or concern for other, but fellowship does. Even those in fellowship with God have to overcome their feelings, but those in fellowship with God have recognized the value, satisfaction and the fulfillment their fellowship has brought into their lives.
Please hear this, the devil in hell doesn’t care if you have a relationship with God so long as you never move into intimate fellowship. He doesn’t want us to move into fellowship because he knows that’s where the victory is, and that’s where the abundant life is, and that is when your witness for Christ shines. So if you haven’t moved there, move! He saves us for fellowship. I have a relationship with many, many people, but they really don’t impact my life the way those do who I am in fellowship with. One thing I know, moving is not easy, it’s going to cost you. Jesus paid the price for our fellowship with God through His sacrifice on the cross for our sins, and fellowship with God will cost you some significant time out of your life. And you will find if it’s fulfilling enough, you will make every effort to be alone with Him, just like you would to spend time with a spouse or best friend.
Philippians 1:3-6 “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete [it] until the day of Jesus Christ”
MAKE THE MOVE TODAY!
Wonderful Counselor
His name will be called—“Wonderful Counselor.” One of the first questions an expecting mother gets is, “Do you know what you’re having?” Some women are anxious and eager to know their baby’s gender, while others like to keep it old fashion and surprising. Knowing what you’re having in advance definitely has its advantages. Long before Mary conceived the Messiah-child, the prophet Isaiah prophesied what she was having.
Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Mary would give birth to a Son who would be called “Wonderful Counselor.” This was more than a title given to a child, it was part of the calling on His life. Perhaps you’ve been to a good counselor before, but let me tell you what makes Jesus-Messiah such a Wonderful Counselor. He always has an opening anytime you need to talk. That means He is there when you need Him. On top of that, He already knows the issues we are struggling with and trying to work through before we open our mouth. In some counseling sessions you are only allotted a certain amount of time to open up and share and then receive guidance, but Jesus is able to spend as much time with you as you need. His services are absolutely free and you can come back as often as you need. As a Wonderful Counselor, Jesus will never mislead you or give you advice that would worsen the circumstance, but He will always advise you towards the right path. Whatever it is, He can help you get through it. Our Wonderful Counselor holds to the strictest standards when it comes to confidentiality and only shares with those He knows will pray for you. His counseling also comes with a guarantee, and the guarantee is that you will feel at peace before you leave His presence. Let me ask you, do you need counseling? In reality, we all need time with the Wonderful Counselor.
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ANSWERED PRAYER
Luke 1:13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.” Has your prayer been answered by God? Have you stopped praying for what you once prayed every day for? Zacharias and Elizabeth prayed for a son, but it was as if that prayer went up to God, but then placed a holding pattern around the throne of God. Many prayers completely disappear because they don’t have the power and faith behind them to break through the barriers of heaven. Many prayers break through, but never get into the holding pattern of God’s timing because they don’t reflect God’s plan. Think about it, there very well may be prayers you faithfully prayed years ago that are still in the holding pattern of God’s will and timing. We can only wonder how many years it had been since this righteous couple pleaded with God for a son, 10, 20, 30 years. Perhaps they had given up asking God for this one thing for a while, but God had not given up, nor let their prayer disappear. And even though to them it appeared God would not grant their petition, they kept serving God and living for God. In fact, the angel appeared to Zacharias while he was serving at the temple at the altar of incense. This couple was faithful to God even though they had accepted that God would not grant their greatest desire. I believe that’s the encouragement here—be faithful no matter what and keep serving God. The greatest desire of Zacharias and Elizabeth was a son. What is yours?
“LORD, I cry out to You; make haste to me! Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You. Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” Psalm 141:1-2
Learn this Prayer 4
Learn this prayer, “Look on my affliction and my pain, And forgive all my sins.” Psalm 25:18 Not all of the pain and suffering one encounters in life is because of sin that has been committed. However, much suffering today can be traced back to some indiscretion or sin against God. King David finally confessed his sin, but only after he was confronted by Nathan the prophet sent by God. Sin is the problem of the world today. If we could rid the world of sin, the colors would be brighter, the air would be purer, and life would be incredible for all of humanity. But until that moment of purging and purification comes, God in His wisdom sent Jesus to forgive sins one person at a time. You need to learn this prayer because these are the words expressed from the heart of someone who desires to have a relationship with Holy God: “Lord, forgive all my sins!” Only those who are willing to admit their sins would ever pray such a prayer. And only those who would sincerely examine their hearts and lives and allow the work of the Holy Spirit to guide them would ever admit they have sinned against God. This is not only the prayer to pray for a relationship with God, but this is the prayer to pray to stay in fellowship with God. 1 John 1:8 says “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
I am in a covenant relationship with my wife for 28 years now, but from time to time our fellowship gets broken, something happens and it’s usually me asking her for forgiveness. For all those years she has never failed to extend the forgiveness and our relationship has been sustained. She forgives and I forgive based on our mutual love for each other. But God forgives when we ask based on His love for His Son Jesus. The Father knows the price Jesus paid on the cross to keep giving forgiveness when we ask. As long as you live, sweet fellowship with God will only continue so long as we keep praying, “Lord, forgive all my sins.” If you know what sin it is, confess it to the Lord and then get back to enjoying the fellowship He wants with you.
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Learn this Prayer 3
Learn this prayer, “Lord, save me!” But when he saw that the wind [was] boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” —Matthew 14:30 The apostle Peter along with the other apostles saw Jesus walking on water on the Sea of Galilee, and instead of waiting for the Lord to come get in the boat, Peter asked that he might come to Jesus walking on water. There will always be people like Peter who are never content to stay in the safety and comfort of their boat and courageous enough to ask great things of God. When Peter asked, Jesus responded with one word, “Come.” That word gave more than permission, but it was filled with glorious power to the point that Peter miraculously walked on water. But then like many do today, he took his eyes off of Jesus in a most critical moment—and when he did, he began to sink in the sea. When you start to sink in life, pray this prayer, “Lord, save me!” When you take a step of faith and then take your eyes off God, this is the prayer to pray.
Obviously Peter couldn’t save himself and he knew it, so he cried out to Jesus and it says in verse 31, “And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’” We begin to doubt the power and love of God when we take our eyes off of Him. When Peter cried out, Jesus didn’t hesitate to save him, and not only did Peter need it, but those left in the boat needed to see it too. God wants us to walk on water and do those things that require courageous faith and unwavering focus on Him. And if we get to a point where we are sinking, we have a simple but powerful prayer to pray, “Lord, save me!”
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Learn this Prayer 2
Learn this prayer, “God, I give this to You!” He will know exactly what you are talking about and He is waiting to hear you speak and pray those words to Him. This is what it sounds like to “Cast all your cares upon Him for He cares for you.” I Peter 5:7. You cannot keep carrying the heavy load of your loss and you cannot handle the complexity of your circumstances. And many times we cannot escape the reality of where we are, but we can give it all to the Father. Life will repeatedly overwhelm you unless you learn this prayer. Our prayers are often crowded with questions and petitions for more, and I’m not saying that is altogether wrong, because it’s not. But this prayer is filled with faith in releasing what has the potential to drown you. Think about it, what is the “this” you need to give to God today? “O Lord, I give this to You right now.” It may be your marriage or your job. You can give anything to God. “O Lord, I give you my health and this sickness, I give you my pain. I give you this guilt and shame. O Lord, I give You my finances. I give You my future. O Lord, I give You this loneliness. I give You my child.” Surely there is something you need to give to God to stop being harassed by the weight of that need. There is great relief when you give it to God. Relief and peace is how you know you have laid the burden at His feet and left it there.
You may still be faced with the circumstance, but the circumstance isn’t weighing you down anymore. Pray this prayer in faith as often as you need to and ask the Father to teach you how to lay things down at His feet and not pick it up again. Go ahead and start practicing this prayer, “God, I give this to You.”
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