Power and Authority!

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When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant.  When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” So Jesus went with them.

He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.  That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.  For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.”  Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

Luke 7:1-10

The Centurion was a Roman soldier and not a Jew and yet Jesus said his faith was greater than anyone in Israel!

I believe Jesus identified the Centurion's faith as "great" because he not only believed in the power of Jesus, but also recognized His authority! There is a vast difference in simply "doing a miracle" and having authority over the entire universe and everything in it!
The Egyptian magicians imitated the miracles of Moses, but they did not have the authority to deliver the people from slavery.

Do you simply believe that Jesus has the power to address the issues in your life, or do you believe that He is the Creator of everything that is, was and will be?

The truth of who Jesus is, is far more significant than the truth of what He can do. Many Christians spend their lives grappling with whether or not Jesus has the power to solve their problems and never touch the reality of the Majesty and Glory of the Son of God who came to earth!

Be like the Centurion and recognize the authority of Jesus and not just His power. When you see His great authority then you can even be at peace when Jesus does nothing to resolve the thing that concerns you most.

"Lord Jesus I believe that Your power is greater than any other and that You can do anything You desire. But Lord I also believe that You have Ultimate Authority to command everyone and everything that is in this world or beyond. And may I praise Your Name forever! Amen."

How to Defeat the World!

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If we believe Jesus is truly Christ, we are God's children. Everyone who loves the Father will also love his children.  If we love and obey God, we know we will love his children.   We show our love for God by obeying his commandments, and they are not hard to follow.

Every child of God can defeat the world, and our faith is what gives us this victory.  No one can defeat the world without having faith in Jesus as the Son of God.

1 John 5:1-5

There are some Christians who believe that a follower of Jesus should never go to war. In the United States they can be classified as "Conscientious Objectors." Of course it is only necessary to claim this status at a time when people are "drafted" into the military.

Some Christians seem to be Conscientious Objectors to the war with Satan. They think that those who believe in Jesus should never be involved in conflict, even conflict with the Devil.

Spiritual Warfare is real and is an unavoidable part of a victorious Christian life. The world will come against your life and try to take from you ground that you have been given by Jesus. Either you will repel the Enemy with the Sword of the Spirit or you will lose part of that which God intends for you to have.

When it comes to Spiritual Warfare the best advice I know which comes from a source other than the Bible is from Winston Churchill (according to Wikipedia).
"Never give in - never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in . . . . .Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."

It is simply your faith in Jesus that will defeat the world. Trusting and depending daily on Jesus will bring down the army of Satan. Hold on to your faith as if it was a lifeline to Heaven, because it is!

"Dear Lord, may I stand and fight today and see Your victory because of the faith that You have given me. Make me ready for the battles to come. Thank You Jesus. Amen."

The World Will Not Listen!

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Children, you belong to God, and you have defeated these enemies. God's Spirit is in you and is more powerful than the one who is in the world. These enemies belong to this world, and the world listens to them, because they speak its language.  We belong to God, and everyone who knows God will listen to us. But the people who don't know God won't listen to us. This is how we can tell the Spirit that speaks the truth from the one that tells lies.

1 John 4:4-6

Some Christians think that being a successful follower of Jesus means that the world will listen to and admire us for how we live and what we say. But that is not what the Bible says.

If you speak the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and live like Jesus lived in this world, those who do not know Jesus will not listen to you and they will think your lifestyle is strange at best.

Then why preach the message of Jesus at all, if those who have rejected Jesus will not listen? The answer to that is simple. When a man comes under the conviction of the Holy Spirit and decides to consider Jesus then he is ready to listen and it is my job as a follower of Jesus to make sure the message is available to him!

So it is useless and even counter productive to water down the Gospel with words that please the world. They will not accept Jesus because you use nice words and if they are ready to accept Him they will find it odd that you mix the Gospel with the wisdom of this world! Speak the Gospel with a "full strength" dose of truth.

"Lord Jesus, may the life that I live and the words that I speak give You glory and speak to the hearts of those who belong to You. And Jesus since You were lifted up, may all men be drawn to You. Amen."

Let Jesus be Lord of Your Life!

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Can anyone really harm you for being eager to do good deeds?  Even if you have to suffer for doing good things, God will bless you. So stop being afraid and don't worry about what people might do. Honor Christ and let him be the Lord of your life.

Always be ready to give an answer when someone asks you about your hope.

1 Peter 3:13-15

Jesus wants to be Lord of your life, and He will do it if you will let Him. The most unsettling thing about following Jesus is giving up control of your own life. You follow Jesus. Jesus does not follow you.

Christians do not chart their own course and ask Jesus to come along and bless them on the journey. Jesus did say "I am with you always" but He is with us because we are with Him as we walk in the path He sets before us.

When you let Jesus be Lord of your life He is the one who makes entries on your TO DO list. When you let Jesus rule your life He determines not just your actions, but also your attitudes and even your thoughts. When a thought comes in to your mind you quickly ask "where did that come from?" If it did not come from Jesus then you just as quickly dismiss the thought and entertain it no more!

When you let Jesus be Lord of your life you begin to live your life as if you were Jesus Himself. The things you do are the things He did. The thoughts you think are the thoughts that Jesus had. And your life becomes an earthly reflection of Jesus. When Jesus was here on earth there was only one man living that life. But now because men and woman have allowed Jesus to be Lord of there lives there have been millions who have lived as Jesus did.

How do you begin letting Jesus be Lord of your life? It starts with the next decision you make.

"Lord Jesus show me the way to go and even the thoughts to think about this thing that concerns me. May You be Lord of this and everything in my life. And may You be praised forever. Amen."

Peace that Tolerates Sin!

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After Pilate learned that Jesus came from the region ruled by Herod, he sent him to Herod, who was in Jerusalem at that time.

For a long time Herod had wanted to see Jesus and was very happy because he finally had this chance. He had heard many things about Jesus and hoped to see him work a miracle.

Herod asked him a lot of questions, but Jesus did not answer. Then the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses stood up and accused him of all kinds of bad things.

Herod and his soldiers made fun of Jesus and insulted him. They put a fine robe on him and sent him back to Pilate. That same day Herod and Pilate became friends, even though they had been enemies before this.

Luke 23:7-12

Pilate and Herod had been enemies until their opposition to Jesus brought them together as friends. The peace that was made between the two men did not come from God. It was a peace that came from opposing God and His Son Jesus Christ.

The "Peace" that is being offered to the whole world today does not come from God. We are told that the answer to all our turmoil is to learn to be tolerant of other men in everything they do, which includes all kinds of sin. The problem of course is that the peace that tolerates sin does not tolerate righteousness. Righteousness becomes the enemy and the target of all men who have made peace with sin.

Don't make peace with sin. When you are at peace with sin, you are not at peace with God.

Be vicious in your attacks on sin in your own life. Don't excuse it, accept it, or even tolerate it on any level. Unrighteousness wants to make you a friend of the world and of the Devil. Repent of and run away from sin like it was a deadly snake trying to wrap itself around your leg. Then think about and embrace everything that is good and righteous.

"Lord Jesus, help me today to have a zero tolerance to sin in my life. Give me eyes to see it, ears to hear it and a heart to sense that sin wants to move in and come between us. Lord, I need nothing the world has to offer and I need everything You would give and most of all I need You Lord Jesus in my life today. Amen."

Before the Fire Falls

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The two angels said to Lot, “The Lord has heard many terrible things about the people of Sodom, and he has sent us here to destroy the city. Take your family and leave. Take every relative you have in the city, as well as the men your daughters are going to marry.”

Lot went to the men who were engaged to his daughters and said, “Hurry up and get out of here! The Lord is going to destroy this city.” But they thought he was joking, and they laughed at him.

Early the next morning the two angels tried to make Lot hurry and leave. They said, “Take your wife and your two daughters and get away from here as fast as you can! If you don't, every one of you will be killed when the Lord destroys the city.”   At first, Lot just stood there. But the Lord wanted to save him. So the angels took Lot, his wife, and his two daughters by the hand and led them out of the city.  When they were outside, one of the angels said, “Run for your lives! Don't even look back. And don't stop in the valley. Run to the hills, where you'll be safe.”

Genesis 19:12-17

Is there a Sodom in your life? Are you in a place that God is going to destroy and you have already received the warning? The two angels told Lot that if he did not get out of Sodom he would perish with the others!

Why didn't God simply transport Lot and his family out of Sodom? God could have removed them even against their own will and placed them in a town of safety. But God required that Lot separate himself and his family from the target of God's judgment.

The Bible does not say that Lot participated in the sins of Sodom. But even so Lot and his family would have all been killed with the others if they had stayed in the city.
God could have built the boat for Noah, but instead He told Noah to build an ark. God also told Lot to get out of Sodom.

What has God told you to do? If you were Noah would have simply "trusted God" to build the boat? If you were Lot would you have "believed" that God would miraculously move you to a place of safety?

Today is the day to do what God has told you to do, so that your story will end like Noah and Lot.

"Lord, remind me again of Your Word that You have spoken to my heart that I may obey You in every way! Amen."

Beyond the Cross!

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After Judas had gone, Jesus said:

Now the Son of Man will be given glory, and he will bring glory to God.  Then, after God is given glory because of him, God will bring glory to him, and God will do it very soon.

My children, I will be with you for only a little while longer. Then you will look for me, but you won't find me. I tell you just as I told the people, “You cannot go where I am going.” But I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you. If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples.

John 13:31-35

Jesus looked beyond the Cross. He was just hours from having the nails driven into His hands but He was already thinking about the Glory that He had before He came to this earth and He focused on the fact that it was going to be restored!

As you see the storm clouds beginning to rise and the beautiful day threatens to turn into a terrifying night remember the joy that will come in the morning! One advantage of living in time instead of eternity is that everything comes to an end in this world, including suffering and pain.

If you are, like Jesus only hours away from having the nails driven into your hands, then do as He did. Look beyond your cross to the time when you will see the sun again and the joy that is on the other side of that cross.

"Lord Jesus help me  look beyond the cross that I am facing. Reassure me that the only thing that will go on forever is the joy of being with You in Heaven. Come quickly Lord and let that Day begin. And may You be praised forever. Amen."