Do you need to get a hold of Jesus? Do you feel frustrated because it seems like He is out of your reach? Did you realize that there is a way to connect with Him? It's by faith, and it's your faith that grabs hold of His undivided attention. Faith is your contact point with God. Even if you think your faith is little faith, all it takes is faith the size of a mustard seed and the mountains will move. Jesus says, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you," Matthew 17:20. Faith is your direct line to Jesus.
"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." (John 14:21) Only Jesus Christ is "The way, the truth, and the life." (John14:6). All "truth" is found in Christ and no 'truth' that is truth is separable from Christ (Romans 11:36). Jesus Christ is the only "way" to God and no other path can lead you there. Jesus Christ is the only true source and model for living as well as basis for understanding the process of God's ongoing activity in the "life" of one who calls upon His Name (Romans 8:29).
The Lord is looking for believers to become "Ministers of Fire" and release His glory in a time when the world is in desperate need of a spiritual awakening. As we stand in a dry and thirsty land, the Holy Spirit is about to send a wave of His presence across this nation and the world, but He needs believers to ignite this fire. He needs those with new wineskins who will be able to carry and dispense the new wine.
God has a great future planned for you, and you need to be ready for it! I meet a lot of people in the course of my ministry. Sadly, I see too many who are not taking care of themselves. Many of them clearly feel terrible. Anyone can see this in the way they look and the way they carry themselves. You simply cannot look really great if you don't feel great. How you feel will show up somewhere, in your body language, the dull look in your eyes, or even the color of your skin.
Throughout our lives we will all experience testing concurrent with the blessing of God. What rises to the surface during these tests? Hezekiah's life is an example and picture of how important it is to guard our hearts in all things. History teaches us just as if we were to watch a video replay of an event – showing us what to do and not to do. It does not have to repeat itself if we can learn to respond correctly with humility when God blesses us in extravagant ways.
David is on the cusp of the fulfillment of his destiny; but he doesn't know that yet. First, he will face one of the greatest challenges of his life. The Amalekites have raided and carried away their wives, children and all their possessions. What they couldn't carry away, they burned. David and his men return to find their lives reduced to ashes. Anguish turns to anger and David fears for his very life. He has lost everything and even his men have turned against him.
Most of us find forgiveness a difficult subject. After all, when someone "does you wrong," YOU are the victim of injustice! But forgiveness is a broad subject – there is for-giving other people, forgiving groups, forgiving corporations, and governments who have failed you. Then, there is forgiving yourself. Peter, the fisherman who left all to follow Jesus, swore his allegiance and undying love for the Master. So much so that when Jesus announced at the last supper that "one of you will betray me," Peter boldly declared: "Though they all are offended and stumble and fall away because of you and distrust and desert you, I will never do so." (Matthew 26:33 AMPC)
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 NASB People who believe erroneously that God is hard on them for their failures will inevitably be hard on the people around them, and most of all, they will end up being really hard on themselves. They cannot forgive themselves for the mistakes they've made in the past and end up punishing themselves, whether they know it or not. It's a vicious cycle of defeat. The more they can't forgive themselves, the more they hurt themselves with all kinds of behaviors and the more they end up bound by various destructive addictions.
As a society, we are bombarded by so many influences that influence how we think, act, and respond. In order to create an environment that is conducive to our spiritual, physical, emotional, and financial growth, it is essential that we gain control over these societal influences. To gain control over our societal influences, we must cultivate the right environment for supernatural breakthroughs and interventions, through prayer, meditation, and biblical affirmations.
As children, if we think we don't matter to the people who matter the most to us, it can set up a stronghold in us of "I don't matter to God," which can make us not trust the Holy Spirit, who lives inside us. I felt that way about my mother. She had an emotional illness, and I never really knew where I stood with her. Because Mom wasn't feeling well, as the oldest I had a lot of responsibilities. I was needed and felt it. Dad regularly told me this, as did my grandparents. I heard it from every place except the one place which really mattered. I didn't it from my mother.
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