Glory To God

Acts 16:11-15, 40; 1 Corinthians 1:26-30

Without God, there’s nothing man can do while he yet lives in the earth. Without the breath of life God breathes into men, their very existence would be a mere afterthought. Without the strength and ability granted by God, being productive in this life would be impossible. Without intellect, wisdom and common sense, it would be hard for anyone to grow in stature or status in society. Man has developed a bad habit of giving glory to themselves, honoring the fact that their might, nobility, or stature is what causes them to do great things in the earth. While it seems that many actually do prosper, none of their supposed prosperity would be possible without God allowing it.

King David set the ideal example of how to conduct oneself on all levels of life. David walked in humility, even when multiple opportunities to boast were set before him. Even the apostle Paul recognized that giving glory to God over all else was priority when he wrote, “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” (Phil. 4:12).

God doesn’t often call those who walk after the flesh, are mighty in the earth, or are held in high esteem in society, instead, the Bible mentions, “God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty, and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and the things which are not, to bring to nought things that are.” (vs. 27-28). God allows this so that “NO FLESH SHOULD GLORY IN HIS PRESENCE”. Flesh is a mess, and always competes for God’s glory. This attitude stems from the same pride harbored by Lucifer, when he desired to be above God in Heaven.

Men today, as in the past, can become so full of pride and haughtiness, until they’ll seek to bring attention to themselves, rather than boast in the Lord, who alone causes men to rise and fall. Give it your best effort to walk diligently in humility, and avoid taking any credit for all the wonderful things God does for you, on a daily basis.

Missionary Journey

Acts 16:35-40

The apostle Paul and those who accompanied him, had finally prepared to take the Gospel to Europe; more specifically, to Philippi in Macedonia. History records that Philippi is the place of the decisive battle which ended the Roman republic in 42 B.C., and Paul desired to establish a church here also.

As the men of God began to explore the city, they noticed a place where prayer was being made near a river side. As they approached the place of prayer, they sat down and ministered to the women who were gathered there. One woman, in particular, who worshipped God, had her heart opened while hearing the words being spoken of the missionaries. Lydia, a seller of purple, attended to, or took great delight in the words spoken of the men, and was baptized, along with her entire household. She then constrained the men to stay in her house for a while, so that she could show them hospitality. God always provides a place of refuge and provision for those who seek to do His will, no matter how far they venture.

Paul’s journey into Philippi may have started out well, but would soon become rather troublesome. The apostle Paul and those who were joined with him, had made a routine of attending prayer during their stay in Europe, but as they went, there was a young girl possessed with a spirit of divination, who followed them daily saying, “These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew us the way of salvation.” Although what the woman said was true, the purpose of satan was to discredit the message of the apostles by making the people think they were in cahoots with demon spirits who were making this announcement through a demonic medium. In other words, this woman worked deviously to bring profits to her masters, and the people would think the same was being done with Paul.

After Paul perceived the purpose of the demon then cast it out, the men immediately took the apostles and brought them unto the rulers to be judged. In these lands, it was known that Romans were very zealous for their national worship, and weren’t keen on introducing new religions, so without being given a fair trial, the apostles were beaten, then thrown into the inner prison, or dungeon. Spreading the Gospel of Jesus was indeed the will of God for the apostles, but inevitable opposition was a byproduct of doing so.

While in jail, Paul and Silas began to pray and sing praises at midnight, and immediately, there was a great earthquake. When life comes at you hard, do you find yourself singing and praying, or crying and moaning? In any case, the earthquake shook the foundations of the prison so much, until all the doors were opened. This was the perfect opportunity for the men of God to escape, since they were unjustly thrown in prison. The keeper of the prison had awaken from his sleep, and assumed the men had escaped, so he decided to take his own life, knowing that he would eventually die at the hands of his leaders. Before the man could take his life, Paul cried out with a loud voice saying, “Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.” (vs. 28). Can you imagine how the keeper of the prison must have felt after hearing those words? The man was so humbled by this experience, until he literally ran to where the apostles were and asked, “what must I do to be saved?”.

We never know how things will turn out, or who we will reach on our journey to spread the Gospel, but if we stay true to God’s Word, abstain from evil, and walk in humility, God will make ways for us, no matter how bad the opposition is that comes against us.

Don’t Forget

Luke 24:5-10

“The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.” (Luke 9:22). “Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men.” (Luke 9:44). “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that were written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.” (Luke 18:31-33).

On multiple occasions, Jesus warned His followers of the horrible things that were destined to happen to Him. He made mention that He would be rejected by those who were supposed to support Him, beaten, mocked, bruised, scourged, and even put to death. But, He never left out the most fascinating of all prophecy; He would rise again, after death!

Our text references the tail end of Jesus’ brief, yet impactful ministry, and also rings some very alarming bells. Following His death, Jesus was taken from the cross and placed in Joseph’s unused tomb. Days following the Savior’s death, the women who had followed Jesus and witnessed His burial, had prepared spices and ointments to use on the body of their loving teacher, while the disciples were keeping themselves out of sight. Ding! Ding! Ding! Helloooooo! Did these folk forget what Jesus had told them, time and time again? Apparently so. But, how could they be in the very presence of Jesus, witness miracles done by His hand, yet forget the most important message He ever told them; “and the third day, He shall rise again.” What purpose was there to prepare spices and ointments, if the Son of man would rise from the tomb? Why hide yourselves from those who were responsible for the death of Jesus, if you knew He would be dead only three days? The disciples and those who followed after Jesus weren’t distracted by Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or any other media source, but were fully focused on the prophetic events that took place during their time. I can understand if they were with Jesus during the 21st century, when men are so easily beguiled, but there was hardly anything happening to take their focus off Jesus’ words (that’s just my opinion).

How could they so easily forget that Jesus would rise again? Maybe they thought it was a fairytale, or that Jesus meant something else, or they possibly just didn’t believe. For this reason, God already had a someone in place to remind the people, His Son was indeed raised from the dead. Do you believe what the Bible teaches, or do take in some parts, and disbelieve others? All verses of Scripture are interconnected, and the root of every text is Jesus. The Words of God were written for our instruction, whether we think they are fairytale or not, but despite what we believe, all Scripture will soon be fulfilled.

Anguish And Agony

Luke 22:39-46

As Jesus neared the end of His ministry, the thoughts that clouded His mind caused Him much anguish and agony. How could the Son of the living God reach a point where His emotions were as those of normal men, and He experienced mental struggles? Jesus was God in the flesh, so how could He feel what normal people feel, while being all God, and all man? Being all God, Jesus understood His place in the holy trinity, and carried out His role as the Father commanded. The Son of God indeed was directly connected to the source of the greatest power that ever existed, but the human nature He was housed in felt all things just as man does. The writer of the book of Hebrews wrote, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb. 4:15). In other words, Jesus experienced life on earth as any human would, except He did not give in to temptation, nor sin.

As He went to the mount of Olives to pray, Jesus held in His mind literally all He had experienced, and all He would soon face. The thoughts of torture, beatings, persecution, and other wicked schemes against Him, were all playing in His mind, as He knelt to pray. The Bible mentions He was in agony, then began to pray more earnestly. Luke continues to mention how the sweat that fell from Jesus was as great drops of blood. My mercy! I often allow myself to go into a “sunken place” when I’ve sinned, or fallen into temptation, because I realize that I not only bring harm and shame to myself and loved ones, but most importantly to God. But, Jesus did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING wrong, yet He prepared His mind and body to take on all the sins of the mankind, along with unprecedented physical and mental abuse.

Although Jesus was empowered with God’s characteristics and abilities, He willingly restrained Himself, so that you and I could have a better future in the life to come. Do you agonize over past mistakes or errors you could have avoided with consistent prayer and godly meditation, or are you preparing yourself to endure the suffering that comes with proclaiming the truth of God’s Word, and the attacks that come from covering and protecting those you love? Most of the suffering we experience comes by our own doing, but the suffering that follows a godly lifestyle, will be rewarded by the Father in this life, and the next. “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” (vs. 42).

“Pray that ye enter not into temptation.” – Jesus

Proper Prayer

Matthew 6:7-13

Prayer is a POWERFUL tool used by believers all over the world, as they communicate with God for different reasons. Some come to the Father with personal petitions, whereas others pray on behalf of those who require additional support during a tough season (intercessary prayer). Whether one comes to God with personal needs or stand proxy for someone else they have concerns for, God adheres only to proper prayers.

How can prayer be proper? Is there a right or wrong way to pray? Yes indeedy! Many who have a misunderstanding of what prayer is, often misuse their words when petitioning to God. “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts” (James 4:3 KJV). Praying only to satisfy lustful desires is the wrong way to get God’s attention, because we serve an unselfish God who commands that men pray according to His will. God blesses His people in order to sustain them in the earth, and allow for them to be a blessing to others.

When Jesus quoted the “model prayer” in our text to the disciples, He wanted them to first understand, there’s a proper posture and approach one must maintain when coming before the Father. We must always acknowledge the omnipotence and sovereignty of God, before we attempt to make any request. This way, we’ll keep ourselves humble, realizing that without God, prayer wouldn’t even be a possibility. After acknowledging God in all His glory, we should then be certain what we desire is in accordance with His will. It’s easy to ask for things we think we need, but God knows what we have need of, even before we ask. Furthermore, as we begin to make our requests known to God, we must do so in all humility and appreciation.

As I aforementioned, God’s knows what we need, but gives us the opportunity to ask anything, in faith, and He’ll freely bless us according to His own will. The next time you pray, consider your approach to God, and be sure your heart, mind, and motives are pure before Him.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Matthew 17:1-8

Hearing the voice of God has been misunderstood for ages, and many have taken advantage of others, by claiming to hear from God, while taking money in exchange for a “word from the Lord”. Throughout the Old Testament, God spoke to men in various ways; from a burning fiery bush, to even using a donkey to get a man’s attention. In the New Testament, God spoke though His Son, Jesus, and gave Him all the instructions required, to guide men back into the fold. Today, the Holy Ghost is in the hearts of those who have received God’s gift of salvation, to offer strength, comfort, and bring back to remembrance, the teachings of Christ.

God would never leave His people to traverse these perverse lands alone, so He made sure to give us His Spirit to keep us on the right track. Men who claim to hear from God on the behalf of others, typically have motives to manipulate them for selfish reasons. God doesn’t speak to men as He did in the past, so for those who yearn to know God’s plans for them, read His Word. Also, for those who want to hear the voice of God audibly, read the Word out loud lol (credit to Justin Peters).

The Bible entails all the instructions and tools the church needs to keep themselves occupied, until Christ returns, so I admonish all to be mindful of those who claim God gave them a Word for you, because everything God wanted you to know, is written in His Word. While God can bring people to your heart and mind, He will hardly ever tell someone what you need, without first revealing it to you.

Be strong, be vigilant, because the enemy is still trying to take us out before this year ends. We’ve had ups, and downs, but by the grace and mercy of God, we are still here. Continue to guard yourselves against the evil one, and keep your faith in the Lord. Study and meditate on the Word of God daily, so that you can prove to Him, your love and dedication to His will is solid.

Secret Service

Matthew 2:7-15

Did you know, satan hates you? He literally despises the fact that you even exist. Were you also aware of the fact that every day, evil entities try extremely hard to turn your focus and attention away from God? If the Lord revealed to you all the dangers He daily protects you from, I can guarantee with 100 percent certainty, it would startle your mind.

God has assigned predestined purpose to all who willingly accepts His free gift of salvation, but walking in that purpose can never be attained by any other means. When a man or woman is plugged into God, only then are they granted access to His divine wisdom, knowledge, and protection. This earthly habitation is temporal, and will soon cease to exist, but there is a life, beyond what we see, which God set in place, for all who are obedient to His holy Word.

God had a predestined purpose for His only begotten Son also. Even before Jesus was sent to the earth, prophecy of His arrival was written throughout the Old Testament. During the time when the birth of the Savior was finally fulfilled, king Herod became troubled at the news, so much that he gathered all the chief priests, scribes, and the people of Jerusalem together, to inquire of the startling news. Rather than acknowledge and try to better understand the prophecy of the birth of Jesus, the wicked king felt more threatened for his throne, above all else. Unfortunately, Herod plotted an attempt to have baby Jesus killed, so that his reign would not be hindered. Despite the king’s evil intentions, God’s plan of salvation would not be stopped, as He made certain to keep Jesus safe, by giving words of wisdom to all who watched over Him, to keep the child out of harm’s way.

In your life, you may never know it, but God has people watching over your life, and protecting you also. Many times, we should have been exposed to all sorts of danger, but God had someone standing in the gap, to keep us safe. In your daily prayers, ask God to give strength and peace to those who fight for you, even though it may never be revealed who they are.

“I pray for those who fight for me, even whom I cannot see.” – Ell

Huddle Up!

Acts 5:12-16

One of the hardest things to do on this planet is, get a group of people to agree on the same ideals, required to reach a unified goal. Many sports teams fail to win the coveted championship trophy, because certain members of their team aren’t in sync with the coach’s gameplan. We often see how certain individuals act out of character, when their team is on the verge of winning a game, thus causing them to suffer a loss. Even when playing a game of tug-of-war, if all members on a team aren’t working collectively as a group, they’ll easily be pulled over to the other side. Teamwork really does make the dream work, especially when all who are joined together share the same mindset, and one goal. This same concept can be applied to an individual, and their body. When the natural body is healthy, one can easily accomplish those things the mind is set to achieve. Unity is the key ingredient to any collective group, seeking to achieve success.

In our text, the apostles of Jesus were responsible for doing many signs and wonders among the people of the early church. Their miraculous manifestations would not have been made possible if confusion and ill will was among them, but their minds were set on being obedient to God, and fulfilling His command to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The body of Christ consists of many members, all who may be affiliated with different denominations, but if all have their minds and hearts set on fulfilling God’s will, then God can do great things through His people, no matter who they are affiliated with. The truth will indeed stand forever, so when the church collectively spreads the truth of the Gospel to all men, God will reveal His awesome power through all who are of one accord.

“Unity is what makes success a reality.” – Ell

By Who’s Authority

John 15:4-17

By who’s authority do you pray? By who’s authority do you believe? By who’s authority do you preach, teach, and perform works in the earth? When we abide in the Father, and His words abide in us, we are granted access to do things in the earth, with His full authority and permission. By God’s authority, we are privileged to love each other, as He showed love to the Son. All the words God spoke to Jesus, He in turn, gave them to His disciples. Doing this left the disciples in a position to keep His words, live by them, and love each other through them.

God’s authority trumps all other influences in the earth, that fight hard to take man’s attention away from holiness, but if we fall weak and give in to tempting influences, the works we do will be supported by another authority. The devil is powerless against the forces of good, but his wicked devices can have a real effect on God’s people, but only if they submit to his advances. Thanks be to God, for the fellowship of the Saints! The church, or body of believers, is a strong, single unit, that when all members work together, the devil can do nothing to stop their progress.

We are friends with Christ, and no more servants, because a servant knows not the things his lord does. But, Jesus called us friends, and has chosen and ordained us to perform continuous good works in the earth. As long as we stay connected to God, and show real love to one another, our prayers and requests will be manifested in our lives, and God will be pleased with our unyielding obedience.

“It’s easier to deliver the Gospel of Christ to others when your life pleases God.” – Ell

Be Prepared!

John 15:18-25

When a person becomes a born-again believer, are they immediately exempt from trouble? Ha, if only that were true. In fact, the moment someone gives their heart to God, they instantly become public enemy number one to satan, and his band of deceivers. The world hates Christians, and can only imagine wicked thoughts toward them, but have you ever considered, the world hated Jesus, before you were a twinkle in your daddy’s eye? That’s right, before your coworkers, so-called friends, and in-laws hated you, they hated Jesus first. Our Savior endured unbearable suffering and persecution by men who had literally no cause for doing so. Jesus came to reveal man’s sin, so they could willingly repent, and be reconciled to the Father. Unfortunately, many chose, and still choose today, to cling to their fleshly passions, that keep them bound to sin. Think it not strange, when people who are worldly, don’t respect your profession of holiness, and could care less about the Gospel you preach, because if the world could hate and persecute Jesus, what makes you think they won’t do the same to you?

“Do you practice what you suggest?” – Ell