PRESS ON, FORGET THE PAST

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¹² Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. ¹³ Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, ¹⁴ I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus - Philippians 3: 12-14 NKJV

The life of a disciple of Jesus Christ is like running a race, it's more like running a marathon really! It’s not a race against fellow disciples, but rather one of endurance, of perseverance, of determination, of single-mindedness, with one focus, one purpose - to perfectly reflect Christ in us, the Hope of glory.  

Yes, the Word of God urges us to redeem the time; yes, we are to make the most of it and to do that successfully we must discipline ourselves. The thing is, we cannot do it on our own but with Christ we can do all things. He is the vine and we are the branches, we are in Him and He is in us.

As we become more conscious of this truth we will struggle less and less in trying to do what we know we need to do. As we focus more on Him, the Holy Spirit transforms us into Christ’s image and likeness, and the more we are transformed into His image and likeness, the more we will enjoy intimacy with Jesus and out of that ministry to others will flow from within us – effortlessly – without us even trying, we’ll just be enjoying Him and walking in His love and others will be blessed and some will even be introduced to the Savior in the process.

Rest assured, distractions will come, the enemy will invariably attempt to bring up our past sins and failures to discourage us. He will try to wear us down and cause us to draw back, but as the Word says, we are not ignorant of His devices. Remember this: In Christ, your past is under the blood of Jesus, all your sins have been dealt with once and for all. The enemy has nothing on you, don’t entertain his lies, should he persist, remind him of his future – eternity in the lake of fire.

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Let us refuse to be held captive by both our past disappointments and achievements alike. Our disappointments, if not dealt with (by bringing them to the Lord and leaving them with Him), will end up weighing us down with shame, guilt and condemnation. Our accomplishments will prove to be a snare, should we camp around them and/or build monuments to them, the end of which is idolatry.

Our Heavenly Father is good, His steadfast love never ceases and His mercies are new every morning, there’s fresh mercy for us every single day. Let us keep on coming before the Throne of Grace that we may obtain His mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. 

If, for whatever reason, you've drifted away from God, it’s time to come back, you are extremely precious to Him; His love for you is unchanging and eternal. Get up dust yourself off, Jesus is calling you… the Word of God says:

¹⁸ “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past". - Isaiah 43:18 NIV

Forget the past by fixing your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith and confidently run the race that is set before you today!

NOT UNDER LAW BUT NOT LAWLESS

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When we put our trust in Jesus -  that, as the perfect, sinless Son of God He took our sin and died on the cross for us and rose again on the third day and confess Him as our Lord, we are saved. 

The Word of God makes it clear that we are saved by grace through faith. We cannot earn our salvation regardless of how good or how righteous we think we are, it is a free gift available to anyone and everyone who believes in Jesus.

⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. – Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV

Now that we are in Christ, we are not under the Law of Moses; we do not live our lives governed by a list of do’s and don’ts anymore. As children of God, we are now led by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Grace and that’s how we live victoriously over the flesh, the devil and the world. When we are lead by the Spirit we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. The Apostle Paul, writing to the Roman believers under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, made this bold statement:

¹⁴ For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. – Romans 6:14 NKJV

The Law of Moses, the OT Law will only serve to strengthen a sin consciousness in us, causing us to focus on what we should and should not do and we’ll find ourselves constantly falling short, the end result being weighed down with guilt, shame and condemnation. Grace enables us to walk in love knowing that our acceptance before God is solely based on the finished work of Christ. We are then empowered to overcome sin as we confidently rest in what Jesus has already done. The grace of God, the unmerited favor of God, enables us to overcome sin; it’s not an excuse for wallowing in sin, no. Grace teaches us to say no to sin and all manner of ungodliness (Titus 2:11-12)

¹¹ For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, ¹² teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age - Titus 2:11-12 NKJV

Speaking of the New Covenant that He was going to establish, God said:

³¹ “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— ³² not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord.³³ But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. ³⁴ No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” – Jeremiah 31:31-34 NKJV (emphasis added)

In the Old Covenant, the Law of Moses was governing and guiding people from outside, basically giving them a list of do's and dont's without offering them any help in keeping or observing those laws. The beauty of the New Covenant is this: God by His Spirit, puts His law (not the OT Law of Moses) in our minds and writes it in our hearts and He leads us from within through our recreated spirits and renewed minds. By His grace, He empowers us to obey Him. 

The law that God writes on our hearts is the Law of Love, the New commandment that Jesus gave us in John 13:34. This new commandment goes way beyond the OT law. To walk in Love is to fulfill the entire Law and much much more. To walk in Love is to walk in God, for God is Love. and then He empowers us by His grace to joyfully fulfill it. All the while, the Holy Spirit is at work in us, giving us the will and the desire to do what is pleasing to Him.  

³⁴ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  – John 13:34 NKJV

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Enjoy your freedom and liberty from the OT Law of Moses by relaxing under the grace of God and let the Holy Spirit lead you, He’s already filled your heart with God’s love (Romans 5:5), and as you walk in that God-kind-of-love you will find yourself automatically fulfilling the New commandment our Lord gave us

So, while we are not under the law, we are certainly not lawless!  

WE ARE KINGS AND PRIESTS

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Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, ⁵ and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.

To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, ⁶ and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. – Revelation  1: 4-6 NKJV (Emphasis added)

These Scripture verses draw our attention to what Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, has done for us. The beauty of it is, the tenses employed in these verses are not future but past. These weighty verses are in the past tense, which simply means that whatever these verses are saying has already happened. It is not going to happen sometime in the future, it is already done.

Notice, we are loved by Jesus, washed by the blood of Jesus, and made kings and priests by Jesus who is Himself the ruler over the kings of the earth.

Meditate on this for a minute, let it sink deep down into your spirit – It is Jesus who did it all, He is the One who loved us, washed us in His blood and He is the One who made us kings and priests unto God, the Father. We didn't have a part in making this happen, we simply responded to His voice as He called us to himself, actually He even gave us the ability to respond. Think about that…what grace, what love! Not only have our all sins been washed away by the blood of Jesus, but we have also been made a royal priesthood to our Heavenly Father.

⁹ But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; - 1 Peter 2:9 NKJV

As priests we humbly, yet confidently represent others before God in prayer and intercession and as kings, seated with the King of Kings in heavenly places in the spirit, with meekness and boldness, we reign over creation, we reign over sin, we reign over Satan and all the demonic forces and works of the flesh as we declare "your will be done on earth as it is in heaven"! And we know this is the will of God - that everyone should come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ 

We have the authority to bind and loose, to bind what has been bound in heaven and to loose what has already been loosed in heaven. We have the authority to declare the forgiveness of sins to all those who choose to believe and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, for Christ, the perfect Lamb of God who took away the sins of the entire world on His own body on the cross and His righteousness is imputed to anyone who believes in Him. We have the authority to uproot, to throw down and to destroy the works of the enemy in order to build, extend and establish the Kingdom of God.

As we journey through life, joyfully carrying out our kingly and priestly responsibilities, we will begin to truly enjoy the accompanying privileges which include all things being added unto us (Matt 6: 33)

You are a king and a priest unto God, you are a joint-heir with Christ, that’s your privileged position in Him. Have an awareness of who your loving Heavenly Father says you are and endeavor to bless those you cross paths with today.

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REJOICE IN HIM, HE REJOICES OVER YOU

          

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⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! - Philippians 4:4 NKJV

As a believer in Jesus Christ, choose to live in your true identity, you are a child of God. Live like it, today and everyday, let the fruit of the Spirit grow and flourish in your life and as you do, the Lord's joy will be evident in you. Be conscious of His presence with you and in you, spend time with Him, talk to Him, listen to Him and just fellowship with Him. Be conscious of His presence at all times.

The Word of God declares that in the presence of the Lord there is fullness of joy, not to mention guidance, direction and yes, unending, eternal pleasures. The pleasures of sin are but for a short while and pale terribly when compared to the eternal pleasures the Father has for you to enjoy.

¹¹ You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. – Psalms 16:11 NIV

And that’s not all, the Lord himself rejoices over us and does so with singing. Picture that for a minute, your Heavenly Father, the Almighty Himself, the Creator of all things, enjoys you so much to the point of singing over you! Oh, how He loves us. If we only got a glimpse of the revelation of His love for us, we’d never again wallow in self pity or suffer from low self esteem issues. God is your Daddy and He loves you eternally and unconditionally.

¹⁷ The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.” – Zephaniah 3:17 NIV

It gets even better, as your Father sings and rejoices over you, you are being energized, strengthened and refreshed for His joy is our strength. This has all been made possible by Jesus' perfect sacrifice of himself for us on the cross; by His death and resurrection, He has reconciled us to God. Therefore, the Father has every reason to be eternally joyful and that means we have an endless supply of strength available to us forever. We have every reason to rejoice in Him, our circumstances notwithstanding. We know that He works everything out according to His will and purpose; He’s now at work in us, through us and for us. So we can keep on rejoicing in Him even in the face of adversity, knowing that His purposes are being accomplished in us.

² My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. - James 1: 2 - 4 NKJV

One thing about trials we’ll do well to remember is the fact that they are ultimately designed to bring us into a place of maturity and abundance. It may not look like it as we go through the trials but as our faith is tested, and we stand firm fixing our eyes on the Author and Finisher of our faith, the fruit

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of the Spirit is being developed in us, and as our faith grows we learn to joyfully walk in what Jesus has already provided for us!

With each trial we grow; we go from faith to faith, from glory to glory and from one level of joy to another. Even the early Apostles learned and grew in this truth. The first time they were arrested and threatened for preaching Christ, they went home and prayed and were filled with power to speak the Word boldly (Acts 4:23-31), then the next time around when they were arrested, flogged and threatened, they left the Sanhedrin rejoicing that they had been counted worthy to suffer for His name’s sake (Acts 5:41). Now that is pure holy joy, not just mere “happiness” which someone once said depends on “happenings”.

The trial you are facing today is but a stepping stone into what the Lord has already prepared for you. He is right there in the midst of the trial with you and that alone is reason enough for you to rejoice, yes even in the face of adversity. 

Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!    

WE ARE SECURE IN HIM

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¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” - Revelation 22:13 NKJV

Think about this for a minute: The Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent God, the Creator of all things, He who is the sovereign Originator and Finisher, the Beginning and the End, yet without beginning and without end, created you in His image and in His likeness; not only that, as awesome as that in itself is, He didn’t stop there; when we (through Adam) disobeyed Him and fell out of fellowship with Him, out of His immense Love, His very nature and essence, He made a way for us to be fully, completely and perfectly reconciled to Him to the point of becoming one spirit with Him (1 Corinthians 6:17)

Jesus came, took our sin upon himself on His body on the cross, died and rose again on the third day. He went through all of that so that we may be redeemed and restored to perfect fellowship with God! Jesus took our sin, and in exchange gave us the Gift of Righteousness when we put our trust in Him and what He did to restore us back to God. So if you are in Christ, you are the Righteousness of God; you are not trying to be righteous, you are righteous – that’s you true identity – your spirit is already there, all that is left is for your soul and body to catch up and it will as you keep on renewing your mind with the Word of God.

Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. In Him we live and move and have our being as the Cretan philosopher of old said. He is the Source, the Reason, the Centre, the Sustainer and the Focus of all we are and all we do.

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. – John 15:5 NIV

He is the vine we are the branches, without Him we can do nothing and just as branches don’t have a life of their own apart from the vine, we do not have any life in and of ourselves. The Apostle Paul got this revelation that’s why he could sum up his life this way:

²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. – Galatians 2:20 NKJV

Apart from Christ we cannot do anything but then again, through Christ we can do ALL things and I’m pretty sure the word ALL in the Greek means ALL :)

¹³ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. – Philippians 4:13 NKJV

Be encouraged that the circumstances and situations we contend with in this life are not only temporal but we can also go through them victoriously. One thing to remember about situations and circumstances we face is this, they never had the first word and they also don't have the last word in our lives, Jesus, who is the First and the Last, does and His words to us are SPIRIT AND THEY ARE LIFE! Knowing this, pray tell, how can we not be victorious in any and every situation?

He knows the end from the beginning and His plans and purposes for you will not be derailed for you are in Him and no one can pluck you out of His hand! Fear not, your life is hidden with Christ in God; you are secure in Him who is the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega, your Abba, Father.

WHAT GOD WORKS INWARDS, YOU WORK OUTWARDS

       

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¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; ¹³ for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. - Philippians 2:12-13 NKJV

It is God who makes it possible for us to work out our salvation, He enables us by instilling in us the desire and the ability to obey Him; He enables us to walk in the good works that He has already prepared for us (Ephesians 2:10). Our part is to respond in obedience to His Word and to the leading of His Spirit within us.

We work out our salvation by reverently submitting to the Lordship of the Holy Spirit and not having any confidence in our flesh, our own self-efforts, that is. The fear and trembling spoken of by the apostle here simply refers to the humility aspect of our walk, we acknowledge that without Christ we can do nothing, but with Him we can do all things. It refers to not leaning on our own understanding but being totally dependent on the Author and Finisher of our faith, Christ the Lord.  

As we spend time in the Word and in fellowship with the Holy Spirit, we allow Him to work transform us into the image and likeness of Christ and that transformation will result in us walking in the good works which God has already prepared for us to walk in.

¹⁰ God has made us what we are. He has created us in Christ Jesus to live lives filled with good works that he has prepared for us to do. – Ephesians 2:10 GW 

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Once we get the revelation of who Christ is, what He has done, who we are in Him, we can then, by His grace, order our lives accordingly. In prayer we commune with the Father through Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. Prayer and the Word usher us into fellowship with God; as we hang out with him, His character rubs off on us, as it were; the fruit of the Spirit will be evident in our lives.  

It doesn't matter how many times you've failed, don't wallow in shame, guilt and condemnation, get up, dust yourself off, turn to Jesus your Savior and keep on going and growing. As God's dearly beloved child you're empowered and privileged to enjoy responding in obedience your Father's leading and that is His "good pleasure"!  

Remember, what He works IN you, you work OUT.   He’s given you the grace to do it!  

Blessings beloved!

LESSONS FROM JOHN THE BAPTIST

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John the Baptist was from a priestly family, Zechariah his father, being from the division of Abijah, was a direct descendant of Aaron, the very first High Priest of Israel. His mother was descended from Aaron as well, so it would have been natural for him to follow his in father’s footsteps and become a priest, actually that was to be expected of him, but God had a totally different plan for his life.

As a son of a priest, I’m sure John was taught the Scriptures growing up and when he was of age, instead of joining his father in the priesthood, or even doing some chores in and around the temple, he was led off into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit and lived there until it was time for him to come out preaching and baptizing.

⁸⁰ As John grew up, God’s Spirit gave him great power. John lived in the desert until the time he was sent to the people of Israel. – Luke 1:80 CEV 

Lesson Number 1:

God’s will and plan for your life may be totally different from what your heritage, upbringing and surroundings may seem to suggest. Go with His plans, He knows the future, He’s there already and He’s with you all the way.

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It is interesting to note that even though John and Jesus were related (Mary was related to Elizabeth) and John as a baby in his mother’s womb had jumped for joy when Mary paid Elizabeth a visit, John had no idea of who Jesus really was until it was revealed to him when Jesus came to be baptized. He had probably thought of him as one of his many distant relatives, or a so-many-times removed cousin, or simply just part of his extended family up to that point.

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ³¹ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”– John 1:29, 31 NIV

Lesson Number 2:

Faithfulness is very important. Even if you do not fully understand why the Lord is asking you to do something, just be faithful and do it. Had John stopped baptizing in the river Jordan and decided to go minister in the temple, He would have missed the revelation of Jesus as the Lamb of God, and we wouldn't have His testimony today. He would've missed the very reason he was sent to baptize, which was to reveal Christ to Israel.

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When the disciples of John the Baptist came to report to him of the success of Jesus’ ministry and how his disciples were baptizing more people than John, John’s joyful and humble reaction probably wasn’t what they were expecting:

²⁷ John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’ ²⁹ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. ³⁰ He must increase, but I must decrease. – John 3:27-30 NKJV

Lesson Number 3:

John’s joyful and humble response is a demonstration of how secure he was in the One who had sent him; it also reveals the satisfaction he had knowing that he had accomplished what he was sent to do. When you are secure in who you are in Christ and are busy doing what He has called you to do, you will have no problem rejoicing over someone else’s success in ministry. Insecurity leads to strife, security produces joy and humility.  

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When he was in prison, John second guessed himself and sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was really the Messiah, he felt kind of offended at Him. He probably thought if Jesus was truly the Messiah, He would’ve done something about his situation, or perhaps he thought He would’ve immediately deposed Herod, sent the Romans packing and ascended the throne of David and delivered Israel…who knows. Jesus’ response to John’s doubt and offense:

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²⁰ When the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’” ²¹ And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight.

²² Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. ²³ And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” – Luke 7:20-23 NKJV

Lesson Number 4:

The moment we experience doubt or feel disappointed at God when things don't go our way, let us come to Him, He will always reassure us of His perfect love and His far better plan for our lives. As the psalmist said "He knows our frame and remembers that we are dust". He is working out His master plan and many times we do not see the big picture, trust Him to reassure you of His presence, power and provision in your life.

 There are many more lessons from the brief life and ministry of John the Baptist, these are not the only ones. Blessings.

ALL EYES ON JESUS...

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But we see Jesus… - Hebrews 2:9a KJV

Whatever challenge you are facing today remember that God is not only aware of the situation, but He is also actively watching over His promises to you to bring them to pass. 

Don’t fix your eyes on the adversity you are facing, don’t consider the magnitude of the obstacle that is before you, instead fix your eyes on Jesus, your Redeemer, your Provider and your Protector who never leaves us nor forsakes us. I'm sure we've all heard or read this quote or a variation of it somewhere, it sure rings true, doesn't it? 

- Don't look at the size of your problems. Instead, look at the size of your God

Remember how Peter walked on the water to go to Jesus? Let’s look at the circumstances surrounding his experience of walking on water.

²⁴ and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. – Matthew 14:24 NIV

So the wind was against them and the waves were tossing the boat around. Then Peter says, most likely he shouted this to Jesus who was walking on top of the waves at that time

²⁸ “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” – Matthew 14:28 NIV

And Jesus says, or shouts back at him:

²⁹ “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” – Matthew 14:29-30 NIV

So Peter gets out of the boat and starts walking on water to go to Jesus, notice, the circumstances haven’t changed one bit, waves, winds and all and here Peter is walking above them.

Peter was doing just fine walking on the water until he SAW the effects of the wind. The thing is, the boisterous wind was there even before he got out of the boat, and another thing is, he successfully walked on the water as long as he LOOKED at the Author and Finisher of his faith – Jesus.   

³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said,“why did you doubt?” – Matthew 14:31 NIV

Jesus’ response to Peter sheds light on what just happened, by entertaining fear, Peter had allowed doubt to short-circuit his faith in the word Jesus said to him, what was that word? COME! Had he kept his eyes on Jesus and kept GOING to Jesus, he wouldn't have had the time to consider or worry about how bad the winds were.

³² And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. – Matthew 14:32 NIV 

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Fear got an inroad into Peter through his senses, specifically through his eyes and once that fear grabbed him, doubt crept in and he started sinking. Good thing he called out to Jesus and was rescued. When fear tries to get you to focus on the magnitude of the challenges you have to deal with, don’t give in. 

Remember this, you are perfectly loved by your Abba, Father and He is right there in the midst of those boisterous winds you have to navigate through, look to Him, look at Him, focus on Him and remind yourself of all the stuff He’s brought you through and get ready to see Him taking you through this one as well, hold on to His promises for we walk by faith, not by what our natural senses are telling us.

See Jesus in the midst of the trials you are going through, fix your eyes on Him and stay your course, keep doing what He already told you to do, don't let anything sidetrack you from doing what He told you to do! As He was in the fiery furnace with the three Hebrew children, He is right there with you and since He is with you, you can rest assured all is going to be well, your victory in Christ is guaranteed! 

FULFILLING YOUR MINISTRY

¹⁷ And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.” – Colossians 4:17 ESV

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Even though this particular verse was addressed to Archippus, the message is for all of us. The Word of God instructs us to take heed that we fulfill the ministry that has been entrusted to us. While God has graciously gifted and equipped us, making us able ministers of the New Covenant, it is not His plan that we launch out and toil on our own trying to fulfill our ministries.

Many times we get caught up in trying to do stuff for God, thinking we are pleasing Him in doing so, a notion that implies we are not as pleasing to Him when we are not busy doing ministry or ministry-related activities. The truth is, we are well pleasing to Him all along…whether we are busy ministering or not. We are well pleasing to our Father solely because of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice of Himself for us on that rugged cross.

Even before Jesus preached His first sermon or ever did His first miracle, this is what the Father said of His Only Begotten Son:

¹⁷ and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” – Matthew 3:17 ESV 

We are to fulfill our respective functions in the Body of Christ naturally, as it were, I mean you don’t tell a hand to be a hand, neither do you tell any body part to be that particular body part, it is already that part, you just let each part function as it was created to functions, let fingers do what fingers are supposed to do, legs, feet, arms and everything else likewise and voila… the body works in perfect harmony.

Now take that analogy and apply it to the Body of Christ with its different members, each functioning as it was graced and equipped to function, what love, what power, what grace! You see beloved, if we are to fulfill our ministries, then we’ll do well to take heed to do so. The question then becomes, “how do we TAKE HEED to fulfill our ministries”? The word “take” speaks of a willful, deliberate action that WE are responsible for.

One way we take heed to fulfill our ministries is simply by sitting at the feet of Jesus, by receiving from Him, spending time with Him, just enjoying Him and hanging out with Him, just Mary, Martha’s and Lazarus’ sister. While Martha was busy serving, Mary was busy receiving from the Lord. Martha ended up blaming Jesus and her sister.

⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”

⁴¹ And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. ⁴² But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” – Luke 10:40-42 NKJV

Mary ended up ministering to Jesus by anointing His feet with pure nard, an expensive perfume; Martha who had been busy serving, missed out on the opportunity to minister to Jesus. The thing is, the more we hang out with Jesus, the more we reflect Him and the more we reflect Him, the more effective we’ll be as His life will be flowing out of us, naturally as it were touching others and ministering to them.

Beloved, I would like to encourage you to get intimate with Jesus, spend time with Him, there’s no formula, just do it, speak to Him and expect Him to speak to you, He is with you and He is in you by His Spirit, share your day with Him, talk to Him about stuff you’re facing, discuss things with Him, get to know Him and to know His voice intimately. He is extremely interested in everything that is going on in your life; His love for you is everlasting. 

Remember, Jesus said He only did what He saw the Father doing. How did He see and hear the Father? He was in constant fellowship with Him, that’s how and He is calling us to nothing less than continual fellowship with the Godhead.

Let us not be like the Laodicean church; they were busy trusting in their own self-efforts, doing their own thing, ignoring Him who is the Amen, the faithful and true witness – the Risen Christ. The Lord Jesus, Perfect Love personified, had these solemn words for them:

¹⁹ Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. ²⁰ Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. – Revelation 3:19-20 NIV

Source: Google Images

As Jesus becomes our magnificent obsession, our numero uno priority, we will experience Him and all He has for us in far more glorious and powerful ways than we ever will, should we resort to trying to fulfill our ministries on our own.

I leave you with this relevant quote, beloved.

“Ministry is an outward flow of an inward life”.