God has given us some names He has identified Himself with.
These names are so that He might reveal Himself, His nature, His character and His purpose to His people and then, through them, to show Himself to the whole world…. God wants the people He created to know Him! So He removes the curtain like He did when He ripped open the veil of the temple, so that we can come into the holy place of relationship with Him….
Having said all that….“God” is not His name—it’s a title. In Hebrew, it’s the word Elohim, which is a category of being (and that being is a deity), and there were many deities that were worshiped in that time. Just like “human” is not our name, it is a category of being. We’re not animal, we’re a human being. You wouldn’t like to just be called “human”… “Hey human, come here”…..”Hey human, I want you to do something”, “Hey human, where are you going”? No, you are a human, but you have a personal identity!
That reminds me of a story I heard…..A car was involved in an accident in a busy street. As expected a large crowd gathered. A newspaper reporter, anxious to get this story could not get near the car. Being a clever fella, he started shouting loudly, "Let me through! Let me through! I am the son of the victim." The crowd made way for him, and there,
Lying in front of the car was a donkey. (Be careful how you identify)
So, God gives us His names because He wants an intimate relationship with each of us and all humans, that He created in His likeness….
Last week I told you that I found a name for God that I had not considered and researched before… in John 1:16 it says “For out of His fullness [the superabundance of His grace and truth] we have all received grace upon grace, blessing upon blessing, favor upon favor, and gifts heaped upon gifts”.
If we are open to receive it, then this comes to us from the God of fullness….John says, that His name is “Jehovah mel-ay-ach” The God of Fullness
Colossians 2:9 “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form”. Jesus was and is, and always will be, God manifested, or the expression of Elohim,. Jesus is fully God! We who have received Christ, are the expression of Christ in human form. It says that He made man in His image and His likeness. We have a measure of that expression, Jesus was the fullness of thatexpression without measure! We can be like Him…. An expression of Him, and without Him we can be or do nothing…. Our next heartbeat won’t happen without Him….Our next breath won’t happen without Him, Our next thought could not happen without Him! He is the creator and sustainer of life.
He is fully God without limitations, but He chose to operate in human form, to show us what the expression of God looks like and is capable of as a human… Jesus is now, desiring to express Himself, to us, through us, and in us.
John 3:34 “The Son was sent to speak God's message, and He isfully God” (without measure, Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient) “Jehovah mel ay ach” The God of all fullness.
He poured out the Holy Spirit on us, in full measure through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Luke 3:16: says that "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire”. He is the one who baptizes us in the Holy Spirit…. We have received a full measure, according to the need of the moment. For example You use a different full measure of flour for biscuits than you would for waffles, and it would be different depending on the amount or number of biscuits or waffles you needed. So full measure, would be according to what would beneeded in each situation or circumstance.
1 Corinthians 12:11 “All these things [the gifts, the achievements, the abilities, the empowering] are brought about by one and same Holy Spirit, who distributes to each one individually just as He chooses”.
Holy Spirit isn’t the giver, but He is the administrator…
And He is in charge of the Harvest of souls until the end of the millennium.
John 16:8 “And when He (Holy Spirit) has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. 9 About sin, because people do not believe in me (Jesus) 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.”
So we are equipped by Holy Spirit, to fully engage the need of the moment, while not necessarily, operating in all the gifts in that moment.
That’s what John is saying in the John 1:16 ….“And of His fullness have we all received”, not individually, but collectively as the body of Christ….. John 14:12 “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in Me, will do the works I have been doing, and they will doeven greater things than these, because I am going to My Father”. Collectively, world wide, the Christian community, will do greater numbers of healings, raising the dead, casting out devils, and curing diseases, than Jesus in His physical body could ever do!
Now, I would like to share the next name of God, which I discovered this week.
Let’s start at Romans 15:4 “For whatsoever things were written before handwere written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. 5 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus”…. There’s more, but Let’s pause and look at this before we go on….
The God of Patience and consolation…. Patience here issav•la•noot… bHe who bears our pain, suffering and agony…
So, He gives us His name, here, Jehovah Sav-la-noot….
Then we have the word consolation which is “ne-cham-ah” in Hebrew…. It means, He who brings restoration through comfort. To not only treat the pain, sorrow, or discomfort, but to restore us to joy, peace and happiness….
So here we see that His name is “Jehovah Ne-ch-amah” God of Consolation… I read that a soldier who greatly admired his president, was on leave, and came to the white house, hoping to get a glimpse of the president. But he couldn’t get beyond the main gate. A young boy come up and asked the soldier, why he was so down hearted. The soldier, said, “I was hoping to get a glimpse of my president whom I greatly admire. The boy said follow me. They passed the guard, crossed the lawn, entered the front door of the white house with no trouble. Then they walked up to the President’s private study, went in, and the boy said, “Dad, I would like you to meet my new friend. They sat down together with Abraham Lincoln, and chatted while they had coffee, and cinnamon buns.You see, Jesus, king of the universe, eternal creator, Lord of Lords, All powerful, All knowing, Master, Savior, the Alpha and Omega, brings me into the very throne room of heaven, and says, “Sit down, what can I do for you today”….I love spending time with you….and as you fellowship with Him, you discover that your joy, and peace are restored and your spirit is renewed.
Isaiah 61:3 “To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion (God’s kingdom and rule) to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified”.
Hallelujah, we have an appointment with Jehovah Sav-la-noot, who bears our pain, suffering and agony… and Jehovah Nech-am-ah, who brings restoration through comfort…. And it is all for this purpose…..Isaiah 61:6 “That we may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”.
His names are about relationship.
God is doing all this that we might have relationship, with Him and one another…
Now Here’s the next name I have discovered this week as I was reading Romans 15:13 “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost”.
Here’s where we are going to spend the rest of our time today…. In the Hebrew language, the word for hope is Tikvah…. It is the same as Expectation, and Anticipation of what is yet to come….
Jehovah Tikvah, is the God of all Hope….
Ephesians 1:18 says “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints”.
Think about that…. You are called by God to the hope, which is the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints….Our hope is in all He has promised unto us…
Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faith-ful”. (fulfills our faith)
We have hope, because the God of hope has promised us, aglorious inheritance. But we must be constantly declaring and confessing what He has given us, even though we haven’t seen it yet…That’s why I place the confessions and declarations on the literature table which have come out of the messages I have presented, so we can keep our inheritance always before us.
In the Hebrew language, the word Tikvah, is almost always put with the word E-mu-nah which in English is the word “Faith”…
We see this in Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good report. 3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which can be seen”.
So we can see here that Hope is the foundation for faith… Without hope it is difficult to have faith….
I thought it was interesting that the word for hope is the same as the word for “rope”…. You put a bucket on a rope and let it down into the well in hope of coming back up with a bucket full of water… The rope connects the hands of hope with the bucket of possibility and potential.
Isaiah 22:22 “I will place on His shoulder (Jesus) the key to the house of David; what He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open. 23 I will drive Him like a nail in the Holy place; He will become a seat of honor for the house of His father. 24 All the glory of His family (every believer) will hang on Him….”
So this dual prophecy points to Christ, who drove a nail in the Holy Place and secured our hope in heaven where Satan, all the demonsthat serve Satan, and thieves, robbers, and every usurper, cannot touch it.
Our hope is secured, safe, and untouchable!
Because of this secure hope we have been given….look at
Romans 4:18 “In hope against all hope Abraham believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE.”
It’s telling us that against everything that he could see, Abraham believed in a hope that could not be seen, because Jehovah Tikvah, the God of all Hope…. Had made him a promise….
The God of Hope is prophesying to you today…..
He is saying to you in Romans 15:13 “The God of hope wants to fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope”.
He is saying to you in Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope”.
He is saying to you in Romans 5:5 “Hope will not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given unto us”.
He is saying to you in Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord of hope, your God, who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
He is saying to you in Hebrews 10:23 “Hold fast the confession of your hope without wavering, for He who has promised you is still faithful”.
Wouldn’t it be absurd for anyone born in America to wonder if they were an American? In the same way, wouldn’t it be absurd for anyone who is born into the kingdom of God, through Jesus blood and His grace, to wonder if they were a Christian? You are American or you’re not….
You are a Christian or you’re not…. Of all the nationalities, races, creeds, classes and genders, there are only two kinds of people on this planet… Believers in Christ and unbelievers…. And since most of the world right now are non-believers in Christ, it makes it easy to find someone to share the message of the gospel with and introduce them to Christ. It’s like trying to find a palm tree in Key West…. Pretty easy, they’re everywhere!
If you have received Christ as savior, and are seeking to obey Him and serve Him…. Your hope is now your reality, it is a fact, and you are walking it out by faith….You have already received the blessed hope… now you operate in that reality by faith!
By faith, you use what you’ve been given…. By faith, you walk in the promises that you have laid claim to…. By faith you determine to grow in your relationship with Christ, and your fellow Christian.
This is all because you hope that by faith a harvest of souls will be brought in to the gospel net, blessings will rest on your household, and you will make a difference everywhere you go, and that there will be changed hearts and lives for eternity…..
Faith now stands on the foundation of hope and walks out the new reality that we as believers in Christ have been given….
Hope is usually the first casualty of False Hope….. How many times have I said, “God answers 4 ways, “Yes, No, Wait, and “You’ve got to be kidding”…. That last one is the response to False or faulty Hope”. That’s why the bible says in 2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew yourself approved unto God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”.
There are many who live with false hope and give up their faith when it doesn’t turn out the way they expected…. If you jump off a 300 foot cliff, you can flap your arms and think positive and hope for a good outcome al you want, but you probably will not fly or have a very happy ending… However, you WILL APPEAR on the 6 O’clock news!
People ignore God in their lives, avoid Christ, live any way they want, and still hope to make it to heaven… That is false hope.
False Hope, is like getting in the ring with Mike Tyson and hoping I can win….No, that’s how you die, painfully and probably very quickly…
Real, lasting, God centered Hope, walks in obedience….
Christians who never tithe, or honor God in their finances, are living in the false hope that they will be blessed financially…..the bible tells us that… if you honor God with your increase, He will rebuke the devourer from your life… Yes, it takes faith to do what God says, without seeing the outcome before you act, but God centered hope believes that He will do what He says, Because He is the God of hope!!
We can ignore God’s law of sowing and reaping and expect to have a good harvest in our lives…. But that is only false hope… If you don’t sow, you will not reap…..and what you sow, is what you will reap….You can run but you cannot hide…. Never giving God honor, and worth and then expecting Him to bless you, and give you your heart’s desire, is false hope…. That’s like shopping at Winn Dixie and paying your bill at the fishing boat rental or the casino…. It just won’t work…. God calls it robbery….
Galatians 6:7-8 “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life”.
Hope that honors God, and walks in obedience is based on trust..The greatest reason folks don’t walk in obedience is because they really don’t trust God to honor His promises….They put God in the same category as all the people who have let them down and disappointed them….
So they never enter into an intimate relationship with the God of Hope!!
A Christian let you down, a preacher let you down, things didn’t go the way you thought they should because you had false expectations….
Malachi 3:8 “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings, says the Lord. 9 You are under a curse—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour you out so much blessing, that there will not be room enough to contain it”.
We will all receive back what we are sowing… Sowing and reaping is a spiritual law and it’s built into the fabric of nature… and it flows from the God of Hope….
As Vice President, George Bush senior, represented the U.S. at the funeral of former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. Bush was deeply moved by a silent protest carried out by Brezhnev's widow. She stood motionless by the coffin until seconds before it was closed. Then, just as the soldiers touched the lid to close it, Brezhnev's wife performed an act of great courage and hope, a gesture that must surely rank as one of the most profound acts of civil disobedience ever committed: She reached down and made the sign of the cross on her husband's chest.
There in a citadel of a secular, atheistic culture, the wife of the man who had run it all, hoped that her husband was wrong. She hoped that there was another life, she hoped that God would intervene and there was way for him to still make it, Her hope was courageous and it was bold, in that Communist atmosphere, but it was false hope…
Scripture says “It is appointed unto man once to die and after that all must face the Judgment”.. That’s like the wealthy man, who asked his wife to put his wealth in his casket when he died, so he could have it with him… so she wrote out a check…..That’s a description of false hope….
You see, God is not our last hope, He is our only hope.
Psalm 31:24 “The Lord will keep you from all harm—He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore”.
Parade magazine published the story of self-made millionaire Eugene Land, who greatly changed the lives of a sixth-grade class in East Harlem. Mr. Lang had been asked to speak to a class of 59 sixth-graders. What could he say to inspire these students, the odds were that most of them would drop out of school with no hope and not much of a future. He wondered how he could get these underprivileged children even to give him their attention. Putting asidehis notes, he decided to speak to them from his heart. "Stay in school," he admonished them, "and I'll help pay the college tuition for every one of you." At that moment the lives of these 59 students changed. For the first time they had hope. Said one student, "I had something to look forward to, something waiting for me. It was a life changing feeling." Nearly 90 percent of that class went on to graduate from high school, and went on to college with the help of Eugene Lang…who gave them new hope that things could change….
That’s what Jesus said. I am Jehovah Tikvah, the God of all Hope….I have an inheritance for you….
His offer is much the same…. I have paid it ahead for you…. Walk in my promises, hear my word, give me first place in your life, and the stars are the limit…. Isn’t that what He told Abraham…. “As the stars of the heaven”.. so shall be the number of your blessings….. The God of hope is waiting for us to make our choices….
Deuteronomy 30:19 “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses between us, that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your house may live.”
John 10:10 The thief has come to only steal and to kill and to destroy. I am come that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly.
Now there’s something to put your Hope and Faith in….
Abundant life… covers the physical and spiritual dimensions of our lives.
As Yogi bear would say “that’s more than the average bear”!!!
Let’s make our choice today, for the hope we can put all our faith upon.
Let’s believe together and know that the God of all hope will keep His promises, and will honor those who honor him and obey Him…..
A man approached a little league baseball game one afternoon. He asked a boy in the dugout what the score was. The boy responded, "Eighteen to nothing—and we have the nothing."
"Boy," said the spectator, "I'll bet you're discouraged."
"Why should I be discouraged?" replied the little guy. "Mister, We haven't even gotten up to bat yet!!
Let’s stop looking at the score board and look to the God of all hope, and begin to get excited, begin to imagine what is possible as you take Him at His promises…Goliath sure looked like he was going to win, but David hadn’t gotten up to bat yet. Saul was discouraged, the troops were depressed, but David hoped in the Lord…
I close with the words of David…..Psalm 42:5-11 “Why are you cast down, O my soul? and why are you troubled within me? I will hope in God: for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance (favor and support).
Faithful is He who has promised you, who will bring it to pass…
We all hear, or read about 30,000 words a day. Out of those 30,000 words, we remember 10% of what we hear, 20% of what we read or see, and up to 90% of what we do about what we see, read or hear….
The number six in the bible refers to the realm of mankind…The number seven is the workings and operatings of God in the realm of mankind. God gave us some names to describe his workings in our lives…We easily remember those names, because it is about what God does, as opposed to just what God says…
Jehovah Jirah, is God’s name as our provision… Jehovah Shalome, is God’s name as our peace…. Jehovah Rapha, is God’s name as our healer….Jehovah Shammah, is God’s name for His omnipresence… The God who is there…. These are just a few, and they are powerful words that can impact our lives in amazing ways….
There is a name for God, that is found in John 1:16, that you have probably never heard before…. In the amplified bible, it reads… “ For of His fullness have we all received, the abundance of His grace and truth. We have all received spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favor upon favor and gifts heaped upon gifts.”
This is God telling us that one of His names is “Jehovah Malay-ach” which means “God is our fullness”.. God is saying that through Him, we don’t operate from a place of lack or insufficiency, inability, or less than…. But we operate from a position of His fullness working in and through us! This is not “A little dab will do you” … God is saying “In Me and through Me, you are full of it”! You need to tell somebody right now… “YOU ARE FULL OF IT”!!
So God is bringing into the number 6 of mankind, the working of the 7 of His fullness! That’s why the apostle Paul said Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
At a University commencement exercise, the College’s presidentrose to address the graduates and confer their degrees upon them. He began by explaining the meaning of the traditional Latin phrases used to rank their performances. For example if a student graduates “Cum Laude” it means “With honors”… Next he explained that “Magna Cum Laude” means they graduated with “High Honors”. If a student “Summa Cum Laude”, they graduated with “Supreme Honors”. Then he announced that there would be a new honor to use in future ceremonies, called‘Magna Cum Pellidentium”, (By the skin of their teeth) Well, everyone had a good laugh, but sometimes we’re actually laughing at ourselves… and those times when we tried to get by “Pellidentium”….
Peter 3:15 “In your hearts, set apart a central place for Christ as Lord, always be prepared to give an effective answer to everyone who askes you the reason for the hope that you have.”
I think upon these words, I am reminded of the story of Daniel, who along with his friends, the three Hebrew princes, were taken captive by the nation of Babylon, and who would not bow or bend to the Godless culture they found themselves in. Daniel was thrown into a pit of hungry lions and we call it “the story of Daniel in the lion’s den”,
But God calls it “The lions in Daniel’s den”…. And it gives a completely different point of view, because it places the authority with Daniel and not the lions! It shifts the center of power by how we describe the account. You see, the God of fullness, showed up in the den, and scheduled Daniel’s visit there, because one of the greatest tyrants in history, had a meeting with God. Because Daniel wasn’t willing to be satisfied with “getting by with the skin of his teeth”…. He experienced the God of fullness, who turned the lions into pillows for Daniel to sleep on! And Daniel graduated “Summa Cum Laude”, with supreme honors, and a Babylonian tyrant, cried out, “Oh, Daniel, Your God shall be my God”!!! Whatever your problem, your overwhelming situation, whatever your lion’s den happens to be…. If you look at it the way God sees it, You’re not in the lion’s den, the lions are in your den…..I’ve got six little words for you, ”THE LION’S ARE IN YOUR DEN”! Because of Jehovah Malay-ach, the God of fullness!
We need the God kind of view point, to get the God kind of results! Daniel knew that in the natural when you face a Nebuchadnezzar, who thinks he’s god, and you go up against him, there is a word, which describes the results, and that word is DEAD, people end up DEAD!! Matthew 10:32 tells us that we should be more afraid of offending God, than offending men…. “Therefore, everyone who confesses me before men, (or lions), I will also confess him before My Father in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, (or lions) I will also deny him before My Father in heaven”. When we see a house on fire, and know that a family is trapped inside… I don’t care how many folks tell us to keep our mouth shut, we’re going to yell “Fire, Fire”…. Call the police, the fire department, and the coast guard! If there is action you can take, as a Christian, you are commissioned to take it…. There is no getting by on the skin of your teeth! The house of America is on fire, somebody needs to sound the alarm!
I heard the story of a couple who had been married a few years, and arguments and disagreements had become a constant thing in their relationship, so they (or she) decided to seek counselling in hopes of saving their marriage. He was insensitive and dull, and she was hyperactive and dominating…. When they arrived at their first counselling session, things did not go well. The husband slumped indifferently in a chair, while staring down at the carpet. The wife however, launched into a solid 20 minute attack, describing all the wrongs within their marriage, and they were all His fault! The counsellor,stood up, grabbed her by the shoulders, stood her up, and gave her a big hug, and planted a big, long kiss, passionately on her lips. Then he sat her down, looked at the husband and said, “That is what your wife needs at least once a day”! The stunned husband thought for a minute, scratched his head and said “Well, if that is what you prescribe Doc, what time would you like me to bring her by for you”!
There are some things, that somebody else can’t do for you. There are things that God designed, appointed, and anointed you for, and no one else can fulfill it but you. Someone else is too overworked all ready! The greatest way in which we can show gratitude to God, is by using and applying the gifts He has given unto us. To use those gifts to exalt Him, to give Him praise, and to lift up His name! And when we do, we find that Jehovah Malay-ach shows up in His fullness.. Moses would rather have preferred to just stay in the wilderness with his wife and family, off the Egyptian radar, and not do anything that would raise any red flags, which might get the Pharaoh’s attention. Moses had to see Egypt as God saw it… The problem wasn’t that the chosen Jewish people were captives in Egypt, it was that Egypt had gotten into the Jewish people. They had begun to take Egyptian names and Egyptian customs, and identify themselves as Egyptian, and when they finally left Egypt, a great many chose to remain there….. (a picture of the rapture which will take place in the last days) John 14:1 “Do not let your hears be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many places prepared. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to secure a place for you. 3 And if I go and secure a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 I can show you the way to the place where I am going.”
Here are some 6 word declarations, that are important for each of us to receive and apply…. ”Where I am You can be” That’s what Jesus said to Peter in the storm…. When Peter said, “Let me be where you are”…(that’s another powerful 6 words by the way) Jesus said “Come”…. Come here, to where I am”….. Oh, yes, things are better in that place! There is supply in that place, there is equipping and enabling in that place. There is peace and heaven come to earth in that place….
When God sent Moses into Egypt, He already saw the Jewish people in the promised land. Dwelling in their own homes, farming their own land, and overcoming those who stood against them. Moses needed to see what God saw, then he could show it to the people.
Here's another six little words ….”The price God paid was Himself” You are so valuable, you are priceless… God paid for you with the most valuable thing all of heaven contained…. That was Jesus! God became the price for our sins… That’s priceless! Any piece of art, is only as valuable as the signature on it.
When I say I am a Christian, I am saying “Christ has placed His name on me”…. That’s greater than Rembrant, Michelangelo, Picasso, or Da Vinci…. Millions have been paid for their works, but you are of greater value than all that….. Tell someone, “I didn’t know you were a billionare, you are priceless”.
God sees our worth through Jesus Christ… apart from Him, we are nothing and can do nothing…. Seek first the kingdom and all these things shall be added unto you!
He’s the God of where you’ve been, He’s the God of where you are, and He’s the God of where you are going.
There is a tribe in Africa that has a very traditional greeting for those who are passing through their community. They ask “Where are you from, Why are you here, and where are you going.” Folks will spend a lot of time talking about where they’ve been and they will spend time talking about where they are now, but not many folks will talk much about where they’re going, because that’s a faith realm….
Jesus put it all this way, “Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven” That’s the lens through which we are to see the past, present, and future. Stop regretting your past, and moaning about your present situation… We’re getting ready to cross over our Jordan and enter the place He has already prepared for us! See yourself crossing over, see yourself entering in, you’re about to arrive where you saw by faith!
Abraham had no children but God called him “Father of many nations” 4
Genesis 22:17 “I will surely bless you and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore.” Sarah was Barren and they both were over 90, but when they looked up and saw the stars, they were reminded of what God had prepared. When they looked down at the sand, they were reminded of what God was bringing them into. Guess whose report Abraham believed….. It says he hoped against hope…. Without hope there is no faith…
Hebrews 11 says “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen”…. Don’t lose your hope!
Proverbs 29:18 “Where is no there vision (no hope) the people cast off restraint and do their own thing.”
Everyone among us has a past! We have all been in places and done things that we regret. No one can do anything about where they have been. Those tickets have been punched, and that journey had been taken. But just like the apostle Paul, we can sure do something about where we are going.
John 14:6 “Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
The God who brought you this far, has provided a ticket to get you to where He has planned for you to be.
An executive of a certain company had to go to Sydney Australia for an urgent business meeting. He had to be in Sydney by five o’clock, or the company he was president of for twenty years, was going to be taken over and he would lose everything he had invested for all those years. His secretary called all the airlines, but there were no seats available, so he told his secretary to put his name in for any cancellations. Finally a phone call came at 2:00 about a last minute cancellation on a flight departing at 2:30. He rushed in the airport door in time to get his boarding pass and he was off, and running for the gate. The boarding call had already been given and the plane was about to depart. He was ushered into the plane and as soon as he got in the plan began to pull out, as the attendant took him to his seat, but they had over bookedand someone was in the seat he had purchased. The attendant then took him to first class and found a seat there. At last, he could sit back and relax. Wow, it was all going to work out after all land he even scored a first class seat.
The plane roared down the runway and into the air and just minutes later, the pilot came over the loud speaker.. “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, I am captain Jones, on behalf of Quantas airlines, I would like to welcome you aboard. We are on schedule and climbing to 30,000 feet. We should be landing at four o’clock. The weather in Perth, Australia will be fine with a temperature of fifty degrees (our passenger had boarded the wrong plane, going in the wrong direction)! If the announcement came right now, would you be on the right flight? Are you on flight number 7, His will in heaven, or flight number 6, and you’ve been tricked!!!!
The Apostle Paul was on the wrong flight, but he switched planes and fulfilled his destiny and made a difference in his world and ours….
Matthew 7:13 Jesus uses these words “Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few will enter in.”
I like Phillip’s answer to the Lord…. He said “Lord show us the way” (a prayer we could all be praying) The Lord not only will show us the way, He wants us to know that He is the way! This plane won’t fly itself, it needs the master pilot, Jesus Christ, to make the journey possible. We can trust Him to take us all the way! If we could do it, He would not have come.
Hebrews 12:2 says “Looking (that’s progressive…”keep on looking”) unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith”..
That’s another 6 little words.. “He is the author and finisher”…God is as interested in “How” we make the journey as He is in the where, the when or the why of the journey…. The more of that heavenly dimension we bring into this dimension, the more the eternal will overwhelm the impossible, and the supernatural will invade the natural realm…..
Micah 6:8 tells us the how of this thing… “He has shown you o man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you. To do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” So if we take care of the how, (that’s on our end) God will take care of the when, where and why!
Look also at Psalm 37:4 ”Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. 5 commit your way unto the Lord, trust in Him and He will do it.”
That’s another 6 little words…. “Commit your way unto the Lord”… This word “commit” simply means “Keep on giving it to Him, keep turning it over to Him.” Don’t get overwhelmed by it, don’t get mired up in it. Release it all to Him. When the devil knocks at your door, let Jesus answer the door!
Sometimes we’re like the man who got on the bus, loaded down with bags of groceries, and instead of setting all of that down in the seat, we stand there struggling with the weight of it, instead of letting the bus take the weight, and just sitting down and enjoying the freedom. That’s why Paul told the church to “sit down”…
Ephesians 2:6 “He has made us to sit down together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your weight upon Him because He cares for you, Hey, there’s another 6 little words… “Cast all your weight upon Him”.
How about these 6 words.. “Before you call I will answer”
Look at Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has (already) blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. 4 even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world…”
As we come to a close, how about these 6 little words… “ HEWILL BRING IT TO PASS”…
Let’s speak and declare these proclamations which God has given unto us to confirm, and secure all that He has promised and all that He has prepared for us…
”THE LION’S ARE IN MY DEN”!
“WHERE HE IS, I CAN BE”
“THE PRICE GOD PAID WAS HIMSELF”
“THY WILL BE DONE IN EARTH”
“WITHOUT HOPE THERE IS NO FAITH”
“HE IS THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER”
“COMMIT YOUR WAY UNTO THE LORD”
“CAST ALL YOUR WEIGHT UPON HIM”
“BEFORE YOU CALL I WILL ANSWER”
“HE WILL BRING IT TO PASS”
Let’s pray the closing prayer together….
“Lord Jesus, thank you for Your deep and constant love for me. Thank you for suffering on the cross for my sake, so that I could have forgiveness and eternal life. I desire to seek you first, andlove You above all things and all people in my life. It is in loving You, that I am able to love myself and others more.
Lord, let me not look and rely upon anyone and anything else for what You alone can give. Help me to love as You love, asking nothing in return. I will no longer allow past hurts, failure, or injustices to rule my present reality. I cease from my strugglesand I rest in your strength and the victory which You have already given unto me.
Lord, through the work of Your Spirit in me, I am clean, my mind is clear, and my heart is at peace. I give the enemy no place to effect me any longer, for I receive the truth that sets me free. Thank You for protection over my mind, body and spirit, through the blood You shed for me.
Jesus, I commit my life to You, as I seek first Your will and the things which You approve. You know the answers before I ask the questions, so give me an open and receptive spirit, that I may lead my heart, submit my will always to You, and walk in Your ways, in Jesus Name…..
In conclusion, See it the way God sees it, and you can have what God said you could have. In Jesus name, receive it today!!
Throughout history, there have been significant events in our world that humanity points to and says, "That changed everything." Go all the way back to the days when fire was discovered. With fire, everything changed. It gave people a new way to stay warm, a new source of light, and new ways to cook food. No more huddling together for warmth in the cold and darkness of night (although that’s still a good idea) and no more having to eat raw meat andplants.
Likewise, the wheel changed everything. The invention of the wheel, made it possible for people to move heavy loads from one place to another. No more having to keep things in one place or needing several people to move something heavy. They could go faster, as they found horses to pull this new invention then later on the steam and gas engine turned the wheel. Many people could travel together, along with their possessions. A new era in transportation had come. (called traffic jams) Go back to the 1400s when Gutenberg invented the printing press. This finally made it possible to print the written word and to distribute it to large groups of people. The printing press changed everything.
In the last century or so we've seen the discovery of electricity, the invention of the light bulb, the first car rolled onto a city street and the Wright brothers first flight at Kitty Hawk NC.. It's pretty obvious with these inventions…. "that they changed everything."
In some people’s lifetime, they've seen the rise of computers, internet, cell phones, and wireless communications. As we all know, these things changed our culture, our society, our world and our lives forever.”
Well, certainly we could say that the advent of computers, and all these other things we have mentioned, are all monumental events in human history, but none of them are as significant as the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus.
Our entire calendar is centered around Him. But the one event that makes Jesus so important, was His resurrection. Nothing else even comes close to so completely changing the world as Jesus' resurrection. More than anything else in all of history, as my message title declares, “The resurrection of Jesus "changes everything." To all who believe, there is something wholly life-changing about the words: "He is risen!" The resurrection is the most defining moment of historybecause unlike all the other things that changed our lives, this event changed our lives now and in the life to come… Abundant life at a level, we could only dream of!!
Philippians 3:10 declares “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection”. In a way, we celebrate Easter every day….The New Testament reveals that the early Christians began meeting together on this new day (what we call Sunday) as a weekly commemoration and celebration of new life in Christ. That first day of the week was the day that everything changed. Because of Easter, every day becomes a new day for the believer, we live in new hope, second chances, new beginnings and new opportunities. This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!!
I saw a Cartoon of two Roman soldiers standing by the empty tomb. The stone is rolled away and one soldier says, “We’re in a heap of trouble, He did what He said He’d do!”
But the other one is shrugging and says, “Don’t worry about it. A hundred years from now, no one will even remember.”
But after 2000 years people do remember. And all the nay sayers have come and gone, but millions of God’s people still gather and remember what was done that first Sunday.
They remember that Fear was changed to faith….When you think about the disciples huddled in that locked upper room, scared to death….All those who have been there, know that the physical affects of fear are real and very intense. Difficulty breathing…Racing or pounding heart…Chest pain or tightness….Trembling or shaking….Feeling dizzy or lightheaded….A churning upset stomach.. and the Fear…it was real and it was paralyzing, and, understandably, they couldn’t seem to figure out what to do next, because the power of fear, messes up your purpose and your mission.
Jesus must have known that a group of fear-full disciples who could only see the world through the limited lens of their own small perspective, would never, ever change the world without a radical change in themselves. The atmosphere needed to change, resurrection needed to become real for the disciples, so they could embrace the promise of what was ahead— and that was no less than a whole world that would be changed by the message of the open tomb and the ascension. We’ve been given boldness and courage by the empty cross and the empty tomb!!
(I’m going to let Paul preach this)
1 Corinthians 15:4 and that He was buried, and He was [bodily] raised on the third day according to [that which] the Scriptures [foretold], 5 and He appeared to Cephas (Peter), then to the Twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time. 7 Then He was seen by James, then by all the apostles, 8 and last of all, He appeared to me also”.
So Jesus shows up. And when they see him—a switch is flipped somewhere on the inside of their spirit man. It was as if they had received corrective lenses and the disciples could see what they couldn’t see before. FEAR….heart-stopping, life-crippling fear—was miraculously transformed into faith, hope and purpose.
When the truth of the resurrection had sunk in, everything changed. The disciples saw the world in a whole new way; their perspectives radically shifted. It was enough to cause them to unlock the door to that dark room that had hidden them and they boldly marched out into Jerusalem and rewrote history.
Paul goes on… 1 Corinthians 15:12 Now if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how is it that some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain [useless, good for nothing], and your faith is also vain [unfounded, devoid of value and benefit—not based on truth]. 15 We are even discovered to be false witnesses [misrepresenting] God, because we testified concerning Him that He raised Christ, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised, either 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless and powerless [a mere delusion] and you are still in your sins [and under the control and penalty of sin]. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If we who are [abiding] in Christ have hope only in this life [and this is all there is], then we are of all people most miserable and to be pitied”.
The fact of the resurrection, was enough to turn fearful, insecure, unsophisticated fishermen into bold proclaimers of Jesus’ Gospel. It was powerful enough, that they gave up their very lives for this glorious hope! Easter is the break point… The church has broken out, “Come out, come out, wherever you are”!!!!
Hebrews 10:35 “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which has great recompence of reward. (36) For you have need of patience, that, after you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise”. Hallelujah the promise is ours!
Sorrow and Despair were Changed into Delirious Joy…As the women headed for the tomb on Friday, their hearts were heavy and their steps and attitudes as well. Their Despair was manifested as low self esteem, Sorrow, Suspicion, Anxiety, Lack of confidence, hopelessness, Depression, and Distress of soul and spirit. But when they arrived early Sunday morning at the tomb, the message they heard transformed their spiritual climate. He is not here, He is Risen! And with that, they joyously ran to share the glad news with the rest of the disciples and the world.
When your great sorrow and heaviness turns to joy, you can’t help but shareit with everyone! You can’t keep the overflow to yourself, you’ve got to tell somebody! (CAN YOU SAY TO SOMEONE…, “YOU NEED TO TELL SOMEBODY”)
Weakness and Powerlessness were changed into Power and Authority! This newly stirred deep conviction, brought about by the resurrection, was not intimidated by chains, imprisonments, banishments, hunger, fire, attacks by wild beasts, or the refined torments of cruel persecutors. It boldly stood in the face of gladiators, lions, and the dangers presented on the foreign field, in the midst of political, social, and religious hazards and peril. It was content, in knowing that to be absent from the body was to be present with the Lord. Death was no longer the end, but the beginning!
Paul wrote to the Ephesian believers, from the dungeon of Rome…. And there was no requests for an easier path, no requests for relief from persecution and opposition, no pleas for comfort and convenience…. Ephesians 6:19 “And for me, pray that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, v20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: for as long as I am here, that I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak”.
Friend, God will find a way to bless you, and turn things around so it worksfor good to the people who love and serve Him…. He will make a way, because He is the Way.
There is an account of a husband and wife who went out for breakfast, at a restaurant where the 'seniors' special' was two eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast for $2.99. “We’ll take the special, they said”. 'But the wife said I don't want the eggs, I can’t eat them.' 'Then, I'll have to charge you $6.49 because you're ordering a la carte,' the waitress cautioned. 'You mean Ihave to pay for not taking the eggs?' the wife asked, in amazement.
!' stated the waitress. “Well, I'll take the special then”,' the wife said.. 'How do you want your eggs?' the waitress asked. 'The way you got them, Raw and in the shell,' the wife replied. Then she took the two eggs home and baked a cake. DON'T MESS WITH SENIORS!!! They’ll find a way to get it done! WE'VE been around the block more than once!
Easter is God letting us all know that He will find a way to get the blessing to you!!!! He’ll find a way to bring you from fear to faith, from sorrow into joy! From failure and defeat into more than conqueror!!
2 Corinthians 3:18 ”But we all, with open face beholding as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord”.
We go to a physical mirror in order to behold our physical appearance. We look in a MIRROR in order to accomplish some CHANGES in our lives. We look and see…that spare tire, or that extra chin, or some sagging here or there, the grey hair is a little thinner…and we look and then decide to make a change.
By the same token, we go to a SPIRITUAL MIRROR in order to realize our SPIRITUAL appearance. But the spiritual mirror has something the physical mirror doesn’t… it offers a vision of glory, and power and authority, that lets us know that change is on the way if we obey what we see. God’s mirror shows us the reflection of the resurrected Jesus, what is true of Him is true of us, HE’S THE IMAGE that we look into. If you want to know what is the true potential within yourself, look into the image of the resurrected Jesus Christ.
Previously, when someone was sick, you may have pitied the person and you encouraged them as best you could. Having looked into the image of Christ, now you lay hands on the sick and command the sickness to go! You now believe that by the same spirit, these signs shall follow you and that devils will come out, in Jesus name!!! There is always more to see in the mirror, as you look into the image of Christ Jesus!!!! And we must realize that there are things we have not yet seen, that God wishes to REVEAL and UNVEIL to us, in Christ. So you can mark it down -- you do not yet see all there is for you to see at this time. The mirror, Christ Jesus will always reveal the truth…. (tell someone..”You ain’t seen nothing yet”) 3 people, a minister, a college professor, and a politician, walk into a tent at a circus they are at. There is nothing inside the tent but a mirror….
There is a sign next to the mirror, which reads: "This is a magic mirror. Say what you think and if what you say is true, amazing things happen. if you lie, you disappear forever...."They all agree that they will take the chance with the mirror. The minister says "I think I'm the holiest person in the world." Poof, the minister is gone. The Professor walks up and says: “I think I'm the smartest person in the world" poof, he’s gone. The Politician walks up to the mirror and says" I think.............and " poof, the politician is gone!
The bible tells us that A middle-aged man is having a tough time….Hisfather and mother are both dead now, and he misses having them with him. He’s got problems with his teenage children. Economic problems and severe shortages, have hit the area where he lives. To make matters worse, it seems as if every time he accomplishes anything, someone else comes along and takes what he’s worked hard for all his life. It’s enough to make anyone want to give up... But FOUR WORDS CHANGED EVERYTHING IN HIS LIFE.
A young man runs away from home. He knows that one of his own family members is out to kill him. He finds himself all alone and afraid in a place he’s never been before.
Where there used to be friends surrounding him, now there are only strangers in a strange land. His future looks grim. But FOUR WORDS CHANGED EVERYTHING IN HIS LIFE.
A sincere and honest employee works hard, he is honest and productive, and yet has to put up with constant sexual harassment from one of his bosses. After refusing these unwanted advances, day after day, this honest, hard-working employee is accused of sexual misconduct by the very person who has been guilty of the harassment. The employee is thrown in jail to serve out an unwarranted sentence. And the outlook is bleak. But FOUR WORDS CHANGED EVERYTHING IN HIS LIFE!
An elderly man is commanded by God to confront the world’s most powerful leader and demand freedom for his people. He doesn’t want to do it. He would much prefer staying in the quite, familiar, solitude of his home. He feels weak and afraid, and completely inadequate. But FOUR WORDS CHANGED EVERYTHING IN HIS LIFE! There’s another man who just lost his best friend and the mentor who has been there most of his life, and now he is called on to take his place. He is filled with many insecurities, a sense of inaptitude and grief. He knows that his dead friend was the sort of man that he could never replace. How can he possibly handle the responsibility of it all? But FOUR WORDS CHANGED EVERYTHING IN HIS LIFE! These words that changed everything, are the words that transfer the amazing transforming power of the resurrection to us today!
They are “I Am With You” …Those four words changed everything for a middle-aged struggler named Isaac…. They changed the life of a frightened runaway named Jacob… They vindicated a wrongfully imprisoned employee named Joseph… Those four words changed everything for Moses, the timid 80-year-old……They gave strength to Joshua, the man who had to fill the shoes of Moses. And the resurrected Christ, speaks the same to us today… Matthew 28:19 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: v20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
God has sent this message, in His behalf to say to you….I AM WITH YOU! That power is available everywhere we go and whatever we are dealing with.You see, this resurrection power is not about everything turning out OK, according to our comfort zone, or our felt needs and perceptions, it is about being OK, no matter how things turn out. When David showed up at the confrontation between Goliath, and the Israeli army, No one else is talking about God… David is talking about no one else BUT GOD! David sees what others don’t and He refuses to have his gaze brought down bywhat others are seeing. For 40 days, everyone else has focused on Goliath, but David shows up and focuses on noone else but God! While everyone else Is paralyzed at this huge problem that confronts them, David runs to confront and resolve the problem because he is seeing the bigger picture. GREATER IS HE THAT IS WITH HIM, THAN HE THAT IS AGAINST HIM!
How long has it been since you ran towards your challenge instead of away from it? How long has it been since you became part of the solution and not the problem. Will Rogers said, “Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”
James Baldwin said, “Not everything that is confronted can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is confronted.”
Marian Edelman said “It is a time for greatness not for greed. It’s time for idealism not ideology. It is a time for compassionate action, not just compassionate words.” 2 Corinthians 4:6 “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
(7) But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. (8) We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; (9) Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; (10) Always bearing about in our body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus might be manifest in our mortal flesh”.
Jesus arose and sat down at the right hand of God, so that each of us could have access to that place of favor and Divine grace. He arose to a place of favor, so that we by God’s favor might rise above everything that would seem to ensnare, entrap and confine us. We are risen together with Him, that He through us, might show the world His resurrection power in the everyday tests and trials of our lives.
THE ENEMY KNOWS OF YOUR POWER, and he is actually more fearful of you than you could ever be of him….Just like Jesus’ disciples were then, The church may seem at times to be a rag-tag group of everyday folks, with Low or non-existent budgets, Untrained soldiers, Underpaid leaders, With highly criticized efforts, and with a task which seems unattainable, unimaginable, and unreachable. But God can, do for us what He did for those lepers who walked out of Samaria, towards the Asyrian army encampment in 2 Kings 7:1-6. When they got to the camp, it was empty and everything was left behind…This tells us that God will Amplify our voice, Magnify our work, Glorify our endeavors, Rectify our failures, Mystify our enemies, and Multiply our labors!! Let me say that again!
I’ve said it before….There is a huge difference between a Thermometer and a Thermostat. A Thermometer tells you what the temperature in a room is, a Thermostat determines the temperature in the room! Tell someone, You Are A Thermostat!!!
A Thermometer tells you what has changed, a Thermostat makes things change. “Easter calls us to us, to be a thermostat and not a thermometer!
Easter declares that change is coming……
Someone sent me an e-mail about a longtime Kansas wheat farmer who had a terrible fight with his wife about getting rid of all their credit cards, which were getting overwhelming. He dies and finds himself in Hell. The devil says, "Pretty hot down here, isn’t it?" The old farmer says, "No, not really." The devil goes over to a thermostat and turns up the heat and says, "What do you think now?" The old farmer replies, "I was a wheat farmer in Kansas for more than 70 years. I know what hot is." This really ticks off the devil, so he goes over to the thermostat and cranks it all the way up. "What do you think now?" he asks with an evil laugh.
The farmer gets out his handkerchief, wipes his brow and replies, "It’s warm, but have you ever sat on a tractor in a 100 acre Kansas wheat field, in the middle of August? Now that’s hot." Angrily, the devil storms over and turns the temperature all the way down. Suddenly, everything is freezing, with long icicles hanging from the ceiling. "Well what do you think of that!" roars the devil. All the farmer can do is laugh. "What’s so funny?" asks the devil. The farmer can’t answer because he’s on his hands and knees laughing so hard, he can’t speak. " I asked you, what’s so funny!" the devil roars. Finally the farmer gets up, wipes the tears of relief from his eyes and replies, “My wife told me when hell freezes over….Looks like my wife is going to cut up her credit cards after all!"….Don’t wait for hell to freeze over to make the change!
When God told the prophet Jeremiah, to go down to the potter’s house and watch the potter, as he works with the clay, He was comparing each of us to clay in the potters hands. When the fingers of God begin to press and squeeze upon your life, it’s time to just yield to Him and trust that He knows how to shape and form you, better than you do. Even when God is preparing a blessing, there is pressure and squeezing.
James 1:3 “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing”. Instead of waiting for change to come, let’s be the changethat’s coming! When we are filled with the resurrection reality, new life rushes in and we begin to see and hear the evidence of it everywhere, and every situation we are in. Old thoughts and desires are replaced with new ones that center around Christ and His Word. Old habits are being replaced with new habits of prayer, worship, fellowship and witness. Oh yes, You’re on your way to living and moving in the power of Christ’s resurrection.
Let the church of the resurrected Christ, ARISE, AND WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE, because The Resurrection Changes Everything!!!! He speaks to us on this side of the empty tomb what He spoke to Isaiah on the other side…
Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not; for I am with you, be not dismayed; for I am your God: I will strengthen you, yea, I will help you, yea, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness”. Speak Your Resurrection message, into our hearts and lives, Lord Jesus. And we shall never be the same!!! The Resurrection Changes Everything!!
Let us Pray together…
Lord, You are the potter, I am the clay. You are the Potter and I am the work of Your hands". Thank you for Your resurrection power, which is working and shaping me from the inside out. You are causing me to be equal to the changes I am facing, they are pushing me to learn, and as my mind expands and grows, my spirit is strong, and my future is bright. Any setbacks I experience are only temporary, and I am growing more confident, with each day. Help me to be willing to see resurrection power in all things, so that I may act in harmony with my best, and highest self. I pray that I may give the benefit of the doubt to all those I meet, because you believed in me, when I didn’t even have confidence in myself. May I come to understand, that there are blessings everywhere, if I will just look for them. Lord, You are teaching me, that, when I maintain a positive attitude, it makes things go so much smoother. May I always remember, that each person is unique and important, and that each relationship in my life has a special value. Bless the new choices I am making, as I forsake even the good things for the best things, as I press forward into all things which You have designed for my life. Open my spirit to accept new challenges, new people, new opportunities, and new experiences. I bless each new undertaking with a winning attitude, careful planning, good timing, clear direction, financial integrity, and Your favor. In everything, I seek to give you Glory, Honor, and all the Credit, In Jesus Name I pray and confess, Amen
