Tuesday, March 27th> Luke 19: 28-40
Why does Jesus deserve such reckless worship and praise from His followers? Well, if you MUST ask, here goes: He's only the GREATEST human being that ever lived; all-God and all- man at the same time. He went through every emotion we have ever experienced, was the only One Who could actually claim to "know what it feels like" and mean it. He walked ten thousand miles in our shoes before we were even born, AND DID NOT SIN.
He Who knew no sin, Jesus the Christ, agreed to be sin for us for no other reason than because He loved us with an everlasting love. Everytime I think of how ugly, sinful and lost I was, and how He loved me through it all, I realize I don't need prompting to praise Him with all that's within me. If I were there in Jerusalem that day, I'd be one of those who lay down their garments on the dusty road for Him to ride over. When it comes to my Jesus, I WILL BE EVEN MORE UNDIGNIFIED THAN THIS.
What A Privilege!
Monday, March 26th> Mark 1: 1-8
How does John the Baptist's purpose for being born mirror what every believer has been assigned to do? Can you imagine a man being born just to spend his days in the wilderness announcing the coming of another person. Everything he does points to this person's importance and not his own. He never once tries to take any credit for drawing the crowds that come to see and hear what he's going on and on about.
Seems too good to be true, huh? Well, it's not. Everything John was given to amplify Jesus as THE Son of God, we've also been given. Our mission is to go willingly to out-of- the-way places and declare what He did for us through His death. And what's more, we don't need to draw any attention to ourselves. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we can compel others to accept the salvation that's been freely given to them. What a privilege -- to be used to AMPLIFY the Father and His Son, Jesus!
How does John the Baptist's purpose for being born mirror what every believer has been assigned to do? Can you imagine a man being born just to spend his days in the wilderness announcing the coming of another person. Everything he does points to this person's importance and not his own. He never once tries to take any credit for drawing the crowds that come to see and hear what he's going on and on about.
Seems too good to be true, huh? Well, it's not. Everything John was given to amplify Jesus as THE Son of God, we've also been given. Our mission is to go willingly to out-of- the-way places and declare what He did for us through His death. And what's more, we don't need to draw any attention to ourselves. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we can compel others to accept the salvation that's been freely given to them. What a privilege -- to be used to AMPLIFY the Father and His Son, Jesus!
Walking in God's Power
Sunday, March 25th> Acts chapter 8
What are the steps to walking in God's power to win souls?
STEP 1: BE FILLED with the power of the Holy Spirit.
STEP 2: BE SENSITIVE to the Voice of God, being able to recognize that it is HE speaking-- through angels, through the Holy Spirit, or through His sanctified vessels.
STEP 3: LAY DOWN every ulterior motive, only hold on to the profession of your faith in God's desire for the lost to be saved.
STEP 4: MOVE in the Kairos moment when you hear God tell you to.
STEP 5: OPEN up your mouth and let the Holy Spirit speak to the spirit of the lost one(s) Whom God created. Just be a vessel to be used for the work of salvation to begin.
STEP 6: GET OUT OF THE WAY!
What are the steps to walking in God's power to win souls?
STEP 1: BE FILLED with the power of the Holy Spirit.
STEP 2: BE SENSITIVE to the Voice of God, being able to recognize that it is HE speaking-- through angels, through the Holy Spirit, or through His sanctified vessels.
STEP 3: LAY DOWN every ulterior motive, only hold on to the profession of your faith in God's desire for the lost to be saved.
STEP 4: MOVE in the Kairos moment when you hear God tell you to.
STEP 5: OPEN up your mouth and let the Holy Spirit speak to the spirit of the lost one(s) Whom God created. Just be a vessel to be used for the work of salvation to begin.
STEP 6: GET OUT OF THE WAY!
Worth The Investment
Friday, March 23rd > Acts 1: 1-8
How is observing chronological time the opposite of what the Holy Spirit wants to do in and through us? We spend a good bit of our minutes, hours, days, weeks and months focusing on what WE think God would have us doing. But who better to communicate the heart of a man than the man himself? The Holy Spirit is the Only One Who knows exactly what God wants from us at a specific moment.
No-where is this more evident than during praise and worship. If you're a music minister or worship leader, you can't be more concerned about chronological time than about making room for the Holy Spirit to move and speak. If you're worried that 45 minutes have gone by rather than focused on making yourself available to usher in the Lord's Presence, you may be missing out on key moments when the Holy Spirit wanted to do something life-changing. Our prayer today is that God teach us how to wait on His Holy Spirit. He's DEFINITELY worth the investment.
How is observing chronological time the opposite of what the Holy Spirit wants to do in and through us? We spend a good bit of our minutes, hours, days, weeks and months focusing on what WE think God would have us doing. But who better to communicate the heart of a man than the man himself? The Holy Spirit is the Only One Who knows exactly what God wants from us at a specific moment.
No-where is this more evident than during praise and worship. If you're a music minister or worship leader, you can't be more concerned about chronological time than about making room for the Holy Spirit to move and speak. If you're worried that 45 minutes have gone by rather than focused on making yourself available to usher in the Lord's Presence, you may be missing out on key moments when the Holy Spirit wanted to do something life-changing. Our prayer today is that God teach us how to wait on His Holy Spirit. He's DEFINITELY worth the investment.
Take Over, Holy Spirit!
Thursday, March 22nd> Luke 12: 1-12
Why is depending on the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit more important than trying to defend ourselves before the ungodly? We don't represent ourselves, and the One to Whom we've offered ourselves as ambassadors has His own way of doing things. If we want the impact on our world to be long-lasting, we cannot use the world's devices -- shame, embarrassment, and defending ourselves from those things. Rather, as we trust Him to speak through us, His a word will plant seeds that our words cannot. Our prayer today is that we allow the Holy Spirit to take over when we have to stand before man and produce results that we're incapable of on our own.
Why is depending on the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit more important than trying to defend ourselves before the ungodly? We don't represent ourselves, and the One to Whom we've offered ourselves as ambassadors has His own way of doing things. If we want the impact on our world to be long-lasting, we cannot use the world's devices -- shame, embarrassment, and defending ourselves from those things. Rather, as we trust Him to speak through us, His a word will plant seeds that our words cannot. Our prayer today is that we allow the Holy Spirit to take over when we have to stand before man and produce results that we're incapable of on our own.
Keep It About HIM!!!!!
Wednesday, March 21st> Proverbs 19: 21; Psalm chapter 37
What should be our primary purpose as we set out to accomplish our assigned God-tasks? If you're in any way a part of the body of Christ, this message is for you. Whatever your role-- from Apostle to deacon, choir director to children's church worker -- your primary purpose is to KEEP IT ABOUT GOD. Make sure there are NO ulterior motives for doing what you do. This will keep you humble, and will also allow you to take a step back, giving yourself room to hear from Him AND be restored by Him when the work becomes hard. The One Who called you is WELL able to complete the work IN and THROUGH you. Got it? WE work for HIM, not the other way around. As long as we keep it in that perspective, He will always be victorious through us.
What should be our primary purpose as we set out to accomplish our assigned God-tasks? If you're in any way a part of the body of Christ, this message is for you. Whatever your role-- from Apostle to deacon, choir director to children's church worker -- your primary purpose is to KEEP IT ABOUT GOD. Make sure there are NO ulterior motives for doing what you do. This will keep you humble, and will also allow you to take a step back, giving yourself room to hear from Him AND be restored by Him when the work becomes hard. The One Who called you is WELL able to complete the work IN and THROUGH you. Got it? WE work for HIM, not the other way around. As long as we keep it in that perspective, He will always be victorious through us.
Ask the Lord of the Harvest!
Tuesday, March 20th> Ezekiel 13: 1-22
Why is it useless to come up with schemes to win souls for Christ? First and foremost, anything done for Christ WITHOUT Christ's heart and the heart of His Father in mind will not last. Surely we can't expect Him to bless our effort if we're only trying to win souls for selfish gain. As a matter of fact, today's passage reveals that it offends and infuriates God when we totally ignore Him, trying to use our own devices rather than truly allowing Him to draw others to Himself.
Our prayer today is that we ask for a clean heart, and search our motives for winning souls (not wanting to do it just to pack the pews in our sanctuaries, but to populate the kingdom of God). If this is our mindset, we'll be able to partner WITH God, and all of His resources-- which are limitless -- will be ours. But if we remain stubborn, woe unto us! Not only will our efforts fail, but He will expose us for the frauds we are, and everyone will see that we do not represent Him. Let's look within today and simply ask the Lord of the harvest to equip us for the work.
Why is it useless to come up with schemes to win souls for Christ? First and foremost, anything done for Christ WITHOUT Christ's heart and the heart of His Father in mind will not last. Surely we can't expect Him to bless our effort if we're only trying to win souls for selfish gain. As a matter of fact, today's passage reveals that it offends and infuriates God when we totally ignore Him, trying to use our own devices rather than truly allowing Him to draw others to Himself.
Our prayer today is that we ask for a clean heart, and search our motives for winning souls (not wanting to do it just to pack the pews in our sanctuaries, but to populate the kingdom of God). If this is our mindset, we'll be able to partner WITH God, and all of His resources-- which are limitless -- will be ours. But if we remain stubborn, woe unto us! Not only will our efforts fail, but He will expose us for the frauds we are, and everyone will see that we do not represent Him. Let's look within today and simply ask the Lord of the harvest to equip us for the work.
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