Power Of the Obvious

Key Scripture:  "Learn of me, for I am gentle and humble in heart."  Matthew 1:29

Power Point:

     I heard someone use the word "obvious" yesterday. It caught my attention. The ANOINTING, the Presence of God's own Holy Spirit,  is to be obvious in me and in you.  When people looked at the disciples, they were woefully inadequate in terms of education, and occupation, but it was "OBVIOUS" that they had been with Jesus.

     Is it obvious to the people who know you best that you have been with Jesus?  What should that look like? Are you gentle and humble in heart? Are you restful to be with?  Is it EASY to be with you? Are you yoked to His kindness?

Do you go about doing things that benefit people, and demonstrate the love and goodness of God to them?

Do you forgive without question and release His power for them to change by the kindness of His Spirit?

Do you break the heavy yokes of your expectations off of people and offer them the light and easy yoke of relationship with Jesus instead?

Where they've slipped up do you give the a hand up?

Where they've fallen short, do you extend mercy to where they are?

Is Kindness the focus of your day?

Are you "in it to win it" for "them".  Are you their Cheerleader in Chief as you intercede for them?

Then the Anointing is able to do its work, because you've been with Jesus.  

     As believers in Christ, it should be obvious that we have been changed by our encounters with Him.  As you read the pages of Scripture, the words there are meant to reframe your thinking to the thoughts of Christ.  If we don't allow that to happen, then the Anointing on our lives will be like a beautifully wrapped present under the Christmas Tree that never gets opened.   

     Beloved, our words to and about people are to express what God sees. and how HE feels.  How often have you been with someone and told them "good" things and then gone home and torn them to pieces because of their mistakes?  What we say in private is to be as anointed as what we say in public.

Can you imagine Jesus talking to the disciples about the woman caught in adultery.  He had sent her off into a new freedom.  Do you think He went home and talked about how bad she had looked and the things she had done?  I don't think so.  Why? Because He doesn't keep count of wrongs, He loves us into  wholeness.

     God doesn't love us or help us based on our performance.  He loves us because He IS love. He helps us because it is His nature to Help.  His goodness toward us depends on who He is, not who we are. I believe He is saying that His goodness in us, through the power of His Holy Spirit is to make the nature and desires of our Heavenly Father obvious.

Does your life make "His Grace" obvious?

     The good news is that the Holy Spirit has not taken a vacation. He's ready, willing and able to HELP you.  What is obvious to Him about God, can become obvious in you too.  All you have to do is ask.

Power Thought:

Is it obvious to others that you've been with Jesus?

Copyright © 2014, Suzanne Roberts, Unpublished Work

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Power Of Fragrance

Key Scripture:  "Thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ’s victory] and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere." 
2 Corinthians 2:14

Power Point:

     My mother used to wear "Odalisque" perfume. I LOVED it. After we first married, I was doing my student teaching and my husband, Denny, was working in another state  He was going to be able to come home for the weekend, and I was very excited.  I had taken a small bottle of my mom's perfume with me to school.  All day long I kept layering on the "Odalisque".  I'm sure I traumatized a lot of sinuses that day!  And I'm sure that when Denny finally got there, it was only grace that kept him from sneezing at my powerful fragrance.

     I've since learned that there is an even more powerful fragrance-the fragrance of Christ.

     Do you remember when you used to walk into a department store and people attacked you from every angle with some sort of perfume?  There was no place to hide from it.  Evidently people complained enough so that now they only spray a small card with the perfume and you are free to take it or leave it. 

     In Jesus we have the opportunity to "take" a special fragrance; one that people will want to inhale.The aroma of His life in us draws people closer. They know they need life and we smell like life. When we are filled with Him, the fragrance of His goodness and kindness are released like a spray of perfume.  Where there is hopelessness, we can release the aroma of hope and faith.  Where there is need, we can be a sweet smell of provision.

     There are fragrances that are a part of me, that some people might not like, but when I allow Jesus to anoint me with the fragrance that is Him, they want to get closer.  They want to know more.

What would it take today for you to offer to others the fragrance of Christ? What if you released the fragrance of the unlimited possibilities of His Kingdom?  Of the Healer?  Of the Helper?  Of the powerful kindness of God?

     MMM.   That smells really, really GOOD!

Power Thought:

When you inhale deeply of the presence and nature of God, you will always be anointed to release the fragrance of Life to those you meet. That's when you become a trophy of Christ's victory.

Copyright (c) 2014, Suzanne Roberts, Unpublished Work.

Power Of Instead

Key Scripture:  “And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing.”  Isaiah 10:27

Power Point:

     Before I knew the Lord I had very few options in my life.  If I was sad, I generally stayed sad.  If I was angry, it was easy to express it.

If I was confused or hurt or disappointed, it seemed like those feelings, those experiences were just too heavy to bear.

     Then I met Jesus, and I learned to experience more of who God really was, and I discovered that He wasn’t at all like the God other people told me about.  Over the years I began to encounter more and more of His Holy Spirit in my life and I began to realize that one of the great gifts He had given me-was the gift of “Instead”, the gift of “Options”.

     In Psalm 103, the Holy Spirit describes some of the benefits we have in Him:

Instead of being overwhelmed by sin, we have forgiveness.

Instead of diseases, we can have healing.
Instead of destruction, we have a Rescuer who has crowned us with His passionate love and mercy and is actively providing wonderfully good things.
     The passage I most love about the options we have is Isaiah 61.  Holy Spirit outdid Himself on this one. In fact, Jesus Himself, quoted it as His own

permission from the Father and the Holy Spirit to live a life with “options”.

Instead of being powerless we are anointed with the power of God.

Instead of bad news, we have GOOD news!

Instead of broken hearts, we now have the option of whole hearts.

Instead of living our lives in prison, we can be free.

Instead of mourning, we can have His comfort.

Instead of ashes, He will create beauty.

Instead of empty words, He gives us the oil of His joy for our sadness.

Instead of a heavy spirit, He gives an ability to praise.

Instead of shame, He offers us double honor.

Instead of confusion, we will rejoice in our inheritance.

     Beloved, Jesus came to make a difference. He left us the anointing of the Holy Spirit on our lives to bring us options.  You have permission from your Heavenly Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit to live an “optional” life.

Why not take them up on it?

Power Thought:

Abundance in any area is not optional with God.

Copyright © 2014, Suzanne Roberts, Unpublished Work.

Power Of Mole Hills

Key Scripture:  "Without faith it is impossible to please Him." Hebrews 11:6

                           "Nothing is impossible with God." Luke 1:37

Power Point:

     The truth is when you start letting the devil tunnel into your life, and then you choose to focus on the tunnel, you begin to form mole hills. Those mole hills can become very large mountains. Could it be that when Jesus was sitting with His disciples chatting one day, that they were talking about some mountains in their lives that were really mole hills?

     Jesus and His disciples had had a busy few days. He had been healing people, teaching people everywhere He went, and the people LOVED Him.  He had recently made His glorious triumphal entry into Jerusalem, cursed a fig tree it wasn't what it was supposed to be.  Then He cleansed the temple because it wasn't what it was supposed to be either! Following all of this, Peter looks at the now very dead fig tree and says, "Oh my goodness Lord, that fig tree that You cursed is DEAD!" (or words to that effect).  Then something very strange happens.  Instead of going into a lot of detail and giving step by step instructions on cursing unfruitful things, Jesus turns toward them, looks them in the eye and says, "Have faith in God. Because I am assuring you that whatever thing is a mountain in your life, if you have more faith in His goodness and His mercy than in the size of your problem, you yourself will speak to fig trees or mountains of any size, and they'll die or go skipping into the sea." (Suzanne translation)

     Beloved, it's not the size of your mountain-it's the size of your God.

Is your faith in the size of that obstacle in your life, or is it in the unlimited and extravagant power of God's desire to help you?  Are you making mountains out of mole hills? You need to remember that no matter what the size of the mountain is that you are looking at, it is a mole hill in His eyes.  None of them represent a problem for His power. And the really good news?  Because of Who He is, you can come running to Him boldly, expecting to receive grace and mercy, and perfect help just when you need it.

    Jesus said, "WHATEVER you ask and believe for, you will receive." He did not qualify the size of the thing asked for. In fact in Ephesians 3:20, Paul emphasised the size of our God. "He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above and beyond all that we can ask or think, according to the power that works in us."

What are your words giving power to today?  Are you continually addressing the size of your problem or the size of your God? 

Something to think about isn't it?

Power Thought:

What are YOUR Words giving power to today?  How big is your God?

Copyright (© 2014, Suzanne Roberts, Unpublished Work.