Power Of Wondering

Key Scripture:  “God looked and saw evil looming on the horizon-so much evil and no sign of justice.  He couldn’t believe what He saw: not a soul around to correct this awful situation.  So He did it Himself!” Isaiah 59:16, The Message

“He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor.”  Isaiah 59:16 NSFB

Power Point:

     The next time you look at your own life or at someone else’s life, you might think about this scripture.  Sometimes we look at issues around us and are appalled.  Sometimes we are hurt and confused and stunned at the magnitude of the problem.

Can you imagine God feeling the same way?  It seems that He does. He is not appalled at the problem, of course, He’s appalled that that there is no one who will take hold of their armor and fight for God’s heart in that situation.

Cheer up!  There’s GOOD news. If we refuse to take advantage of our priestly calling; If we concentrate on the problem MORE than helping someone find God’s way OUT of that problem, then He takes care of it all by Himself. He suits up with all the Power available to Him and then He MOVES in to help.  He comes toward and meets the one who is waiting for Him.

     I love verse 17 in this passage because it says that He not only COMES but He is clad in ZEAL.  Yes!

     Now of course, this passage is describing Jesus.  The Savior has already been sent from heaven.  He came so well-armed and so well-prepared that the enemy is still licking his wounds. When he tries to come in and flood our lives with his evil, you can be assured that the Spirit of the Lord, (the One that Jesus sent to us),  WILL lift up the standard of Truth against him.

He will say, "YOU have no right here. Be Gone!"

He will say, "This is God’s child. Vamoose!"
He will say, "This is the way out!"

He will open Satan’s ears to hear the voices of the intercessors violently, passionately, and  beautifully praising God.

He will actively help us to resist him and he has to go.

He will establish an atmosphere of praise that will bring God’s heart to His kids.

     Is God scratching His head at that situation in your life? Is He shaking His head at the enormous problem that is choking the life out of someone you love?  It’s your turn to “suit up”!  It’s your turn to join the "A" team and move heaven’s resources into that situation. Today.  Now.  Pray, intercede, and join forces with the Spirit of God to overcome evil with good. Someone needs you.

And by the way, do it with ZEAL!

Power Thought:

“When the enemy comes in, like a FLOOD, the Spirit of the Lord will raise up a standard against him.”   Will you help?  
Just wondering!

Power of Surprise!

Key Scripture:  “When You did AWESOME things for which we did not look!”

Isaiah 64:3

Power Point:

God loves to surprise us! 

-Moses failed miserably and then was surprised by a burning bush.

-Lazarus died and then surprised everyone by walking out of his tomb.

-Jesus died and then He surprised us with the resurrection.

-Jesus ascended and then He surprised us with the arrival of the Holy Spirit.

     Somewhere, somehow, sometime God will surprise YOU with His goodness.

In fact, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!

     Do you remember the surprising night when God led His people out of Egypt?  He surprised them with the first miracle they had ever seen, the parting of the Red Sea.

Do you remember when the disciples had been fishing all night without even one tiny minnow to show for it?  Jesus surprised them with a catch so awesome that it broke their nets.

I love that about God.  I love knowing that whatever lack or need I see in front of my face, God has a wonderful surprise in store for me.

It’s just the way He is. 

     Do you need a way out?  Expect a surprising pathway to show up.

     Do you have a lack? Launch out into the deep.

     Have you failed?  Go find that bush!

     God has glorious surprises in store for you.  He’s not limited by your imagination or your hopelessness. He’s got a pocketful of miracles ready to sprinkle across your path.

“Men are clueless about who God really is; A glorious God, who acts on behalf of the one who waits for Him.

He comes toward and meets with the one who is greatly happy in Him."  Is. 64:4,5  (Suzanne version).

He's hiding right around that next corner waiting to jump out and say, "Surprise!"

Powerful Thought:

I wonder what God has in store for us today. Whatever will He do next?!

Power Of No Effect

Key Scripture:  “By your traditions you have made the word of God of no effect.”  Matthew 5:6

Power Point:

     Sometimes it’s a good idea to just step aside from your life for a moment or two, look clearly at God’s Word and examine yourself to see if you are where you should be.  I’m not talking about how much time you spend in prayer, or how many times you went to church last year, or if you had your quiet time this morning.  Those are “things” that cause you to measure yourself.   God never does that.

     Beloved, we are to believe that God’s word has more effect on us and around us than anything else.  We are supposed to be the firm standard bearers for His Truth. People should be able to look at our lives and say, “WOW! They are living proof of God’s goodness. I think I’ll get to know Him.”

     Sometimes if you take a REALLY good look at your faith walk you might find yourself unable to find the good effects of salvation in your daily life.

     One scripture I’ve come to love over the last few years is in Romans 1:16:

“I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes…in it the goodness of God is revealed.”  The word “ashamed” means, confused or embarrassed.  Have you ever been tempted to be ashamed or embarrassed by all the wonderful things that God has promised you in His gospel?  Well, when I’m threatened with that nasty little thought or when I’m having a bad day, I stomp my little foot and say,

“NO!  I will NOT be ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It’s good news. It’s powerful and I’m not going to be disappointed in it.“

I will not make the words and the power of God of no effect in my life.

I will not allow lack, fear, doubt, or uncertainty to make my faith of no effect.

Doubt makes Jesus ineffective in your life.

Fear makes Jesus ineffective in your life.

Worry makes Jesus ineffective in your life.

     God promises that His word is alive, and powerful and full of energy and that it never returns without accomplishing what He desires. Have you ever been tempted to ask, “Why doesn’t the gospel work for me?”

     Scripture is pretty clear on that one- the traditions of men.  What does that mean?  It means that what men have decided that their own version of what God has said has more impact on us than what God has really said.

     You have only to look at America to see the truth of that. When the bill of Rights was written, it was firmly declared that the government could not establish a religion or restrict the full exercise of it. The Founders had a good reason for being so specific.  They came from a country where they were not allowed to read the Bible.  They had to accept the King’s version of it. They wanted the freedom to exercise their faith without exception. Over the years, the courts turned those words upside down and inside out and have created a “false” truth that is nowhere near what the founders of this country intended.  And as the years have gone by, the TRUTH and the PURPOSE of what was

Some traditions are wonderful!

written down have become of no effect.

     Have you heard that God intends you to suffer? Has someone told you that healing was for a limited time in history?  Did you think you could only live in peace when you get to heaven? Did you think the abundant life was supposed to begin when you die?

     Beloved, those are traditions that don’t hold water. Scripture says that when we deny the power of God we become like “clouds that don’t hold water”.  In other words, we become ineffective and useless.

    Can you identify any areas of your life where you have felt that the gospel wasn’t working? Is Jesus effective in your life? Does what He has promised give you hope and peace or are the words He has promised just words on a page for you?  

  The gospel was designed to change your life.  Has it? What He has said MATTERS!  What you believe that HE said MATTERS!

     Don’t be a cloud without water today.  Pour some Living Water on your dry bones and watch them become effective and strong again.

Power Thought:

Is it time to break with tradition?

Power Of A Glass Ceiling

Key Scripture:  "And the street of the heavenly city was like pure gold, like transparent glass."  Revelation 21:21

“Before the Throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal.”  Revelation 4:6

Power Point:

I know you’ve probably seen signs in a candy store, saying, “Look but don’t touch!” (I think a mom probably put it there.) Just go back into a memory in your own life where you were allowed to “look” but you were never permitted to touch what was right in front of you.

     Have you ever felt that way about the Kingdom of Heaven and all the wonderful things you read about that are waiting for you there?  The other day the Lord showed me that its exactly like having a glass ceiling over our heads.  We can see what’s above the glass but when we try to raise our hands to grab hold of something we hit that thick glass ceiling.  I don’t know about you, but I’ve bumped my head more than once trying to break through it. I don’t know if you’ve ever bumped into a glass door but I have.  OUCH!  You can’t even see that its there sometimes but it presents a real barrier to getting where you want to go!

     As I thought about that thick ceiling I began to see it crack.  What was cracking it?  The Lord said that the glass ceiling is formed by our thoughts. We can “see” the kingdom of heaven and we “know” that there are good things right above our heads but until our thoughts become transformed into “heavenly” thoughts, we’ll never be able to break through.  I was asking Him about a particular area of my life.  The more I talked with Him, the more I realized that indeed, that “train of thought” was keeping me from a breakthrough into kingdom life. So- I changed my mind! As I began to add God’s thoughts to mine I could see myself reach up and break off a piece of the glass. Immediately Jesus grabbed my hand and pulled me up to where He was.

     You need to know that the whole ceiling did not disappear at once.  As we began to talk about other things I was not thinking “higher” about, I agreed to change my mind each time.  Then I could reach up and break off another piece.  Just think how amazing the day will be when there’s not one tiny shard of glass ceiling left over our heads; when every thick, earthbound thought has been broken off and we have free access to the Kingdom of God. Of course, we already have the access, it’s just that “old thinking” keeps us from experiencing the results of “New thinking”.

     Do you have an area where you find yourself unable to stand up straight and tall because of a thick glass ceiling over your head?  Wouldn’t it feel great to be able to see it crack and disappear? Of course it would.

     Ask Holy Spirit to help you to see where you’re forming a barrier to Kingdom living by your thoughts.  Ask Him to give you a new perspective, His perspective, in that area so that you can stand a bit taller in the spirit.

Power Thought:

God loves the transparency of glass.  He loves for our faith to be apparent and transparent. It should be obvious to everyone. Only His thoughts about you and your situation will keep you in that place of crystal clear thinking.

Power Of Letting NOT!

Key Scripture:  “Let not your heart be troubled.  Believe!  John 14:1

Power Point;

     Recently I found a great treasure in this verse. When I looked it up in the Greek, the words, “Let not” mean “God forbid!” It means “Do not even let the THOUGHT of something enter your head!  Don’t even consider it!” The word for “troubled” means to be agitated and stirred up.  Ever been there?

Jesus is saying,
"Don’t even let the thought of fear, or worry, or discouragement keep you stirred up and agitated all the time. Only Believe!”

There are some other places where we hear those words as well.  Here are a few:

Matthew 1:19 When Joseph considered the possibility of setting Mary aside. The angel appeared and said, “FEAR NOT!” (God Forbid!) Don’t even think about that!

Matthew 6:25  Jesus said, “Take NO THOUGHT” for your life –what you shall eat or drink or about what you will wear.”  In other words "God Forbid"" that you should take a thought that denies the provision of Your heavenly Father. Only believe.

Matthew 7:1 "God forbid that you should" take” judgmental thoughts about others. Uh oh.

Luke 24:38  "God forbid" that you should be stirred up and agitated; that you should allow doubts to arise in your hearts.

John 14:1  God forbid that you should let your hearts and minds be stirred up, agitated  and fearful.  Why?  If you believe in God, believe also in Me,

and you will have privilege of living in the same peace I lived in. I am leaving you MY PERFECT PEACE.  "God forbid" that you do not “take” it.

     We are to actively forbid any thought that is not good, or that is harmful or discouraging. We are to actively believe what God says.  The Word for “believe” in the NT is used to mean an absolute conviction about someone or something. It means “saving faith” which saves you.

In Philippians 4:8 Paul reminds us again that our thoughts are what bring us His peace.  God forbid that we should think anything that troubles us or stirs us up and agitates us.  Often when I turn on my washing machine and the “agitator” begins to “agitate” my clothes, I can relate!  Sometimes when I have ignored God’s counsel and begun to think fearfully, and doubtfully, I know how those clothes feel. I’m learning that when the chief Agitator comes to stir me up, I can say, “GOD FORBID! God forbid that I should take that thought, and then I say, "That's what you say Satan, this is what God says!"

Beloved, you are in charge of the thoughts that you think.  You get to choose what will bless you and what you will allow to remain in your thinking.  God forbid that you should LET your heart be stirred up and agitated all the time when perfect Peace has already been given to you.

Power Thought:

Peace is your inheritance.  Is it time to claim it?