- araratchurch
- May 16, 2023
- 2 min read
The Prophetic Word
Day 29: We need an intercessor!
In preparation for our discussion over the next five days, please carefully read and meditate on the following scriptures:
“O earth, do not conceal my blood. Let it cry out on my behalf. Even now my witness is in heaven. My advocate is there on high. My friends scorn me, but I pour out my tears to God. I need someone to mediate between God and me, as a person mediates between friends. For soon I must go down that road from which I will never return.”
Job 16:18-22 NLT
“Yes, truth is gone, and anyone who renounces evil is attacked. The Lord looked and was displeased to find there was no justice. He was amazed to see that no one intervened to help the oppressed. So he himself stepped in to save them with his strong arm, and his justice sustained him. He put on righteousness as his body armor and placed the helmet of salvation on his head. He clothed himself with a robe of vengeance and wrapped himself in a cloak of divine passion. He will repay his enemies for their evil deeds. His fury will fall on his foes. He will pay them back even to the ends of the earth. In the west, people will respect the name of the Lord; in the east, they will glorify him. For he will come like a raging flood tide driven by the breath of the Lord.”
Isaiah 59:15-19 NLT
“I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?”
Romans 7:21-24 NLT
Yes, we need an intercessor; and, we have One! We will begin looking into this tomorrow.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- May 16, 2023
- 3 min read
“For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
2 Corinthians 4:5-7 ESV
[If you haven’t read the scriptures given yesterday (Day 27), please go back and do so now before going further.]
On Day 24 we discussed the fact that some Christians have a way of compartmentalizing their lives even in terms of their trusting in the Lord. That is, they may depend on the Lord for things considered to be in His “purview,” yet lean to their own understanding in other things.
Most troubling is the fact that many Christians even minister—or try to minister—in their own strength, thinking that somehow what they have to give others must/should come from their own resources.
As we have discussed this week (in more ways than one), the resources from which we give are from the Lord; and indeed, that is how the Lord intended it to be.
We must not cordon off any portion of our life or living as being an area we can deal with—or want to deal with—on our own.
Make no mistake, those areas not totally submitted to the Lord will become an access point from which the enemy will mess with your life!
As well, operating in that manner will cause us to fall short of what the Lord could do through us.
Still worse, we run the real risk of displeasing the Lord.
And, needless to say, our ability to minister to others is throttled when we are operating in our own strength.
“Whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus [and in dependence on Him], giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
Colossians 3:17 AMP
Our lives will be a true reflection of the Lord only when the Lord can seamlessly flow through our yielded will in everything we do.
As well, complete submission to His will is the only way to be truly operating in His name and authority.
Paul gave some possibly hard to swallow advice to servants who had become Christians.
“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”
Colossians 3:23 NLT
He literally told them to serve their masters as if they were doing what they were doing for the Lord! Again, the Lord is not only the source, but the reason for all we do. And, his advice isn’t just for servants.
Peter had failed miserably by denying the Lord three times. When the Lord—having risen from the dead—was back among the disciples, He had an interesting exchange with Peter:
“After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.” “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him. Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.” “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said. A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.”
John 21:15-17 NLT
Jesus basically told Peter that if he loved Him he would minister to the sheep, minister to the Lord’s followers.
Here’s the bottom line: No matter what we are doing—whether that is performing menial tasks or performing great and mighty miracles—the power through which we are working, the source we are accessing, the attitude with which we are doing what we’re doing, all circles back to being about our Lord.
In our opening scripture we see Paul talking about the fact that we have seen the Lord through the face of Jesus; He has revealed the father to us.
Now, the knowledge of our Lord within us is currently a wonderful treasure being carried around in bodies that will decay. But please understand, as we live and move and have our being through Jesus Christ by way of the Holy Spirit, our lives will also reveal the Father!
“In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
Matthew 5:16 NLT
As well, we will less and less become discouraged, burned out, fearful, arrogant, or any other toxic attitudes, emotions or behaviors keeping us from being truly victorious in this life.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- May 14, 2023
- 1 min read
For today’s word please give careful consideration to the following scriptures as we will discuss them tomorrow.
“Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened. The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon’s Colonnade.”
Acts 5:11-12 NLT
“And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.”
1 Corinthians 2:4-5 NLT
“Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”
Colossians 3:16-17 NLT
“And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose.”
Hebrews 2:4 NLT
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!