Sunday, August 23, 2015

The power of Joy!


                                                  Shout your way to Victory!


                                Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.(Hab 3:17-18) 

                    There is a tendency of a que sera, sera attitude in the body of Christ. We attribute everything including destruction as an excuse to praise God. God is sovereign and everything that happens is God's will---Allow me to, respectfully differ. The word says to give to Cesar what is Cesar and to God what is God's. Jesus said that the thief comes to kill, steal and destroy but I (Jesus) come to give life abundantly. ( John 10:10) Jesus wants us to have life in our health, finances, relationships, etc. 
                   The key word to see in Hab 3:18 is joy. Joy is a fruit of the spirit. Joy can be expressed in a shout, dance or even laughter among other things. (PS 126:1-2/Ps 149:3/Ps 32:11) Joy is a powerful weapon. Even Job in the midst of suffering knew about this power. He said that in the midst of corruption and famine to laugh. ( Job 5:22) Why? If you read the end of the book of Job, you will find that God restored unto him double for his trouble.(Job 42:10) Joy is a powerful weapon. 
                   So powerful is joy that God released it to set his people free from Egyptian captivity. (Ps 105:42-43) I, personally, believed that there were a remnant of Jews bringing into God's remembrance his covenant with his people. As God heard the words of his covenant being lifted up in prayer, he unleashed his force of joy upon his people and made them free. The best part is that none of them came out of the land broke or sick. (Ps 105:37) The word feeble is translated from the Hebrew as sick. 
               What about you, friend? Are you in captivity? Have you been frustrated regarding your prayers? Unleash the power of joy in your life. You are in covenant with God. God is laughing at your enemies, so it is time to laugh along with him and see his power at work! (Ps 2:4)

Verses courtesy of www.biblegateway.com

                                     

Sunday, August 16, 2015

Salvation is a gift---

                 

                               --Assembly required! 

                    

                                             Are you ready to assemble your gift?  (1)

                   
            As I pondered upon the joy of Salvation and its benefits, the Lord pointed out a couple of things that are essential to the body of Christ. Years ago, while driving along a country road, I passed by a church marquee that read "Salvation is a gift--Assembly required." It brought me back years to my childhood when my father brought me my first bike. 
                I used to walk by the store and see all those beautiful bikes on display so, naturally, I got excited when my dad told me that he was buying a bike for me. That day, he came home and brought a box. Then, I saw him take out his toolbox and, patiently, assembled the bike for me. When the finished product was done--Viola, I had a brand new bike to enjoy! 
               You may ask what is the point?  The point is in order to make proper use of your salvation, you need to open the package. Next, assembly is required. In the natural, my Dad helped me to assemble my gift, which was a bike. In the spiritual, the assembling of your gift comes through the church. Heb 10:25 says not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together. 
               If you accepted Jesus but are not going to church, your gift is not properly assembled. That is why people are pulling out their hairs and questioning God when He is saying assembly required. I thank God for Christian TV. It is a great side tool to have especially for the sick and shut ins but while you are healthy and strong, you need to find a good church. 
             Eph 4:8-16  is the key. A good church is one in which the five-fold ministries are in operation. Through the Holy Spirit, he assembles what is lacking in your gift so that you can enjoy your salvation and then tell others about it. As you do, you will find your place in Christ and be able to do exploits for him. Then, when you are fully matured, you can be a gift unto others as well. Amen. 

                                               (1) http://public.fotki.com/kelvinkay/collection_of_beaut/xmasparty061.html