Luke 17:26-28

In the time of the coming of the Son of Man, life will be as it was in the days of Noah. People ate and drank, married and were given in marriage, right up to the day when Noah entered the ark—and then came the flood and destroyed them all.

Luke 17:33

If you grasp and cling to life on your terms, you’ll lose it, but if you let that life go, you’ll get life on God’s terms.

John 3: 17

For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.

Life on God's terms

In the above verses we see that when God's judgement is poured out upon the earth, it will be business as usual. Men will be eating, drinking, marrying right until the last minute. There is nothing wrong with these things. We need to eat and drink and sex within the context of marriage is beautiful and God ordained. God wants us to rise above our physical realm and reach over to the spiritual realm and live our lives on God's terms. God sent His Son so that the world may find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him. Sometimes we as people spend our lives catering to the needs of our body that our spirit is neglected and ignored. Our Spirits need to be regenerated by accepting the finished work of Christ on the cross and by surrendering our will over to Him. Once we do that the Holy Spirit inhabits our spirit and we begin to live out the Godly life. We let go of life on our terms and grab hold of life on God's terms. Jesus said"I came to give abundant life, life in all it's fullness""His yoke is easy. His burden light" "In His presence there is fullness of Joy and at His right hand pleasures forevermore.He has good plans for us, plans to give us a future filled with hope. Surrender to God and experience all that life has to offer in abundance.Amen.

Ezekiel 36: 26

A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.

1 Thessalonians 5:23

Now, may the God of peace himself cause you to be completely dedicated to him; and may your spirit, soul, and body be kept intact and blameless at our Lord Jesus Christ’s coming.

A new Spirit

God created us with three components. We are a spirit, we have a soul and we live in a body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you and which ye have from God, and that ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. We need to pay attention to all the three components in order to have whole and complete lives. The three components are not separate entities however they are closely interrelated. The chemical changes we undergo in our bodies affect our soul in many ways. The soulish realm affects our spirits and our bodies. The first step would be to have our spirit regenerated by accepting the forgiveness of Christ. Once our spirit is regenerated it goes well with the soul as well. We can say in the words of the hymn writer "when peace like a river attendeth my way, or sorrows like sea billows roll. Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say it is well, it is well with my soul" This body is the tent we live in while in this world. Once we die our bodies decompose however our spirit and soul live on for eternity. We need to have the new heart and new spirit Ezekiel mentions in order for us spend eternity in God's presence. Colossians 3: 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. {Christ gives meaning to your life, and when he appears, you will also appear with him in glory.} In closing take care of your Spirit soul and body and enjoy a fulfilled life in this world and in the world to come as well. As I always say 'Eternity is a long time to be wrong'.

2 Timothy 3:1-2

This know also: that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, without selfcontrol, fierce, despisers of those who are good,
4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God,
5 having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof. From such turn away.

Esther 4:14

...and who knows whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

For such a time as this...

The verses above from the book of Timothy gives an accurate description of the world we are living in today. We only need to look at the evening news to see the depravity of humanity. Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?. We can see the depravity and wickedness of mans heart portrayed in current events enfolding around us in this world. There is unreasonable murders, violence, acts of depravity which all stem from the wickedness of man's heart. In this dark and dying world there is still a ray of hope. That hope is Christ. Colossians 1:27 Christ in you, the hope of glory. 2 Corinthians 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ.As ambassadors we represent Christ in this world and we reflect his light to the lost and dying world we are placed in. Instead of being discouraged and overwhelmed by the darkness around us we bring that ray of hope and sunshine which dispels the darkness by reflecting Christ' light in this world. We are the bearers of good news. The good news John 16:33'but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world.” 1 John 5:4 And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Our faith in God will help direct others to the same hope we have. Our faith in God will be like the lighthouse guiding storm tossed ships through rocky seas safely to the shore. Our faith in God will help us rise above the mediocrity of the world around us and be separated from the depravity we see in the world. We need to rely on our faith and trust God wholeheartedly to be able to stand apart from the darkness so prevalent all around us. And in the words of Mordecai to Esther who knows whether thou art come into the kingdom for such a time as this.

Joshua 1:8 (AmpC)

This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.

Deuteronomy 28:12 (CEV)

...He will make you successful in everything you do. You will have plenty of money to lend to other nations, but you won’t need to borrow any yourself.

Psalm 1:3 (NET)

He is like a tree planted by flowing streams; it yields its fruit at the proper time, and its leaves never fall off. He succeeds in everything he attempts.

Deal Wisely

Success is something that is sought out by most professionals in this world. Although the world's ways conflict with the Lord's ways, He provides us with a recipe for success in His Word. In the above verses we see the Lord's counsel to us is to read His Word and be careful to observe all that he says in it. Once we have the hand of the Lord on us by living a godly life we ensure that His favor will rest upon us and then we will succeed in all we do. One of the things the Lord asks us to do is Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. Regardless of the importance of the job we do or the task at hand for the day, the Lord wants us to put our heart and soul into it and do the very best as if our boss was the Lord himself and not people. The Lord is our ultimate boss and whether our task is washing toilets, filing paper or being the CEO of a company, He wants us to work at it with all our heart. Psalm 75:6,7 For promotion and power come from nowhere on earth, but only from God. He promotes one and deposes another. Once we do our job heartily, the Lord promotes us and establishes us in the place which is right for us. We don"t need to follow the world's way of doing things by stepping over others and trying to promote ourselves at the expense of others in order to be successful. The Lord promotes us to the right place and establishes us where we ought to be. In closing Proverbs 4:7 "Wisdom is the most important thing; so get wisdom. If it costs everything you have, get understanding."

Revelations 3:20

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear My voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.

Revelations 3:20 Amplified

Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears and listens to and heeds My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will eat with him, and he [will eat] with Me.

Revelations 3:20 CEV

Listen! I am standing and knocking at your door. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and we will eat together.

We will sup together

There is something really satisfying when we share a meal together with family or friends. We laugh together, enjoy the feast set before us and really get closer together. In the verse above, Jesus says He is knocking at the door of our hearts. If we respond to His knocks and invite Him into our lives, He says He will come in and we will sup together. Imagine sharing a meal with the King of the universe. Someone so powerful and yet so personal. He knows you inside out. Psalm 139:13 "You are the one who created my innermost parts; you knit me together while I was still in my mother’s womb.". Jesus created us and formed us while still in our mother's womb. He knows every care and concern in our lives. We cannot pretend with Him. His eyes penetrate to the depth of our souls. Hebrews 4:12 "What God has said isn’t only alive and active! It is sharper than any double-edged sword. His word can cut through our spirits and souls and through our joints and marrow, until it discovers the desires and thoughts of our hearts." We cannot put on a brave face, an air of sophistication, any kind of mask to hide our true feelings and nature. God looks right through us and judges the desires and intents of our hearts. Once we bare our souls before our maker, He applies the balm of Gilead which soothes, heals and restores our relationship with Him. Open up your heart's and welcome Christ into your life. The best relationship you can have is one with Jesus. Amen.

Matthew 11:28

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest

Matthew 11:28 (Amplified)

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation].

Matthew 11:28 CEB

“Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.

I will give you rest

Many of us today are weary and heavily burdened as a result of working hard and living fast paced lives. Our lives are like the Energizer bunny where we keep on going and going and going. Many people suffer burn out or other stress related illnesses. Many times stress leads to physical illness such as ulcers, heart problems and even cancer sometimes is caused by stress. In order for us to live a balanced life and avoid these ravages of stress in our lives we need to turn to Jesus, the Author and perfecter of our faith for spiritual rest and soul refreshing. When we start our mornings in the presence of the Lord, over coffee, or by reading the Word (Bible) our spirits are nourished and fed and we can face what the day brings our way. Similarly, when we end the day in prayer and reflection upon God's word, we are able to sleep better and wake up refreshed physically, mentally and spiritually. Psalm 46:1 'God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in times of trouble' or in another version: 'God is our refuge and strength, a help in distress' In closing, look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith, when in need of rest and refreshing. He will give you rest, refreshing your souls with salvation. Amen.

Psalm 121:1.2

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
2 My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth

Hebrews 4:16

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need

Looking up

Where do we go when we are in need of assistance? Do we rely on our own strength and then on those around us before we go to the Lord? Is the Lord our last resort? The Lord is our strength and our shield. When we look up to Him instead of looking around, He certainly runs go our rescue. Many times His way of answering us is very different from our ways. The Lord says ‘’ As high as the heavens are above the earth, so also are My ways higher than your ways.’’ We have a limited understanding of our lives and our future, however the Lord in His infinite wisdom knows ahead of time what is good for us. The Lord has a panoramic view of our lives and of our future and He establishes the end from the beginning. Also, His plans for us may not coincide with ours. I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans of good and not for evil, plans to give you a future filled with hope. Look unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith when in need of assistance. Do not look around or inside to yourself for assistance, look up to Him in honor and reverence and surely He would fly to the rescue.

Luke 22:44

Jesus was in great pain and prayed so sincerely that his sweat fell to the ground like drops of blood.

Mathew 26:42

Then Jesus went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this painful thing to be taken from me, and if I must do it, I pray that what you want will be done.”

Hebrews 12:4

You have not yet struggled to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin;

Not my will but thine

As we see Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane prior to His crucifixion praying for strength to endure the pain He is about to face He sweat drops of blood. This was part of the cost of our salvation and the freedom we experience from sin. Although we say salvation is free for us (Eternal life is a free gift from God) , it cost Jesus a great deal of pain and anguish. As we know, it was our sin that put Jesus on the cross. Our disobedience to God's laws warranted the punishment and pain Jesus bore on His body. This knowledge should result in our eternal gratitude to Jesus for bearing our sins and should also result in us walking in obedience to God's Holy Laws. Sometimes we can tend to become lax in our walk of faith and make an excuse for disobedience to God's word. God's laws are fashioned for us to live a peaceful life. God did not invent laws to restrict our enjoyment of life but rather that we might enjoy abundant life through Christ. Sometimes while facing temptation to disobey God we need to do as Jesus did in the garden of Gethsemane where He prayed for strength to resist temptation and surrender our will and life over to God by saying nevertheless not my will but Thine be done. His will for our lives is the best thing for us. As the song says "Trust and obey for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey".Amen.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

17 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:
18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
19 The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.

In the midst of a storm

Occasionally we are faced with circumstances like Habakkuk describes when it seems like all odds are against us. We may seem to have all hell breaking loose in our lives so to speak. Often in our frailties and weakness one may want to lift a fist up to God and blame Him for our troubles. This is exactly what the enemy(Satan) wants us to do. Our strength and endurance through the trials of life come from God alone. if Satan can separate us from God, he has effectively separated us from our source of victory through the storm. If the devil has got your song, he has got your joy and your source of strength. We get weak in such a situation and it results in us going under which is exactly what the enemy wants. However we need to do as Psalm 121 says
" I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
2 My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.
6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
8 The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore."
We look unto the Lord and he will make our feet like hinds feet and cause us to walk in high places. Our spiritual walk gets moved up a notch. We rise to heights we have never attained. We come out of the trial in Job's words "I will come forth as gold". Just as the fire refines the impurities out of gold, so do our circumstances refine our character and we come through it with purer hearts and cleaner hands. The Lord always turns things around for our good and uses this as a tool to improve our disposition. We grow in our faith walk and learn to lean more on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11 (GNT)

I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for.

Jeremiah 29:11 (CEB)

I know the plans I have in mind for you, declares the Lord; they are plans for peace, not disaster, to give you a future filled with hope.

Future filled with hope

Many of us have made plans over the years on how our lives should turn out. However things don't always work out they we thought or planned they would. We may have made plans for our careers to be a certain way. To become an engineer, a doctor, an inventor, scientist, businessman. Somehow things may not always worked out as we planned them out to be. Others may have made plans for their families to be a certain way. A happy family with a loving husband a considerate wife children a dog and cat and a house with a white picket fence. However many times our plans, although they are good and carefully thought out, may not be what happens in reality. Some of us may have even attained those things we planned and then realize that we are so hectic and busy that we do not even have the time to enjoy our lives. We might begin to wonder 'Is this all there is to life?' However, once our lives are committed to the Lord's capable hands we can rest assured that His plans for our lives surpass our own plans for our lives. Jesus loves us more than anybody in this world loves us. He is our heavenly Father and our life, our joy and our peace is something He cares about. Moses was raised to be the prince of Egypt, the Lord called him to be the deliverer for the Israelites. David was raised to be a shepherd boy whereas the Lord called him to be the King of Israel. Esther, an orphan Jewish girl was called to be the queen of Persia. Paul ho was trained to be a pharisee was called to be an apostle. Peter the impetuous fisherman, was called to be a fisher of men. Elisha the farmer was called to be a prophet of God. Ruth the pagan Moabite woman was called to be in the lineage of Christ after her conversion. All these people prove that God's plan for our lives is so much better than our own plans for our lives. Their lives were headed in one direction and when God got a hold of them He used them in ways they could not have imagined. The same God is our Lord today and He will sometimes change the course of our lives. When He does that we need to trust Him and understand that His plans for us are good and He will give us a future filled with hope. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding and He will make your path straight..

Romans 14:17

For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Romans 14:17 (GNT)

For God's Kingdom is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of the righteousness, peace, and joy which the Holy Spirit gives.

Romans 14:17 (AMPC)

After all] the kingdom of God is not a matter of [getting the] food and drink [one likes], but instead it is righteousness (that state which makes a person acceptable to God) and [heart] peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Kingdom of God

In this world most of our attention is on gathering food and drink and seeing to it that our bodies are nourished. Although we need to feed our bodies to live we also need to focus on more weighty matters. As we see in the Amplified version of Romans 14:17, the kingdom of God is about righteousness-that state which makes a person acceptable to God. Through Christ sacrifice on the cross we are made righteous. The bible says, our righteousness is as filthy rags, however the righteousness imputed to us by Christ as a result of His sacrifice on the cross, makes us whiter that snow. We are made acceptable to God. Heart peace and inner peace are something everyone in this world would love to have and even this is given to us by Christ. A gospel song says He is our peace, who has broken down every wall. He is our peace. Cast all your cares on Him for He cares for you. He is our peace. Joy in the Holy Ghost again is very important to have. Nehemiah 8:10 The joy of the Lord is our strength. Proverbs says A merry heart doeth good like a medicine. We need the joy of the Lord, the joy that comes through knowing the Lord Jesus personally and intimately in order the receive strength and also healing in our bodies. In this era of high stress when depression related illnesses are almost an epidemic, it is imperative to rely on the Lord for peace and joy which follow once we are set right with God through a living thriving relationship with Jesus Christ. In closing, like Jesus said to the disciples, "receive ye the Holy Ghost".

Mark 14:3-8

And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.
4 And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?
5 For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.
6 And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me

Luke 7:37,38

And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

All to Jesus I surrender

In the above verses we see a sinful woman approach Jesus looking for forgiveness and gives the most expensive gift she has and worship and adore Him with all her heart. In a nutshell, that should be the attitude of all our hearts. When we encounter Him (Jesus) who forgives our many sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness we should 'break the alabaster box' or surrender unto Him our plans and our desires and our ambitions and our greed and wash His feet figuratively with our tears of repentance. When our heart is broken, like the alabaster box, over the condition of our sinful estate, tears begin to flow naturally and it's that repentance that leads to the salvation of our souls. Release unto Jesus everything that holds you back and even the most precious thing in your heart and surely the perfume of his presence will fill your lives and His anointing will break every yoke of bondage of the enemy. Unless we release the most precious thing in our heart to Jesus we will never get to know Him in His fullness and experience the intimacy of Christ in our lives. Entrust your lives to Him and your eternal future will be secure. As I have said before, eternity is a long time to be wrong. Let the perfume of His presence fill every empty chamber of your heart and life and envelop you in His glory and grace. The song says "He has turned my mourning into dancing joy, my heart is filled with His praise. He will clothe your spirit with a robe of joy, He will cast your sorrow away."

John 7:38

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water

Jeremiah 2:13

For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

John 4:14

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

Thirst no more

A gospel song says "There was a thirsty woman drawing at the well. Her life was ruined and wasted. Her soul was lost as well. Then she met the Master who told her all her sin. He said drink of this water I give thee and you'll never thirst again." Many of us find ourselves in the same situation as the "thirsty" woman or as the Israellites in the book of Jeremiah. We try to quench our thirst in different ways. One might become a workoholic trying to keep busy doing things. Another may be an alcoholic trying to numb the hurt and pain with alcohol. Yet another might delve into drugs to try and reach a higher high. All these are what the book of Jeremiah calls "broken cisterns that hold no water". Many may be just ordinary people trying to live a normal life and may not realize how thirsty they are for a drink from the wells of heaven. However once you drink from the living water you will react like the way the governor did at the wedding of Cana where Jesus turned the water into wine. "You have saved the best wine for the last". Drink from the wells of heaven that have the power to free your soul from sin. Surrender your lives into the Lord's hands and like he said to the disciples along the shores of Galilee "come follow me". Follow Jesus and he will quench the thirsting of your soul. Your cup shall run over and you will thirst no more.

Ezekiel 37:1-10

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,
2 and caused me to pass by them round about; and behold, there were very many in the open valley, and lo, they were very dry.
3 And He said unto me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, Thou knowest.”
4 Again He said unto me, “Prophesy upon these bones and say unto them, ‘O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.
5 Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live.
6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.’”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied,there was a noise, and behold, a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.
8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above; but there was no breath in them.
9 Then said He unto me, “Prophesy unto the wind. Prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.’”
10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

Great Army

In the passage above we see that the prophet saw a valley of dry bones. Spiritually speaking, many situations in our lives may be like "dry bones". Dead, dry, lifeless and hopeless. However things are not always as hopeless as they seem to the natural eye. We each face different challenges. To one it may be health challenges and to another finances, another person faces challenges in the work place. Our children may face opposition in their schools and universities. Whatever the case may be, when we seem to be between a rock and a hard place, look unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. Ask hi to breathe new life into the situation. Sometimes we need to exercise spiritual authority and speak new life into the situation. Prophesy health to your body, prophesy healing to your bones, prophesy financial blessings, prophesy divine wisdom in the workplace, prophesy success in school, prophesy spiritual victory, prophesy breakthroughs in the spiritual realm. As Jesus said "speak to the mountain". When we as believers in Christ stand up together in victory we no longer appear to the world and to the enemy as "dry bones" but rather as an "exceeding great army", or a force to be reckoned with. When we do that we can march up to the gates of hell and reclaim what the enemy stole from us. We can reclaim our health, our finances, the lost souls we know and trample upon all the power of the enemy (Satan). In closing a gospel song says "God's got an army marching through the land, deliverance is their song, there's healing in their hands, the strength to carry on and everlasting joy and in this army I've got a part." Be recruited into the army of God and trample over the wicked one and establish God's Kingdom rule on Earth as it is in Heaven. Amen.

Mathew 16:13-17 CEV

13 When Jesus and his disciples were near the town of Caesarea Philippi, he asked them, “What do people say about the Son of Man?”
14 The disciples answered, “Some people say you are John the Baptist or maybe Elijah[a] or Jeremiah or some other prophet.”
15 Then Jesus asked them, “But who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter spoke up, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus told him:
Simon, son of Jonah, you are blessed! You didn’t discover this on your own. It was shown to you by my Father in heaven.

John 1:45

Philip then found Nathanael and said, “We have found the one that Moses and the Prophets wrote about. He is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.”

John 19:19

Pilate ordered the charge against Jesus to be written on a board and put above the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”

"Who do you say that I am?"

Our eternal destination ultimately depends on how we answer the above question posed by Jesus. It all boils down to this: Who is Jesus to us. It's not only our verbal response that matters although it is important, it is also our lifestyle that matters. Do our lives reflect who He is to us? Luke 6:46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?" If He is indeed our Lord do we ascribe to Him the honor due His name by the way we live? We need to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us who Jesus is and then let our lives reflect His Lordship over us. Although He expects perfection from us He is merciful and compassionate and forgives us our many sins and shortcomings. The minute we repent and change directions we are instantly forgiven. Regardless of our past He welcomes us with open arms just as the Father in the parable of the prodigal son. As long as we change the course of our lives and work out our salvation with fear and trembling He enters in and changes our characters. Our relationship with Christ is a two way street. We do our part by accepting His precepts and walking in obedience and He does His part by equipping and enabling us. In closing as the Gospel song says "Trust and obey there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey"

Isaiah 41:10 KJV

fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness

Isaiah 41:10 Amp

Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice

Isaiah 41:10 GNT

Do not be afraid—I am with you! I am your God—let nothing terrify you! I will make you strong and help you; I will protect you and save you.

Take Courage!

When we look at the evening news we see trouble and difficulties everywhere. It is easy to get discouraged. News of terrorist attacks, stock market going down and other attacks of the enemy on God's children. Not only is there bad news on a global scale sometimes on a more personal level there are circumstances we face such as health problems, worry and other cares that lead to sleeplessness. In the midst of all this the Lord steps in and says Fear Not! Let nothing terrify you! I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties. I will protect and save you. These are the words spoken by the Almighty, All powerful God of heaven and earth. The safest place for us to be is in the center of God's will for our lives. We need to examine our lives in the light of God's Word and see to it that we conform our lives in obedience to His laws and then we can be assured that no evil will befall us. And even if it does we will come through the trial as gold. Job 23:10 'when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.' Sometimes life puts us through the crucible of fire and we think we will burn up however as Job says 'when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.' The fiery trials we face serve to refine us and remove the impurities in our lives and in our character. Just as the refiner's fire removes the dross out of silver and precious metals, the circumstances we face serve to purify our hearts and we come through them sanctified and holy. Finally "Be strong and take courage, do not fear nor be dismayed, the Lord will go before you and His love will show the way. The One who goes before you will be strong in you today"

Luke 16:11

If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

Ephesians 1:18

I ask that your minds may be opened to see his light, so that you will know what is the hope to which he has called you, how rich are the wonderful blessings he promises his people

Ephesians 3:8

Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ

Colossians 2:2 Ampc

For my concern is] that their hearts may be braced (comforted, cheered, and encouraged) as they are knit together in love, that they may come to have all the abounding wealth and blessings of assured conviction of understanding, and that they may become progressively more intimately acquainted with and may know more definitely and accurately and thoroughly that mystic secret of God, [which is] Christ (the Anointed One).

Hebrews11:26 CJB

He had come to regard abuse suffered on behalf of the Messiah as greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he kept his eyes fixed on the reward

Revelations 2:9

I know your hardship and poverty (though you are actually rich)

Abundance

God's Word and promises to us in the Bible are much more valuable than monetary wealth. Although one of God's promises to us is to bless us richly and prosper us financially there are so many other blessings which money cannot buy which God gives to us because we are His children. Some of the unsearchable riches of Christ are as follows, Joy unspeakable and full of glory, peace that passes understanding, at His right hand are pleasures forevermore, comfort, strength, health, restoration of relationships , quality of life ,fulfillment, wisdom, understanding and eternal life. The value of the above cannot be measured monetarily in dollars and cents however we can all agree these are worth much more than just dollars and cents. In conclusion the Greek word Ploutos translated as riches in the above verses also means abundance, valuable bestowment, richness, riches. This is what we truly need in life. Jesus said I have come to give life and that more abundantly. Enjoy the rich, full, abundant life that comes from knowing Christ personally and intimately as Lord and Savior.

Ephesians 6:13,14

Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

Stand therefore

In the above 2 verses Paul instructs us to arm ourselves with God's armor in order to be able to stand against the wiles of the wicked one. Frequently we are bombarded by the enemies attacks whether it be at our workplaces, during commute and sometimes even in our own homes. We need to ensure that we are doing our all to stand in faith nothing doubting singlemindedly. As the book of James says a double minded man receives nothing from the Lord. We need to ensure that we are doing our very best in our fight of faith. to uphold God's laws in our lives and in our families while going against the tide in this world. This aggravates the enemy (satan) and sometimes an attack is unleashed against us. All hell breaks loose so to speak. It is precisely in these circumstances we have to stand flatfooted for Jesus and command the enemy to back off in Jesus name. We take up our shield of faith and quench the doubts he instills in our hearts. We take up the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God and proclaim our victory from God's Holy Word. We stand therefore with our feet firmly rooted and grounded in God's word. The Bible says The Kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent seize it by force. We need to aggressively proclaim our victory when defeat and discouragement seem imminent. We need to reclaim what is rightfully ours as children of the Most High God. Take a stand for righteousness and declare your victory in the face of defeat and like Moses said when faced with the red sea before and the Egyptian army behind stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. Exodus 14:13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

Mark 4: 35-40

And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.
36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.
37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

O ye of little faith

In the passage above we see that Jesus said to the disciples that they were to cross over. A storm arose and caused the disciples to fear and wonder how come Jesus was asleep on the boat. Jesus simply awoke and rebuked the storm and the wind died down immediately. In life sometimes we go through difficulties even while obeying God's will. If we look above at the first verse we see that Jesus asked them to cross over the sea. He knew the weather report being all knowing yet He instructed them to cross over. Perhaps it was a test of faith for the disciples? We are no different from the disciples and react frequently just as they did. Lord carest thou not? How come you see the storm we are going through, the difficult circumstances and the effort we are exerting just to stay afloat and here you are sleeping? Carest thou not Lord? How come you are silent? How come you are asleep? You should be helping us stay afloat. After all you asked us to cross over. Do something Jesus. His answer to us O ye of little faith why are ye so fearful? Sometimes in our frailties we fail the test of faith while facing difficult circumstances. However regardless of our weakness Jesus still wakes up and rebukes the storms of our lives and calms the difficult circumstances we seem to face and restores peace and order in what seems to go chaotic. We need to reply to Jesus' rebuke like a man did in the Bible Lord help my unbelief.