It's Time to Move Mountains!

Matthew17:20
New Living Translation (NLT)
20 “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth,if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.[a]”
Footnotes:
17:20 Some manuscripts add verse 21, But this kind of demon won’t leave except by prayer and fasting.

There are so many mountains that we have to conquer on our way to what God has promised us. The temptation is to give up because of the mountain but we must remember that every mountain doesn’t have to be climbed but it can be moved.
There are some difficult situations you are facing but Jesus wants you to know that you have the power to handle them.

When the Disciples were faced with a demon possessed boy they were not successful in exercising the demon from the boy. Jesus was able to speak to it and the boy was relieved of the evil spirit. They asked Jesus why they were not successful, he told them, “It’s because your faith was too little.”

Jesus went on to tell them that if they…

1.      Had faith the size of a mustard seed they could move any mountain. A mustard seed is the smallest seed there is a size of a piece of lint but when it is planted in the ground it grows bigger than most plants. When faith is planted in our hearts it grows to the proportion of our problems. There is no problem bigger than our faith can handle.

2. You must speak to your mountain. Jesus didn’t tell them to blow up, digup, climb up….he told them to speak up. Nothing happens until we speak to it. Today, speak to your mountain and tell it to move.

3. Jesus said, “These kind only come out through fasting and prayer. Our power doesn’t come from us but from God and the way to tap into that power is through prayer and fasting. If you want tomove mountains you have to spend time in God’s presence on top of the mountain.

Dear God,

Help me today to move mountains by speaking in faith to whatever is standing in my way. Consecrate me so that I can tap into the power that is available only through you. Today, my mountains have to move!

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Don't Fall For It!

Psalm141:9-10
Good News Translation (GNT)
9
Protect me from the traps they have set for me, from the snares of those evildoers.
10
May the wicked fall into their own traps while I go by unharmed.

There are some people who would get no greater joy than to see you fall. Discernment is the ability to recognize traps before you step in them. The thing that sets humans above animals is our ability to reason when we decide to use it. Animals are instinctive and are led by their appetite and need to mate. If you want to catch an animal, then you simply put what they want in a trap and you usually can catch them.

Many of us get trapped when we are not able to live beyond our animalistic impulses and appetites. We have to be disciplined and discerning to recognize traps when we see them.

David prayed to God to keep him from the snares that his enemies had laid for him. David lived amongst his enemies, the Philistines, for a year and a half while he was on the run from King Saul. He had enemies literally all around him but his prayers were for God to keep him from getting caught up. He prayed that his enemies would fall into their own traps.

Here’s how you and I can avoid traps set by theenemy:

1. Be led by the Spirit and not your flesh. When the HolySpirit leads us, we can discern when something we want is being used to trap us in destruction. Your flesh doesn’t take into account the repercussion of participation. Your Spirit will show you the outcome before you step into something.

2. The enemy knows what you like, don’t be deceived by something that looks good. Everything that looks good ain’t good for you. Paul said, “"I have the right to do anything," you say--but not everything is beneficial."I have the right to do anything"--but not everything is constructive. I Corinthians 10:23

3. Be proactive not reactive. You have to be two steps ahead of the enemy. People will want to push your buttons but you have to anticipate the response they are trying to get out of you and beat them at their own game. Don't repay evil for evil. Don't retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it. I Peter 3:9

4. Learn from other people’s missteps. You don’t have to repeat other people’s mistakes. Wise men learn from the mistakes of other’s or at least they should.

Dear God,

Help me to avoid traps that have been set for me. Lead me in the path of righteousness for your name’s sake. Keep me day by day, in a pure and perfect way. Today, open my eyes so I can see any traps that have been set for me, so that I can remain free.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

More Than Bread

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” (Matthew 4:4 NIV)

Back in the seventies the slang word for money was "Bread." I can remember all the cool cats saying stuff like, "Man, I need some more bread," meaning they needed more money. There's no doubt about it that we could all use a little more bread these days but there's something else we need more. We need God's word which is our daily bread.

We can't get so preoccupied with bread that we don't make room for God's word.

I remember growing up that my mother warned us not to eat so much bread before a meal because we would get full before dinner. Sometimes, we can get so full in the pursuit of bread that we fail to get full of God. When we pursue God first he will supply our daily bread.

That's why Jesus tells us to seek first God's Kingdom and His Rigtheousness and all these things shall be added to us.

Dear God,

Thank you for daily bread. Your hand has provided all I have needed. This morning I will seek you first knowing you will supply all my needs according to your riches in Glory.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

A Cut Off Notice

Matthew3:10
The axis already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce goodfruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

One of the things that gets my attention quick is a cut off notice. There have been times when I didn’t make payment on time and the electric company sent me a cut off notice giving me time to settle my account. If I didn’t pay my debt in time they would cut off my power. You can’t see in the dark without power. You can’t cook your food without power. Your food will spoil without power. You can’t get anything done effectively without power so it's best to pay attention to your cut off notice.

God gives us cut off notices as well. When we live outside of his will he will send us cut off notices. Jesus paid our debt on Calvary’s cross but when we choose to re-establish a debt by continually living a life opposite from the redeemed life that God sacrificed for us we will find ourselves without power.

John the Baptist warned the Pharisees and Sadducees who were religious leaders that if they didn’t repent they would be cut down and thrown into the fire. More than that he said, “The ax is already at the root!” Not onlywould they be cut down they would no longer have the ability to produce. No root, no fruit!

Here’s how we avoid our cut off:

1. Pay attention to your cut off notice. God gives warning before destruction. Listen to the word of warning that God gives you through the preached word and the words of prophesy he sends through his messengers.

2. Repent! The word repent means to make a U-Turn when you see you are going in the wrong direction.

3. Produce Fruit in keeping with Righteousness. What comes out of your life must match the character of God. What you produce in your life must reflect who God is.

4. Produce Good Fruit. Your life should be edible. Your life should be a blessing to the people who need your gifts. The things you accomplish in life should make other people better. Your life should lead people back to God not stop at you.

DearGod,

Thank you for sending me a cut off notice so that I could get myself together. I want my life to be pleasing and acceptable to you so that when my life is over I can hear you say, “Well done good and faithful servant, you’ve been faithful over a few things…” Thank you Jesus for settling my account so that I will not be cut off.

In JesusName,

Amen

Taking An Alternative Route

When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod. (Matthew 2:12 NLT)

There are times when God sees something that we can't and sends us warning before we get there. God loves us so much that he acts as a watchtower to make sure we make it safely to our destination. Even now I'm sitting in the airport waiting on a delayed flight. I used to get mad but in my maturity I understand that the people in the watchtower see something I don't see or the pilot wanted to make sure the plane was operable before taking off. Sometimes, we have to take alternative routes to get to our destination safely.

The wise men who visited Jesus at birth were tricked by Herod to reveal where Jesus was so he could kill him. He lied and said he wanted to worship him. Some people want to kill what you worship so you have to be careful which route you take after worship.

An angel warned the wise men to go another route because Herod wanted to kill the newborn Jesus. After Jesus has been born in your heart you are at risk going back the way you came. You need an alternative route. God will reveal to you the people who don't mean you any good and sometimes you can't go back to the same people who saw you on your journey.

1. Listen to God's voice as to where he wants you to go.

2. Change up your route to throw the enemy off.

3. After worship head in a new direction.

Dear God,

Lead me on a new path so that I can fulfill my destiny. Protect me from blood thirsty men so that I can get where I'm supposed to be.

In Jesus name,

Amen

This Ain't That!

2 Corinthians 10:3-5
New International Version (NIV)
³ For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. ⁴ The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. ⁵ We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
A lot of times when we get into fights or disagreements, what we are fighting about is not even the issue. This ain't that! There is a deeper issue or stronghold at work that causes people to be at odds. Our natural tendency is to want to fight against those people physically. We want to put our hands on somebody but this aint that!

1. Our weapons are not worldly but ours are spiritual and have divine power to demolish strongholds. We must make sure we are prayed up so that we can properly discern between this and that. Someone might be angry at you over some kind of interaction but that particular interaction is not “that” their jealousy is “this” stronghold that must be demolished through prayer.
2. We demolish arguments and every pretense. You can’t win arguments by arguing. You win by letting God have it and letting your actions of Love and maturity speak for you. This Ain’t that!
3. We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. All day long we have to have our spiritual filters on to capture negative thoughts to make them obedient to Christ by reading God’s word and being led by the Spirit.

Dear God,

Help me to fight in the Spirit and not in my flesh. Give me the victory over dark powers and principalities without ruining relationships. Give me the discernment to know the difference between this and that.
In Jesus Name,

Amen

Watch God Do It!

1 Samuel 6:8-9
New International Version (NIV)
8 Take the ark of the Lord and put it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to him as a guilt offering. Send it on its way, 9 but keep watching it. If it goes up to its own territory, toward Beth Shemesh, then the Lord has brought this great disaster on us. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us but that it happened to us by chance.”

There is a connection to what we hold on to and what we release that determines what God decides to do in our lives. Sometimes, what we hold on to brings calamity and what we release can bring healing but you have to keep watching to see God move on your behalf.

The Philistines had taken that which did not belong to them. They had taken the Ark of the Covenant which represented the Presence of God for the people of Israel. The Ark was Holy and was only to be handled by the priests and the people who were in covenant with God. As a result of it being mishandled by the Philistines, God had infected the Philistines with a curse of Tumors and Rats.

When we mishandle the presence of God it can negatively impact our lives. When we treat the presence of God with contempt our lives can be cursed and not blessed.

The Philistines decided it was time to send the Ark of God back but they had to send back a gold guilt offering with it. They sent 5 gold rats and 5 gold tumors symbolic of what was eating at them and stealing their prosperity. What are some of the rats and tumors you need to release out of your life? What rat has been allowed to eat away at your self-esteem? What tumor is soaking up all of your Godly resources because it’s been allowed to set up inside you? If we are going to be healed then we have to release:

1. What does not belong to you. You can’t hold on to that which does not belong to you? God even warned the Israelites when they held onto that which is Holy to God, their tithe, and did not give it to him they would experience a curse. We can’t steal from God and be blessed.
2. We need to release grateful giver and not a guilty giver. The Philistines sent the Ark away with guilt offerings of 5 gold rats and tumors. Since Jesus came into our lives he removed our guilt. We don’t have to give guilt offerings but we should give offerings because we are grateful. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.
3. Keep Watching your gift. The Philistines hitched the ark to Cows that had never plowed and had just given birth. They knew if these cows pulled this Ark back to the Israelites on their own then this had to be God. When you give your offering, just sit back and Watch God work. When you give for the right reason and to the right place your gift has to get to where it’s supposed to go.

2 Corinthians 9:12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.

Dear God,

I’m waiting and watching, knowing that which I’ve given to you will accomplish what I sent it out to do. It’s not by chance but it’s by faith that I release my gifts to you and I believe it will come back to me, pressed down, shaken together and running over.

In Jesus Name,
Amen

Don't Stop Believing

2 Corinthians 4:4 the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

When Jesus was about to be crucified standing before Pontius Pilate, he had a chance to be released by Pilate. Jesus told him that he had been sent by God to reveal the truth and everyone on the side of truth would listen to his voice. Pilate asked Jesus, “What is the truth?” Pilate was standing in the face of the Son of God who is the way the, the Truth, and the life. He was looking at the Truth but could not see it. Pilate was so caught up in his occupation, pleasing the people, the cultural pull of Rome that he could not even see the truth standing before him.
It’s no different today. Google has made everyone an expert on their version of the truth. We have “Wicklepedia-ed “ our way to our own version of truth. In the times of Judges it says that every man did as he saw right in his own eyes because they had no king. We have dethroned Truth and have been tossed by every wind of new teaching and doctrine. Truth is not a fact to be found but a person to be known. 
One of the most educated of men, the Apostle Paul, was formerly a highly educated Pharisee who persecuted those who followed Jesus. He could not stand those that followed Jesus because he believed the early Christians to be a misguided cult, until he had an encounter with Jesus on the Road to Damascus to arrest more Christians. When the resurrected Jesus threw Saul off his “high horse of reason” Saul asked, “Who are you Lord?” Jesus said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.” Saul was ordered to go to a street called straight and he waited there until Barnabas came to see him and something like scales fell from his eyes. Saul became Paul and one of the most successful Apostles writing 13 Epistles in the Bible.

We are in danger of becoming Paul in reverse. The more we listen to the ‘gods’ of this age, reason, mythology, atheists …the more we are blinded to truth. The devil is the father of lies and he makes you believe the truth is a lie and that a lie is the truth. Jesus said, “you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” The word Know implies relationship. The only way to know truth is to be in relationship with Jesus Christ.

1. Seek Jesus face not just his hands. It is only through prayer and spending time with Jesus that he reveals who he is.
2. Fast and pray. After Saul was knocked off his “high horse” he had to go lay in darkness without eating. It was there that he was enlightened. Some people think the more they read the more they are enlightened. The more you hunger and thirst for righteousness the more enlightened you will be by God. When Jesus was asked by his Disciples if he was hungry because he had not eaten, Jesus replied, “I have food that you know not of, my food is to do the will of my father.” Hunger for Jesus.
3. Don’t be tossed to and fro by every new teaching. You have to make sure that your anchor holds the solid rock, that rock is Jesus. Many people fall away from Christ because they do not hold close to him through a personal relationship. Hold to God’s unchanging hand.

Dear God,


I pray that you would keep your children from being deceived away from truth. Help us to know Jesus, to see him face to face. Jesus show yourself to us so that we will know the difference between the truth and a lie.


In Jesus Name,


Amen

Unveiled Faces

2 Corinthians 3:18
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s Glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing Glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
When you are in Christ you don’t have anything to hide. Some people feel like they have to put up a front or wear a mask because they don’t want people to see who they really are, you are not really seen until you can remove your veil and be your authentic self in Christ Jesus.
God wants you to be who you “is” not who you “ain’t.
When Moses received the Ten Commandments from God he came down the Mountain with his face glowing. The people were so intimidated that he had to veil his face to make them comfortable. How many of us have had to cover up God’s Glory to make other people comfortable?
The light was a reminder of God’s Judgment and caused the people to fear God’s Glory but when we are in relationship with Jesus our glow is a reminder of his Grace. When you truly reflect the Glory of God and you have a relationship with Jesus your light actually draws people without intimidating them.

In order to adequately reflect his Grace on our face we should:

1. Unveil our faces. There’s no need to hide when our conscience is clear in Christ. Christians should be approachable and accessible. People should be able to see God in us.
2. Reflect the Lord’s Glory. The light that God gives us is a reflection of him and not us. If we are shining it’s because we are standing in the light of Jesus. We have no light of our own. Only what we do for Christ will last.
3. Be transformed into his likeness. The More time we spend with Jesus the more we should look like him and people recognize us less and less.
4. Be filled with the Spirit. The way that we continue to shine and live unveiled lives is when we are led and filled by the Holy Spirit. We have to make sure that we feed the Spirit more than we feed the flesh.

Dear God,

I pray that you would remove the veil from my face and let my authentic self shine through. Help me to decrease so that you can increase. This little light of mine I’m going to let shine everywhere I go. Please remove my veil even as you transform me into the likeness of my lord and savior.
In Jesus Name,
Amen