Power To Advance

This is a season of transition and those that remain true to the fundamentals will advance.

It is very clear that we are in a transition in the White House on many fronts. It is very clear that we are leaving 2008 and moving into 2009.  What is not so obvious is the transition that is happening in the hearts of believers around the World.

There is a stirring and a wind that is causing many to say “I am not satisfied; God I want to see more, do more, and serve more.  I want my life to matter.”

Is that you?

Jeremiah 6:16 says “Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it: Then you will find rest for your souls…”

In this time of transition, we must stand in God’s ways and see things from God’s perspective.  Begin to ask God to show you the “old paths”.  Look for those things that have stood the test of time – prayer, faith, obedience, giving, receiving the Word of God – and walk in them.

As you advance, as you move closer making your life matter, you will do it and find rest.

Christmas is supposed to be merry, and it usually is.

It seems that this year, some of the merry is missing for many people. Challenges with the economy, memories of lost, and other things present obstacles to the joy of the year.

If we could just remember the reason for the season, and stay focused on the Greatest Gift, joy would spring up in our hearts. Remember Jesus.

Jesus is why Christmas is a great time of year. Take away Christ and you just have a mass.

Think about Jesus all through the season and joy is inevitable. Joy to the World! Why?

The Lord has come.

Merry Christmas!

I woke up this morning and there were two house projects on my mind – things that I have not done, but should have been done a long time ago. I feel that God is reminding me about these things and is putting them on my priority list. It is in the will of God that I work on and complete these things.

Ultimately, the will of God is practical. The best example of this is the birth of Jesus.

Jesus came through a virgin and a humble man, born in a manger, without pomp or fanfare. This not only reveals the character of Christ – humility, but it was also practical. Imagine how easy it would have been for Herod to find Jesus, if He would have blazed into town with a mighty wind, in a cloud of fire, with the angels singing, the trumpets blowing, and the earth shaking. No, Jesus’ birth was practical.

Spend enough time with God to hear His voice and then you will know exactly how to manage life in a practical way. You may end up doing house projects that you don’t feel like doing, but your life will be better for it.

Walk In It

“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” – II Corinthians 3:17

Today, right now, you are free to be who God is calling you to be.  You are free to do what God has put in your heart.  You are free from every bondage that might try to come your way.  This is not some sort of positive thinking trip or self-help nonsense.  This is reality.  Jesus makes us free, by His Spirit.

As we move in the Spirit, this month, making it our finest, let us live in the reality of our liberty in Christ.   Your body is not dominating you.  You are dominating it.  You are free from the evil things mentioned in Galatians 5: 19-21.  And, you are free to live in the good things mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23.  This is reality: you are free

The key is in Galatians 5:16.  God calls us to walk in the Spirit.  That is, as a matter of lifestyle, we are putting our bodies in the right places, seeing the right things, hearing the right things, eating the right things, and so on, while yielding to the Holy Spirit.    This is the key to staying filled with the Spirit.

You can make this happen, for example, by:

•    Setting a time in the morning to listen to God

•    Calling another brother or sister and saying let us get together to pray

•    Fasting with intense focus upon prayer

•    Asking God to lead you to a Scripture – study, memorize, act, receive revelation, and think upon it; journaling

•    Praying in your heavenly language all through the day

•    However the Spirit leads you

Ask God today to move upon your heart and make you zealous for Him.  Then, Walk in It.