Because of the Crowd

Luke 19:3 “And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd…”

Crowd:  block, hinder, A group of people united by a common characteristic, as age, interest, or vocation.

Zacchaeus could not see Jesus because of the crowd, Beloved; What is crowding your life? Can you think of anything that is preventing you from seeing Jesus? is it the crowd of hopelessness, the crowd of loneliness, the crowd of inadequacy, or the crowd of fear? well, whatever crowd it is we  must climb above it. David said, “when my heart is overwhelmed..lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.”(Ps 61:3)   

Zacchaeus knew the importance of having a vision, therefore, he took drastic measures in order to get a clearer view of Jesus (The Word of God) for himself. He did not allow his sin , or his size to crowd his view of the  Savior.
 
Where there is no vision of the people perish.(Prov 29:18) so therefore Beloved, do not allow anything to crowd  your vision of Jesus.” Let us look unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith.”(Heb 12:2) since “Nothing can separate us from the love of God.”(Rom 8:31)

Come Close

” Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.”(Matt 14:29)

Moving towards-approach, come close, draw near


Peter got out of the boat and moved towards Jesus. Beloved, whether we are in a boat of trials, sickness, famine, disappointments, criticism, or fear; regardless of the boat we are in let us never allow the storms and winds to prevent us  from  moving towards Jesus.

As long as we are coming closer to Jesus we are moving in the right direction in spite of the windy, stormy , or fiery circumstances we may be  seeing.” For we walk by faith, and not by sight.”(2 Cor 5:7) and as we draw near to God, He will also draw near to us.( James 4:8)  and keep“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith..”Heb 12:2
 

Even If

"Come," He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus."(Matt 14:29) NIV

Even If-   despite of, supposing, in spite of, although
 
Peter decide that he would step out of the boat Even if he drowned, but to his surprise God allow him to do the impossible; Peter was able to walk on water.
We are terrified to take risk for one reason or the other, whether it is because we fear failing or  being ridiculed, but like Peter we must not be afraid of what the other disciples think . Even if he drowned Peter was leaving that boat.

Beloved, Are you stuck in a boat of stagnation, a boat of mediocrity, a boat of rejection , a boat of loneliness, a boat of disappointment and intimidation because you are afraid to take a risk? Well. now is the time to make up your mind move out, step out, and come out. Even if you fail at your attempt do not remain in the boat.

  Beloved, let us take the leap of faith and like Peter move towards Jesus, Even if we fail at lest we know we tried and we can still keep trying; If we change nothing, nothing will change.

"Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame."(Isaiah 50:7)

Even Now

Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."(John 11:23-27 ) NIV

Even Now- already, presently, before expected time

Martha  thought that God could only raise her brother on the last day, but Jesus announced to Martha that "I am the Resurrection and the Life" meaning I am here right now I can raise him before the time you expected.

Whenever we face difficult circumstances  we  may be tempted to believe that things will always remain that way; Jesus reminds  Martha that even though her brother is dead ; Even Now He can restore life to Lazarus. Beloved you may be feeling helpless, hopeless, disappointed, or discouraged but Even Now God can revive your joy, Even Now God can fulfill He promise, Even Now God can make the impossible possible, Even Now God can change your life for the better.

Beloved, Even Now let us release our faith and expectation  to the God who is a very present help  to us.

"Now faith is the substance of things hope for..."( Heb 11:1)

God Is With You

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. “(Isaiah 43:2)

God did not promise us a life free from problems, and testing; instead He has promised to be with us.
Beloved, we are never alone, God is with us when we are passing through the waters of life, and we are walking through the fiery trials. Notice that because God is with us whatever we are facing will not be permanent, we are simply walking through and passing through; therefore we will never be destroyed by it.

Whatever we may be facing at the moment, remember Jesus declares that; “I am with you always” (Matt 28:20) and “with God nothing is impossible” ( Lk 1:37). Beloved, because God is with us He will make the impossible possible.

Not Forgotten

“For the needy shall not always be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.”(Ps 9:18)

Forgotten- to cease or fail to remember.

 By the time Gabriel came to Zacharias (Luke 1:18) Zacharias had lost all expectation of having a child; he thought he was old and God had forgotten about his prayer request. The angel assured him that his prayer has been heard.

At times when we are temporarily overlooked, disappointed and frustrated we tend to start feeling forgotten, and after waiting a long time on the promises of God. We become discouraged we believe that God has forgotten us

 The truth is God is not unjust to  forget  us and He will never leave us or forsake us(Heb 13:5) The promises of God are yes and amen.( 2 Cor 1:20)

Beloved, let us hope in the Lord knowing that we are not forgotten, and our expectations will not perish.

It Is Finished!

“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost.”(John 19:30)

When Jesus declared that “It is finished”, it was a shout of triumph and victory, because He had accomplished what the Father had sent Him do.

The work that Jesus came to do have been accomplished  

It is finished therefore we can have access to God’s grace.

It is finished so by His stripes we were healed not will be healed; we were healed. (1Pet 2:24)

It is finished so we are free from sin and death.

The victory that Jesus bought has secured our healing, peace, joy, and prosperity for all eternity.

Beloved, let us receive the finished work of Jesus. Whatever “it “is in our life Jesus has already taken care of “it” when He said, “It is finished”.

The Holy Spirit Guarantees Oor Inheritance

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession to the praise of His glory.”(Eph 1:13-14)

 The Holy Spirit is a down payment, deposit, seal   this mean that God has given us His Spirit guaranteeing that He is coming back for us.

Beloved, let us look at  it from a natural perspective; If I  enter a store to buy  a jacket that costs $80 but  want to put  the item  on layaway, first I will have to  leave down payment  of $30 to secure my jacket, then I will be given a time frame to complete my payment and take my jacket home; if someone comes to the store and see my jacket and decides to purchase my jacket   even with the full amount  to pay for my jacket, that person would not be able to take possession of it because my down payment has secured  my jacket  until the time is expired. Likewise beloved God has given the down payment of the Holy Spirit and He has time that only He knows, (Matthew 24:36) that He will be returning ,so  within that time the devil  can never  take possession of a believer because we are purchased  by the precious blood of Jesus.

“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”(2 Cor 1: 21-22)

Bible Study

The Wise and Foolish Builders (Part 1)

http://wordwithlav.blogspot.ca/2013/05/bible-study-wise-and-foolish-builders.html

(Click on the link to view Bible Study)

What Hinders Me?

“Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.  Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”(Acts 8:35-36)

Hinder – to hamper, obstruct, stop, and interfere with

As he sojourned on the road to a personal relationship with God the Eunuch to some water and asked a very introspective question; “What hinders me,,,?” The fact that he came to water is very significant since water is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. He came to a turning point, where he had to face the hindrances and obstacles.

The Eunuch was trying to pinpoint what was hindering him from being submerged in a deeper relationship with the Lord? What was hindering him from moving from the shallow place? What was hindering him from going to the next level? He wanted to identify any obstruction to his relationship with the Lord and actually do something about.

Beloved, as we journey with the Lord let us be alert and sober to things that may be standing in our way. It may be people’s opinion, pride, the past, fear, trials and testing just to name a few. When we discover our hurdles know; that through Jesus Christ we have the victory  and we are more than conquerors.

He Observes The Wind Shall Not Sow

“He that observes the wind shall not sow; and he that regards the clouds shall not reap.”(Eccl 11:4)

To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose, therefore we must make the most of the time we have. When it is time to sow we should sow regardless of  setback, opposition, obstacles, and disappointments we may encounter . In (2 Sam 23:20) we are introduced to a character named Benainah who went down, and slew a lion in the middle of a pit, in the time of snow.

The snowy time is not be a convenient  time to sow it is a slippery time but Benaiah  decided to face the roaring lion the adversary the devil, ( 1Pet 5:8) regardless of the unconducive climate or circumstance he sowed courage and reaped victory.   

Beloved, pay no attention to the wind, and the clouds. If we keep looking at the storms of life we will not reap the promises of God.

His Truth, And Not My Truth

“His truth shall be my shield and buckler.”(Psalms 91:4)

 The only truth is God’s truth which is revealed to us in word of God.

The Psalmist has declared that God’s truth is the only true truth; that can shield him from the wiles of the devil. 

Many times what we believe to be true is really a lie. Because we may unknowingly believe in superstitious fables and lies that we may have adopted in our faith walk. The only truth is God’s truth which is revealed to us in word of God.

Beloved, as we get intimate with Jesus the Way, the Truth, and the Life we will experience the joy and freedom that the Truth brings.

Jesus says. “You shall know the truth; and the truth shall set you free.”(John 8:32).

Let us allow His truth to become our truth and to be our shield and buckler!

Run With Endurance

 “…that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”(Rom 15:4)

Endurance- being able to stand firm inspite of difficult times.

 

Whenever we feel like giving up, quitting, or just throwing in the towel. We can always look to the Word of God for encouragement and hope.

 Beloved, life is not a sprint, but it is a marathon; therefore we must pace ourselves so that we can endure. This race is not for the swift but this race can only be finished by those with endurance.   

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, (Rom 5:3-4)
Whenever we become exhausted and are tempted to give up; let us, “Think of Him who endured such opposition against Himself by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up.”(Heb12:3)
Beloved let us lay aside every weight and sin that prevents, distract or hinder us from steadfastly running the Christian race and keep our eyes and mind on the promises of God, which are yes and amen.
“He who endures to the end will be saved”(Matt 24:13)

   

Dream Big

    

“Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Luke 18:17)

 

 Big-of considerable size, number, quantity, magnitude, or extent; large.

 

Except we have a childlike attitude toward the promises of God, we will not be able to possess the kingdom of God.

Jesus encourages childlikeness because a child is limitless when dreaming or imagining, and their ability to believe the stories they are told is immeasurable.

 Child comes with expectations and excitement, and is dependent on their parents; likewise our Father expects us to come into His presence with faith and joy. 

Beloved we tend to allow our financial and physical limitations to affect our spiritual lives; therefore we do not allow our mind to soar and dream big. In (Gen 11:6) “God said, nothing that they IMAGINE will be impossible for them to do.”

 We should not be afraid to dream big, guess what a vision is FREE so we can add as much as we desire because it won’t cost us anything. Beloved, let us dream BIG, think BIG, and speak BIG; because our God is BIG, He can do more than we can ever ask or think.

 

Sustained In The Wilderness

“For forty years You sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.”(Neh 9:21)

Sustain  to strengthen or support physically or mentally.

Are you in a wilderness whether financially, physical or otherwise? Well the Lord who is the same yesterday, today and forever has been sustaining His people through life’s wilderness for generations.

Not only did their clothes not wear out, but their feet were not swollen.

Beloved, imagine wearing the same clothes for forty years but because it is kept by the Lord so it cannot wear out; if God can keep our clothes from wearing out He is more than able to keep us from growing weary. That is why as we wait on the Lord we get renewed strength to keep us on our journey through our personal wildernesses.

Jesus admonishes us not to worry about what to eat drink or wear. (Matt 6:31)He is with us to strengthen and support us through any wilderness we may be passing through.

Finding Peace

“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”(Phil 4:4-7)

The Word of God has given us the solution to peace; let’s take a look:-

• ·         First we should always be joyful
• ·         Be gentle to mankind
• ·         Know that the Lord is near
• ·         Don’t be anxious, or hasty
• ·         Pray about everything
• ·         Finally, be thankful

As we following these instructions then we will experience the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard our heart and mind through Christ Jesus.

Out Of The Destructive Pit

 He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. (Ps 40:2) ESV

At times we may find ourselves in the destructive pit; but we can always lift up our eyes to the Maker of heaven and earth, who is faithful to help and deliver us. The Psalmist says,” He drew me up…” that means that even if we wanted to remain in the pit of defeat, God will forcefully drag us out.

 Beloved, God will lift us out of any pitiful circumstance that we may find ourselves in, so we can lift up our heads from self-pity.

Let us arise from our pit of despair and shine for our Light has come and He will lift us out and secure us step so we won’t slide back in that dark place and begin to walk in the Light of His glory.

Out Of The Miry Pit

“He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.”(Psalms 40:2)NIV

The psalmist was stuck in a horrible place that he could not get himself out of, so he had no choice but to wait on the Lord. Eventually David could testify; “He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay…” this shows that God did not just see what David was going through and He did not just listen to him pray, but He did something about it. God got into the pit with David and lifted him out.

Beloved, whenever we are stuck in the miry clay of hopelessness and helplessness; we know that we have a faithful Father who will lift us up and set us free, as long as we call upon Him and patiently wait on Him.

Fatherly Advice

My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you.(Prov 3:1-2)

The father advises us to always remember His Word, by keeping it in our heart; in so doing we will enjoy a life worth living with peace and tranquility. Whenever we forget the commands of God, it simple means that we are no longer treasuring His Word in our hearts.

 Beloved let us value the divine instructions that are found in the Word of God, so we can live and enjoy a healthy and prosperous life.

Fatherly Advice

My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.( Prov 4:20-22)NKJV

 The father advises us about the importance of His words. We should pay attention to the Word, take heed to it, and allow the Word to lead and guide our lives; then if the Word of God is in our hearts we will enjoy a prosperous and healthy life.

Beloved, the Word of God contains the power to transform our lives and circumstances, so let us hid it in our heart and allow it to be a lamp unto to our feet and a light unto our path.

My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. (Prov 4:20-22) NLT