ZEAL FOR THE LORD

His disciples remembered that it was written “Zeal for your house will consume me. John 2:17

What is zeal: ardently passionate (literally "boiling" with interest or desire); "to be deeply committed to something, with the implication of accompanying desire – 'to be earnest, to set one's heart on, to be completely intent upon' ", very fervent(zēlos). To seethe or bubble,' and is therefore used figuratively of mental states and emotions. 

Jesus is speaking to the Jewish, educated leaders – they KNEW scripture – yet they were so blinded to the TRUE LIGHT. Psalm 69:9 says: “For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.” The leaders would have known this verse, yet they still could not accept who Christ really was when he cleansed the temple. People were wrapped up in worldly business and using the temple/church for personal gain. Christ put a stop to this by cleansing the temple, which showed his rightful authority. Christ wants the church to be used for pure, authentic worship and prayer. Matthew 21:13 says: “He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

Have we every truly been “ZEALOUS” over anything, according to the definition? If so, are we about the WRONG things? Would God and Christ approve of our use and worship in His house? When we gather together are we here with deep, boiling desire; to offer prayer and intense worship to the Lord; or do we enter into His House half-heartedly? If we are not here to zealously worship and pray then we are just as bad as the Jewish leaders of the days of old.

Father God, thank you for the splendor and glory you show us every day. You alone are mighty to save and worthy of our praise. Help me to be more ZEALOUS for You and not for things in this world. Help me to be 100% committed to serving You alone. Guide my mind to have clear thoughts and intentions when I enter into your House of Worship and Prayer. Help me to not get distracted by worldly things that Satan can use to derail me during our precious times of being able to assemble together. Lord, help us not take these times for granted as, as many around the world are not able to have a time of worship, prayer and studying Your Word without persecution. Forgive me for the times I have entered your house with the wrong frame of mind. Thank you for all blessings you grant me every day, even without my realizing them. Thank you for sending Jesus to die and rise again for everyone. Thank you for your inspired word that you sent to us through faithful men who taught others so that we could learn about You. Be with the missionaries around the world who are continuing to zealously share your salvation message and disciple those they encounter. Help me to disciple those you put in my path. I ask these things in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

God's 911 Part 3

"For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday."  Psalm 91:3-6

Verse 3 tells us God will protect us from the temptation traps that try to get us into sin and He will protect us from things sent to physically hurt us.  It’s up to us to believe God’s promise.  God made His protection available to us; we just have to run to Him.  How is your speech? Every word we speak is a spiritual weapon—either for good or for evil.  Choose how you use your words, carefully!

Verses 5-6 tells us the 4 groups of EVIL that Satan uses to attack:

1. Terrors = dangers of the night that cause fear.
2. Arrows = try to pierce us physically, emotionally, or spiritually.
3. Pestilence = sickness, disease or illness that causes fear.
4. Destruction = natural disasters  

Our words are powerful, use them to fight Satan.  He tries to attack where it will hurt us most.  Don’t let him rob you of your joy.  Prayer is a powerful spiritual weapon and it can change impossible situations.  Jesus gave us the perfect example of how to fight attacks from the devil.  Jesus fought against the temptation of Satan in the wilderness by quoting Bible verses to Satan.  We need to have a “bag of spiritual weapons” we can pull out when Satan attacks.  The only way we will be ready for battle is if we practice and learn to use God’s Word ahead of time! Do you read, meditate on and memorize scripture on a regular basis? Faith is not a feeling; it is choosing to believe what God says in His Word and refusing to doubt. We can't do this if we do not know what The Word says. It’s easy to panic when things get out of control, but those are the times when it is more important than ever to call on God.  Call out to God; He always answers your call!  

The verses from Psalm 91:3-6 remind me that: 

1. God saves me / delivers me from my enemies & their schemes. 
2. God covers me with His wings & shields me with His faithfulness. 
3. I will find refuge in Him if I seek it.
4. Because of this, I will not be afraid. 

   

   
   

God's 911 Part 2

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.”
God is called by 4 names is this chapter. His names tell us about His charter & what He will do for us.
1. Most High – highest being that exists.
2. Almighty – all-might. Most powerful.
3. My Lord – we belong to Him, He is the boss.
4. My God – our personal Savior.

Satan sets physical and spiritual traps for us, but God promises to save us from these traps if we abide in Him. Our Heavenly Father will always do what is best for us. God will protect us from the temptation traps that try to get us into sin and He will protect us from things sent to physically hurt us. It’s up to us to believe God’s promise and choose to live according to His Word and calling on our life! God made His protection available to us; we just have to run to Him. Every word we speak is a spiritual weapon—either for good or for evil. Choose how you use your words, carefully!

I am choosing to believe God and His Word. It is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword...(Heb. 4:12) With that being said, He also knows our thoughts, intentions, and what motivates our actions! Be authentic in all that you do. God is my refuge! God is my fortress! I will trust God, when I'm in danger, for He is with me. I will trust God when I am fearful because He is my fortress. I will live daily within God's will for my life and enjoy His protection. I thrive best when I am abiding in the shadow (inseparable companion) of the Almighty and I can imagine you will too!

God’s 911

God says that He is the place of real safety from any bad thing you can imagine--if you will run to Him with all your heart!  Tell God you trust Him! God's Word is true, and He is faithful to do what He promises if we put our complete trust in Him. 

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1 ESV) 

Dwell: means to continues in a place.  Shelter is a refuge/protection from danger or trouble. To Abide means to remain. A shadow is an Inseparable Companion —I ❤️that definition. 

When we add those definitions into the verse this is what we get: He who (continues in the place of) (the refuge) of the Most High will (remain) the (Inseparable companion) of the Almighty. (Psalm 91:1 ESV).

Don't you want to remain the Inseparable Companion of the ALMIGHTY, THE MOST HIGH! I want to dwell and continue in the place of His refuge and protection!  Satan may try, or fleshly desires may set physical traps, but God promises to save us! Father God will always do what is best for us! God will protect us. We need to run to Him for shelter and safety. My words are weapons. They can be weapons either for good or for evil depending on how I use them. Are your words doing more good or bad?

God is our refuge. I trust Him above all when I am in danger. I am so thankful He is always with me. Remember to trust Him when you are afraid and remember HE is your fortress.  Live for HIM daily in HIS protection and in HIS will!

Outcast or Cast out to Seek Men

“Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”” ‭‭John‬ ‭9:35‬ ‭ESV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ 

This man was blind from birth, then miraculously  healed.  The Pharisees question him; his parents bailed on him; he was excommunicated from the church and could no longer worship. He surely felt all alone, but then Jesus sought after him. Jesus always sought out the outcast, the sinners, those that were looked down on in society. Think about Zacchaeus, the tax collector, the sinner, the short guy that no one liked or thought highly of. Look at the men He called to be His apostles none of them were the ones that were making it as Jewish rabbis; they weren’t the ones that were called to continue their education. They were fishermen they, were tax collectors, they were normal everyday people, yet Jesus chose them to come follow Him.

How do we look at the look at the outcast in society? Do we seek them out and say "Do you know Jesus? Come along with me and I’ll teach you about him!" Or do we look for the "up- to-do/popular" people the arrogant, the rich, the proud, the high in society, and choose those to hang out with and Worship with? Is that the list of who we are aspiring to be like. The Pharisees were not the in crowd to hang out with even though they thought they were. The "right" in crowd was the meek and lowly who chose to worship Jesus and truly understood who He was. Those were the ones who truly believed.

Dear Lord, help me always try to live the example that You demonstrated for us. Help me to seek out those who truly seek You and see You as their Father God. Help me to encircle myself with those who want a relationship with You; with those who will help me seek out those who are longing to come and worship you authentically. Help me to cast myself out to reach everyone, even those who society may consider an outcast. 

Abide in Me

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples” John 8:31

To abide is to live, continue, or remain. So, to abide in Christ is to live in Him or remain in Him; to know or have a relationship with Him: To abide in Jesus’ word means to continue believing what Jesus has said and walking in obedience to Him. This verse shows that continuing to trust Jesus and obey Him is a way to test who is truly disciples of His. Abiding in Christ is not a special status for a few believers as a process of sanctification. True believers ABIDE! The difference between those abiding in Christ and those not abiding in Christ is the difference between the saved and unsaved. John 15:4 tells us: "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." Believers ABIDE!

Are we truly abiding in Christ? The phrase abiding in Christ means an intimate, close relationship, and not just a superficial acquaintance. Are we going through the motions or do we have an intimate, authentic, love relationship with Christ? Do we bear fruit, or do we need to be cut off and tossed into the fire? Yikes! If we have no fruit, or rotten fruit, woe is us…we are abiding in the world and not in Christ! Many in this world may be fooled by just going through the motions, and never truly experiencing an abiding relationship with Christ.

Father God, help me to always ABIDE in You. Help me to rely on You and glean from Your Word. Thank You for the godly people you place in my life. Help me to continue to grow and to have others hold me accountable. Thank you for the privilege to teach children about Your Love, Your Son and Your Word.

Are you left carrying a basket of leftovers?

“So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.” John‬ ‭6:13

In this miracle of Jesus feeding the 5000 with 2 fish and 5 loaves there are several things to be learned. Jesus met the physical needs of the people so that He could then start ministering to their spiritual needs. It is hard to teach the hungry. Jesus asked his disciple, Philip, who was from the area for a "human solution" to test their faith. Since there was no logical human solution, Jesus' miracle was allowed to shine even brighter. 

What can we learn from this? Are we like the boy who was willing to give ALL of what he had? It wasn’t much, like the widow with her 2 coins, the boy was willing to give his everything to Christ. Even when we don't feel like we have much to offer, when we give it all to Jesus, He can do amazing things with it. No matter our age, if we are willing, God can and will use us. We should never feel like we are too old or too young to be used. Also God multiplies and blesses what we give to Him. This can be our time, our abilities, our talents, our money, our family…what are we willing to let Him use? Will we give to Him without hesitation? Will we lay it at His feet to do great things with? Also, take note, there is no waste with Christ, He provided more than enough. There was a bountiful supply with plenty of leftover--enough for each disciple to have a basket to carry as a reminder. The leftovers were far greater then the beginning supply. This is how amazing God is. When we give our everything to Him, we come out with so much more of a blessing on the other side from where we began!

Dear Lord, help me to always offer my all to You. Allow me to be used for a blessing to others. I don't want to be left carrying a basket of leftovers to remind me that I didn't offer my all to You.