Laying of Hands Upon You

Reading from the Book of Acts 8:14-18, 10:44-46

^{Acts 8:14} Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:
¹⁵ Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:
¹⁶ (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
¹⁷ Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
¹⁸ And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given.

The Holy Spirit is the seed of eternal life that leads us to salvation. God gives His Holy Spirit to the truly repentant person after baptism by the laying on of hands by His true servants. Then, through the gift of the True Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ begins to live His life in us.

 ^{Acts 10:44} While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
⁴⁵ And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
⁴⁶ For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God.
The Word of God teaches that though some people received the holy Spirit through the laying of hands, other times the Spirit was simply poured out upon people. The believers who came with Peter were amazed because they witnessed how freely the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on the crowd as evidenced by their talking in unknown tongues.

You can ask God to fill you and baptize you in the Holy Spirit right now, right where you are, by simply praying. Then wait on God quietly and believe you have received that for which you asked.

A Choice To Be Humble

Reading from the Book of Matthew 23:12, 1 Peter 5:6

And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Matthew 23:12

Humility is a quality that is greatly underemphasized in today’s standards. The world today does not know what humility means, and they do not know how to appreciate it. More importantly, they do not know how to do it. The sad fact is they’re not all that sure they even want to have it.

Culturally, we're much more drawn to the energetic, dynamic, charismatic, crowd-drawing people. That's who gets the headlines and the attention. But if we listen closely and watch carefully, we can see in Jesus someone who is humble, but strong; humble, but charismatic; humble, but crowd-drawing; humble, but dynamic.

The same Jesus who stilled the storm and spoke to the crowds is the same Jesus who washed feet and died on a cross and held babies in His arms when it wasn't politically correct.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. 1 Peter 5:6

Humility is a choice. We’re never told in the Bible to pray for God to make us humble. It’s something you choose for yourself.

Humility doesn’t mean thinking of yourself less. It means thinking of others and God more. If you have experienced some success and are beginning to get prideful, then ask God to teach you how you can be humble. Make a conscious effort to change your perspective about who you are and where your success comes from.

Make a choice to be humble. Making a choice means you change your mind. You go from thinking one way about your life to thinking another way.

Believe And Praise

Reading from the Book of Hebrews 11:3, Psalm 33:8

Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

Many is the modern-day evangelical who has attempted to harmonize the plain sense of the Scriptures with Big Bang concepts of stellar evolution, and a uniformitarian framework for Earth history. This exercise seldom results in a tempering of secular thought but rather in a compromising reinterpretation of Scripture, making it say something it clearly does not say.

The Bible says that “the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Hebrews 11:3), that all things that now exist were simply called into existence at God’s spoken command.

Creation was a true miracle. It was not (as some insist) merely a godly oversight of cosmic processes acting on eternal matter, nor was it the gradual appearance and disappearance of matter in a steady-state transformation. Only a poor regard for Scripture, coupled with an overly high regard for current astronomical theory, could interpret Hebrews 11:3 as the explosion of a tiny, super-dense “cosmic egg” (that did not “appear,” i.e., too small to see), itself the result of a “quantum fluctuation in a vacuum” in a Big Bang which produced the entire universe.

Our response should not be to disbelieve and twist but to believe and praise. 

“Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him” Psalm 33:8

The "One Thing"

Reading from the Book of Psalm 27:4

^{Psalm 27:4} One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.
 

If you could ask for only one thing, what would it be? David said there was only one thing that he sought after...to dwell in God's presence. More than anything else, David wanted to now God, to see God as He really is and to be with Him. Truly to know God is the highest calling that we have.

We can get so distracted with busy details of our lives that we neglect the most important thing...spending time with God. How foolish we are to spend our lives seeking those things that cannot satisfy while we ignore God, the "One Thing" Who can give us great joy, peace, satisfaction and contentment.

The world is filled with empty people who are trying to satisfy the void in their lives with the latest-model car, a promotion at work, a human relationship, vacation, or some other thing. Their efforts to find fulfillment in those things never work. It is sad that so many people waste their entire lives and never realize it. They never know the joy of seeking the "One Thing" they really need.

Each one of us has a God-shaped hole inside, and nothing can fill it except God Himself. No matter what else we try to fill it with, we will remain empty and frustrated.

If God is on your list of things to seek, but not at the top, I encourage you to move everything around and put it all after Him. If you will put Him first in everything you do, you will reap the harvest and be blessed. Investing your life in God is the very best thing you can do. Seek the "One Thing." 

 

Cracked Pots

Reading from the Book of Isaiah 6:1-9

Isaiah 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.² Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.³ And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.⁴ And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.⁵ Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.⁶ Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:⁷ And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.⁸ Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.⁹ And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

Before God can use us, He needs to cleanse us. Isaiah realized he had a sinful, unclean mouth that needed to be dealt with. Isaiah's heart cried for change and God sent help.

The coming forward of the seraphim with a coal of fire is recorded in verse 6 as an instantaneous happening, but answers may not always come so quickly to us. We would all prefer miraculous deliverance, but most of the time the Lord puts us through a cleansing process.

God will always look for someone who has a perfect heart toward Him, not necessarily someone who has a perfect "performance" before Him. When the Lord has the heart, He can always change the behavior. This truth should encourage those of us who want to be used by God, but who often feel that we just have too many flaws. We come to Him as we are, and He molds and makes us into vessels fit for His use. God uses "cracked pots."

Bring Them Here

Reading from the Book of Matthew 14:18, Philippians 4:19

Are you encompassed with needs at this very moment, and almost overwhelmed with difficulties, trials, and emergencies? These are all divinely provided vessels for the Holy Spirit to fill, and if you but rightly understood their meaning, they would become opportunities for receiving new blessings and deliverances which you can get in no other way.

Bring them here to me,” he replied. Matthew 14:18

Bring these vessels to God. Hold them steadily before Him in faith and prayer. Keep still, and stop your own restless working until He begins to work. Do nothing that He does not Himself command you to do. Give Him a chance to work, and He will surely do so; and the very trials that threatened to overcome you with discouragement and disaster, will become God’s opportunity for the revelation of His grace and glory in your life, as you have never known Him before. “Bring them (all needs) to me.”
--A. B. Simpson

“My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” Philippians  4:19.

What a source--“God!”
What a supply--“His riches in glory!”
What a channel--“Christ Jesus!”

It is your sweet privilege to place all your need over against His riches, and lose sight of the former in the presence of the latter. His exhaustless treasury is thrown open to you, in all the love of His heart and go and draw upon it, in the artless simplicity of faith, and you will never have occasion to look to a creature-stream, or lean on a creature-prop.

Victory!

Reading from the Book of Genesis 3:15

^{Genesis 3:15} And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

I believe that Adam was clothed with Gods glory before he sinned. As soon as Adam and Eve sinned, they realized they were naked. We might say they lost their "covering." As long as they obeyed God, they were protected from everything the devil wanted to do to them, and ultimately, through them. Upon seeing what the devil had done, God immediately announced Satan's doom and told him how it would occur. Satan did not really understand what God was saying, nevertheless, God said it, and it had come to pass.

To "bruise the head" symbolizes a weakening of authority. God has said that the woman's Offspring (Jesus) will take away Satan's authority (which Adam gave him) and gave it first to Jesus and then to every person who will believe. Not only that Jesus died for them, but also that Satan has lost authority over them. We need to understand not only that Jesus died for us, but also that He has redeemed us!

No matter what the devil tries to do to you, he is doomed to defeat, and you are redeemed and victorious over him through Jesus Christ.

An Unmistakable Sign

Reading from the Books of Luke 21:24-28, Matthew 24:3-8, Matthew 24:14, Daniel 12:4, Daniel 2:42, Ezekiel 38-39

The signs of the Second Coming are all around us. When His disciples asked Jesus to describe the signs, He gave them several. The Jewish people back in possession of Jerusalem (Luke 21:24-28)...

The arrival of the exponential curve (Matthew 24:3-8)...and more.

The Gospel preached throughout the world (Matthew 24:14)...

Then the Old Testament prophets also pointed to a number of signs. An increase in travel and knowledge (Daniel 12:4)...

The rise of a united Europe (Daniel 2:42)...

The rise of the Gog of Magog alliance (Ezekiel 38-39)... and more.

Today, all these signs are either present or in the process of being fulfilled. Yet for 1,800+ years, none of these signs were present. Think about that. None of the signs. But today? Today, they're all around us.

Nevertheless, most of the world remains ignorant of the soon return of Jesus Christ. While I can understand why some people might overlook some of these signs, I don't understand how they could miss one sign in particular.

It's a clear and unmistakable sign. I believe in and of itself, it not only shows the return of Jesus is near - I believe it proves the existence of God beyond all doubt. So what is this sign?

Israel.

That's right. The existence of modern day Israel is a clear and unmistakable sign Jesus is about to return.

I Am His Child!

Reading from the Book of  Romans 8:6-14

Romans 8:6-8 
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace^{. 7}Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. ⁸ So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Each person is born with a sinful nature and our sinful nature is hostile toward God’s authority. Because we have the power of choice, each child has a throne within his heart and shortly after birth, a contest for this throne begins. Jesus, our Creator, wants to sit on our throne and because of our vanity and self-seeking sinful nature, we want to sit on our throne. Our sinful nature is an ego-centric, selfish, and self-centered king.

Romans 8:9-13
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. ¹⁰ And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness ¹¹ But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. ¹² Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh ¹³ For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

To understand the differences between following our fleshly desires and allowing God's Spirit to lead us, any time our flesh wants us to do something else, by choosing to follow the Spirit of God we need to know that our flesh will suffer. The Bible says that if we want to share Christ's glory, we have to be willing to share His suffering.

Romans 8:14  
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Once our fleshly appetite is no longer in control, we will get to the point where it is easier to obey God. Even if obedience is difficult, we will get to the place where we actually enjoy doing the right thing. And thus, know, that we are His children.

It Is Eternal Life!

Reading from the Book of John 17:3, Hebrews 8:11, John 6:47

Short and simple, eternal life is knowing God and knowing Jesus. This is not merely head knowledge. It is relational knowledge experienced in the heart;

It is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3

This eternal life is the promise of the New Covenant.

“None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.” Hebrews 8:11

God created mankind to know Him. God created mankind to enjoy Him. Jesus, through His death and resurrection, opened the way for this to be a possibility not just in the by and by, but here and now.

God took away your sins, reconciled you to himself, justified you, sanctified you, made you alive, and poured His Spirit into your life for this single purpose. It is a “by grace through faith” relationship, a spiritual union that conforms us to the likeness of Jesus. In other words, God rubs off on us, and we become like Him.

What is  genuinely knowing the Lord and experiencing eternal life?

This is a deep personal relationship that you enjoy with Jesus because it changes you. Because you come to know Jesus and there is nothing better in life. Because you take hold of eternal life and everyday is one more opportunity to grow in your knowledge of Jesus.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.” John 6:47

 Jesus died and was raised so that we could know God. And knowing Him changes us.

That is the most important discovery you can do in your entire life. Think back to the day you believed and asked Jesus into your heart. That was the point when eternal life began for you, the point when you started learning the truth about the God of the universe. Let it be your life’s quest to continue to grow in your knowledge of Jesus. To know and enjoy Him is ultimate freedom. It is what you were created for. It is eternal life.