We Can because Jesus Did!

I LOVE today's reading from Spurgeon's Morning and Evening devotional. I hope you get as much out of it as I did.

"He Himself hath suffered being tempted." — Hebrews 2:18

It is a common-place thought, and yet it tastes like nectar to the weary heart—Jesus I was tempted as I am. You have heard that truth many times: have you grasped it? He was tempted to the very same sins into which we fall. Do not dissociate Jesus from our common manhood. It is a dark room which you are going through, but Jesus went through it before. It is a sharp fight which you are waging, but Jesus has stood foot to foot with the same enemy. Let us be of good cheer, Christ has borne the load before us, and the blood-stained footsteps of the King of glory may be seen along the road which we traverse at this hour. There is something sweeter yet—Jesus was tempted, but Jesus never sinned. Then, my soul, it is not needful for thee to sin, for Jesus was a man, and if one man endured these temptations and sinned not, then in His power His members may also cease from sin. Some beginners in the divine life think that they cannot be tempted without sinning, but they mistake; there is no sin in being tempted, but there is sin in yielding to temptation. Herein is comfort for the sorely tempted ones. There is still more to encourage them if they reflect that the Lord Jesus, though tempted, gloriously triumphed, and as He overcame, so surely shall His followers also, for Jesus is the representative man for His people; the Head has triumphed, and the members share in the victory. Fears are needless, for Christ is with us, armed for our defence. Our place of safety is the bosom of the Saviour. Perhaps we are tempted just now, in order to drive us nearer to Him. Blessed be any wind that blows us into the port of our Saviour's love! Happy wounds, which make us seek the beloved Physician. Ye tempted ones, come to your tempted Saviour, for He can be touched with a feeling of your infirmities, and will succour every tried and tempted one.

Your Wish Is My Command

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
John 15:7 (ESV)

We've all heard the story of the genie in the bottle. Some fortunate person comes across an interesting shiny bottle, rubs it, and a genie comes out and offers 3 wishes.  If you could wish for anything with the guarantee that it will come to pass, what would it be?  Admiration, beauty, riches, fame, comfort, health, love, wisdom?  No matter what you ask for, the response will be, "Your Wish Is My Command."  

Earlier this week, I felt like God spoke this phrase to me. He literally said, "your wish is my command."  When He spoke it He also gave me a revelation or understanding about what He meant.  I'll try my best to explain what He allowed me to understand in a brief moment.

If we were to evaluate the root desires behind the things we wish for, we would come to the conclusion that we really desire things that God has already commanded/declared. For example, if someone wishes for fame, beauty, or admiration, isn't the root desire behind that wish something like acceptance or value?  And hasn't God already declared that we are accepted and valuable?

Many times we seek to satisfy the shadow of the root desire or a small aspect of it rather than to satisfy the root desire itself.  We must stop searching in creation for what can only be found in the Creator.  When we seek the Lord about those root desires He will respond with, "your wish is my command."  Why? Because He's the one that created us with those root desires to begin with! And the true desires of our hearts can only be satisfied in Him!

Now here's the revelation. . . Those things we truly wish for (our root desires) are things that God has commanded.  God has already commanded for us to live in love, peace, forgiveness, etc.  But he has not only "commanded" in the sense of placing the responsibility on us to obey those commands.  He has also "commanded" in the sense of Him speaking things into existence. Just like he spoke/commanded the world into existence, He also speaks/commands/declares things into existence in our lives.

This is great news!!!  Awesome truth!!!  The next time you find yourself talking to the Lord about a desire of your heart, picture Him saying, "Your Wish Is My Command!"  Can you see it?  We not only have the privilege of going before God for love, forgiveness, peace, wisdom, provision, health, etc. We also have the privilege of hearing him say, "Your Wish Is My Command" and seeing him command those requests into existence!  Praise God!

The Bible Says It - Leonard Ravenhill

Iglesia Metodista Libre de Passaic

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Be Lifted Up!

During last Friday's prayer meeting, one of the songs Matt Bunk played had the following phrase: "In my life be lifted high. In our world be lifted high. In our love be lifted high." During this time of worship I felt like God placed 3 scriptures on my heart.

Psalm 121:1-2
¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

John 12:32
And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.

Numbers 21:8-9
The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.

So here's what I got from these three scriptures:

• We must lift Jesus up recognizing our help comes from Him. What is impossible for Him? He's the maker of heaven and earth! Let us be a church that lifts Him up in our lives!
• We must lift him up that He may draw all men unto Himself. The world needs to know that they can also lift up their eyes to God from whom their help will come. Let us lift him up in our world!
• We must allow those things in our lives that represent evil and death to be lifted up to Jesus so that He can use them to bring healing to others. Let us be a church that lifts Jesus up through the dark and difficult circumstances, trials, and even attacks that we go through.

The day after the prayer meeting I came across John 3:14-15, "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” When it says "the son of man must be lifted up" is was referring to the cross. The very symbol of death 2,000 years ago is the instrument He uses to bring healing to the world today. Are we willing to believe (trust) in Jesus when there are instruments of death at work in our lives? If we are then He'll take those very instruments of death and use them as instruments of life and healing for the world.

One last point. At the end of the prayer meeting, Marve felt led to share about the feeding of the 5,000 (Mt 14:13-21; Mk 6:32-44; Lk 9:10-17; Jn 6:1-15). Here's the pattern:
1st - It emphasizes the great trial (lack of food)
2nd - Jesus receives the "lack"
3rd - Jesus lifts it up and gives thanks
4th - All the people are abundantly blessed

Prison Testimony - Fasting

Many people may know that it's becoming more common for churches to start each new year with a 21 day fast. What you may not know is that the prisoners have joined with the rest of the body of Christ during this years fast.

Anyway, as I was preparing to minister on Sunday morning, a prisoner came up to me with so much excitement that he had a hard time expressing himself. He said, "Chaplain, I just want to thank you so much for teaching us and asking us to fast. You have no idea what God was been doing in my life. Man, I've had dreams and direction from God but I can't even get to that right now. I just have to let you know something else that happened. I was reading the Word and I felt like I should write some scriptures down and give it to another brother. When I did, the other brother had already written down the exact same scriptures. Right after that, we both got with another brother who's sister was diagnosed with cancer. We touched and agreed and it wasn't even a week and a half later that we got a message from her saying that she is cancer free!"

Praise Jesus!

Merry Christmas

5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death--
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Phil 2:5-11 (NIV)