Jesus told the disciples many times that He would rise from the dead. Yet, they didn't believe.
Even after Mary reported the empty tomb, they didn't believe.
Two of their very own told about their encounter with Jesus on the road, yet the rest still didn't believe.
It took Jesus showing up for them to believe, and Jesus rebuked their unbelief.
You know what else Jesus told us? He is coming back soon. Yet many don't believe.
It won't be until the disappearance of those who do believe that the rest will wake up.
The catching away of the church is around the corner. God will use this event to reward those who believe while giving yet another chance to those who don't believe.
Where are you? Do you believe what Jesus said? Or are you full of unbelief?
Many times over, Jesus told us how important it is to ask.
"Whatever you ask in My name, I will do."
"Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive, and you will have."
Again, in Mark 18, a parable of a persistent widow gives us insight into how persistent our asking should be.
Our asking should be persistent, but it must not be from a place of doubt.
We don't keep asking because we wonder if He heard us the first time. We keep asking because we are so confident that it belongs to us.
Have you given up on what you are asking God for? Do you even ask Him for anything?
Now's the time to take Jesus at His word. He said to ask and keep on asking. So that's what we do, with full confidence that we will have whatever we ask for.
Don't forget, for this to work, you must be IN CHRIST—fully immersed in His name (who He is). Apart from Him, you can do nothing.
Things seem to be calming down.
We have a president and administration that is favorable to the church. Righteousness and justice are prevailing across the board.
God is carrying out His plan of redemption for America!
It's tempting to sit back and watch. After many years of inner turmoil from the evil that was exposed, many have become weary.
But there is no place for slumber in the body of Christ.
We are to remain active and alert at all times, keeping an eye on our enemy, and watching for the soon return of Jesus Christ.
We must stay full of the Holy Spirit so we don't suffer the fate of the foolish virgins.
Resist the urge to slip back into the cruise ship of Christianity. There's a storm coming, and the cruise ship won't survive. The only thing left standing will be God's battleship, full of believers who built their lives on a firm foundation.
We're in the eye of the storm. It's calm right now, but it won't be for long.
Surround yourself with believers who the "normal" church considers weird. These are the ones who are criticized for believing God for everything He promised—who heal the sick, cast out demons, and speak truth regardless.
If you are with these believers, you'll be safe. If not, you'll be subject to the intense storm that is approaching.
It was so familiar, I thought I understood it. But there were several details locked away until now.
The Lord unlocked 1 Corinthians 13 for me. It's the most detailed explanation of God's love in the Bible, and quite a list.
We tend to tune out after item five in a list. But the end contains the most powerful, mind-blowing aspects of God's love.
Everything the Lord revealed to me is in my book, Love Hijacked. A 20-minute read is all it takes to make sure you are nailing the most important part of your Christian walk.
Don't be like the majority who brush over the thing that makes all the other things work. Without truly walking in this kind of love, we're nothing.
The church is often likened to the army of God.
This is true, but we are not a fighting army. We are an occupying army.
We are not on the defense. We are on offense.
We are not losing ground. We are taking ground.
Don't spend your time fighting the devil. He's already been defeated. Jesus whooped his sorry rear end when He rose from the dead.
So, what do we do when the devil attacks? Easy. Remind him he's defeated and has no place in our lives.
Then, take it a step further and take ground from the devil. Redeem everything he has stolen. Rescue others from darkness and bring them into God's glorious light.
Rise up, child of God! We're not fighting evil. We are fighting the good fight of faith.
It's a fight to live by faith in a world so consumed with feelings, circumstances, and worldly pursuits. But it's a fight we are equipped to win.
Onward, mighty soldier!
Do you ever question the hundredfold return Jesus promised?
In Mark 10:30, He said that whatever we give up for His sake (relationships, property, etc), He'll multiply back to us a hundredfold in THIS life. And on top of it all, the gift of eternal life!
Was He serious? Like, an actual hundredfold return? That's a 10,000% increase!
The world gets excited about a 12% increase on their long-term investments. But if we believed Jesus, why would we be messing around with that stuff?
There are two main reasons Christians aren't living this.
First, it is "too good to be true." And most Christians don't truly believe in the goodness of God anyway, so they are unable to latch on to the hundredfold return.
Second, it requires all in. Everything about Jesus requires all in. You can't test this out with a fraction of your resources. You must make everything available for God's use, however He leads.
(Even that "emergency" savings account.)
Just like you, I am wrestling with limiting thoughts on the hundredfold return. But, I am on a mission to hunt them all down and make them obey Christ.
It's time to think like God thinks about money.
