Great Faith

GREAT FAITH

The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.” Matthew 8:8

This centurion knew authority when he saw it. He himself commanded one hundred men, and he had witnessed countless examples of power and authority within the ranks of the Roman army. And he knew Jesus had it.

   As a result, the centurion did not come pleading his worth (although the Jews made the mistake of pleading on his merit to Jesus). He knew that there was no claim he could make upon Jesus’ power; if Jesus healed, it would be because He wished to heal, not because the centurion deserved the favour.

   Further, the centurion had such confidence in Jesus’ authority that he knew Jesus could do what had not even been seen or done yet, apparently. Jesus had so far only healed in person, but the centurion knew that anyone who could heal personally could also heal from a distance if he so desired. “Speak the word only” was all that Jesus had to do and he knew his servant would be healed.

   Jesus’ reply to the centurion is just as remarkable as the centurion’s statement. Jesus exclaimed, “I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel” (v.10). This is quite a compliment, coming from anyone. But for Jesus Himself to marvel at the centurion’s faith tells us it is certainly something to emulate ourselves.

   When you come to God in prayer, do you see yourself as deserving His favour or do you realise that you are not even worthy to come before Him in the first place? No matter what displays of power or answered prayer you have seen in the past, do you have faith that He is able to do even more than you have witnessed?

Prayer: Lord, increase my faith.

Scriptural Reading: Matthew 8:5-13

5 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him,

6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”

7 And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”

8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.

9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!

11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.

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Great Faith

Created For Good Works

CREATED FOR GOOD WORKS

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. —Ephesians 2:10

When Jesus told the parable of the talents, He was letting us know that each of us has a special purpose in life, and God expects us to cooperate with Him so that it is fulfilled. All three servants in the parable in today’s scriptural reading are given various talents, which represent the individual’s gifts and resources. The servants who put their gifts to productive use were rewarded by the master. They were given more resources and greater responsibilities.

But one of the servants was so fearful and self-centred that he buried his talent and was totally unfruitful for the master. Jesus calls him a “worthless servant.”

If you are a child of God, He has blessed you with special gifts that He expects you to use for His glory. If you don’t know what they are, ask Him to reveal them to you. Ephesians 5:15 AMP says that we should “live purposefully” and make the most of our time. We have a destiny to fulfil and a purpose to accomplish. We have a God to glorify.

There may be a solution to a problem facing society that you are the only one wired to solve. There may be many people who will perish if you don’t preach the gospel to them. It’s my heartfelt prayer that you will make a decision today to cooperate with God’s plan for your life and align your will with His. If you do, God’s promise in Psalm 138:8 belongs to you: The Lord will fulfil his purpose for you!

Prayer: Lord, give me more grace to fulfil my calling and fulfil my purpose for your glory.

Scriptural Reading: Ephesians 2:1-11

1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,

2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,

3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Brought Near by His Blood

11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh — who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in …

Created For Good Works

You Can Experience GOD"S Best

YOU CAN EXPERIENCE GOD’S BEST

“Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you.” Job 22:21

None of us wants to miss the blessings God has planned for us. If asked, we would say we want to receive every one of the gifts He desires to give us. However, because of the choices we make, we often miss our blessings. Israel wandered in the desert for 40 years because they chose not to enter the Promised Land. Though the Israelites were on the brink of tremendous blessing, the leaders forfeited the outpouring of God’s goodness, not only for themselves but for the whole nation. (Numbers 13-14)

   The Christian life is one of surrender and obedience, not independence and rebellion. To live such a life means bringing our choices to God and being prepared to accept and submit to His will. Remember, His way is always best because it comes out of the goodness of His character.

   To choose God’s best also requires learning how to listen to Him. Too many times we present our requests and leave before giving God time to answer us. Hearing God speak to us is one of the most powerful experiences. The voice of God brings certainty, direction and courage.

   God wants you to experience His best this year. He also wants you to be the best you can be. But it will take your willingness to follow His ways, and your obedience to His voice. If you will submit to Him and align your ways to His ways, you will find success and prosperity.

Prayer: Lord, help me surrender to Your will so that Your prosperity may come to me.

Scriptural Reading: Job 22:21-30

21 “Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; Thereby good will come to you.

22 Receive, please, instruction from His mouth, And lay up His words in your heart.

23 If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up; You will remove iniquity far from your tents.

24 Then you will lay your gold in the dust, And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks.

25 Yes, the Almighty will be your gold And your precious silver;

26 For then you will have your delight in the Almighty, And lift up your face to God.

27 You will make your prayer to Him, He will hear you, And you will pay your vows.

28 You will also declare a thing, And it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways.

29 When they cast you down, and you say, ‘Exaltation will come!’ Then He will save the humble person.

30 He will even deliver one who is not innocent;

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You Can Experience GOD"S Best

Let Jesus Be Your Confidence

LET JESUS BE YOUR CONFIDENCE

In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. Ephesians 3:12

Don’t let the difficulties of today get you down. Just feed your spirit on the word. Get strong on the inside—in your mind, thoughts and understanding. One of these days, when you are going through some really tough situations, someone is going to ask you, ‘How are you handling the pressure?’ You will turn to the person and respond in surprise, “Pressure? What pressure?” That response would not be because you are in denial or avoiding reality. It would simply be because you have built the spiritual and mental capacity to handle your challenges with ease. You have grown to carry that which easily crushes others.

   As you build yourself up in the word and power of the Lord, you will begin to see life in a totally different perspective. Once you see that the very Spirit and power of Christ resides in you, nothing—no debt, disease, or demon—will be able to defeat you. You will be so aware of who Christ has made you that the giants of this life will appear like dwarfs. You will see people running and panicking in all directions but you will find great stability and confidence in the power of the Lord.

   Those who build their confidence in the Lord, look within themselves and see Christ magnified. When they look on the inside, they do not see their own human limitations; they see the unlimited Christ. That point of view will transform a weak, beggarly, defeated person into a champion for Christ. Remember, we live for Him and not for ourselves. He is our Lord; we are not masters of ourselves. He is our King; we do not rule ourselves. He is our deliverer; we do not deliver ourselves. He is the Lord of the battle. He lives in us, stands by us and walks with us. In Him we have the victory!

Prayer: Thank You Lord for living Your life in and and through me.

Scriptural Reading: Ephesians 3:8-13

8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;

10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places,

11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,

12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.

13 Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

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Let Jesus Be Your Confidence

Be Joyful

BE JOYFUL

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2

The Bible says, “the joy of the Lord is our strength.” O how you need some strength to triumph this year. Most of us are weak because we lack the joy of the Lord. Note, not the joy of the world but the joy of the Lord. The joy of the world depends on circumstances, but the joy of the Lord comes from the hope of the glory of God.

   Because the devil knows that the joy of the Lord is our strength, he will do everything in his power to still our joy. How sad it is that most of us have lost our joy in the Lord. We can lose our joy for several reasons:

•  Wrong focus. Paul and Silas were able to praise God despite severe trials because they centred on Jesus. Concentrating on our difficulties will cause delight to disappear. Refocusing through praise will bring it back.

•  Disobedience. Sin steals our joy because it separates us from the Lord. As we receive forgiveness and obey Him, joy returns.

•  Regret. We crowd out gladness when we continue to feel bad about past mistakes and failures. Our Father wants us to believe that He forgives us (1 John 1:9) and live in His grace and move ahead.

•  Fear. Too often we attempt to live out the future before it has happened. With so much outside our control, we become afraid. Joy and fear cannot coexist. The Lord calls us to live by faith, asking Him to meet today’s needs and trusting Him with the future.

•  Someone else’s suffering. How can we rejoice when others are hurting? Romans 12:15 says we are to weep with them, but we are also to offer the hope of God’s presence, power, and provision. A downcast spirit is a poor witness for hope.

   What excuse have you been using for your lack of joy? Fix your gaze on the Lord and let His joy fill your heart in power and strength.

Prayer: Lord, let Your joy be my strength.

Scriptural Reading: Roman 5 : 1-5

1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;

4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.

5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

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Be Joyful

The Lord"s Arm

PRAYER

Behold, the Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor His ear too deaf to hear you call. It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, He has turned away and will not listen anymore. Isaiah 59:1-2

Staying in constant fellowship with God through prayer is crucial to your success in life. This is the reason why it is so important to be on a lookout for anything that will be a hinderance to your prayer life.

   One of the reasons our prayers may not be answered is because of unconfessed sins in our lives. Nothing will bring a prayer life to a halt faster than unconfessed sin. Psalm 66:18 says, “If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”

   Offence, bitterness and unforgiveness will also hinder your prayer. When the Lord taught His disciples to pray in Matthew chapter six, He said to them, when you pray tell the Father, “forgive us our offences as we have forgiven those who have offended us.” If you don’t forgive those who offend you from your heart, God will not listen to your prayers.

   Idolatry, or putting something in our lives into a place of prominence over God Himself, can also be a hinderance to prayer. In Ezekiel 14:3, God said, “Son of man, these leaders have set up idols in their hearts. They have embraced things that will make them fall into sin. Why should I listen to their requests.?”

   Is there someone or something that is more important to you than God Himself? Anyone or anything that becomes more important to you than God can potentially become your idol. Any object, idea, philosophy, habit, occupation, or sport that has your primary concern and loyalty—or to any degree, decreases your trust and loyalty to God—could potentially become an idol. And it could stop your prayers from being answered.

Prayer: Lord, revive my prayer life, and help me be vigilant and look out for the schemes of the devil to stop my prayer life.

Scriptural Reading: Isaiah 59:1-5

1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened,

That it cannot save;

Nor His ear heavy,

That it cannot hear.

2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.

3 For your hands are defiled with blood,

And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken lies, Your tongue has muttered perversity.

4 No one calls for justice, Nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity.

5 They hatch vipers’ eggs and weave the spider’s web; He who eats of their eggs dies, And from that which is crushed a viper breaks out.

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The Lord"s Arm

You Need Some Adversities

YOU NEED SOME ADVERSITIES

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed. 1 Peter 4:12-13

The pathway to success and greatness almost always passes through the valley of adversity. We see this principle not only in the story of Joseph, who endured thirteen years of adversity, but also in the lives of many other men and women in both the Old and New Testament.

   Moses was raised in the royal splendour of Pharaoh’s household in Egypt, but he was forced to flee and spend 40 years in desert exile before God called him to lead the children of Israel out of slavery. Joshua spent the years of his youth as a slave in Egypt and his middle-aged years wandering in the desert as Moses’ aide. He was well acquainted with adversity when God called him to lead Israel’s armies in the conquest of Canaan. The prophet Daniel was thrown into a den of hungry lions before he could reach a place of power and influence in the Babylonian courts. And we see this same pattern played out in the lives of David, Isaiah, Amos, Hosea and other Old Testament leaders.

   Even Jesus our Lord had to face adversity. He suffered hunger, thirst, temptation and opposition from Satan. He had to endure hardship and shame before He could be glorified. The Lord’s apostles also suffered persecutions, hardships, and despair.

   All those adversities were necessary parts of the process of making these people what they needed to be to accomplish what they did. So get ready to face some adversities on your way to great accomplishments this year.

Prayer: Lord, make me stronger and wiser by the adversities You allow my way.

Scriptural Reading: 1 Peter 4:12-19

12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;

13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is is glorified.

15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters.

16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.

17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

18 Now “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”

19 Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

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You Need Some Adversities