Sunday, April 13, 2014

Reflections | Sunday, 13th April 2014



Luke 23:18

And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this [man], and release unto us Barabbas:
 
What happened to Barabbas is a picture of what happens when a person becomes born again. Barabbas was guilty; Jesus was innocent. Yet Jesus suffered the death that Barabbas should have experienced, and Barabbas went free.

Likewise, we were all guilty (Ro 3:23) and condemned to death (Ro 6:23), yet Jesus suffered our punishment so that we might go free (2Co 5:21). Just as Barabbas didn't ask for this substitution, so "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Ro 5:8).

Barabbas was freed, but he had to choose whether or not to accept this new start and remain free or go back to his old ways and come under the judgment of Rome again. Likewise, we have all been freed through the substitutionary death of Jesus, but we have to choose whether to accept our freedom by putting faith in Jesus or reject it by denying Him.

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Reflections | Sunday, 6th April 2014


The Wonder Years
Jesus' ministry—the most dynamic and revolutionary outreach ever known to humanity—spanned a total of three and a half years. What caused His ministry to be extraordinarily life–changing in such a short span of time? Some say it was because He was God incarnate. However, Jesus did not come to earth functioning as God. He was born and lived His life on this planet as a man who operated in the power of God (Philippians 2:6–8, AMP).

Luke 3:21–22 says that after Jesus' baptism, "…the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased." In essence God was saying to Jesus, "I know You are a man, but now I am empowering You to act as My Son." Had Jesus already been functioning as God, there would not have been a need for the Holy Spirit to come on Him. God had to anoint Jesus in His humanity.

For 30 years, Jesus grew into the knowledge of the written Word. Once the process was complete, He received power from heaven—the power to perform signs and wonders. Prior to this, He had not performed any miracles. Ironically, Jesus' first miracle wasn't walking on water or feeding thousands of people; instead, it was the "small thing" of turning water into wine at a wedding celebration (John 2:1–11).

Other miracles soon followed. Matthew 4:23 says, "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people." The Gospel of Mark mentions miracles of healing performed in the lives of lepers, epileptics and those possessed by demons (Mark 5:1–20; Mark 5:21–42). Jesus also raised people from the dead. As a matter of fact, one of the most memorable miracles is the one performed in Bethany when He raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:17–44). Four days had passed since Lazarus' death; however, when the burden–removing, yoke–destroying power of God showed up, the grave couldn't hold him!

If you are born again, the same anointing on Jesus' life is available to you. You have the power to cast out demons, heal the sick and raise the dead (John 14:12). However, to operate as He did, you must do the same things Jesus did when He was on earth.

Jesus' "wonder years" can be attributed to two things: the anointing on His life and His commitment to spending time in the presence of God. If you do not spend time with God and His Word, you will never see signs and wonders take place in your life. Jesus said, "…I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things" (John 8:28). When did the Father teach Him? When He spent time in the Father's presence.

Jesus' life is evidence of what happens when a person is continually connected to God's presence. Jesus is your example. By following Him, you will begin to experience your own "wonder years!" 

Friday, March 28, 2014

Reflections | Sunday, 30th March 2014



Have a Throne Attitude - Rest Until God Makes Your Enemies Your Footstool
By: Joseph Prince

You don’t have to wait for Christmas to walk in peace and joy. You can rejoice in spite of your circumstances because God wants you to take a throne attitude and rest while He takes care of everything else for you!

Today, Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father’s throne (Hebrews 8:1). And the Bible says that as Christ is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17). This means that we are also seated at the Father’s right hand.

Now, being seated is a picture of rest. In the Old Testament, the priests never sat down. There were no chairs in the tabernacle of Moses or in the temple of God because their work was never finished. But Jesus sat down because His work is finished (John 19:30, Hebrews 10:11–13.) And God said to me, “Son, tell My people to have a throne attitude.” So what does it mean to have a “throne attitude?”
 
Having A “Throne Attitude”

Psalm 110:1–2
1The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” 2The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies!

In Hebrew, the first “Lord” refers to Jehovah, or Yahweh, and the second “Lord” is Adonai. Therefore, the first verse actually reads, “Yahweh said to my Adonai….” After Jesus conquered sin and death, and rose from the dead, He returned to the Father. And the Father said, “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” So Jesus’ throne attitude is to sit and expect His Father to bring all His defeated enemies under His feet.

In biblical times, defeated enemies were brought back in chains and the victorious king would sit on his throne and put his feet upon the backs of his defeated enemies as a sign of victory. Likewise, Jesus’ conquered enemies are being dragged to Him one by one, and put under His feet.

Ephesians 1:20, 22–23 (NIV)
20… He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand… 22And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, 23which is His body…

We, the church, are the body of Christ, and who is the one who makes the enemies our footstool? It is not us, but God Himself! God’s Word is the truth and He keeps His Word. God is telling us to have the same throne attitude as Jesus — to rest, while He makes our enemies our footstool. So with each passing day, we have all things, including the defeated enemies of disease, poverty, depression and all kinds of curses, being put under our feet.

Enter God’s Rest

Do you want to know God’s definition of His rest? Hebrews 3 describes how the children of Israel were not allowed to enter the promised land because they doubted God’s Word. However, instead of saying “They shall not enter My promised land,” God called the promised land “My rest.”

Hebrews 3:11
11So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’

This means that what the physical land was to the children of Israel in the Old Testament is, for believers today, a land flowing with grace and rest — God’s rest! That is your inheritance today. God wants to bring you out of lack and into the land of abundance! He wants to bring you out of sickness into robust health! And this promised land is the place of His rest.

God’s Word always tells us “Fear not, fear not!” But do you know that there is only one thing the Bible tells us to fear?

Hebrews 4:1
1Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.

In Hebrews 4:1, God tells us to fear that we don’t enter His rest. Now, many of us worry about many things and everything that God tells us not to be afraid of, we fear. But the one thing that God tells us to be afraid of, we aren’t!

Be Rest-Conscious, Not Giant-Conscious

There is another lesson that we can learn from this story. God told the children of Israel that He had come to bring them into “a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8). This means that the promised land was a place flowing with abundance and provision. It was also a sure promise; a statement of what God will definitely do.

However, what was the posture of God’s people when they reached Kadesh Barnea, the border between the wilderness and the promised land? They sent twelve spies into the land for forty days and chose to believe the report of the ten spies who said that the Israelites could not take the land because it was inhabited by giants from the tribe of Anak (Numbers 13:33.)

In Hebrew, the word Anak means “chain” or “neck chain.” A chain around the neck is a picture of a yoke which weighs you down. Although God had delivered the children of Israel from their taskmasters in Egypt and they were no longer slaves, they still had a slave mentality. Instead of focusing on God’s goodness and promise, the children of Israel focused on their giant problem — the Anakim — and they were weighed down with anxiety and fear.

Today, some of us still have this slave mentality. We are so focused on our “Anakim” — our problems and symptoms — instead of Jesus’ finished work on the cross, that we cannot enter our promised land of rest.

Now, I want to pose a question to you that God asked me, which I had to answer as well. Have you ever read the story of the twelve spies and asked yourself if you would side with Joshua and Caleb — the two spies who said, “Let us go immediately and take the land!” — or if you would agree with the ten spies?

Well, the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, like your fathers in the wilderness” (Hebrews 3:7–9). In other words, are your problems bigger than what God is saying about your situation? Before your body is healed, before the money is in your bank account, before every problem in your life is resolved, will you believe that God will deliver you according to His Word and still walk in rest?

God wants you to have the revelation that whatever you need Him to do for you has already been done because Jesus has accomplished all for you. And God is asking, “In spite of the giants, would you go up and enter the promised land of My rest? Can you be rest-conscious, rather than giant-conscious?”

When You Rest, He Works

What happens when you become rest-conscious? Let’s look at this secret hidden in the story of how Jesus healed a man who had been suffering from an infirmity for 38 years.

John 5:8–9
8Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” 9And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.

I asked the Lord why He asked the man to take up his bed. Why not just ask him to rise and walk? And He showed me that the bed is a picture of rest. So what Jesus was actually saying to the man was, “Rise, take up your rest and walk!”

Notice that the day was the Sabbath, the day of rest? Therefore, what God is saying is that when you rest, He works! Isn’t this amazing?

Yet, there was a group of people who were unhappy that the Lord had healed this man.

John 5:10–12, 16
10The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.” 11He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’” 12Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?”... 16For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.

The religious people were upset because it was the Sabbath. They saw healing as work. To them, healing the man on a day of rest meant that Jesus was working on the wrong day!

Now, if you had known this man, wouldn’t you ask him, “Hey, what happened to you? How did you get cured?” Instead, the people he met said, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.” Look, this man hadn’t walked in 38 years! But the people around him were only concerned that he had carried his bed on the day of rest. This is how religious people are: they cannot see the blessings, only the problems.

The last phrase “had done these things on the Sabbath” in the original Greek is in the imperfect tense. The imperfect tense generally represents continual or repeated action. This means that it was a habit for Jesus to heal on the Sabbath and He had repeatedly performed such miracles on the Sabbath — on the day that man rests, God is able to work!

Your Healing Is In The Rest

Another example is the healing of a woman who was bowed down for eighteen years. When Jesus healed her in the synagogue, the ruler of the synagogue, the woman’s pastor, said, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day” (Luke 13:14).
What was Jesus’ response?

Luke 13:15–16
15The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? 16So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound — think of it — for 18 years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?”

Jesus said that her healing came just by being a daughter, a child of God. But some Christians still think that healing is man’s work, not God’s work. They go around thinking, “I’m not doing enough, that’s why I’m not healed.” They cannot believe that healing can be as simple as being at rest in God’s finished work, saying and believing, “Lord Jesus, as You are free from every disease and sickness, so am I in this world.”

Did you know that even the words “healed” and “relaxed” are linked in Hebrew? One of the Hebrew names of God is Jehovah-Rapha which means “I, the Lord, am your healing” (Exodus 15:26). The Hebrew word rapha not only means “to heal,” but one of its root definitions also means “the relaxed.” So healing comes by being at rest, not by working. Jesus’ death has given us life and wholeness.

Seek Rest First That It May Be Well

God does not say, “Wait until all your enemies have been destroyed, until every problem in your life has been resolved, then you can rest.” He says, “Rest first until I make all your enemies your footstool.”

What do you see when it comes to healing for a condition in your sick body or breakthrough for your financial challenges? Do you see lack and say, “Let me get out of this situation first. Let me hear the doctors’ reports say that everything is clear, and then I can rest?”

We find it hard to rest because our human nature is inclined towards worry and restlessness. The devil loves to see human nature reign in the church and to have you believe that you can only rest when things go well or when you see your breakthrough. Stop saying, “When my child finishes primary school, I will stop worrying and rest.” You know what? After primary school, there is secondary school. Then, after your child completes secondary school, you will say, “I think when my child finishes university, then I will rest.” And you will never rest!

I want to share about two women who faced a financial situation during a time of famine. Now, Naomi was a woman of God and this is what she said to her daughter-in-law Ruth.

Ruth 3:1 (KJV)
1… My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?

In other words, Naomi told Ruth, “Shall I not seek rest for you, so that things will go well for you?” Isn’t it strange that Naomi mentioned rest first? Isn’t human nature more inclined to say, “Shall I not seek for things to go well with you, so that you can rest?”

But God wants His nature to reign and He loves you so much that He says, “You are already seated on the throne. You rest first. Sit down until I put the conquered enemies — that financial situation, that symptom in your body — under your feet.”

God wants you to find rest in the midst of the storm. And when you rest in Him, things will go well. This doesn’t mean that there are no enemies. But you will rule in the midst of your enemies! (Psalm 110:2)

Psalm 23:5 says that God prepares a table for you in the presence, not the absence, of your enemies. Some of you may say, “Lord, how can you expect me to eat now? The symptoms are still in my body! My bank account still shows the lack! Lord, I will eat well and I will celebrate when all my problems are resolved.” But the Bible says God doesn’t follow human nature. God says, “I will prepare a table. You eat first! You eat in the presence of your enemies, and I will take care of your enemies for you.”

Don’t Postpone Your Rest

Isaiah 53 describes Jesus’ suffering and what He accomplished for us on the cross. It says that He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities, and by His stripes, we are healed!

The reason we can rest and rejoice in the midst of our enemies is because Jesus defeated them when He took our place and bore our sins on the cross. He has done it all and the work is finished (Hebrews 10:12–14.) We only need to take up a throne attitude and rest in Him.

So, as we are resting in His finished work, what should our response be? How do we partake of all that Jesus has done? Right after Isaiah 53, the scripture says:

Isaiah 54:1–3
1“Sing, O barren, you who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, you who have not laboured with child! For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married woman… 
2Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; do not spare; lengthen your cords… 3For you shall expand to the right and to the left, and your descendants will inherit the nations…

Jesus has defeated the enemies and God is telling the barren woman to rejoice! The barren woman is a picture of someone who has not seen results, signs of health in her body or signs of abundance in her situation. Being barren is a picture of the curse.

The Word says that God never meant for us to be barren. God blessed man and told him to be fruitful (Genesis 9:7). So in Isaiah 54, God is saying, “Sing now, and prepare for your blessing! Enlarge your tent and prepare for growth! Do not spare; expand your territory and your descendants will inherit the nations.”

Imagine you are a barren woman singing, “Hallelujah! I’m a mother of many! The Lord loves me!” The devil will come and say to you, “A mother of many? Where is your child? Aren’t you a hypocrite?” But don’t stop rejoicing. God wants you to enjoy life before the problem is resolved. Start singing even before you see the manifestation. Stop postponing your joy and peace. Stop waiting for Christmas to celebrate. Make every day a celebration of life, and learn to rest in the midst of your problems.

It should be a daily response to go to Jesus for our rest. Jesus Himself tells us to come to Him and He will give us rest.

Matthew 11:28
28Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Whenever you are heavy laden with worries or cares, weighed down by the yoke of the Law or religion, or in the midst of any enemy that is weighing you down, go to Jesus and you will find your rest in Him. Rejoice, sit down, and prop your feet up, because God has promised that He will take care of your enemies and make them your footstool! 

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Reflections | Sunday, 23rd March 2014


Taken from: http://jesusiworshipyou.altervista.org/blog/god-wants-you-to-draw-from-him-joseph-prince/ and http://www.gracehope.com/community/?message=441353

Did you know that giving to you actually brings joy to God’s heart? When you place a demand on Him—like look to Him to heal you—you let Him be God. When you draw from His fullness—His abundance of life, health and blessing—you delight Him!

When you come empty and draw from God, the One who has endless supply, you honor Him and let Him be God. You free Him to pour His abundant supply of health, wholeness and peace into your life! That’s why God wants you to come expectantly to Him for your healing and for every single one of your needs today.

So see Him ready to pour His abundance out for you. See Him rejoicing when you call upon Him. Meditate on and see His heart of love that always wants to give to you. Receive from His fullness and see your healing and answer to every need manifest!

Though Jesus was physically weary when He ministered to the Samaritan woman at the well, He invited her to draw from Him the living water that would never run dry. When she went away, full in her heart and rejoicing, He was strengthened, refreshed and rejuvenated! I want to encourage you to come empty and draw from God, the One who has endless supply. When you honor Him and let Him be God, you free Him to pour His abundant supply of health, wholeness and peace into your life!


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Saturday, March 15, 2014

Reflections | Sunday, 16th March 2014


Elevated at Transfiguration
Taken from: http://paulwhiteministries.wordpress.com/category/transfiguration/

Luke 9:28-37

Jesus took Peter, James and John to the top of a mountain to pray and while there, He transformed from His physical form to His glorified nature. His countenance changed and His clothes glistened. We call this incident the Transfiguration because Jesus showed the disciples His glorified man, literally transforming before their very eyes. Paul used the same Greek phrase for transfigured (Matthew 17:2) in Romans 12:2 when he tells the Christian to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind”.

Moses and Elijah suddenly appeared with Jesus and began to speak of His coming death in Jerusalem. Ever wonder what heaven talks about? In this case, they were speaking of the finished work of Jesus, which was about to be accomplished on the cross. Heaven has always been about Jesus and His beauty and the redemption of mankind.

The story of the Transfiguration gives us a remarkable look at the arrival of grace. Grace is not a doctrine; it is a person, and His name is Jesus! John said that “The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17), and Paul said to Titus that “The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men” (Titus 2:11). A doctrine does not “appear”, but a man does. This shows us that when we speak of grace, we are speaking of Jesus.

Moses speaks of the law, while Elijah is representative of the prophets. The Old Testament is full of the Law and the Prophets, while the New Testament is the ministry of Grace. On top of this mountain, the Law and the Prophets became witness to the Righteousness without the Law (Romans 3:21). When Peter expresses a desire to build 3 tabernacles; one for each person, the Lord speaks from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son: hear Him” (Luke 9:35), and there was no one left on the mountain with them except Jesus (Mark 9:8). Peter was placing the value of the Law and the Prophets on equal footing with Grace, and God spoke emphatically that it was Jesus who was to be listened to; not Moses and Elijah. When we try to elevate the Law and the Prophets to the status of God’s Grace, the Law and the Prophets will vanish to relinquish all attention towards Jesus.

What a command of God! Whatever Jesus says, that is what we are supposed to listen to. What is the first statement from Jesus’ mouth following the powerful voice of His Father? “Arise, and be not afraid” (Matthew 17:7). Rise up in who you are and do not fear. What a mandate for the believer today!

Notice that when the Law was given on Mt. Sinai, the people ran away from Moses when he came down the mountain bearing the tables of stone (Exodus 20:18). When Jesus comes down the mountain after His transfiguration, the people run to meet Him (Luke 9:37). Where Law runs man away from the presence of the Lord, Grace runs man towards Him, for Law ministers death, while Grace always ministers life (2 Corinthians 3:7-11).

The lesson for Peter, James and John was an awesome visual, but it was also wrapped up in their names. Peter means “stone”; James is “Jacob” in Hebrew meaning “supplanter”; John is “grace” in Greek. Put them back-to-back-to-back and you have, “The stone (Law) is replaced by grace”. Transfiguration taught it, and God said, “Listen to it!” Awesome!


Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Reflections | Sunday, 9th March 2014



What Is A Christian?
By Andrew Wommack

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse." (Rom. 1:18-20)

Ever since the fall of Adam, man has been trying to find a way back to God. There is a longing within every person to be back in the image that God created them in. There is a knowledge that there must be something more. The religions of the world are a testimony to this scripture, from the first chapter of Romans, that God has revealed Himself to His creation. But man has devised nearly as many different ways to approach back unto God as there have been people.

The difference between religion and Christianity is, basically, that religion is man's attempt to reach God, and Jesus is God reaching out to man. All the religions of the world fall short of obtaining salvation because they put the burden of salvation on man. They teach that through our adhering to a rigid standard of dos and don'ts, we make ourselves acceptable unto God. But God revealed in James 2:10 that if you keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point, you are guilty of all. This is where the religions of the world have missed it. They have all sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). Man cannot save himself; he has to have a savior.

So God sent His Son Jesus in the likeness of sinful flesh to condemn sin in the flesh that we might come into right standing with God (Rom. 8:3-4). We are made acceptable to God through who Jesus is and what He did (Eph. 1:6). Jesus said of Himself that He was the only way unto the Father (John 14:6). Peter said in Acts 4:12, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." God is the only One who could provide salvation for man, through Jesus; and any other attempts to approach unto God, regardless of how sincere they may be, will end in total failure with the result of eternal death.

Most church-going people in America can accept all of this regarding other religions easily. But what many have failed to see is that much of what is called Christianity today is nothing but religion. By that, I mean that many people are going through the motions of Christianity thinking that their observance of Christian virtues will help them obtain salvation. But it is possible to be caught up in the trap of trying to be justified by your church attendance and financial receipts, just as much as the man who burns incense to idols to appease the gods.

Hebrews 5:9 says that Jesus is the author of eternal salvation, therefore His judgement is the only one that counts. Many people trust the fact that their names are on a church roll or that they have "IN GOD WE TRUST" written on their coins, but that's not the standard that Jesus used to administer salvation.

Let's look at an account of Jesus ministering salvation. In Mark 10:17-22, we see an example of a man who really desired to have eternal life. He was actively pursuing it, which is evidenced by the fact that he ran to Jesus and knelt down at His feet. If desire or good intentions could obtain salvation, he would have gotten it. But Jesus, the author of eternal life, didn't accept his conditions. Many people today don't believe that it is really important what you believe. It's just your intentions that count. But this example proves that to be wrong.

This man was seeking the right thing, and he even came to the right Person, but he did a number of things wrong. First, he only acknowledged Jesus as being a good master (verse 17). Jesus answered by saying, "Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God." This rich young ruler was willing to acknowledge that Jesus was good, but he wouldn't go so far as to say He was God. Yet, one of the must crucial elements to salvation is believing that God was manifest in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16).

Every great leader of the different religions of the world has had to recognize the greatness of Jesus, but yet they have rejected His own claims to divinity. When Jesus was questioned by the chief priests, He admitted He was the Christ (Matt. 26:63-64). The chief priests and elders said that He had spoken blasphemy or ascribed divinity to Himself. Jesus had to be more than a good man to be a sacrifice for the whole human race. One man's life is only worth one man's life. But since Jesus was God, His life was worth more than all the people who had lived or ever will live on this earth. This young ruler made the mistake of recognizing Jesus as good, but not as God.

Second, he wanted to know what he could do to inherit eternal life. He was trying to reach God through his efforts, but he couldn't do enough good. He had sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). Many so-called Christians today are doing the same thing. They think that their church attendance or Bible reading, etc., will atone for their sin, but only the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ can cleanse us of our sin. All our efforts fall short. You may live better than someone else, but who wants to be the best sinner who ever went to hell? You need a savior.

Jesus knew this man was incapable of saving himself. He didn't tell him to keep the Old Testament Law so that he could earn salvation. The Law wasn't given so we could keep it but rather to let us see that we have all sinned and need a savior (Rom. 3:19-20). Jesus ministered the Law to this man so that he would see his need and call out to Jesus for help.

The rich young ruler said he had observed all those commandments all his life. According to Romans 3:23, which we already quoted, that wasn't true. Jesus knew that, so He told him to go and sell all that he had, give the money to the poor, and then come and follow Him. This was to show that he had broken the very first commandment, which was, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Ex. 20:3). His money was his god, and he proved it because he chose to keep his money rather than obey the Lord.

The third thing he did wrong was that he didn't make Jesus his Lord (ruler and master). He was not willing to make a complete commitment of his life to the control of Jesus. Verse 20 says that Jesus loved him, but Jesus didn't change His standard. Unless a man is willing to make Jesus Lord of all, He can't be Lord at all (in that man's life).

God still hasn't changed His standard. Some churches today tell people just to do their best or join their church, etc., and they'll go to heaven, but that's not so. You have to recognize your complete dependence on Jesus only and make a surrender of your life to Him as Lord. As it says in Romans 10:9, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."

The commitment to Jesus as Lord of all has to be there. That doesn't mean that you can't ever fall short of that commitment. The Lord is full of mercy, and His love covers a multitude of sins (Prov. 10:12), but regardless of how well you fulfill it, you have to have made the commitment that Jesus is Lord of all.

I accepted the Lord when I was eight years old. I didn't know about healing and the baptism of the Holy Ghost then, so I certainly wasn't letting Jesus rule in those areas. But I truly committed my life totally to Jesus to the extent that I had knowledge, and as God revealed more truth to me, I yielded those areas too. I've balked temporarily at things He's shown me, but because I made Jesus Lord, He has always won out. Praise the Lord!

If you have never made Jesus the Lord of your life, just pray this simple prayer with me and mean it with all of your heart, and you shall be saved:

"Father, I recognize that I am totally dependent on You to save me. I accept Jesus' sacrifice as payment for my sins and make Him the Lord of my life. I believe that Jesus is alive from the dead and now living in me. I am saved! Praise God! I am saved!" 

Reflections | Sunday, 2nd March 2014


Taken from: http://www.kcm.org/real-help/article/now-are-we-christ-jesus

Let This Mind Be in You
by Kenneth Copeland

Philippians 2:5,6 says, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God." You are to think the way Jesus thought. He didn't think it robbery to be equal with God.

Then verse 8 says, "...he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." You have to humble yourself. No one else can humble you. You are to humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, and at the same time, keep in mind that you are a joint-heir with Jesus (I Peter 5:6; Romans 8:17).

Kings and Priests

According to Romans 8:29, Jesus is "the firstborn among many brethren." Glory to God! Jesus is no longer the only begotten Son of God. Revelation 1:5,6 describes Jesus as "the prince of the kings of this earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever." You have been made a king and a priest unto God because of Jesus and the inheritance that He provided for you.

From the Book of Acts to the Revelation of John, Jesus is known as the first begotten from the dead. If there is a firstborn, then there has to be a secondborn, a thirdborn, a fourthborn, etc. Every believer is counted as a child of God. We are members of God's family and heirs to all He has.

Jesus has made you a king and a priest. He has made you the righteousness of God in Him. In Him, you are the accepted. In Him, you are the beloved. You are His chosen and His elect - a royal priesthood that has been bought with His blood and made His own child.

I John 4:17 says, "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." As He is, so are you in this world! Because you have accepted the sacrifice of Jesus at Calvary and received Him as your Lord, you have the power and the authority to walk in the inheritance that He made available to you. But if you don't know what is yours and what belongs to you, you won't be able to enjoy the benefits of it. Find out what is included in your inheritance in Christ Jesus and then resist any influence that would try to convince you otherwise.

Luke 12:31, 32 says, "But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." It is God's will to give you the kingdom, the whole kingdom! When the reality gets down in your heart that you are an heir of Almighty God, that He has given you the whole kingdom and has instructed you to seek first that kingdom, then all the benefits of your inheritance will be added unto you and you will grow and develop in God's Word.

However, you will never receive any portion of your inheritance until you begin to acknowledge it. With your thoughts, your words, and your actions, you acknowledge the fact that you are in Christ Jesus, that you have received an inheritance, that you have the right to walk in all the blessings and promises of God's Word. Acknowledge the things of God and allow the assurance of them to enter into your heart. Then see them become a part of your life in every area.

How have you been approaching God...on the level of a king or on the level of a beggar? Are you backing your way into the presence of God, hoping to get a handout?

When you made Jesus your Lord, He made you able to stand in the presence of the Father God as a king and a priest, not as a beggar - as the righteousness of God in Christ, not as a sinner. You have been redeemed out of the kingdom of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son. You have been redeemed into kingship and priesthood. You are a king and a priest in Christ Jesus!

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