If your feeling Outnumbered

Have you ever felt outnumbered or overwhelmed by the circumstances of life?  Its all part of our human experience here in this earth.   We can learn a lot about how to overcome from the true warriors of the bible.   Lets look at Elisha.
In 2 Kings chapter 6:15, there was a huge army that was surrounding the city where Elisha was residing and his servant came to him and asked him,Alas my master! how shall we do? "   His servant was panicking about what he saw.
So many times in life we are faced with similar circumstances and if we act upon what we see with our naked eyes we would live in fear.   Its interesting how Elisha responded to the fearful comment of his servant.

2 Kings 5:16-17  "And he answered, Fear Not: for they that be with us are MORE than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes,that he may see.  And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was FULL of Horses and Chariots of FIRE round about Elisha."   
Elisha was not moved by the bad report he reacted by speaking a word of faith.  He then prayed that God would open the eyes of his servant that He could see by faith what Elisha already saw.   Fear will cripple your eyesight of faith if you allow it to.   You are not to be moved by what you see but instead you are to react according to what you see by faith.  Your faith and belief in the vision and revelation of what God gave you to do will allow you to overcome every circumstance that is coming up against you.   Fear and faith should not be allowed to co-exist in your heart. 
You may feel outnumbered and overwhelmed by what is happening to you but if you will just look through the eyes of faith you will see that if God be for you who can be against you!

Rich towards God

One of the multitude said to him, "Teacher, bid my brother divide the inheritance with me." But He said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or divider over you? "  And He said to them, "Take heed, and beware of all covetousness; for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

And He told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; and he thought to himself, What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops? "  And he said," I will do this; I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.  But God said to him, Fool ! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?  So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."   Luke 12:13-21

Jesus pointed out that our goal in life should not be to acquire an abundance of possessions but to become RICH in our relationship with God.

How do we become rich towards God?  
Jesus gave us a key.


 “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”  Matt 4:4  

I believe it starts when we make a commitment to abide in the word.   How do we do this ?   We start reading our bible daily and seeking the Lord bring us revelation that only He can give us.    In doing so, we are turning our hearts towards God and drawing near to Him.

 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."    
Matt 6:19-21

My Son, attend to my words; incline you ear unto my sayings.  Let them not depart from your eyes;  keep them in the midst of your heart.  For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.   Prov 4:20-22

 It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. John 6:63    When you read the word you give the Lord an opportunity to speak to your heart through His word.

Each day the Lord gives us a choice and asks us like he asked the twelve.
Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?”  Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”  
John 6:67-69.   In today's world there are so many cares of the world that are pulling us in different directions but we must choose to spend time with the Lord and stop pulling away from Him.  

 Take care, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. Hebrews 3 :12

The second way that we can become Rich towards God is to pray.  
What is prayer? 

Prayer is an attitude of our hearts in which we are reverently seeking God and drawing near to Him.  In doing so we are spiritually communing with God in an act of worship, thanksgiving, adoration, or confession.

 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you."  
Matt 6:5-6 

 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.  Mark 11:24 

It is important in our walk with the Lord that we devote ourselves to prayer.  In doing so we become closer to God.  Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. James 4:8  

Since we have a great priest over the house of God,  let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. Hebrews 10:21-22

I believe another way that we become Rich towards God is by trusting Him despite what we are going through.  

Without faith it is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Hebrews 11:6

And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat, nor about your body, what you shall put on.  For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.  Consider the ravens; they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his span of life?  If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

But if God so clothes the grass which is alive in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O men of little faith!  And do not seek what you  are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be of anxious mind.  For all the nations of the world seek these things; and you Father knows that you need them.  Instead, seek His Kingdom, and these things shall be yours as well.  Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.     Luke 12:22-34

I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging bread.  Psalm 37:25

Truely, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.  Mark 10:30

Train yourself in godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.   1 Tim 4:7-8

Overcoming Obstacles

Subtext: { Quoting from 1599 Genevia Bible}
Matthew 28:9 
 
" And as they went to tell his disciples, Behold Jesus also met them,
saying, God save you.."

The teaching which you are reading declares unto you how the Lord your God Jesus the Lord Messiah saves you in times of struggle.  You may be facing some obstacles today which you think you will never be able to overcome.   So did Moses and the people of Israel. 

At the end of the forty days they returned from spying out the land.  And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.
And they told him, "We came to the land to which you sent us; it flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.   Yet the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there.   The Amalekits dwell in the land of Negeb; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan."   But Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, "Let us go up at once, and occupy it; for we are well able to overcome it." 

Caleb had a way of looking at things through the eyes of faith instead of allowing fear to overcome him.  
Then the men who had gone up with him said, " We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we."  So they brought the people of Israel an evil report of the land which they had spied out, saying, "The land, through which we have gone, to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature.  And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim): and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them."  Numbers 12: 26-33
When we focus on the obstacles that we see we remove our focus on the God who can remove those obstacles.     It reminds we of the story of Peter when he was walking on the water.  And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water."  He said, "Come."  So Peter got out of the boat and walked  on the water and came to Jesus;  but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord save me."   Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying unto him, "O man of little faith, why did you doubt?"  Matthew 14:28-31  
Peter saw what the wind was creating making the waves rush upon his feet and swell up high.   He took his eyes off Jesus and places them on the circumstances that were going on around him and he began to sink.  
In John 11:32-44 we see a woman who was facing an obstacle of death but she placed her faith in Jesus and she obtained her miracle. 

 Then Mary, when she came where Jesus was and saw him, fell at his feet, saying to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."   When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled; and he said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  So the Jews said, " See how he loved him!"

 But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"   Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb;  it was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her,
" Did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  

 So they took away the stone.  And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, 

"Father, I thank thee that thou has heard me.  I knew that thou hearest me always, but I have said this on account of the people standing by, that they may believe that thou didst send me."  When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice," Lazarus come out."


No matter what obstacle you are facing today if you call up on Jesus he will come and answer you and be your savior and deliverer that you need no matter what your situation looks like.   

Are You a Watchman?

What has God called you to do?  Has he made you a watchman? 
The watchman sees the battle that is coming and warns the people so that they are able to run to safety.  They would sit on the walls of the city gates and call out with a shout if they saw the enemy coming.  
"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me."  Ezekiel 3:17  

As Christians we are to do the same today.  If we see a brother or sister who is falling into sin we are to go to them in love and gently remind them that the wages of sin is death.  We sin if we do not do this.  The bible warns us of this.

But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.    Ezekiel 33:6  

In the society in which we live in today this is not the popular thing to do.   Nobody seems to have the guts to speak the truth in love to anyone anymore.

Every one deceives his neighbor, and no one speaks the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they commit iniquity and are too weary to repent. Jeremiah 9:5 

We know that no one wants to be confronted with their sins but sometimes confrontation is necessary to save a soul.  This is called TOUGH LOVE.   
We do it with our children when they act out so why don't we do it with those fellow members in the body of Christ ?   Aren't we supposed to be holding eachother accountable to the scriptural standards of the bible?   

In the Old testament Prophets were ordained by God as the watchmen over God's people.   They were constantly warning the people about their attitudes and their actions.   They were God's messengers but sometimes the message was not what the people wanted to hear.
The prophet is the watchman of E′phraim, the people of my God, yet a fowler’s snare is on all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God. 
Hosea 9:8  
Do not expect everyone to be pleased when you speak out what God commands you to speak.  Sometimes you will be met with hostility and hatred even inside the four walls of the Church.   Remember we are to be salt and light but if the salt looses its saltiness what good are we?  God knows people's hearts when they are in sin but through the prophetic message He wants to give them an opportunity to repent and if you do not speak what God gives you to speak then repentance may never come into their hearts so it is best that you do as Jeremiah was commanded to do.  

God said,"I will utter my judgments against them, for all their wickedness in forsaking me; they have burned incense to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands. But you, gird up your loins; arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its princes, its priests, and the people of the land. They will fight against you; but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you.”   Jeremiah 1:16-19 

 If we are the Body of Christ and we are members of one another and we do not speak to one another the truth but instead pat eachother on the back and go about our merry way we are actually hurting ourselves.  God gave us the fivefold offices to help equip and perfect the Body of Christ through their gifts.

" His gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ; so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every joint with which it is supplied, when each part is working properly, makes bodily growth and upbuilds itself in love."  Ephesians 4: 11-16  

 If the Body of Christ does not receive the message that God speaks through the Watchmen ie (Pastor,Teacher,Prophet, Evangelist, ) then they will continue to be tossed to and fro carried about with every wind of doctrine and devoured by the whiles of satan himself and they will never grow spiritually and work together properly.  They will always be disfunctional and never accomplish the plan and purpose that God called them to do.  

The Veil was Torn

Our history focuses upon the resurrection of Jesus from the dead but when you read the bible you will see that there were others who had died that were resurrected as well as Jesus the day before Jesus was resurrected.    

And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom; and the earth shook, and the rocks were split;  the tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised,  and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.  When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe, and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”  Matthew 27: 51-54

When Jesus died He tore the veil in the temple which separated us from entering into the Holy Holies.  This was a dawning of a new era for God because He made the decision that HE was no longer going to dwell in a temple made by human hands.   The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man,  nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all men life and breath and everything.  Acts 17:24-25 

Jesus established a new covenant with us.  But when Christ appeared as a High Priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, he entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.  For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.  Therefore He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred which redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant.  For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established.  For a will takes affect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. Hebrews 9: 11-17


Jesus said , " I am the way, and the truth , and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me"   John 14:6  
Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way which HE opened for us through the curtain, that is, through His flesh, and since we have a Great Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.   Hebrews 10:19-25

Body of Christ

As members of the Body of Christ we need to respond to his leading in our lives to live in unity.  

For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness. Rom 12:4-8 
Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly;do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all.  Rom 12:16-17
May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Rom 15:5-6 

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 1 Cor 10:16-17  For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.  For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many.  If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.  If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be?                 If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?  But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.  If all were a single member, where would the body be?  As it is, there are many members, yet one body.  The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”  On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,  and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another.  If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.  1 Cor 12:12-27

How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!  Psalm 133:1 
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephes 4:1-3
Until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming.Ephes 4:13-14 
 Jesus prayed for us in John 17:20-23  

I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us,so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one. I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.  Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.  Rom 14:19  

When we are unified the Holy Spirit is able to move and do miraculous things and accomplish things that we could never do in our own abilities.     

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Acts 2:1-2

When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness. Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.  Acts 4:31-33

 Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called—that you might inherit a blessing.   1 Peter 3:8-9 

Trust in the Lord

The definition of  Trust is a reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person ; confidence.  The confident expectation or hope in the certainty of a person in whom you can rely upon.  

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.  
Prov 3: 5-6  

How do we TRUST?

Its not easy to trust people because we all have experienced circumstances in our lives in which we have been hurt at one point or another by people who we thought that we could trust but they failed to live up to our expectations.
Its hard to know who to trust and who not to trust anymore.  Trust can be achieved by getting to know a person enough to know how they will act in different situations and circumstances.  

This is much the same in our relationship with the Lord.   In order to get to know him we must read what the bible says about him in order to understand how he acts and reacts to the nature of our humanity.  Study the miracles of Jesus.  To whom did he help?   

Trust must be Earned

You must decide what will be required to earn your trust.   The price of your trust must be realistic.  You can't expect God to just come down from Heaven with a bolt of lightening and just fix things overnight when it has been years worth of bad decisions on your part which has gotten you into your mess.  Be realistic it might just take a while before you can be fully delivered.  Sometimes you just have to be patient and optimistic.   Look back and remember what HE did for you in the past.  If HE did it for you then then HE can and will do it for you again!  

You who fear the Lord, hope for good things, for everlasting joy and mercy.
Consider the ancient generations and see: who ever trusted in the Lord and was put to shame?  Or who ever persevered in the fear of the Lord and was forsaken? Or who ever called upon him and was overlooked?  For the Lord is compassionate and merciful;he forgives sins and saves in time of affliction.  Sirach 2:9-11
 
I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging bread.  Psalm 37:25 

There are so many examples of why we should trust the Lord throughout the scriptures but one such person comes to my mind when I think of trusting in the Lord and that is Father Abraham.   In Romans 4: 18-22, it describes to us the level of trust that Abraham had.  

" Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb:  He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness."  

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was to go. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.  

 For he looked forward to the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.  Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.  Hebrews 11:8-12

What God has promised that He wants to accomplish in and through your life is going to require some TRUST on your part.   You must determine and settle it in your heart.  You must be FULLY PERSUADED like Abraham was.  
 

David also trusted the Lord.  He said "  The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart rejoices, and I praise Him with my song."

Psalm 28:7  


For our hearts rejoice in Him because we trust in His holy name.  
Psalm 33:21

 Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires.  
Psalm 37:4