Who is the most awesome?

You give me power and might. O God, you are so amazing, so awesome. You are terribly beautiful. It just streams forth from your presence. You are such a strong and powerful God.

And you give me your power. You don't keep it  to yourself. You could, but you don't. How amazing is that. You are with us. Nothing is impossible for you.

May I praise you at every turn.

You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary;
the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.
Praise be to God! Psalm 68:35

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Should we wear crash helmets to church? Are you ready to be lashed to your pew?

Annie Dillard has one of the best quotes on church. She is an unbeliever as best I can tell. She knows, however, that if you believe in GOD you better be prepared for who GOD is. He is explosive in His ability and desire to do what we all think can't be done. So why don't churches, for the most part, act that way?

Do you have your crash helmet on? Are you ready to be lashed to your pew?

Why do people in church seem like cheerful, brainless tourists on a packaged tour of the Absolute? … Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping GOD may wake someday and take offense, or the waking GOD may draw us to where we can never return.

via What religious snake handlers want - Think Christian.

"Keep it simple; you are the equipment." ~~Jesus

Jesus challenges us to not get wrapped up in all "stuff" that keeps us from fulfilling His mission for us. He sent His 12 disciples out to proclaim the good news of God's World (Kingdom). He told them to not take any equipment with them.

In God's World, we are the equipment that He uses to reach others. He is radically transforming our lives and that is what people see. People are longing to see the power of God, not the paltry equipment of the failed churches that we build.

We must keep it simple and not forget what transforms us all. It is Jesus not the buildings.

"Keep it simple; you are the equipment." ~~Jesus (Luke 9:3 The Message)

Is it counterfeit?

It is all about love!! May our Father’s HOLY Spirit bring more love!!! How powerful is that?

 "The Pentecostal power, when you sum it all up, is just more of God's love. If it does not bring more love, it is simply a counterfeit."
----- William J. Seymour (quoted in “Apostolic Faith”)

 

 

"Don't say 'God be with you,' and not mean it." ~~Jesus

Jesus challenges us to mean what we say. Religious jargon and trite sayings are useless. It is the power of the risen Lord and Savior that means something. Jesus challenges us to understand what action God wants us to take not say some religious saying. The action Jesus took was always specific. He healed the blind but never exactly the same way.

May I live the life Jesus wants me to every day. May my life speak his power.

"Don't say 'God be with you,' and not mean it." ~~Jesus

Power and love

I don't have to be timid or shy. Fear can't grip my heart. He has given me His HOLY Spirit. The Spirit gives me power that I have never known. I can be bold.

I have His love drenching my heart and soul. With His sensible care I persevere. His love is a gift to me.

The discipline He brings into my life makes a difference. I can focus on His daily direction. I can move according to His long range goals for me. That direction and focus drives out all fear.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7

How powerful is that?

Here is a really amazing thing about our heavenly Father. He spoke to us directly through His Son Jesus. Just reading what He said blows me away some days. He still does it today. Through His HOLY Spirit, the words come alive.

And, it was through Jesus that God created the whole world in the beginning. And because of what Jesus did, the world and all that is in it, will belong to Jesus at the end. He truly is the beginning and the end.

So ... this is stunning as well. Jesus perfectly mirrors our heavenly Father. He is stamped with God's complete nature. He is so powerful that He holds everything in the entire universe together by what He says. How powerful is that?

"I've been given it all by my Father! Only the Father knows who the Son is and only the Son knows who the Father is." ~~Jesus

Oh my goodness. Jesus has everything. It is a great gift from His Father. All authority, power, love. Everything!! Nothing is lacking in Him. Their relationship is like none other. Only that kind of love can produce a world for us that is different than what we know today.

Jesus has it all. Nothing is impossible or lacking. May I know it and live that way.

"I've been given it all by my Father! Only the Father knows who the Son is and only the Son knows who the Father is." ~~Jesus (Luke 10:22)

"Who touched my robe?" ~~Jesus

Jesus is wired with the power of God. God's energy flows through Jesus continuously. So much so, when a sick woman touches His robe, the energy flows out. What happens? She is healed instantly.Jesus senses this has happened. He knows it is an act of faith.

We have the same Holy Spirit in us. Are we in tune with His power, His energy?

May it be so.

At the same moment, Jesus felt energy discharging from him. He turned around to the crowd and asked, "Who touched my robe?" (Mark 5:30 MSG)

"He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love." ~~Martin Luther King, Jr.

Does God lose His temper?

Sometimes we think of God as we think of ourselves. Big mistake. He is God but His emotions aren't like ours are. He is more powerful than we can imagine. He can do anything He wants to. His power, however, is a VERY patient power.

If we think because He is patient, we can "get away with things", we better think again. His patience is shown to us so we will change our minds about missing His goal for our lives and accept Jesus as the answer.

But God doesn't lose his temper. He's powerful, but it's a patient power. Still, no one gets by with anything. ~~Nahum 1:3

Wait for what the Father promised

Jesus told them they had to wait. He didn't have to. He could have given them the Spirit of God right then and there. But He wanted them to wait. And so they did. And they received the Spirit of God and the power that goes with Him.

He didn't leave them hanging though. He promised the Spirit would come soon. And He did.

We live in a world where we want everything, and I mean everything, now. We don't like to wait. Patience is not seen as a virtue.

Here is a clue. God is in control. In His government, He isn't in a hurry. Sometimes he wants us to wait. Our job is to obey.

As they met and ate meals together, he told them that they were on no account to leave Jerusalem but "must wait for what the Father promised: the promise you heard from me. John baptized in water; you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit. And soon." Acts 1:1-5

His strength makes me happy

I can't say, as Paul did, that I have learned to be completely content and happy. But I am learning and I want to mature in this area. The secret is to live in His strength and power. When I seek His desire, I have confidence that He will strenghten me. That is happening. When I wander off on my own, oh boy, I can never be glad in God and happy.

The other area that helps me be happy is knowing who I am in Him. I am fully redeemed and His child. Knowing that strengthens me. Whoo Hoo!!!

I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am .... I have learned the secret of .... both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:11-13

The raw power of God

There is a time to think long and hard. That of course would be about what God has created. Just think about it. Think about it long and hard. It is amazing. The raw power of it all. Imagine, then think, about what it took to create all that we enjoy and take for granted everyday. Come on, think about it. NOW, think about it some more.

And, how mysterious is it that God could do all of this. We can't imagine it. It is beyond us. And, that God, lives in side of us. He can do anything in His Country. He is the President of it all.

By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. Romans 1

Every day is my birthday

This is both prophecy about Jesus and also a message to us as God's children. Our God is a living, today kind of God. What is His message to us today. See today like you would your birthday. Today is a day of celebration. What gift do we want from our Heavenly Dad? He will give us anything. Nations? Continents? Dancing in the street?

I also think this is in the physical as well as spiritual world. He has promised it is all ours. Supernatural courage and His powerful Spirit make it so.

Let me tell you what God said next. He said, "You're my son, And today is your birthday. What do you want? Name it: Nations as a present? continents as a
prize? You can command them all to dance for you, Or throw them out with tomorrow's trash." Psalms 2:7-9

May I seek and ask for His power today. What gift do I want from my Heavenly Dad? May I live like today is my birthday in Him.

To busy to have power

"We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power. We have a great deal of activity, but we accomplish little; many services but few conversions; much machinery but few results."

-----Reuben Archer Torrey