Help My Unbelief

A father brings his son to Jesus. The boy has a mute spirit and experiences epileptic-type seizures. He believes Jesus can heal his son; yet because the disciples already failed to do so, he is afraid to try again. He asks Jesus for help with his unbelief (Mark 9:23-25).

We all feel this way sometimes. We know what the Word of God says, what preachers tell us, and what our friends share with us; yet, we still have such little faith!

Through this tiny verse God shows His humor and mercy in the same breath (Mark 9:23-25). He teaches us that the important aspect is to choose to believe, even when circumstances cause us to feel uncertain.

God understands that we lose hope and get discouraged. So, God put this powerful verse in the Bible to remind us that as long as we choose to believe, then He will do the rest.

Prayer:

Lord, we want to walk in obedience, trusting in Your promises and doing greater works than Jesus did (John 14:12). We believe in You; yet, at times, our faith is weak. Thank You for helping our unbelief, and for providing for all of our spiritual, physical and emotional needs.

We praise You day and night for Your wonderful works and multitude of blessings to the Your children. You do so much for us and take such an active roll in the details of our life. Thank You for caring enough to give Your life for our redemption and salvation.

Thought for the Day:

Hearing from God often requires that we find a quiet place to still our thoughts and focus on His presence in our life.

The Presence of Christ in Us

 

 

We often walk around in life with our chin dragging the ground because of the temporary trials we experience, instead of holding our head high as a child of the King (2 Corinthians 4:17). We wallow in sin and degradation, because we do not realize that our flesh is already dead, and we are raised to walk in a new life (Colossians 3:3; Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12).

We fail to take advantage of the fact that we can enjoy unbroken fellowship with the Creator of the Universe. God’s presence is with us each moment of our day, unless we grieve the Holy Spirit by our sinful desires, actions, motives and thoughts. Pride, self-centeredness and rebellion thwart God’s work in our life. If we repent of sin, which separates us from the fullness of Christ in us, He readily forgives us (1 John 1:9).

God longs to fellowship with us; at times, even in companionable silences. He desires to reveal Himself to us in intimate communion, if we will only take the time to listen. Are you willing to repent and to listen? Then, pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18),  and God will fill you with Himself (Ephesians 1:23; Romans 5:13). Not only on your knees, but in your spirit as you travel throughout your day.

When we come to Christ in Salvation, He moves in with the full power of the Godhead: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Think about that! The full power and majesty of the Trinity dwells in each authentic Born Again Believer. God brought us out of the world and into the rest of God in Christ (Hebrews 4:3,10). Jesus is our whole life now (Colossians 3:4), unless we keep our focus on carnal, earthly issues.

The strength of God’s holiness gives us the power of the supernatural in our life. The presence of Christ in us gives us love, joy and peace regardless of what life, Satan and the flesh bombard us with. There is no circumstance in life...not sickness, imprisonment, abandonment, persecution, neglect, the death of a loved one, or anything else...that can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:35-39).

Prayer:

Father God, we want to listen...to consult You all through our day. We want Your Holy Spirit to guide us each moment. Reveal Yourself to us in intimate fellowship and companionable silences. We want nothing in life but more of You. Teach us to walk in the power of the Godhead each moment of our day; so that we can do the works that Jesus did on the earth; and even greater works than those, because Your Spirit abides within us (John 14:12). 

Thought for the Day:

A life centered on Christ gives us a life blessed by Christ.

– Colossians 1:27

A Greater Increase

Jesus lived a phenomenal life; and when He ascended into heaven, He sent His Spirit to dwell in us. The Holy Spirit enables us to do greater works than Jesus did, because there are so many of us in His Body (John 14:12). We have the same power and authority of Christ, because He dwells in us by His Spirit (Romans 8:11). Even His Word brings life-changing power into our world.

We increase in love for one another and toward all people (1 Thessalonians 3:12). In humility, we prefer one another and do not act from any selfish ambition (Philippians 2:3). Every day, we share God’s love with everyone He brings into our life. We thank God for one another, especially as we watch each other growing in our faith. Our love for one another grows even more (2 Thessalonians 1:3).

 

He will increase the numbers in our church body, because He loves and blesses those who serve Him (Deuteronomy 7:13). The glory of God’s current house will be greater than the glory of His former house (Haggai 2:9). God swears to uphold His promises to us by the greatness of His name (Hebrews 6:13, 16). Our testimony is great, but the testimony of God is even greater (1 John 5:9).

 

The apostles knew that the only way their faith would grow is if the Lord did it in them (Luke 17:5). God does this by supplying our needs, increasing our storehouses and enlarging our harvest (2 Corinthians 9:10). He increases the fruit on our trees and the crops in our fields. He protects us from the shame of deprivation (Ezekiel 36:30). He multiplies our honor and gives us His comfort (Psalm 71:21).

 

Prayer:

Father God, You dwell within us and help us to overcome Satan, the flesh and the world (1 John 4:4). You give us a ministry to perform for Your glory and You empower us to accomplish everything, which You call us to do (Philippians 2:12-13). We dedicate to You every breath we breathe and every moment of our day. Lead us by Your Spirit and always keep us in the center of Your will.

 

Thought for the Day:

The least person in this world will be the greatest of all in God’s Kingdom. - Luke 7:28

 

Victories and Delights

Jesus Christ is our whole life (Colossians 3:3-4). He lives in us and wants to accomplish our Father’s work through our life, so that He can do greater works than He did alone (John 14:12). When we rely on our own accomplishments and talents, we miss the whole point of our life in Christ. God can even overcome our inabilities with His glorious abilities within us. As we submit our life to Him, He puts us in the right place at the right time to live in the center of His will.

We are joined with Christ and with His Body, the church, in one Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17). His divinity steadily replaces our humanity. We abide in Him and the fruit of His Spirit replace our carnality (Galatians 5:22-23). We rest in Him and enjoy all of the fullness of the divine Trinity in our life. We trust in His faithfulness, regardless of the circumstances in our life. He uses us to accomplish His works and He brings us total fulfillment (Ephesians 2:10).

We no longer rely on what our heart advises us to do, or what our soul’s emotions feel is the best course for our life, or what our family, friends, the world, the flesh or the devil determine for our day (Jeremiah 17:9). We rely on God’s Word to feed us, and God’s Spirit to lead us (Matthew 4:4). We live in God’s will for each moment and soon find that our only desire is to accomplish His purposes for our life (Isaiah 26:12).

Christ unites us with Himself in an intimate and integral relationship, which lasts for eternity. Especially in times of anguish, we can cleave to the Lord with our whole heart (Acts 11:23). We are complete in Him (Colossians 2:10). We no longer have responsibility for our life, because Christ in us is ready to take over at the moment of our salvation. We simply yield to Him and He births His righteousness within us (Titus 3:5), leads us by His Spirit (Galatians 5:16,25) and turns all of our sins and sorrows into victories and delights.

Prayer:

Father God, our soul is capable of becoming distress and discouraged (Psalm 42:5). The Psalmists consistently illustrate the need for our soul to praise You, who are the only One who can truly encourage our soul (Psalm 42:6 & 11; 3:1, 104:1). May the eyes of our heart be enlightened in order that we may comprehend the hope, in which You called us to live; so that we can enjoy the riches of our glorious inheritance with You and Your holy people (Ephesians 1:18).

Thought for the Day:

The Lord lives in us as our might Savior. He rejoices over us with great gladness; with His unconditional love, He calms all of our fears. He is so pleased in us that He rejoices with a new song. – Zephaniah 3:17

 

Greater Works Through the Spirit

 

Jesus did great works that proved He was God. These miracles bore witness to His relationship with His Father. Jesus said that those who believe in Him would do greater works than He did (John 14:12). How is that possible? Jesus was God who came to earth in the flesh. How can we do greater works than He did? Jesus secured our salvation for us. He paid the debt we owed because of our sin. The death and resurrection of Jesus makes these greater works possible. Now, the Holy Spirit infuses us, sanctifies us and anoints us to do these greater works.

Jesus preached to the multitudes; yet, when He died only 120 people gathered in the upper room. This was the sum total of lives that dedicated themselves to Him after His three years of ministry. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit could not come, if Jesus did not go to the Father. Therefore, when Jesus ascended into heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within the 120 Believers gathered in that upper room (Acts 2). We call this the day of Pentecost. Therefore, when Peter preached his very first sermon, 3000 people got saved from hearing that one sermon (Acts 2:41).

How did Peter do this greater work? The Holy Spirit, which Jesus sent, gave power to Peter and the other apostles and disciples, which anointed their ministries. Their mission was to spread the gospel of Jesus into Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). God anointed the apostles by His Spirit; and the Spirit is still touching lives in powerful ways today. He enables Believers, who live all over the world and throughout these last centuries of time, to do greater works.

After Jesus death, the apostles and disciples continued doing God’s will for their lives. They did not accomplish works greater in quality than Jesus. Jesus was speaking about the greater quantity of work that His entire Body can accomplish with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. Each of us is the Temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). He accomplishes these greater works in us and through us. No human being is exalted or lifted up higher than Christ. Instead, our works point people to Christ.

Christ is the “express image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3). Jesus’ death opened up the possibility that He could dwell in the hearts of saved mankind by His Spirit. He brings us to salvation, which was not possible before the cross. Jesus paid the penalty of our sin and opened up the way for us to do greater works than He did. Jesus said that the ultimate work of God is that we believe in Jesus, who was sent by God to bring salvation to a lost and dying world (John 6:28-29).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, there is no greater work than what You did by laying down Your life in payment for our sins. You opened the way of salvation to the whole world and then You went to prepare a place for us in Heaven. You did not leave us on this earth helpless and abandoned, but with comfort and hope. You gave us Your Spirit to teach, guide and comfort us from within (John 16:7,13). We have access to the Father in Your Name, because you paved the way on Calvary’s cross (Ephesians 2:18). Now, we can come boldly to Your throne of grace in our times of need (Hebrews 4:16).

Thought for the Day:

We do greater works by taking the gospel of Christ to the whole world.
- Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 2 Timothy 1:8; 1 Peter 1:5

 

 

 

The Most Profound Verse in the Bible

Read: Mark 9: 17-29

"Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" - Mark 9:24

A father brings his son to Jesus. The boy has a mute spirit and experiences epileptic-type seizures. He believes Jesus can heal his son; yet because the disciples already failed to bring healing through their prayer, he is anxious and concerned. In these few words, he is telling Jesus, "Although I really do believe you can heal my son, I am afraid of being disappointed yet again. So, I need you to help my unbelief."

We all feel this way sometimes. We know what the Word of God says, what preachers tell us, and what our friends share with us about their experiences with God healing them; yet, we still have such little faith! The Bible promises that if we have faith no larger than the tiny mustard seed, we are in luck! That is all God requires (Luke 17:6). Luke 13:19 reminds us that this tiniest of all seeds, the mustard seed, grows up into one of nature’s largest trees. Our faith grows too, as God proves His love to us.

Through this tiny verse God shows His humor and mercy in the same breath! He teaches us that the most important decision we make in life is to choose to believe, even when circumstances cause us to feel uncertain of that belief. God understands our human dilemma, which causes us to look by sight instead of by faith. God understands that we lose hope and get discouraged. So, God put this powerful verse in the Bible to remind us that it's okay with Him. As long as we choose to believe, then He will help our unbelief!

Prayer:

“Lord, we want to walk in obedience, trusting in Your promises and doing greater works than Jesus did (John 14:12). Help us to fully surrender to You. Help us to let go of our concerns and to let You handle our life. Help us to trust Your provision and timing. Most of all, though, Lord, help our unbelief.”

Thought for the Day:

God has His reasons, which we cannot fathom; but hindsight is always 20/20!