Just Waiting for the Parade!

A victory parade is held to celebrate victory over the enemy army. 

The US did it with the allies after WW1 and 11.

In ancient times the parade was led by the victors followed by the spoils of war.

Next came the leader of the defeated army,

then the captives,

and finally the victorious army.

The army held this procession to make a public spectacle of the captives.

The Bible lets us know Jesus has already won the battle.

He accomplished this at the cross.

Jesus took our captivity captive. 

Ephesian 4:8

Therefore He says:

"When He ascended on high,

He led captivity captive,

and gave gifts to men.

He has freed us from the destruction of sin.

"Having disarmed principalities and powers"

and 

"He made a public spectacle of them".

Colossians 

2:15

Jesus now leads us in a victory parade of triumph.

2 Corinthians 2:14

Now thanks be to God Who always leads us in triumph in Christ,

and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

The battle has been won.

The parade has stared.

Don't sit on the side of the road watching.

Join the parade

and be victorious in Christ.

Follow the Prompt

Every day has its routine.

For most of us it has become automatic.

We get up, dress, go to work, come home, go to bed 

and then start all over again the next day.

It is our routine.

But how often to we stop to listen to the prompting 

of the Holy Spirit?

He is quietly speaking to us.

Other times He is loud, yet we choose not to hear.

We choose to listen to our flesh and ignore the quiet, 

inner knowings and promptings.

Matthew 26:41

......but the flesh is weak

The little inner knowings the Holy Spirit gives us are His way

of leading and guiding us into all truth.

John 16:13

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come,

He will guide you into all truth;

for He will not speak on His own authority,

but whatever He hears He will speak'

and He will tell you things to come.

To hear Him more clearly,

read the Bible, study, 

and 

LISTEN.

The Holy Spirit shows us the heart of God.

Cultivate a relationship with the Holy Spirit,

make it personal.

The more we build on the relationship, the clearer we will hear.

Extravagant!

God's love is extravagant and intimate.

He loves us in a very personal way.

Jeremiah 1:5

He knows us before we were ever formed.

Matthew 10:30 GW

Every hair on your head has been counted.

God takes exquisite care of His children.

Our lives are valuable to Him.

Matthew 6:26

As He takes care of the birds in the air,

how much more will God care for us!

John 14:2

Though we may have troubles in this world, 

God has prepared mansions for our eternity.

John 15:13

No greater love exists than the sacrifice Jesus made for us.

His greatest show of love........JESUS!!!!

His love is extravagant..!

You Already Have it!

What?

I already have it!

YES!

Through adoption by God, you already have it.

Power, authority and freedom from fear.

As an adopted child of God we are adopted into the family of God

and become joint heirs with Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:15

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear,

but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out

"Abba Father".

As an adopted child of God,

we have been given the same rights as the Son

and have been given a new name, a new identity in Christ.

Most importantly, through adoption, we

have been given power and authority to overcome

"all the power of the enemy," (Luke 10:19)

Jesus had authority over everything; to cast out demons,

heal the sick and over disease.

Matthew 28:18, Mark 1:27, Luke 7:7

As joint heirs with Christ, we inherit eternal life,

the authority to speak over our lives in His Name

and receive all that Christ possesses.

Every person is from God, but not all have been

adopted as sons of God.

To receive your inheritance you must receive Jesus

as your Lord and Savior.

Then all that He has is yours!

Willing

Jesus once told a leper "I am willing".

Matthew 8:3

Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man.

"I am willing," He said.

"Be clean!"

Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.

Lepers were outcasts of society.

They lived separately and no one touched them.

Yet Jesus was willing to reach out, touch the man and heal him.

Jesus was willing to heal a blind man on the Sabbath.

John 9

He was willing to speak with the woman at the well.

Even though she was a Samaritan and Jewish people were not to

have any contact with them.  Yet Jesus was willing.

John 4:4-21

Jesus was willing to sit with thieves, beggars, tax collectors and sinners.

Jesus was willing to hang on a cross. 

How many of us are willing to follow in Jesus's example?

How many of us will love the unlovable, talk to the homeless,

forgive those who have sinned against us, or help

those who are in need.

I am willing!

Are you?

There is No Formula

Formula's exist in math and science to find answers.

There are formula's which make up atoms and molecules.

These are constants.

You may know someone with a "get rich quick" formula, 

or how to lose weight.

Unfortunately, what works in life for one person 

may not work in another's.

These are ephemeral and untrustworthy.

The same is true with Christians.

What works for one may not work for another.

There is no magic formula which will work for all to 

live victorious, happy, and healthy.

Someone may pray two hours every morning and night.

Go to church three to five times a week and

knows where all the scriptures are.

They appear blessed, highly favored, and grace filled.

Consequently, you try to follow their formula for praying

and after five or ten minutes you run out of things to pray about.

You know the verse but not the book or chapter.

Work prevents you from getting to church more than once a week.

So you try another formula and it doesn't work either

and you wonder why.

God doesn't fit in a formula or a box.

God leads each one of us in a different way

and He gives the grace to follow it.

Don't look for a formula.

There isn't one.

Listen to God, He is showing the way.

2 Corinthians 12:9

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, 

My strength is made perfect in weakness".......

A Measure of Faith

Everyone has faith in something.

We have faith the sun will rise and set daily.

Faith the floor will be there as we set our feet upon it.

These are constants.

The faith put in jobs, cars, friends, family and ourselves is not.

This type of faith can fail.

But when we come to Christ we are given a "measure of faith".

Romans 12:3

For I say, through the grace given to me,

to everyone who is among you, 

not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think,

but to think soberly,

as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

An everlasting faith in God, Who will never fail.

It is a gift that grows.

Every Christian is given the same amount of faith

and every time we tap into faith by

leaning on, trusting in, and obeying God faith magnifies.

II Thessalonians 1:3

We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren,

as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly,

and the love of of everyone of you all abound toward each other....

The power source of faith is the word of God.

Just as water is a power source for electricity.

Without water--no power.

Without God's word--little faith.

Romans 10:17

So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

The more of God's word the greater the faith.

Faith is planted in our spirit and as we water it with the Word

it flourishes and is nurtured by the Holy Spirit.

Water your measure of faith today with the Word of God.