Empowered by His Presence

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus” – Acts 4:13.

God wants to empower and strengthen you to overcome every obstacle in this life. He wants to give you confidence, wisdom and boldness to pursue the dreams and desires in your heart. He wants to give you supernatural insight so that you can be a witness of His goodness. In today’s scripture, Peter and John were supernaturally equipped. Everyone around them marveled at their boldness, at their ability. They knew Peter and John didn’t have any formal training. They knew there wasn’t anything special about them. This power and wisdom could have only come from one place the presence of Jesus.

Friend, when you spend time with Jesus, people will see it. You’ll be energized by His anointing and equipped by His grace. That’s why it’s so important to take time every day to be in His presence. No matter where you are on this earth, His presence is only a prayer away. Scripture says He is near to all who call upon His name. It says that He inhabits the praises of His people. Make your relationship with Him your number one priority and be empowered by His presence each and every day.

Times of Refreshing

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” – Acts 3:19.

God promises in His Word to bring you times of refreshing. He doesn’t want you to live overwhelmed, in despair, or weighted down by burdens in this life. Scripture says that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. That means He wants you to live without pressure. He doesn’t expect you to figure everything out because He already has a plan for your good, and whatever He asks you to do, He equips you for it.

One of the ways people feel heavy and overwhelmed in this life is by carrying unnecessary burdens or taking on responsibility that God never required. When we get out of step with God, when we go against His Word, things become more difficult. Condemnation and guilt can creep in and cause us to try to “work harder” the next time.

If you’ve found yourself in this cycle of works, or if you know you are out of step with Him, today is great day to find your new beginning! He wants to refresh you. He wants to empower you with His strength. Why don’t you turn to Him with an open and humble heart? Repent, let go of the past, and start moving forward. Receive His love and grace and enjoy times of refreshing with Him.

God Oriented Movement

Did you know that God can use a single moment to transform your life for the better?

God is always working, even when we have no idea what He’s doing. He loves to bless us with His amazing, awe-inspiring goodness, even when we least expect it or when things don’t seem to be going the right way. Romans 8:28 is a popular verse but never gets old. To me, it’s one of the most encouraging verses in the entire Bible. “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them”.

I love the word “everything” in this verse. We tend to think of bad things and difficult seasons, but “everything” includes more. It includes the good things as well as the things that we are indifferent about. God takes all of those things and works them out for our good. He wants you to be the kind of person who thinks about His promises all the time, who believes the best, and who keeps hoping when others just give up. If you live this way, I believe you’ll be amazed at how God works in your life. You’ll experience His favor in what I call a “God-ordained moment.”

A God-ordained moment is an incredible, supernatural event that God’s been setting up, working behind the scenes so that you can experience His goodness at just the right time.

Marked Movements

“…time and chance happen to them all” – Ecclesiastes 9:11

Before the foundation of the world, God laid out a plan for your life. He created you with a purpose, for a purpose, and He created you to be successful! He has marked moments already laid out that are going to come across your path. These moments are not ordinary. They are destiny-altering moments. They are designed to thrust you years ahead.

Ecclesiastes tells us that time and chance come together for every person. That means you will have opportunities to meet the right people, opportunities to advance in your career, and opportunities to fulfill your dreams in this year. God has already prearranged for you times of increase, promotion and blessing. Today open your eyes of faith and see the good
things God has in store for your future. Thank Him for what He’s doing and what He’s about to do. Thank Him for divine connections and marked moments because He is ready and willing to fulfill every dream and desire He’s placed within your heart.

God with you

“No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live, for I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you” – Joshua 1:5.

This is a wonderful promise from the Lord at the beginning of the year 2016, the Lord promises to be with each one of us, not only that the coming year but the promise is for years and years to come, till the end of time.

The Lord promises protection around us wherever we go, whatever we do for His glory…unfailing protection. His word is mighty which never fails. When you are on for the Lord, remember not to be worried about anything, as nothing would be able to stand in between you and your accomplishment.

Set new goals; goals that you have been dreaming, dreams that the Lord has been reviling to you. Be blessed this year as the word of God says so.

God Bless you and your family in the year 2016.

Gifts to the King

“And on going into the house, they saw the Child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then opening their treasure bags, they
presented to Him gifts — gold and frankincense and myrrh” – Matthew 2:11

Can you imagine what it must have been like for the Wise Men when they saw Jesus? He was just a child in a stable surrounded by animals, but these
Wise Men recognized that He was the King of kings and the Lord of lords; the Savior of the world. Immediately, they fell on their faces to worship
Him, but notice what they did next — they presented Him gifts as part of their worship. And they didn’t just give any old thing they had; they gave
Him their absolute best — costly gold, frankincense and myrrh.

When we give Jesus our absolute best — our time, talent and resources, it is truly an act of worship. We are saying with our actions, “God, You mean
more to me than anything. Because You are so awesome, I want to give You everything that I am.” It pleases Him when we come to Him with this
attitude. When we draw near to Him with an open and humble heart, He draws near to us. Remember, when you give Him your best, He gives you His best in
return.

Savior is Born

“Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a savior, who is Christ the Lord” – Luke 2: 10 -11.

The message was conveyed by an angel from heaven to the shepherds who were tending their sheep by night. The message was after the birth of Jesus. When the shepherds saw the angel, they were startled, and knowing not what it was.

The message was for everyone “which will be to all people”. The context of the message was that the news was given to the shepherds who were considered of low profile in those days and used to be away from their homes for a number of days together. The shepherds were chosen to indicate that in the kingdom of God there is no discrimination if rich and poor; educated or uneducated etc. The important criteria were availability and responsiveness.

After receiving the message, the shepherds left to see the miracle that had happened leaving aside their flock, it might be a sign of irresponsibility, but what mattered important to them was the priority to have a glimpse of the born savior.

The same message that was received by the shepherds has been communicated to us as well, what is our reaction…

Season of Faith

“Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”…”Do not be afraid Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus”.- Luke 1:28 – 31.

This was the message brought by the angel Gabriel to Mary which was from God. When Mary got the message she responded saying “Let it be to me according to your word”.

In our life we come across many such occasions where there are crucial decisions to be taken, in such occasions it depends whether we depend on our knowledge or on the faith in God. Decisions taken by knowledge may benefit the immediate consequences, but decisions taken by faith have a longer impact.

Mary was aware of the consequences, if she had to go on a trail because of her decision, she would be stoned to death as per the law that was applicable at that time. However she chose to go by faith in God which was stronger and because of her faith, the fate of mankind has been changed forever.

In this season, let’s think about such opportunities that come our way and make the decisions by faith rather than considering the consequences.

Increase your Faith

“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God”

Did you know that your faith in God can grow and increase every single day? Notice today’s scripture doesn’t say, “Faith comes because you have heard the Word of God one time.” No, it says that “faith comes by hearing”–in the present tense.

Sure, God’s Word can transform us in an instant; but most of the time, we need to hear God’s principles over and over again before they become active in our lives. God’s truth sets us free and puts His plan for our lives into motion. As you study the Word of God, it chisels away at the doubt and unbelief that’s been built up over the years. And, just as a seed needs water to grow daily; your spirit needs the Word of God daily. The more you hear God’s promises, the more you know Him, and the more confidence you will have to believe His word.

I encourage you to choose a few verses to meditate on daily. Write them down and carry them in your purse or wallet. The more you hear the Word of God, the more your faith will grow, and you will move forward in the freedom and victory He has for you.

Living in the Rains

“Just as the rain and snow descend from the skies and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth, making things grow and blossom…so will the words that come out My mouth not come back empty-handed. They’ll do the work I sent them to do” – Isaiah 55:10-11.

Rain is symbolic of God’s blessing, favor, and refreshing. His Word is like rain that causes us to flourish and blossom in every area of life. The scripture says we should live like a well-watered garden, vibrant and growing. We should live under God’s cloud of blessing. How do we do that? In the natural, a cloud is formed when moisture vapors rise up from the earth into the atmosphere. Eventually, the moisture is so abundant that the rain begins to fall. In the same way, your praise is like the invisible vapors that rise up to heaven and form a cloud. Eventually, your praise will activate an outpouring of God’s blessing, favor, and provision in your life.

Do you feel like you are in a dry season? Begin to praise and thank God that He is bringing you through to a place of refreshing. Magnify and bless Him for His goodness in your life. As you turn up your praise, God will turn up the rain and you will experience His abundant outpouring. You’ll experience His blessing and provision and live as an over comer in every area of your life.