Tag Archives: Holy Spirit

Meet Jesus: Troubler of Souls Matthew 2:3

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meetjesusMatthew 2: 3: When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

When you encounter Jesus, expect to be troubled.  He will confront your inner fears.  He will force you to face issues you would like to forget.  The presence of Jesus will trouble your life.

Good news is that this trouble can end in peace.  He only troubles us to get us to change to the good.  Internal imbalances in our life will be troubled so they can be healed when we meet Jesus.

ACT! What troubles your soul when you meet with Jesus?  Bring it up and deal with it.  He means to bring you to a place of resolution and peace.   Let Him.

PRAY!  Father, there are days when I am troubled.  Realizing some of that is just being confronted with Jesus, I ask You to untrouble me.  Help me resolve the hard stuff in my life with Your life and Your solutions

Meet Jesus: Fulfillment Matthew 1:22

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meetjesusMatthew 1:22: Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

Jesus is the fulfillment of promises in the Father.  To Abraham, the Father had promised much blessing.  To us, the Father promises all the promises of Abraham fulfilled.  In Jesus is a confident, “Yes”, spoken from the throne of God for each request to the promise.

Now that is incredible.  Jesus is the fulfillment of promises.  That is His nature and assignment in our lives.

ACT!  Go ahead, make God’s day.  Appeal to a specific promise given that is waiting fulfillment in your life.

 PRAY!  Holy Father of Grace and Light, show Yourself to me today.  You promise new mercies every morning.  I appeal today to Your mercies of healing and strength and financial provision and protection for my household from destruction.  I appeal to Your abundant mercies of deliverance from evils that have already happened.

Meet Jesus: The Series

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logoblackandblueIn 2001 it impressed me to spend some time every day answering this question, “What would be my impression if I met Jesus doing what Matthew recorded?”  Well, there are over 400 devotions that came from that adventure.  You will be able to access them over time on this site.  Thank, Brandon.  He is a new friend, who asked me about the series.  So I am putting them here for him and others who really want to Meet Jesus .

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Meet Jesus: Interventionist Matthew 1:20

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Matthew 1:20: But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

 Meeting Jesus means submitting to God’s intervention.   He is not interested in your failing.  He is not interested in your making the wrong decision.  He will intervene.  Though Joseph had a good plan for protecting Mary, God had a great plan for placing Joseph in the key position of caretaker and raiser of His son.

Joseph took time to contemplate, and God intervened. Being around Jesus is like that.  God wants to help the situation turn out for good.

ACT!  Let God intervene in your situation.  Lay it out.  Contemplate.  Think about where He might step in and act.

 PRAY!  You, Father, are full of power.  I open my situation to Your intervention.  Take a step in, Father of Jesus, and make my life different.

Meet Jesus-In the Father’s Heart Matthew 1:19

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Matthew 1:19: Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.

Joseph was both honorable and compassionate. Who else would the Father choose for His Son’s training and upbringing? What better choice than a flawed human with a heart of compassion?

Joseph, with no knowledge of the power of the situation, with no knowledge that the Son of God was involved, took the route of best treatment for Mary. He was taking measures to keep her protected in the embarrassment of the situation. He had the heart of the Father to cover and protect. Who else would God chose but one with His own heart?

ACT! What in your life needs silent treatment? Give it to the Father. He will secret it away in forgiveness.

PRAY! Compassionate Father, release me from my past. In Jesus, I find forgiveness and covering. Thank You for being You.

copyright 2001 Phil Larson

Meet Jesus : Receiver of Gifts Matthew 2:11

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Matthew 2:11: And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

Abundant living is a promise of  Jesus.  He comes to give us life and life more abundantly.  The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy.  Jesus brings abundance.  In that abundance is our capacity to respond in giving to Him.  He is never embarrassed in receiving.  He is a receiver of gifts as well as a giver of abundance.  Abundance is the capacity to give.

ACT!  Give to Jesus.  You may not have gold or frankincense, but you have something.  It may be finances for the kingdom.  It may be an ability that will bless the kingdom.  Give out of your abundance.

PRAY!  Father of Giving, You have enabled me with more than I need.  Jesus told me that when I give to the least, I have given to him.  Show me where to give of myself of Your abundance.

copyright 2001 Phil Larson

What does a smile do? Una Sonrisa por ti.

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ImageMornings are special.  Before facebook and twitter, it is my prayer time.  With such tools, I get to look from the eyes of friends around the world at what they see.  My life is bigger by being involved more intimately in their lives.  Sure, there is much time in the day living with those right here.  And my  life is bigger with those whom I can’t be right there.

The more lives we have in our life, the bigger our health and balance.  Maybe you can have too many friends.  Maybe.  I don’t think so.

The Spanish word for smile is Sonrisa.   When a friend of mine smiles, it is as the Son Rising.  I can see the Son of God in their smile.  The heart is warmed.  Life is bigger.  Problems are smaller.  Hope is encouraged.  Strength is stronger.

Someone asked me to smile recently.  Seems life is getting too serious.  The heart is warmed best with a smile.  So I am sharing Janet’s smile this morning from Matamoros.

Oh, and here is smiling idea from Jody, another friend.  He lives in OKC, but FB says he was in Columbus, Mississippi when he shared this morning.

I read from Mark 2 this morning @ early prayer. I was reminded that I don’t have “faith for” things but rather have “faith in” God. Also my faith is not just for me. Others around me will either be held back from my lack of faith or propelled forward by my increasing faith. My prayer today…

“God, let me be surrounded with friends that trust in You and are full of faith….then God, let our faith bring change to those around us and to our city…God thank you for Columbus, MS. Let me represent You well and trust You enough to step out and do what may seem radical and different to me to help make a difference in someone else’s life.”

My thought for today: My faith is not just for me…someone else may be depending on my faith today for their miracle!
Mark 2:1-12

Get Outside The Reach @Christmas

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Get Out Side The Reach

Usual travels this week include a trip from OKC to Matamoros and back again.  Sort of a Bilbo Baggins adventure.   Though, I’m not sure which end is the Shire.   Raul and I certainly don’t look like Hobbits even though we might have hairyness.

This year, I am staying home. Raul and Abdiel are in Matamoros.   Fiero will take another load of   toys today.   I will watch the star from afar and trust the wise men to do the job.

Why do we do this?  Why have we connected with this congregation in Matamoros called CAREVI?  Why don’t we just stay home instead of drive for 12 hours one way?  What is the purpose?

Get Outside Your Self…

A big reason is to stay outside of ourselves.  It is easy to go downtown and deliver gifts to kids who have more on a poor day than some kids in Matamoros on a rich day.   Ever watched a kid who has never opened a new box open a new toy?  Used stuff really is not the focus.  But getting a new toy in the box is an amazing experience for some of these kids.   Sure, I’ve helped a little and my wife has helped a lot right here in OKC with families needing Christmas.  Yet, they have so much even when they have little.

Get Outside Your Comfort

There is a need to be uncomfortable.  Our lives have little real sacrifice.  Try driving toys across an armed border knowing you will drive past military and cartel operations just to bless someone.  A little unnerving.   We need to be unnerved.  We need to remember.  We need to think about the chaos our comfortable, drugged, entertainment, make me happy culture in the US creates to sustain.  All of those guns and threats exist to supply US entertainment and leisure.  Hmmmm

Get Outside The Reach

Sometimes we need to see the miraculous.   How in this world doe multiple churches and business professionals in OKC come together to support folks in Matamoros?   Black and Latino and White churches here; Baptist and Nazarene and Full Gospel churches here;   join and bless with gifts and gospel folks they will never meet.

Return

Then we come home.  Then we live with memories and facebook connections in between.  Sure I  get to stay connected unlike missions works in the old days.  But it doesn’t smell the same.  It does not taste the same.  It does not love the same.  Sorry, I can’t hug a facebook post.   I can hug a friend, a child, a cohort, a fellow human on the journey.

That is Christmas

There you go.  That is Christmas.

Jesus went outside Himself and became an extension in humanity.

Jesus went outside His comfort zone in the throne room and stepped into an earth zone.

Jesus went outside the heavens and touched the earth, where we live in sin and destruction disturbing His intended peaceful creation.

Jesus returned to heaven; yet, He stays connected with us.   He is more powerful than facebook.  He takes up residence in hearts and stays even though He returned.

Guess That’s Why

I guess reliving that journey of Christ every year is what drives me and the team.   Thanks for sending us.  Thanks for allowing us.

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Enjoy the Light of Christmas

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navimg8Isaiah 9: In Galilee of the Gentiles. 2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.

During the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, my family has always enjoyed watching Christmas themed movies and celebrating with friends.  For us, an opportunity to have a world focused on giving and receiving and thanking the God of Comfort is special.

I am thankful for each of my friends and family. The honor to exchange prayer with you is a blessing.

Yet, one friend belied the missing element of Christmas movies.  Where is the Christmas movie that celebrates an individual connecting with Christ and His love?

  • There is connecting with the Bishop, Santa Claus.  http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/bishop-of-myra/   Surely he loved Christ and spread His love.
  • There is connecting with others.  Surely some of them are full of the love of Christ.
  • There is connecting with ghosts.  Surely some of them lived for Christ.
  • There is connecting with the spirit of Christmas.  Surely it is the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ that spawned the spirit of Christmas.
  • There are movies about the life of Christ that end with a story but not a changed life.

What about connecting directly to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the Light of Life, and the salvation of our souls?  Where is that movie?

The entertainment dollar is king.  People don’t want their souls pricked and a challenge made for real life change.  We like entertainment in our movies, churches, community events, and homes.  Real life changing impact is not supported financially for the most part in our communities.  Yet, ignoring truth is a dangerous seasonal habit to form.

There is a mournfulness underlying our Christmas season.  Aversion to life changing truth brings depression.  It brings pain.  And pain brings destruction.  Evil is real and waiting for opportunity to express itself in dark acts.  Yes, especially at Christmas, evil erupts.  Suicides prevail greater than other times of year.  Depression is in high season.  Conflicts shatter otherwise smooth relationships.

Understand that the truth of Christmas does show itself.  It cannot be denied.  As a society, we love to deny the truth and replace it with a smoother reality.  Repressed truth erupts in pain and anger and depression and destruction.  Embraced truth erupts in joy and liberty and happiness and thankfulness and strength and life.

It would be better if we embraced the truth of Christmas and placed some life changing messy messages into our media.  Jesus came to seek and save the lost.  He is no longer a babe in the manger.  He is a Lion of Righteousness.  He demands we face truth and change our direction.  Yes, He demands it.  He knows that repressed truth ends in destruction for eternity and embraced truth lives in liberty for eternity.  He loves us enough to change us.

Embrace truth for a healthy life.  Embrace Christ.  Face realities and connect with a power to change and develop full health in body, mind, desires, emotion, spirit, and relationships.

Prayer:  Father, give a little light.  Better yet, let the Great Light You have already given explode into our darkness. We need You.   We need Your light.

Acts

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In Acts 2 we are encouraged to enjoy the power of the Holy Spirit.  This person of power brings life and health.  This person of God brings righteousness, joy, and peace that passes all understanding.  This person of love brings restoration and vibrancy.
He is a promised gift.
The promise is for all.
The promise is strength.
The promise is for power.