Especially Peter

Peter Running to the Empty Tomb, Burnard, c. 1898

“And now go and tell his disciples, and especially Peter, that he will go ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you.”

Mark 16:7, CEV

Poor Peter. Despairing over his personal darkness he has become completely undone. His wound is beyond any human remedy. No one can help him at this point. We do well to mark the fall of the ‘Rock.’ Peter is now how we understand our Father’s love.

Jesus had called him, the ‘Rock.’ This would become a bestowed nickname of a future transformation. We use granite and marble when we want something to last for ages. It is as permanent as we can make it. Peter is definitely a work-in-progress. His character is sand. He really doesn’t measure up.

Visiting a working quarry, you’ll find large machinery. Men scale the walls with heavy drills. At just the right spot they begin to bore a hole. It is hard and intense work, but they are persistent. The rock is unyielding, but they work relentlessly.

Soon they take the hole to the proper depth. Explosives are hauled up, and the hole is carefully packed with dynamite. The word used in the New Testament is the word “dunamis.” It is translated from Greek into English as “power.” Our word for “dynamite” is also a translation of that word.

Peter needs the dynamite power of the Holy Spirit. It is explosive.

“But you will receive dynamite when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

Acts 1:8

Jesus looks after each disciple before his resurrection. He kindly gazes at Peter. Especially Peter. He will need this new power to overcome his weaknesses. The dynamite of the Spirit will explode all over the Upper Room. Shifty Peter us about to become a rock.

His disciples, in just 50 days are going to meet the Holy Spirit.

Peter was so transformed on Pentecost he would preach and 3,000 would believe and be baptized. He went from cowardly denier to bold preacher. The dunamis of God changed him that day (Acts 2).

As a broken believer, I see the image of Peter morphing into my own face. I have denied Him before others. I am ashamed of what I have done. My depression flares up and my heart goes down in a downward spiral. I must have the Holy Spirit’s authority to be free.

Bryan

What’s your problem?

If your father were Bill Gates and your computer crashed,

where would you turn?

If Stradivari were your dad and your violin string snapped,

to whom would you go?

If your father is God and you have a problem on your hands,

what do you do?

Is your problem too large?

Ephesians 3:29 says, “God is able to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”

Is your need too great?

2 Corinthians 9:8 says, “God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance.”

Is your enemy too strong?

Philippians 3:21 says, “God is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”

God is able to do what you cannot.

When you have a problem—

make this your first thought—

“How can I get this problem to Jesus!”

It’s a day changer.

Choose to make every day a great day!

~ Max Lucado

God’s Daily Promise #2

Psalm 103:8

Yahweh is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness.
(World English Bible)

Promise #2: I am full of mercy and grace and I overflow with love.

We live only a few miles from Niagara Falls. I am always overwhelmed by the sheer power and volume of the water that cascades over the brink of this natural wonder every second. When I think of the unending stream of God’s love that He shows to us every day, I think of this natural wonder.

As we continue our daily journey of reflecting in some of the promises of God in 2012, may we always be reminded of how He sees us. The Lord is full of mercy and grace and He overflows with love towards us. Everything that He does is motivated by His eternal, unending kindness. May the Holy Spirit give us a deeper revelation of the character and nature of God this new year and may He dismantle any misconceptions of our heavenly Dad that cause us to see Him as distant and angry.

Our God and Father is good. He is full of mercy and grace and just like Niagara Falls, He continually showers His love upon us. And His love will never ever end. May the revelation of the love of God continue to rush like a mighty river into your heart today.

Photo by Barry Adams

Verse of the Day – Prophecy never had its origin in the will of man

VERSE:
For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men
spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
— 2 Peter 1:21
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=2+Peter+1:21

THOUGHT:
Where did Scripture come from? What is the basis of our faith in
the Bible and the Gospel? Peter wants us to realize that the
prophets of ancient times didn’t bake up their own private recipes
for their prophecies. Instead, they could only move and respond to
what God was doing in them, not what they themselves wanted to do
or say. They were human, but their message was God’s word because
the Holy Spirit moved them to speak and guided their words. This
makes what we have in Scripture from the prophets more than
precious: we are given the very words of God! (cf. 2 Timothy
3:16-17)

PRAYER:
Almighty God, thank you for inspiring ordinary people to give us
your extraordinary message in common, everyday language. Thank you
for delivering that essential message to us in the Bible and
preserving it through times of persecution, hardship, and
opposition. Please use those same Scriptures to ignite a whole new
revival in my heart and throughout our land. In the name of Jesus I
pray. Amen.

http://www.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/todaysverse.cgi?day=20110925

Reach out and touch someone’s life today

Wanted to share some input that a neighbor gave me today. A few days ago we were talking and she was all upset and depressed because she has lost her house, her wealth, her friends, her community activities from the old neighborhood, and has had two divorces, and is now living in an apartment.

The Holy Spirit prompted me to say to her, “God had you where He wanted you in the past, but He has you right where he wants you, now”.

She gave me this big hug and stood holding my hand, and said, “You don’t know how much that statement meant to me. My therapist doesn’t understand at all how I feel, but the way you said it made me know that you knew what to say in that moment.”

I told her, “I know it was the Holy Spirit prompting me as to what to say to you, ’cause in myself, I wouldn’t have known what to say.”

Just knowing that we minister to others and are being used by God to touch someone else’s life, is such a rewarding and warm, humbling feeling.

So I encourage all of us, to reach out with the Holy Spirit’s guiding, and touch someone today.

YSIC,

Sharon

God Can, Even Though I Can’t

By Jon Walker

Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves,

but our competence comes from God.

(2 Corinthians 3:5 NIV)

The only way you will fulfill God’s destiny for you is to rely on God’s strength. And that means you have to confess, “I can’t,” before you can agree, “God can.”

Otherwise, we’ll just keep thinking there’s still some ability (competency, sufficiency) in us that will allow us — independent of God — to do the things he expects of us.

We’ll continue to believe, wrongly, that we can do some things, perhaps all things, apart from God. We’ll keep applying the pretzel logic that we can make decisions disconnected from God that somehow keep us connected to God’s plans for us.

And when we make choices disconnected and independent from God, there is little difference between the way we live our lives and the way non-believers live their lives.

“But people who aren’t Christians can’t understand these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them because only those who have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit means.” (1 Corinthians 2:14 NLT)

You have the Holy Spirit inside you. You have the ability to understand when God is telling you to take steps toward his goals for your life. Ask him to teach you to hear his still small voice and to help you take the steps he tells you to take. Then, look for the ways he guides you through the decisions and details of your life.

For the next few weeks, keep a list of all the times you sense God giving you direction. This will help you to see that he is at work in your life and that he has a constant interest in the details of your life.

Daily Promises – August 12 – The Gift of the Holy Spirit

Luke 11:13 KJV

13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children:
how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Promise #224: I will gladly give the Holy Spirit to those who will ask.The Holy Spirit is the very Spirit of both God the Father and God the Son. In Matthew 10:20, Jesus tells His disciples that when they are dragged before the courts, it will not be them speaking, but the Spirit of their Father. In Galatians 4:6, the Apostle Paul says that God has given us the Spirit of His Son whereby we cry Abba Father!

The Holy Spirit is the very essence of God’s heart and in this promise, Jesus declares that His Father loves to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask! Since God’s Spirit is the very core of who He is, He is giving us everything that He has when He pours out His Spirit on us! In Ephesians 5:18, the Apostle Paul instructs us not to be drunk on wine, but be filled with the Spirit!

The context of this verse is that being filled with the Spirit is not a one time event but is ongoing. We are called to continually be filled to overflow with God’s Holy Spirit. So my encouragement to you today is to simply ask God for a fresh infilling of His precious Spirit! Jesus says that He is a good Father and He delights to give us His Spirit when we ask.

So Father, we ask for MORE of your Holy Spirit today! Would you fill us afresh, would you pour out more of your love into our hearts through your precious Holy Spirit today (Romans 5:5). We open our hearts to you and we expect to receive because we are your kids and you delight to give us good gifts. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

~ Barry Adams
Photo by Barry Adams

Signs of a Healthy Prayer Life

Have you ever experienced the discouragement of an unanswered prayer? Have you found yourself questioning God, wondering “Why didn’t he answer my prayer?” and “Why is he silent now when I need him the most?” As you sit there, you may realize that prayer sometimes seems like a one-sided event, even though we know God’s there.

How do you respond to his silence? Do you try to “figure” God out—the purpose behind it all—asking “Was it because I sinned?” “Is a better opportunity coming?”or “Have I lost God’s favor?” Answering these questions will most likely leave you disappointed and confused. After all, our Lord’s ways are mysterious.

Instead of resorting to gimmicks stating to “pray this and receive,” it’s time to deepen your understanding of prayer itself.

The Bible shows us:

How to pray.
Four kinds of prayer (ACTS).
Three destable prayer forms.
How Jesus prayed.
Phrase-by-phrase analysis of the Lord’s Prayer .
Denied prayers throughout the Bible.
What to do when God seems silent.
What to do when waiting for an answer.
Over 100 biblical examples of prayer.

8 Signs of a Healthy Prayer Life

Prays frequently and persistently
Asks in faith
Acknowledges God’s will
Depends on the Holy Spirit
Avoids selfish and hypocritical prayers
Accepts when God says no
Knows what to do when God seems silent
Listens for God to answer

From Rose Publishing