Released and Free…

Matthew 6:14 “For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you”

Daily we’re offered the opportunity to become offended with people. It may be with our politicians, pastors, friends or strangers. No matter who offends us, if we don’t deal with it, our future becomes incapacitated.

This weeks verse clearly shows us why we need to forgive. It simply says that our heavenly father doesn’t forgive our offence unless we forgive others. We must learn how to forgive and release people who offend us.

So, how do we know if we’re carrying offence? If we clearly remember the pain and hurt of the event then it’s likely that forgiveness towards that person is still in process in our life. We must continue to release people from the blame for what they’ve done so we can be released from the clutches of offence.

This week let’s work on forgiving those who have offended us. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how to release them and forgive them. Then commit to pray for them just like you would pray for yourself. As you do this any bitterness in your soul will leave and hindrances to your future will dissolve.

We’ve done this and it works, so we encourage you to do it as well. Get ready because as you apply this principle to your life it will propel you forward into God’s amazing plans for your future.

Time to Get Ready…

Acts 2:17 “In the last days,” God says “I’ll pour out of my Spirit upon all people”

Have you ever been out for a walk and been suddenly caught in a downpour? One minute you’re happily strolling along, the next you’re drenched from head to foot. The weather changed suddenly and you were caught unprepared.

Our verse tells us about a sudden change that God is planning. He’s about to gush, spill and pour out His Holy Spirit like never before. God’s been speaking about this for millennia and now it’s about to happen. It’s time to get prepared for a total drenching in His Holy Spirit.

Here’s how it works; God says He’ll do His part by pouring out the Holy Spirit and we do our part by being prepared to receive Him. Just like the wise virgins in Matthew 25, we must be prepared and ready. By continuing in God’s Word, prayer and fellowship with other believers we’ll be amply prepared to receive as God releases His downpour.

What an exciting time this will be. Our sons and daughters prophesying, our young people seeing visions, and our older folk dreaming dreams. Everyone will be saturated. There’s an overflow of the Holy Spirit coming like never before!

This week start preparing to be a vessel that can receive from this great outpouring. Consider gathering friends around you and prepare for what’s ahead. Study your bible, pray together and get to know the Holy Spirit like never before. You’ll be glad you did because God’s going to pour out His Holy Spirit on all people.

Close the Gate…

1 Corinthians 13:1 “If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.”

We can all remember the squeak that an old garden gate made or the sound of the creak & slam of the derelict screen door on an old house. We often remember these familiar sounds for a long time. Other strong memories may include a kind and helpful teacher or the person who helped us when no one else would.

Today’s verse helps us to see what actions bring divine value to our life. The key here is “love”. This word comes from the Greek “agape”. This is the type of love that is unconditional and unbounded by anything – it is the type of love God shows to us. It is the type of love God wants us to show to each other.

It doesn’t matter how well we speak of others or how passionate our words are towards them. If we don’t unconditionally love them we sound like that squeaking gate every time we open our mouth. Remember we cannot fool God. His ear is listening for the sweet sound of love every time we speak. He doesn’t want to hear the sound of that loveless gate squeaking again.

Challenge yourself this week to allow the Holy Spirit to invest a new deposit of agape love into your life. Open your Bible and get into God’s Word. The Word will help wash away past offenses and hurt that you may carry. It will be like putting oil on that rusty hinge. The new sound that God hears is sure to bring pleasure to His ears.

A Superior Result…

Romans 14:17 “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE and JOY in the Holy Spirit.” [NIV]

Everyone loves to eat and drink; it is not only a necessity but also an enjoyable part of life. Some people even hold competitions for fun to see who can eat the most in the quickest amount of time.

Now for the surprise… God says that there are greater things to strive for than our physical needs. Why? Because taking care of our needs is His job.  Our Father in heaven wants us to seek first His Kingdom.  As we do this He tells us about three things that will produce a superior result.

Just as we understand the benefit of eating and drinking to sustain our natural lives, God has provided the benefits of RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE and JOY in the Holy Spirit for our life in God’s Kingdom.

What does this mean for us? Living in the kingdom of God means we get to partake of RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE and JOY in the Holy Spirit. A miracle? You bet!

Best of all God wants to sustain us in His RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE and JOY in the Holy Spirit everyday of our lives.  Say “YES” to kingdom living today!

The Better Change…

Proverbs 19:21 “You can make many PLANS, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.” [NLT]

Long before a house is built there are PLANS drawn. As the building progresses we usually make many changes. When it’s complete we have a house that looks exactly the way we want. In a similar way we make our own firm PLANS for the future. As our lives progress God intervenes and makes adjustments to our PLANS so that our lives will end up looking exactly like He wants.

Here is how it works. When we make PLANS that are selfish or that are not right in God’s eyes… He intervenes. He may do this by using His word, other people or by speaking directly into our spirit. It doesn’t matter how He intervenes. What matters is our response. We must make corrections as instructed because God’s purpose will prevail.

This week stay close to the Holy Spirit. Listen for heavens PLANS. If His PLANS don’t match ours then it is time to adjust our PLANS. Remember, God’s purposes will always win so bond to His success. Don’t be an observer… become a part of His purpose here on earth today!

Not You Too…

2 Corinthians 1:4 “He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.” [MSG]

Life gets pressured and before we know it we are overwhelmed… it’s a hard time. When we find ourselves in hard times it is always comforting to have someone by our side. They are not merely there to HELP, but also provide comfort.

Our verse today knits together God’s way of bringing hard times to an end and it’s a lot easier than we think! It is in these hard times that God comes beside us to HELP and to comfort us like no one else can. The Holy Spirit undertakes this role – He is our comforter and our very present HELP in time of need.

But that’s just part of the story… after we have experienced this amazing comfort and HELP from the Holy Spirit, God wants us to do something with it – Give it away! God says find another person in a hard time and HELP them the same way He HELPED us. We are not to sit around just wanting comfort. No! God’s plan for us is to HELP others!

This week, reach out to HELP and comfort someone in a hard time. Watch how quickly your difficulties end and how blessed others are through you.