Is Your Name Written In Heaven? - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) January 28, 2025

When Jesus walked the earth, He trained disciples to share His word wherever they were sent. He empowered them to cast out demons, heal the sick, cure diseases and tell everyone that the Kingdom of God was upon them (Luke 9:1-2). Luke 10 tells us He sent out 72 disciples and when they returned, they rejoiced, telling Him that demons submitted to them at the very mention of His name. Instead of joining them in their jubilation, Jesus corrected them. Luke 10:20 - However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

If I had been one of those disciples who'd seen the power of God flowing as they did, I too would have been overjoyed to know that I was capable of doing such in Jesus's name. And yet, we know that was not what the Savior wanted. He wanted them to not focus on the power but on what that power represents - that God had deemed them worthy to be included on a list in heaven.

Just as those disciples needed to refocus, so do we. If we truly believe in Jesus and are His disciple today, we need to ask ourselves, are our names written on heavenly lists?

The answer to this question is only known to God. Nevertheless, because of His revealed nature and word, we know He wants us to be on those lists. The people on these lists enjoy certain privileges that other do not. For instance, when they proclaim His Son's name into any situation, the devil and its demons must fall back. All the power of the Almighty backs up such individuals. No matter the circumstances, He will show up to favor them.

God said as much in Malachi 3. There, He'd spoken to His remnant in Jerusalem and instructed them to stop withholding their tithes and offering. Those who feared the Lord gathered and agreed to change. These people pleased Him so He ordered the angels to write a scroll of rememberance with their names on it (Malachi 3:16). Malachi 3:17-18 - “They will be Mine,” says the LORD of Hosts, “on the day when I prepare My treasured possession. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him. So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”

And we should want to move in that reality because that is what God desires for us. Hebrews 11:6 states that He is a rewarder of them who eagerly seek Him. When we do this, our names get added to heavenly lists. This goes beyond saying we are Christians. It is about being a Christian in every facet of our lives. We must therefore voraciously consume His word, fervently stand in the gap for others, give Him our worship, fast per Isaiah 58, and listen to the Holy Spirit as He changes us to become more rooted in Christ.

Therefore, let us pray to be a vessel through whom the gifts and the power of God flow for His glory. And as we do so, we shall cry out to Him to make us the sort of person whose names are in the books of heaven. Today, we shall ask God to show us how to become those whose eternal spirits will reside forever with Him. We shall allow Him to teach us how to live, yield to His direction, obey His commands, and be ever mindful that this world is not our home. The lists of this world are inconsequential. Heaven is all that matters.

To learn more, please click the hyperlinks included in the message. God bless you.

Dear Peppers: This Fear Thing - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) January 24, 2025

Fear is a complex concept for us Christians to understand. We are told not to be afraid, but how is it possible not to worry? Is all fear from satan? And how does fear affect our spiritual walk?

God gave us a fear response, and it is a healthy one. For instance, it is why we jump when there's an explosion. It keeps us from sticking our hands into a flame. This type of fear helps us understand when danger is present and to avoid it.

However, there is the fear that satan tries to saddle us with. This kind of fear does not help people. Instead, it causes us to forget that God is King over our lives and will work things out for us. It is specifically crafted to rob us of our faith as was the case when the evil messengers came with bad news for Jairus.

Such fear can be camouflaged as rationality. It influences a believer to forget that there is healing in God's word (Proverbs 4:20-22). Or, a child of God, thinking they are unqualified for a promotion, will not pray on the matter. They'll forget that God does not operate by the rules of man (Isaiah 55:9).

Conquering fear requires knowing the word of God and that's where the problem is. Believers don't read anymore! So many of us want to depend on what a pastor says at the pulpit or in a book, but the truth is we have to read the Bible and know the word of the Lord for ourselves. When we know His word, we know His promises, we know His warnings, and we know what to say to resist satan and its lies.

We need God's word for everything. The Bible is our manual for life. Without it, we will be afraid of the very things God placed under our dominion (Luke 10:19). We also will not see our prayers answered because our lack of knowledge will allow fear to destroy our faith. James 1:6 states, "When you ask for something, don't have any doubts. A person who has doubts is like a wave that is blown by the wind and tossed by the sea" (GWT).

If we fear God and God alone, we'll understand that He will answer when we call, never leaving us at the mercy of our enemies. Fearing anything else, frankly, makes no sense. He has all the power and He loves us. Plus, when we know God's word more, scriptures will bloom in our hearts and minds, causing fear to shrink back.

Many do not believe they have enough faith, but the Lord has given each one a measure of faith (Romans 12:3). We therefore have to apply that faith, remembering that a mustard-seed amount is enough to do great things (Luke 17:6). As we put the faith we have to work in the situations that confront us, our relationship with God deepens and our faith increases. Our resilience strengthens for the next challenge that comes our way, and the cycle of godly growth continues.

We cannot successfully serve as God's weapons against the kingdom of hell if we try to skip the faith training we need. Often, we don't want to deal with the suffering and struggle that comes with it, so we step out of God's plan and timing to do our own thing.

In reality, we need to let God have His way with us. We need to submit to His training. We must allow Him to build us up to become the vessels of honor He created us to be. If not, we will become trapped in cages of fear that debilitate us and make us useless for His kingdom purpose on earth.

(Originally posted August 17, 2021)

To learn more, please click the hyperlinks included in the message. God bless you.

Dear Peppers: Intercession Matters - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) January 21, 2025

Over the years, I have repeatedly noted that intercession is a way to emulate Jesus, who prayed unceasingly for others. It is also a way to emulate other great women and men of God in the Bible.

The more I study the word, the more I learn how crucial the ministry of intercession is. Think of the great people in the Bible, they not only prayed for themselves but for others. God said in Ezekiel 22:30 - I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.

Doing so requires great discipline. You have to learn how to put your prayer needs to the side, while zealously petitioning for the needs of others. Human beings naturally think of themselves first before turning their attention to others. However, intercession requires you to trust that God knows what you are going through and will not ignore your plight. Therefore, taking the time to focus on someone else's problems will not place you at a detriment.

Still don't believe me? Look at this gif -

This gif perfectly illustrates why you can trust God to never forget your issues. It features two young men. One is in a white wife-beater, while the other is in Nike basketball shorts. The Nike guy stands a few inches to the side of the wife-beater wearer and waits with his hands behind his back, as a football approaches. He had to trust his friend to catch that ball so it wouldn't hit him and adjust his face. The result was that his friend caught the ball inches away from it making contact and did it so smoothly.

Imagine yourself as the guy in the Nike shorts. Imagine God to be the friend. The Lord will catch everything that comes at you no matter how close that something gets. It will not harm you (Isaiah 43:2). With that attitude, you can set your prayer requests to the side and focus more on the needs of others. Indeed, you actually must. It is a sign of faith in God's capacity to get you through whatever is going on in your life. When you focus on praying for others and make that a priority, You tell the Lord that you trust Him to handle your challenges while you meet with Him on other people's issues.

Now, is this easy? Nope. But His grace is sufficient for you and will get you through (2 Corinthians 12:9).

I can't stress how much of a difference this attitude will make in your life. I'll end by pointing to scriptural evidence about the impact of intercession. In Acts 12, King Herod was busy executing Christian disciples and held Peter to be killed. But the church prayed without ceasing and God sent an angel to set him free from prison. Not long after, God got rid of the threat entirely. Herod collapsed, died, and started to decompose immediately.

All I know is that prayer works. Please pray for others more consistently. Be selfless in worshipping God on behalf of other people. Forget your problems for a bit and remember, others have it worse so cover them in prayer first before picking up your issues again. May the Lord help us all to act as effective intercessors to His glory and by His grace, IJMN, Amen.

(Originally published on August 17, 2021)

To learn more on this subject, please read:

1. Intercessors: Daniel

2. Intercession Ministry

3. Intercessors: Esther

4. Intercessors: Abraham

5. Intercessors: Isaac

6. Intercession in the news: Haitian Hostages

7. Intercessors vs Prayer Contractors

8. Intercede More

9. Wait on God

10. But, can you wait?

11. The Intercessor Will Wait