Your Miracle Is On The Way - Praise & Pray (for others) January 23, 2024

I once thought that the only lesson to take away from Jairus's story was that when God takes long to fulfill His promise or a petition, it's because the answer coming will be exceedingly and abundantly more than we could have asked or imagined. While this remains a key takeaway, the Lord kindly provided additional insight to me last year.

Jairus was a synagogue leader whose daughter fell ill and he pleaded with Jesus to come heal her (Luke 8:41-42). Jesus went with Him but a large crowd gathered around Him. The sheer size slowed Jesus down and they likely were unaware that a girl's life hung in the balance waiting for Christ to save her. Some wanted a miracle or hoped to see something great happen. One such person was the woman with the issue of blood. Her miraculous healing forced Jesus to stop and spend time seeking out who'd touched his robe and then speak to the woman in question (Luke 8:43-48).

Luke 8:49 - While He was still speaking, someone arrived from the house of the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he told Jairus. “Do not bother the Teacher anymore.” Before Jairus could react or speak, however, Jesus reassured him, saying, “Do not be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed” (Luke 8:50). When Jesus got to the house, there were mourners there -- all part and parcel of Jewish tradition when people die. These same people laughed dismissively at Jesus when He told them the girl wasn't dead but asleep (Luke 8:52-53). All it took was for Him to take her hand and say, “Child, get up!” and she got up.

​Here are some take aways from Jairus's encounter with Jesus: When we call on Jesus, He starts coming to solve the problems we face. Time will likely pass between the request and His arrival but just as He didn't tell Jairus no, He won't tell us no either. That means, your miracle is on its way once you pray. Like Jairus, we have to patiently wait for the Savior to deal with whatever else He needs to deal with on the way to addressing our issue. Whatever it is will build our faith and bless us. Seeing the woman healed is likely what stopped Jairus from anxiously grabbing Jesus by the arm and shoving everyone out of the way to get to his child.

Remember how someone came from Jairus's house to say his daughter was dead? This was a person he was familiar with and would believe. The devil wanted to use them to deliver a bad report that would deflate the very faith that spurred Jairus to seek Jesus's help in the first place. Also, the mourners waiting at the house were part of that same scheme - meant to cement the fact that the girl was dead so that fear, and not faith, would take over Jairus's heart.

See all the things satan did to challenge Jairus's faith and make him doubt the power Jesus carried? The devil is doing the same to each one of us. Yet, Christ wants us to remember the very same thing He said back then - “Do not be afraid; just believe...” If Jairus had bowed to all the stunts of the enemy, he would have missed out on a miracle that, thousands of years later, continues to edify believers. We have to ignore all the physical signs that tell us the opposite of what God is saying. We have to believe that what is happening in the spiritual world is more powerful than anything in the physical realm.

Glory be to God, that He is the God who can show up 'late' and will still be on time. Death was not a hindrance to His power and so, nothing can stand in the way of God's restorative and transformative power. If you believe in the Lord and ask aright, then your miracle is already on its way. We have to stand firm even when we hear/see that the worst has supposedly happened, having faith and believing that Christ is walking right into that problem to speak His life into it.

To learn more, also read:

1. Take A Jairus Stance

Are You Any Better - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) January 19, 2024

As believers, It is easy to look at all the things we do and be reassured by them. We might look to our regular fasting, constant prayers, and consistent Bible study and take pride in the fact that we are on the right track with the Lord. So much so, that we may start to think that we are better than others. After all, we obey God's instructions and don't live like evil-doers such as fornicators, murderers, thieves, and liars.

Jesus shared a lesson about someone who felt puffed up by all he was doing right. The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector highlights a Pharisee - a respected religious leader - who visited the Temple to pray one day. This involved telling God how good he was. He thanked the Lord he wasn't like the robbers, adulterers, or the tax collector who was praying nearby. He said, "I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get" (Luke 18:12).

His disdain for tax collectors was because these men were some of the most hated members of Israelite society at the time. They were seen as traitors who oppressed their people on behalf of the Roman Empire. Nevertheless, the tax collector prayed, beating his chest and keeping his eyes lowered ("unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven"), saying, "God have mercy on me, a sinner" (Luke 18:13).

Jesus said that the tax collector was more righteous than the Pharisee. Luke 18:14 - "I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted."

We cannot gauge our walk by comparing ourselves to those who we think aren't as good as we are. To do so is indicative of a prideful heart and the Lord despises the proud (Proverbs 16:5). Instead, let us all approach our Father with an acknowledgment of His grace and mercy as our starting point. 2 Timothy 1:9 tells us, He has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace.

Yes, the Lord wants us to live a holy life that involves avoiding sin, meditating on His word, giving Him praise, and more. However, it will not do for us to look down on others who aren't there yet. Rather, let us, by our actions and words, encourage the newcomer to the faith and even those who don't believe to follow our example and start living righteously. We must treat others with love and concern for their physical and spiritual well-being. We must not allow pride to make us think we are better than anyone for the scripture warns in 1 Corinthians 10:12 - So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! After all, it's only the grace of God that we know Him, are known by Him, and have been saved through the sacrifice of Christ. May we never forget this IJMN Amen.

See you for fellowship at Noon EST. God bless you.

The Sin of Disbelief - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) January 16, 2024

Have you ever witnessed the mighty hand of God? Maybe you saw a miracle happen for someone. Or have you experienced something that can only be attributed to the Lord?

If you answered 'yes' to any of those questions then pay close attention to the following words - Be careful to not commit the Sin of Disbelief.

The Sin of Disbelief applies to a particular type of person - someone to whom God has shown His power and might. This is a man or woman who has had experience with the Lord and His capacity to save. Despite this, such a person buckles under the weight of life's challenges forgetting that the God who helped them the last time is more than able to do so again. As such, in their time of trouble, they reject Him and rely instead on false gods, idols, another person or even themself.

It's quite easy to make this mistake. When a challenge arises and as the clock ticks down, it is unfortunately commonplace for many to worry that the Lord won't step into the situation. Frightened and confused, the person neglects to pray, flying into action instead. Another scenario could be that someone forgets that the Lord promised to solve their problem. Thus as a deadline looms, they think things over and can't imagine how God could take care of the issue. They opt to handle the matter, without waiting to see how God could have fulfilled His promise.

​Most of us have committed this sin at some point or another. Previous disappointments and failures color the lens through which we look at things and this can hamper our faith. Still, it is essential to become aware of the Sin of Disbelief because God takes it seriously. It hurts Him especially because He has proven Himself faithful and will remain faithful, regardless of whether we are (2 Timothy 2:13). Cooperating with the Lord will thereby help us to not repeat the error of our ways. Being aware of this sin is also important because Jesus described such disbelief as akin to hatred in John 15:24 - If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father.

Long before Jesus pointed to this form of hatred, God had mentioned it in Numbers 14:11, saying, The LORD said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them?

Therefore, we need to pay close attention to our thoughts and our actions. We have to learn how to slow down and apply our faith in the tough moments of life. For those of us who have been blessed to see God's miracles, we need to ask ourselves whether we are treating Him with contempt. Does our constant disbelief actually qualify as hatred toward Him?

King Asa committed the Sin of Disbelief when despite previously seeing God miraculously defeat his enemies, he opted to rely on his intelligence the next time he needed victory against a military foe. His experience is a lesson to us all to not make the same error. We must remember that God shows us His power and allows us to witness miracles so we grow in faith. He shows us His capacity to solve our problems so we understand His faithfulness. He does one great thing at a time so we increasingly apply our faith in Him instead of turning elsewhere for solutions.

We therefore need to submit to this progressive training and allow the Lord to build up our faith muscles so we flex them in times of challenge. Seeking and paying attention to the testimonies of others can help in this regard. In addition, keeping track of how God has blessed us, while regularly reviewing those miracles, is also key. We cannot afford to forget how faithful the Lord is because when we do, the devil uses that opportunity to attack us with anxiety, doubt, and fear. In those instances, our discernment and faith fly out the window allowing negativity to reign in our hearts and minds. Thankfully, we serve a merciful God who will steer us to grow in faith so we don't fall into this sin but instead terrify hell with our commitment to the Kingdom.

The Lord will help each of us to remember that the Sin of Disbelief means contempt and hatred for God. He will teach us not to be among those who succumb guiding us to be steadfast in trusting Him. By His grace, we will not reject God or His Son, IJMN Amen.