Every command God gave was for the benefit of humanity. For instance, have you ever wondered why God told His people not to lie? It wasn't just so that individuals could trust the word of others. It wasn't just so that people would not belong to satan, the father of lies (John 8:44). It was also so that the practice of deception would not condition us to be cynical toward His word.
Alas, lies are prevalent in the world and negatively impact everyone. The average Christian distrusts their fellow believers and is just as skeptical, if not more so, toward God. This inability to trust is detrimental to their walk with God, His Son, and the Holy Spirit. Yet, there is hope for all who desire to shift their perspective and the Bible provides an example we can all learn from.
When Jesus went to Galilee, many were excited for His arrival. They'd seen Him perform miracles and clear out the temple in Jerusalem during Passover. Many believed in Him and understood that He was the Son of God. One such person was a royal official who had a dying son. Putting his royal position aside, he traveled to find Jesus and asked Him to come to his home and heal the child. “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live." The man took Jesus at his word and departed (John 4:50).
While hustling home, the official met his servants who had come looking for him. Unlike when messengers came from Jairus's house in John 8, these men reported that the official's son was healthy. As they discussed, they realized the son's fever departed just when Jesus said, “your son will live."
Dear Christian, could we equally take Jesus at His word the way the official did? Would we insist He lay hands on the person or thing we were anxious about? Would our faith cower to fear if He told us to go and worry no more because our problem was solved? Would we have the faith of the Centurion and ask Jesus to simply speak because we knew His word was enough to change our situation?
We need to remember that a key component of our 'faith' is faith. We have to learn to trust in Jesus and His word, which He receives from God Himself. In practical terms, this means that when we pray for something we must believe our petition was heard and our miracle is on the way. We are told in James 1:6 - But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
We must take a Jairus Stance and believe that the word of God can transform any situation. We must learn not to fear the smoldering firewood that threatens, knowing that it is nothing but embers. This requires a certain mental fortitude and dogged determination to overcome what seeks to overcome us - fear. This is not instinctive to every Christian. Nevertheless, God has given those who believe in Jesus a spirit of sound mind, self-discipline, power, and the very mind of Christ (2 Timothy 1:7 & 1 Corinthians 2:16). Plus, He has promised to calm our fears with His love (Zephaniah 3:17). Thus, believers must put those Kingdom Keys in their toolkit to work in the face of the problems seeking to snatch their faith.
Proverbs 4:23 warns us, "be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts" (GNT). And this is the issue - we are not careful how we think. This leads us to regard God the same way we see human beings, as unworthy of our trust and fidelity. However, as we remind ourselves of the miracles He's done, as we study the Bible to learn His steadfast character, and corral our heart, mind, and thoughts with scriptures, we experience Him differently. We also begin to take Him at His word and can resist the arrows satan sends to break our faith in the Lord. Let us begin to take Jesus and His Father at their word. It is and will always be just as the angel said to Mary in Luke 1:37 - For no word from God will ever fail.
To learn more
FINAL MESSAGE
Several of our recent P&P messages have highlighted the need for increased trust in the Lord. I would like to encourage all of us to take some time this weekend and visit www.themiraclealley.com/blog. Go take a look at the recent posts. We need to take heed of what God is trying to do with us. We need to listen and allow Him to do a great work in us.
We all need and want increased faith, right? Have faith that as you make the time to look over those messages, the Lord will speak and give you the strategy you need so the enemy can't easily cause your faith to submit to fear.
The Lord shall help you as you do. God bless you and have a wonderful weekend!!
From M22 - Happy weekend folks!!! God bless you all
CLOSING PRAYER
Jehovah. What can I say that would truly encompass what You have done today? Words are surely not enough, so I call on You to please look at my heart to see the gratitude it carries for You.
Thank You for the grace and privilege to gather as we have this day. Thank You for bringing us from all the corners of the world to honor You with our praises. Thank You for keeping us consistent in praying for people.
Thank You, Lord, for none of this is by our strength. It is all by Your Spirit. Thank You!
Take all the glory, God. You are Mighty! Olorun Agbaye! Agbanilagbatan! The Igbo people call You good God - Chioma Me! I join every nation, tribe, and tongue to honor You, Sovereign Lord!
Please bless those who took the time to fellowship in P&P today. May their tongues be sweet with rejoicing because they serve the Sweet God. May they be forever surrounded by Your favor as a shield. May they run, when You tell them to go, feet moving with supernatural speed. May their minds and hearts know without a doubt that Jesus paid the price for them to be overcomers, more than conquerors who sit in heavenly places. May they look at themselves and declare that the Armor of God they wear is beautiful because You oh Lord crafted it. May they know implicitly that they were wonderfully and fearfully made, placed here to do Your bidding and thus empowered to do exploits. Thank You God for hearing and answering this prayer even before I said it, for You know everything in my heart before I do.
Glory be to You forever and forever!
From AW - Father God, I pray for those who have been impacted by the fires in Southern California. I humbly ask that you comfort those who have lost their loved ones and their precious belongings. For those who were able to retain their insurance, I ask for favor for them with the insurance companies to receive their settlements swiftly. For those who lost insurance through no fault of their own, please make a way out of no way, so that they can rebuild or relocate for a fresh start.
IJMN, Amen!
From M22 - Father Lord I thank you for sis @FFJ . I pray as she oours into this community that you will continue to replenish her beyond measure. I pray that you will bless and protect her and her loved ones. IJMN Amen
From M22 - Abba Father I pray for my siblings that you will continue to transform, renew and prune then for your purpose and glory. I pray Father that you grant my twin and my baby sister success as they prepare for their exams. I pray that you will order their steps on their exam day. I pray Father for my brother that you will guide and direct him as he studies for his exams as well. I pray that i will testify over the success of his forthcoming exams. IJMN Amen
Lord, I want to thank You for all that You are doing in the lives of Your children. Thank You for blessing them. Thank You for placing them in the hands of Your Son. Your word states, and I take You at Your word, that nobody can snatch them out of His hands.
Father, it is for this reason that I come before You today to pray for the healing of Your children's minds. Lord, it is clear that many are struggling to take You at Your word and believe that they have the mind of Christ and were built in Your image. The devil is taking advantage of this lack of knowledge.
But no more. Lord, I speak over this gathering and state that in the name of Jesus, minds are set free from every shackle causing them to think less than the standard You have set. I speak and establish her eon earth as in heaven by Your word, that chains fall and minds are returned to their proper setting. You are at the center of it all, and Your sheep are free for that was why Jesus came to earth - to destroy the works of satan keeping souls in captivity.
Thank You God for hearing my prayer. Thank You for I know that if You hear me then You have answered me. Lord, I give You all the praise. I hail You, my Redeemer. The God who is my Salvation.
Hallelujah!
From M22 - Abba Father I pray that you will continue to strengthen us so that we conform to your will for our lives and leave the worldly standards behind. I pray Father Lord that you destroy every stronghold of the enemy over our hearts and minds. IJMN Amen
From M22 - Abba Father I pray for this community that we will continue to align with your will for our lives. I pray that we will always submit our needs, wants and decision at your feet so that you can continually guide and direct our footsteps IJMN Amen
From M22 - Father Lord I pray for regions affected by war, natural disasters and famine. I pray that you touch tht hearts and mind of keaders and governments to find permanent resolutions to these events. I pray that you destroy every cycle of afflictions in these regions. I pray that you continue to shield and preserve the lives of citizens. I pray that you will help them rebuild and restore everything they have lost in thousandfold IJMN Amen
Lord, You are our God. In good times and in bad, we look always to You. Thank You for being the One who is more than able to answer each petition. Thank You, great God!
Father, I lift up California and the fires that have displaced and killed people. Lord, the news reports have been disheartening, but I thank You for the many lives You kindly spared and will spare.
Dear God, I pray for Your mercy upon that region and others across the world experiencing natural disasters. Glorious God, You are He who has covenanted to show mercy and compassion to those whom You will grant mercy and compassion to.
I pray, IJN, that those living in the affected areas will experience Your grace and great help as they navigate the challenges resulting from these tragedies. Please, God, I pray for respite for the affected and that You will remember Your word to bless the righteous. So much that even the unrighteous will experience blessing through Your own (Proverbs 11:11). Thank You for this opportunity to place this petition at Your feet. Thank You, for I know You have heard it. Thank You as well because I know You have answered it to Your glory, Amen.
From JIR - Lord I pray for those in communities in where Bibles are scarce. I pray that those who are blessed enough to have Bibles share them with those within those communities. I pray that those with Bibles read them everyday to help strengthen their faith, relationship and love for You so that You can use them as Your vessel to spread the gospel of the kingdom through the Holy Spirit. IJMN. Amen.
From JIR - Lord, with the wildfires going on in California, I pray for all of us in this world to humble ourselves, seek Your face, pray and turn from our wicked ways. I pray that we turn from any ungodly activities that have us occupied and we shift our focus to You and You alone. Only You alone can save us. I pray that You stir our hearts to turn to You and we seek You with all of our hearts and realize that the calamity going on in this world can only be stopped by You. Only You can bring us and the land peace and prosperity. Only You can help us. IJMN. Amen.
PRAYER TIME
Let us pray for others.
Remember this is not the time to pray about your own needs.
God bless you
fROM JIR - “Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.”
Psalms 25:4-5 NLT
fROM JIR - Thank You for Your grace and mercy Lord. Your love and kindness is so pure. You are who I put my trust in. You are who I put my faith in. You are who I look to; the only One Who can save me. Thank You Lord for never leaving me or turning Your back on me. I am sinner, and as much as I hate it, You forgive me and have mercy on me in all of the areas that I fall short. Who am I for You to love me the way You do? Thank You Lord. I am forever indebted to You and fully surrender to You. Use me up Lord for Your glory. You’re worthy of all praise. I magnify Your name. Thank You Lord. IJMN. Amen.
From JIR - Lord, You are our source for all things good. You prepare us and strengthen us for the unexpected. You are so intentional. We put our faith in You. Your love for us is undeniable. You protect us and shield us and lead the way to make any crooked ways straight. I thank You Lord for wanting what is best for us and leading our lives. You are who I need. Thank You Lord for blessing us with Your Word to abide in and blessing us with Your Spirit to guide us through the challenges we face in this world. We are nothing without You. We praise and we worship You. Thank You Lord. All glory belongs to You. IJMN.
Alpha and Omega.
The God of Jeshurun.
Upright One.
God the Defender.
All Powerful!
You are high and lifted up, Awesome God!!!
From AW - Thank you Father God for a great night's sleep.
Thank you for waking me up this morning.
Thank you for a healthy body.
Thank you that my Daddy is healthy and in his right mind.
Thank you for the opportunity to return to school for my final semester!
2 Corinthians 3:18 - But we all, with unveiled faces, looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
Hallelujah!!!
Thank You for this privilege, Heavenly Father!
Almighty God, how great Thou art!
The whole world is full of Your glory.
Lord, everywhere I look I see Your power and grace.
Thank You for the birds I got to watch this morning.
Thank You for the freedom with which they soared.
The same freedom You have given to those of us who believe in Your Son.
What a wonderful God You are. Thank You!
Father, we give You glory.
Thank You for being our God.
Thank You for being Mighty in all Your ways.
For this year, we bless Your holy name.
For all we have seen and experienced, we give You thanks.
Lord, we worship You, the most High God.
PRAISE TIME
You ready?
You should be?
I've been dancing over here for over an hour as I worshiped and gave God praise.
Now, let's do it together, shall we?
Let's give our God our praises!!
From K - Thank you for sharing. The Bible says all you need is “faith as small as a mustard seed”. I love that we don’t need gigantic amounts of faith in order to see God work miracles. I’ve also been changing my thoughts and speaking positively about myself. Cheers to 2025 being a year filled with blessings for having unwavering faith.
From JIR - Thank You Lord for waking us up and breathing life into us this morning. We do not take it for granted and are grateful for every breath that You place in our lungs. Thank You Lord! IJMN. Amen.
This is a great message. Thanks for posting it sis, @FFJ. Faith is one of the most crucial things needed to have a successful walk with God. Without faith it is impossible to please Him. I find myself praying to Him often asking Him to increase my faith in Him. The more faith we have the more our relationship will develop and strengthen. The closer we become to Him and the more we rely on Him. He is our source for everything. Nothing can be done without Him, which is why faith is so critical.
Thanks for also pointing out that it is important that we guard how we think. I will be more conscientious of my thoughts. The fact that our thoughts shape our lives is powerful. I will try to guard my thoughts and feelings from the enemy. I know and am confident in the fact that God will never fail me and with the enemy slithering around in the cut, I will try my best to rebuke all doubt that the he puts in my mind when difficult situations arise. IJMN. Amen.
I pray that you all have a wonderful and blessed time during P&P today. I will be preparing for a meeting. However, I will try to be as present as possible. ❤️
From CD -
From EC - Amen and good morning ladies!
From M22 - Thank you Faithful God for your grace and mercy over our lives. Thank you for putting us to bed and waking us up. We are grateful that you know even the strands of hair on our head and the innermost parts of us. We bless you Father because you are worth of our Praise. Father Lord we submit and surrender to you as we navigate each day IJMN Amen.
Thank you for today's word sis @FFJ . When 2024 was going to an end, I told myself I will trust and have faith in God 100% no matter the circumstances. That I will move on from the past and be present. I am also learning to take God for his word that he is not a man that he can lie. No word goes back to him void without being accomplished. I know there are times we seek God for certain things and we get upset when they don't materialize so it makes us think God is not fulfilling his Word. If that desire didnt materialize, it means God is still fulfilkung his word. Jeremiah 55:8-9 is enough reason for us to take God for his word. He thinks differently from us. Where we see obstacles, God sees opportunities and lessons for us. May God continue to transform and renew our hearts and minds IJMN Amen