Did you know that when we give our hearts to Jesus and become adopted children of God, we are also servants of the Most High God! We serve Him in our lives no matter what vocation we live or work in. Your life was purchased with the blood of Jesus two thousand years ago so live every day like you are working for God and His Kingdom. Because you are!
Serving God is not an optional part of life after you have truly given your heart to Jesus. It is a gift to God that all of us should be willing to give each and every day until we are called home to be with Him. Why should we live this way? Because every step that you take and every breath that you breathe is given to you by God. If you wake up in the morning, it is because of His love for you. If you get to be with your family one more day, it is a gift from Him. If you get a restful sleep tonight it is His gift to you. He doesn’t need you, but He loves you enough that you are special to Him. Every good thing in your life comes from Him every day, every hour that you live.
All of us serve Him in some way or another when we have become born-again in Christ. Your life, from that point on, is not your own. You are walking in a new life as a child of God and you are a servant of God too. Serve Him with distinction and a humble heart regardless of where you live or what He has called you to do. Jesus is coming soon so make sure your heart belongs to Him and that you are living in His will every day. Seek His will for your life in His Word, pray about it and listen to His answer because His voice is not loud but if you are listening, He will speak to you.
Does it take miraculous healing in your life for you to believe in Jesus? Some do feel this way. They are “asking for a sign” just as those who crucified Him. He told them that “no sign will be given to you except for the sign of Jonah“. What does that mean exactly? Jesus spoke of His burial after the crucifixion where He would spend 3 days in the grave and then rise again.
But He didn’t spend three days in the grave? According to the way the Jewish calendar marks days, He did. Their calendar is based on the lunar cycle and they count days beginning and ending at sunrise and sunset. He was arrested during the night of Friday, beginning of the day, His “trial” lasted into the early morning, and then His body had to be taken down before sundown which was the beginning of their Sabbath. Then, of course, the third day began at sundown on the Sabbath and by sunrise on the first day of the week, His tomb was empty!
So, what does it take for you to believe in Him for your salvation? He came out of the tomb just as He said He would. He stayed with His disciples for 40 days and then ascended into the clouds. Even the angels who spoke to the disciples on that day said He would return in the same way when He comes back. Isn’t that enough proof?
I know, there are also people who don’t believe that the Bible is true. Well, I don’t have the patience or the knowledge to prove the Bible to you except to tell you that ALL of the prophecies contained in it’s pages have come true except for the taking up of the church (the rapture) and the prophecies contained in the book of Revelation. So, if you are stubborn enough to ignore all of the evidence then you are welcome to enjoy the wrath of God during the Tribulation. Thank you for your attention.
The increase of his house shall depart, And his goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath. This is the portion of a wicked man from God, And the heritage appointed unto him by God. Job 20:28-29 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/job.20.28-29.KJV
But, what about those who don’t follow God and seem to be blessed beyond measure? God may be testing them to see if they will acknowledge Him and the blessings that they have. It is also possible that the devil is making sure that they get their “wants” in this life so that they might not seek God for His blessings. There is always a struggle in this world between our needs and our ideas of what we “need” to have. One of those is an actual need and the other is just something that we think we need.
When you are following God’s precepts and His wisdom, He will supply all of your real needs if you are depending on Him for your provision. But…for many people, Christians or not, truly depending on God for your daily needs is not as easy as it sounds. Most people don’t wake up thanking God for giving them another day to be in this world. Many don’t even give any thought to Him until something in their life goes wrong or turns in a direction that they weren’t expecting. Then many of them blame Him for whatever is going wrong!
If you don’t know God or Jesus as your Savior, why would you blame Him for whatever is going wrong in your life? He doesn’t punish you for things that aren’t going your way just because you haven’t heard His voice in your spirit/heart that you need Him. Many times that small voice may not show up in your “spiritual ears” until He gives you a seed of faith that will allow you to hear it and sometimes it takes a bad diagnosis or some other problem in your life that will get your attention!
When you hear Him and decide that you need Him as your Savior, I’m loathed to tell you this but this is when the devil puts a target on you and your life. Why? Because now you have gone over to the enemy’s camp. While you are living your life without Jesus as your Savior, the devil doesn’t really care what you do. But when you give your heart and your life to Him then you become a problem in his eyes. You will have trouble in the world even after you’ve given your heart to Jesus and possibly even more than you had before but now you have Him to lean on for strength and protection.
Focus Passage: Exodus 14:13-14 (WEB)
13, Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of Yahweh, which he will work for you today: for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall never see them again.
14, Yahweh will fight for you, and you shall be still.”
As I laid in my bed in prayer last night, I briefly recalled a time in my life during Covid where I faced periods of anxiety and little moments of discouragement. The day before my school was shut down in 2020, I remembered crying in the middle of PE, wondering what was going to happen next, now that the world is coming to a screeching halt, and everyone is talking about the apacolypse and blindcakouts. Some days, it just seemed that I was this brave warrior praising God, and other days, it seemed like the world’s disasters had me stricken down. I even remembered a time during summer vacation where I was watching the television, and Satan tried to convince that Covid would “defeat me”, meaning that I should not rely on my faith to overcome this uncertainty that was happening on the brink of starting my sophomore year.
After Labor Day, my Christian club was holding its first meeting of the 2020-2021 school year via Zoom. We just welcomed in a new Vice President (a senior) who also turns out to be a woman who is passionate about her faith. Like me, she played the piano, was musically talented, and showcased her talents in church.
Me and the coleader were getting ready to host our first virtual 9/11 commemoration when I had the opportunity to speak to this new President via email and briefly get to know her personally and spiritually.
The above verses helped her navigate her internal struggles and setbacks throughout quarantine, and has resonated with her since. Having struggled academically and personally, scoring low on math tests and navigate through family challenges, this young lady truly exhibited the traits of an outgoing and bold sister of Christ who is willing to be a helping hand even in the lowest part of the valley. I am truly grateful that God led her to share her experiences with me so I may grow in my faith, and be challenged to look beyond the surface, and see God working behind the scenes to fight for me and protect me every step of the way.
I want to encourage anyone who is going through the fire today to trust the Lord with all your might, and to keep working for the kingdom of God, even in the heat of opposition. Rejoice, because God will fight your battle for you, and WITH you.
You are apart of an army of courageous champions. Go, rejoice, and sing to your Father in Heaven, because you are apart of the family of Jesus! Because you have answered the call of salvation, you no longer are a member of the family of Satan. You do not have to listen to the accusations of your enemies, nor do you have to be swayed by Satan’s discouraging lies he whispers to you! If God is for you, who can be against you? Go, embrace your freedom, and keep shining for Jesus in the fire, no matter how great it is. Amen! 🙂
Let us all continue to remain on fire for our Lord Jesus and remain steadfast in our faith, standing strong against the kingdom of Satan! 🙂
