Four Words

Four Words

Last year about this time I participated in a fast my church had encouraged us to engage in. As I completed that fast, I felt the Lord shared with me four words. Expect, receive, glorify, repeat.


Expect
Means to expect something from God. It meant and means if we want to see God work in our lives we must expect Him to do something in our lives. A specific thing. Not something ambiguous and undefined.  Vague and unclear can't be attributed to God.

Receive
It means we must receive what God wants to give us or do for us. If you don't receive what God is giving you, then you can't be blessed by Him.  Accept what He provides for you so you may accomplish what He has for you.

Glorify
Acknowledge that it is His doing that has brought you to where you are. Acknowledge publicly not privately.  Let it be known that God has called you to the task and the success of that mission is dependant on His provision and not on your wisdom.

Repeat
Do the process again, expect from God, receive from God and Glorify God. Then repeat.

From last year to this year, the Lord has brought about the Faith Business Alliance. Which is responsible for the Faith Business Directory. Which is also responsible for the Aging With Grace Conference 2017 and the soon coming 2018 Conference. Which is also responsible for the Business Luncheons and Business After Hours.  As well as providing the "Essentials For a Startup, a class for new business owners.  While using all the monies collected from our activities to help fund the mission efforts of our church. Though my expectations were high last year and the Lord has exceeded my expectations. I am expecting more, receiving more so I can glorify God more. Then I will repeat.

¹¹ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 
EXPECT, RECEIVE, GLORIFY, REPEAT

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In the End, At The End of The Day

Something to think about.

 In the End, At The End of The Day

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV)

I've said, and I've heard it said, in the end, or at the end of the day we pray this will bring you glory.  The intent is that after everything is said in done the task we have undertaken will bring Glory to God. Which is a noble and desirable intention It is where our hearts should be in all we do. If we do whatever we do honestly and excellently it will bring honor and glory to God.

But I don't think that is what is intended in this verse.  I don't think God wants us to glorify Him with the products of our efforts. I believe He wants us to Glorify Him in the process. He is not asking us to glorify Him at the end of our lives. Does He want us to say when we are near the end of our time God I want to Glorify you for all you have done throughout my life? That is what "in the end at the end of the day" means. It means when everything is said and done.

Is that what God wants to hear us say. When you reach the end of a project or endeavor is it then that you say thanks for your help. Let me acknowledge you now that it is over. Does God want to hear how He has blessed you at the end? How He has inspired you motivated you helped you at the end? Is that what glorifying God means? Here is the reality if you wait until the end of the day to glorify God you will forget when it was that He help you through the day.

You can not do "whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" if you are not Glorifying God in the process. You can not do anything to the glory of God if He is not in it in the beginning in the middle and at the end. If He is not in it from beginning to end, you are missing it. If you want to be selfish about this, Think of it this way. The more you glorify Him, the more He will bless you. Well, you might say I don't want to be selfish, your immaturity is showing. God will only bless those who bless Him. Selfish or not if you glorify God he will bless you one can't go without the other.

If you want the blessing of God in your life, Glorify Him. To glorify God is to involve Him in the process not just to acknowledge Him in the end. You want His attention Glorify Him. You want His blessing Glorify Him. You want a closer relationship with Him glorify Him. If you start with glory and you proceed in glory, you will receive His glory.

Leia Mais…

Miracles

Something to think about.
Miracles

Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. Luke 23:8 

Herod's attitude about Jesus and His miracles is exactly the way today's society views Jesus and miracles. Herod was not interested in the divinity of Christ the validity of His claims or any of the significant things that Jesus had done. Herod was only interested in an entertaining show.   Very much like a star of today that is well-known for His entertainment value, is sought out to entertain the rich and powerful, so was Herod interested in seeing the sleight of hand He was convinced Jesus could do, the magicians tricks. Had Jesus performed a miracle for Herod, Herod would have asked Jesus how did you do it?  By which deceptive practice did you hide the method you use. Very much the same way we would seek to understand how a modern-day magician does his magic. 

Miracles are not magic or without explanation. Miracles are the intervention of God into man's reality.

God for His glory, chooses to intervene in the lives of individuals to accomplish His purposes. The purpose of a miracle is not to heal someone or to deliver someone from a dire circumstance, the objective of a miracle is to glorify God.

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Are You There?

Something to think about

Are You There?

He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. Romans 4:20

If you don't know this story, I encourage you to read the Romans 20.


Abraham being an old man was still expecting, believing and living in full assurance of the fulfillment of the promise. Are you there? Are you, after a long time still convinced that what God has promised you will come to pass? I am not talking about believing, I am speaking of a concrete assurance of the completion of the promise.  Do you know that God can? Do you know that God cannot fail? God has promised you eternal life. Are you convinced with absolute conviction that  He can deliver? That level of conviction, assurance, unmovable knowledge will change the way you look at every aspect of life.

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For This Very Purpose

Something to think about.

For This Very Purpose

“For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.””
Romans 9:17 NKJV

You may think I will have nothing to do with God, you may even believe God does not exist. The truth is you have no say in the matter. God is not affected by your erroneous beliefs. God is going to use you to carry out His purposes with your permission or not. In every situation exist the opportunity to glorify God. In the end, he will be Glorified, and you will be an instrument He uses to bring Him glory. This prophecy will be fulfilled, 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:10-11 (KJV)

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Glorify Thy Name

Something to think about.

Glorify Thy Name 

27“Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name.”Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”

People all over the world ask this question, why am I here, what is my Purpose? If we ask what was the purpose of Jesus's life what would be the answer? You might answer, His purpose was to save Humanity. To restore us, to heal us, to bring us victory in life. To save us from eternal damnation. I submit to you, these things, He did were not His purpose they were but the tools to glorify God. All of these things were done for us, humanity. None of what Christ did for us benefited God.  The life, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ were for one purpose, and it was not for the salvation of man it was for showing the glory, majesty, and preeminence of God.  The entirety of the Bible leads to this, acknowledging, recognizing, and glorifying God.  The Bible is and always has been and always will be about God.  He demands to be acknowledged, praised, worship and glorified by man. We exist for His glory that is why we are here. The singular purpose of man is to glorify God.

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Abide

Something to think about.

Abided

⁷ If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 

This is not a verse about you receiving everything and anything you want in your life. Rather is about you receiving everything that glorifies God in your life. The prerequisite is that you be in Christ before you even ask.  The result is that you bear fruit or lead people to Christ, and by doing so you prove that you are a disciple of Christ. "Ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you," is limited to those things that will help you to accomplish verse eight.  In the end, these verses are about us being empowered to glorify God, and to exemplify Christ and to identify ourselves as His disciples.

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