SERIOUS MATTER                       < ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

Numbers 13

Every believer who confesses the Lord God is in debt of constant and consistently calling and requesting for the mercy of God on a daily and regular basis. The Bible declares in Romans 3:23, ÒFor all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.Ó Indeed God is a merciful God and the Lord sits as King forever. How on earth can we not take Him for His word on a regular basis? ManÕs way of not taking Him for His word on a regular basis is a demonstration of taking Him small at heart. Have mercy Lord God! Since the pollution of man in the Garden of Eden by the deceiver, man has continued not to take Him for His word the way He desires for us. Also, it was a demonstration of not taking Him for His word when the children of Israel failed to move and possess all He had ordained for them. Numbers 13:1-3, ÒAnd the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 ÔSend men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.ÕÓ Moses played his role by relaying the message as delivered unto him to the children of Israel. God Himself spoke in regard to the land that He was giving them. God did not lay any condition for giving the land unto them because it was His promise to Father Abraham that He wanted to fulfill as a faithful God. All the children of Israel needed to do was to go and spy out the land that God was giving them. A simple direction with a simple heart of reception will result in a simple, but yet grand manifestation. Likewise, a simple direction with a stony heart of reception will bring forth a destructive manifestation. Have you received any direction from God? All His directions are simple because He that gives direction is the One who will also see you through by His grace. The spies went and checked out the land and came back with a negative report. Giving a negative report of His promise was a demonstration of lack of faith and indirectly reporting God to be a liar against the fact and the truth that He has never told a lie and never can. The summary of the report was, ÒÉÓThe land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are great men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we are like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we are in their sight.ÕÓ (Numbers 13:32-33) When God calls you a winner and you call yourself a looser, you do not just lose, but you also become dead. All the people who received and believed a report that contradicted the promise of God died with the reporters of negativity. In gaining entrance into His promises, see through the LordÕs eyes by seeing it in His word. Do not see through manÕs eyes or manÕs word. What God promised He would do has already been done; just wait for the appointed time. He will enable you in Jesus name.

STUDY JAIRUS< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

Mark 5:43

ÒNow when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.Ó (Mark 5:21) It is demonstrated here that Jesus was always crossing over while those who were seeking Him were always positioning themselves where they could catch up with Him. Today, He has not stop in crossing over, but His crossing over has taken a greater dimension by the move of the Holy Spirit. Jesus presence is instant and available more than when He was here on the earth in person. He is the living Word of God that will never delay or be late. In one of His crossing over, ÒÉBehold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet 23 and begged Him earnestly, saying, ÔMy daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.ÕÓ (Mark 5:22-23) Jairus put aside his religious title that could have built an empty pride in him. This title did not measure to the task that was at hand as he went to meet with the only One who is true. Jairus needed to have his daughter delivered from the point of death. Do you have any concerns that need to be delivered from the point of death? Will you be willing to learn from Jairus? Jairus did three things to have his daughter delivered. First, he met Jesus at the right location, which was the crossing point. Your crossing point could be at the ground of fellowshipping. Many times you have been at the crossing point, but you could not receive from Him because of your title (pride) and when the altar call was made, you made up your mind not to take a step of faith. It does not matter how often you have stepped out in the past, as long as the need continues to resist you, you have to persist because God have insisted to bless you. Secondly, Jairus saw Jesus by stepping out to Him. JairusÕ stepping out caused him to have a direct contact with Jesus. Jesus knows all things and JairusÕ need was not strange to Jesus. His stepping out and seeing Jesus was a renunciation of being a multitude to being one who was on purpose and not flowing with the crowd. Let Jesus see you in your need and not just in the crowd. Finally, Jairus fell at His feet. He laid it all unto Jesus. Imagine Jairus begging earnestly for the life of her daughter saying, ÒHere I am, a poor religious leader, have mercy on my dying daughter.Ó While begging at the feet of the Master, he made his request without paying attention to who might have been listening. Have you been concerned about not letting your neighbor hear your request? It is all about pride and fear. ÒPride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.Ó (Proverbs16:18) Apply and execute the three steps that Jairus took and failure will not be your portion in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth Amen.

MAD OF ALL MAD< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

Mark 5:1-20

The mad man of Gadarenes was a mad man among the mad; the father of all the mad ones during his time. He was described as one, ÒWho had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, 4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.Ó (Mark 5:3-5) By all the evidence as presented in the Bible, it is justifiable for him to be called the father of all mad. There is no case mentioned in the Scriptures that can measure up to this mad man of Gardarenes. Evidently, he was not bound-able since he could pull chains apart as described. The mad manÕs case presented untouchable challenges. Do you have a case that is exceedingly untouchable and very complicated with no hope at sight? Does your case present a no way out situation? The mad man was on a no-way out level. However, when the mad man of Gadarenes encountered the true Way of God, the One and only One, his situation changed from that of a mad man to one with a right mind. Despite his madness, ÒWhen he saw Jesus afar, he ran and worshiped Him.Ó (Mark 5:6) The same Jesus is nearer to you than you can imagine. He is the Omnipresent and Omnipotent One. Today, begin to worship Him. Stop looking at your situation through natural eyes and begin to look up to Jesus. In your worship, know that He is more than capable to loose all unloose-able, and to bind all the unbound-able that are causing you pain and torment. He is the living God and He will speak to your situation if you will listen to receive His word of deliverance. Jesus spoke to the unbound-able and the unloose-able in the life of the mad man, ÒFor He said to him, ÒCome out of the man, unclean spirit!Ó(Mark 5:8) At the word of Jesus, the mad man regained his right mind. Jesus will speak to your situation; He will not let you be wasted in this journey of life. He will cause all of your torment to be converted to enjoyment. You will no longer be a vessel of pain, agony or regret in the precious name of Jesus. If the mad man could run to Him and worship Him despite his madness, you too can also run and not walk to Him. This means you can make haste and leave behind what is taking your time away from Him and worship Him and He will set you free. To have a right mind is your portion in Jesus Name.

FACING THE SEA< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

Mark 4

In every one of JesusÕ undertakings, there is a purpose and message. Mark 4 begins by stating, ÒAnd He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got in the boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea.Ó At that sea, He taught the parable of the soils, parable of the Lamp, parable of the growing seed and the parable of the mustard seed. All of the parables were centered on the word and the need for the word to grow and not be hidden just as light cannot be hidden All the people who were present had received teaching while facing the sea that would have to be crossed over. Having exposed the people to His teaching, the Bible states that, ÒOn the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, ÔLet us cross over to the other side.ÕÓ (Mark 4:35) Jesus knew all things and He could have called for crossing-over during the daytime before it was evening. Are you receiving your teaching that will carry you through a sea that needs to be crossed-over before advancing to your next ground of assignment? They were all seated facing the sea not knowing that their next call was going to be to cross the sea that was before them. It is important to pay attention and listen for the word to enter at every gathering of teaching and learning. Also, it is the entrance of the word that will fuel your faith to crossover to the other side. Will you begin to listen every time you are receiving the word of God? It makes a difference if in any gathering understand is acquired. During the journey to the other side, a storm took over while Jesus was asleep and the disciples were awake in fear. Fear sinks and they were all headed in the direction of sinking. Fear is what sinks the believer, but faith is what keeps believers from sleeping in the word.  Wherever storms are threatening you from crossing-over to the next level of assignment, with the word and by the word of God, you will be able to crossover to the next level God has assigned for you. How are you doing in your journey? The word of His teaching that you have been receiving for so many years is there and alive. If you will take to the word, the word will carry you to the next level of assignment. After Jesus had called for peace, ÒÉHe said to them, ÔWhy are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?ÕÓ(Mark 4:40) Does this sound like Jesus talking to you too? If not for the word that He spoke to the storm, the disciples would have failed getting to the other side. Keep yourself alive by keeping the living word as it comes in your direction.