FEAR NOT
Matthew 14:22-36

As a believer or a non-believer, the fear inside you, is fear that will fail you. God alone is to be feared at all times, and everyday, and He will not fail you. Fear is the demonstration of taking the mind and the eyes away from God. Fear is of the devil, and not of God. In every area of life, there is a need to have control over fear, and not let fear have control. What is feared often becomes what happens in reality. God was speaking to Ezekiel in one of His messages to His people, Ezekiel 11:8, “You have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you,” says the Lord GOD”” What you fear will fail you, and there is no escape in that. Jesus once sent His disciples to the other side of the lake, while He was going to join them later. In every man’s journey, getting to the other side requires faith, not fear. Before Jesus sent them, He must have known the challenges because He is the God that sees the end in the beginning. The Bible recorded, “But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.” (Matthew 14:24) Most challenges that lead to fear often come at a point where there is no turning back, in the middle or late hour of the journey. However, the One that sends you to the other side will not delay to deliver when the storm rises. Just as the disciples were being tossed by the waves, Jesus showed up, walking on the water. “But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” 28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water” (Matthew 14:27-28) With Peter’s eyes on the Lord, he began to walk on water, just like Jesus. Peter could not sink at the beginning of his walk, until he took his eyes off the Lord. Whatever you set your eyes on, will upset your eyes on the Lord. Matthew 14:30, “But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”” There was no need for Peter to set his eyes away from the One that sent him to the other side. The journey will be boisterous, either you like it or not, and that calls for the need to set your eyes on Jesus, so that fear will not take over. What Peter feared, failed Him.
Prayer for today: My Lord and my God, I ask for the grace to remain focused on You in all of my journey, so that when storms rise, it will not get my attention. Deliver me from every agent that causes fear.

AVOID WORRY
Luke 12:22-34

Jesus pointed out that the important thing in this life is to seek the Kingdom of God. In His conversation with His disciples, it is clear that the only way not to seek the Kingdom of God is to not let worrying take over your life. “Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.””  (Luke 12:22) He went further and elaborated on what to eat, what to wear, and how to take care of your body, the major sources of worrying. Are you a worrying vessel? What Jesus was saying was, worrying should not be our portion. Worrying is like a dark room, where all the weapons of man’s self destruction inhabits. When worrying is in place, faith will be out of place. And when faith is out of place, God is not pleased. Worrying does not have anything to add in times of need, or challenges. Inside the dark room of worrying, anxiousness takes a center seat to destroy. Any situation that is clearly beyond man’s ability to tackle needs to be reserved for God to take over. Jesus said in Luke 12:26, “If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?” Are you willing to give it up to God for His intervention? The Apostle Paul, having been through it all, to point of death, ship wrecks, gave an antidote to worrying when he stated in Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” The Apostle Paul is more than qualified to prescribe what it takes to terminate the spirit of worrying. It is important for a believer to know when, and how, to determine when worrying begins to occupy the mind if not, anxiousness is what will take the place of prayer in the mind. Has what you will eat or drink become the center of your life? Here is what Jesus said, “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.”  (Luke 12:29) What you seek is what you will heed, and what you heed will rule your life. Jesus is not saying do not work, or look for what to drink or eat. He is warning against letting it overwhelm life or take away a believer’s focus off the Creator of all. The words of Jesus encourages us in Luke 12:31-32, “But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. 32 “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”” With worrying, fear reigns, faith resides, and God will not be pleased.

Prayer for today: Father help me not just to be a hearer of Your word, but let it reign, and rule, inside of me, for all the days of my life. 

TASK NOT TITLE
Luke 10:29-37

Among the body of Christ today, there are so many that are upholding titles, than to actually be upholding the task of propagating the Kingdom of God. Paying attention to a title, rather than task, is not a new thing. it has always been and it will always be. It is clear in the parable of the Good Samaritan, how a title could not match the task. It is also pointed out how a task is matched with the abundance of a good heart. In the parable, Jesus pointed out how two types of titleholders failed to woefully live up to the title they answered to. In the parable, “…A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.” (Luke 10:30) The first to get to the scene of the man that fell among the thieves was a titleholder of priest. Luke 10:31, “Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.” A priest came by chance, he had the chance to make God shine, but he did not, instead, he passed by. In his passing by, he switched to the other side of the road. Luke 10:32, “Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.” The second titleholder was a Levite. The Bible mentioned that he arrived at the place, and in his arrival, he must have seen all that was on the ground. The Levite did exactly like his fellow titleholder: he passed by the man and switched to the other side of the road while neglecting a task for God’s glory. The least expected happened when a Samaritan, a man form the region of sin, with sin written all over his identity, did not pass on to the other side. Luke 10:33, “But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion.” Compassion is a characteristic of Jesus. The Samaritan’s identity did not prevail, but the character of Jesus is what he demonstrated. Your character is something that is inhabited in you, and also is the one that the Lord wants to identify you with. There are so many Shepherds that are not available for the sheep except for at the pulpit, once a week. There are so many that have confessed the Word, but the world is what reigns in them. God cannot be deceived, and He will never overlook sin and sinning, neither would He fail to recognize every deed that glorifies His name. The race of life, the journey to the Promised Land is not title, but upholding the tasks on the way to attainment. All the titles will not matter or count at the time of His coming, but the task accomplished for His glory will count.

Prayer for the day: Lord I ask for Your mercy, let me not lose the purpose of my calling for a title that does not count before Your Holy name.

PHARISEE
Luke 11:37-44

Pharisees were regarded as a prominent group of people. The meaning of their name is: separated ones. The Pharisees did not accept Jesus as the Messiah. Pharisees were most concerned about the praise of people, rather than the approval of God. During the days that Jesus was on the face of earth, they were most concerned about pointing Him to the religious law, and always looking for a word to use against Him. Many times, Jesus exposed their ignorance by the use of parables, or sometimes by direct communication. Once, “…A certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat. 38 When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.” (Luke 11:37-38) The Pharisees were more concerned with the outside, than the inside. To some believers it is important to look good on the outside than to look good on the inside. Jesus responded to the ones that were concerned about Him eating without washing His hands, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.” (Luke 11:39) Jesus did not only respond to the issue of washing hands, but He clearly identified the character of the Pharisees. Jesus pointed them out as greedy and wicked. Later in the same verse, Jesus also described the Pharisee, “For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them.” (Luke 11:44) Where in the description of the Pharisees do you fit? Is it of greed, wickedness, hypocrisy, or one that lures people away into the pit of sin? The Lord is more concerned about the inside that is not visible to man, but to God. Living for the glory of God is not in impressing the world around us, but it is more of impacting of the word on the world around us. Joel 2:13, “So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.” It is never too late to turn back from going about and only impressing the world around you. Why not render your heart to where God is most interested, and give up the garment that covers only the outside.
Prayer for the day: Father, I ask this day that you deliver me from every spirit of the Pharisee, and let it not be my portion in Jesus’ name.

NO GOING EMPTY
Luke 9:12-17

As believers, think of it, meditate on it, Jesus is so merciful that He will not send anyone, who comes to Him, away empty. Regardless of situation or location, it is the character of Jesus, our Lord and Savior, not to look away from us at every dead end. If Jesus came to die, and shed His blood on the Calvary, which He actually did, then His love for us is indeed, and in truth, beyond our comprehension. Can it be imagined of Jesus, in a deserted place, to send away a multitude that had been thronging on Him all day? When Jesus was on the face of earth He did not send His own away empty, and He will not do it now. Once, in a deserted area, the multitude was to be let go emptily. When it was brought to the attention of Jesus, He responded to the disciples, “…You give them something to eat.” And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people.”” (Luke 9:13) Jesus would not let them go empty because they went to Him. He will not let you go empty as long as you keep going to Him. The disciples were concerned because there was not enough to feed five thousand, but with Jesus there is always more than enough, because in Him there is abundance. The disciples wanted Jesus to know what they were dealing with, by stating to Him, “For there were about five thousand men. Then He said to His disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty.” (Luke 9:14) Jesus, having made to known what the numbers were, what the situation was, and how the location denied the possibilities of provision, responded with command. He commanded how the people were to be seated, while provision was not yet visible in the physical. Are you in a deserted area? Is your situation impossible? You can trust in the might of His power by following strictly His command. The Bible recorded that the people sat down as He had commanded. The multitude, having sat down in obedience to His command, expecting from an unacceptable location “Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. 17 So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.” (Luke 9:16-17) He is not an empty God; He will not forsake you if His command is not forsaken. As a believer, taking a seat of obedience will always bring blessings of obedience.

Prayer for today: My Lord and my God, give me the grace to always respond to every single command of Yours. Let it overtake, reign, and rule in my life.