INVITE JESUS< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

Luke 19:1-10

All that calls Him Lord will love to invite Him into their house, but the price to pay in getting an invitation across to Him is way too much for the majority. There are too many invitation interceptor and they are deliberate weapons to deny every believerÕs invitation getting across to Jesus. Zacchaeus who was a tax collector had all what it took not to get an invitation delivered and he also demonstrated what it takes to deny every agent that intercept invitations to Jesus. Among all that it takes not to get invitations across are crowds (the multitudes) and stature. It is written in Luke 19:3-4, ÒAnd he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.Ó Zacchaeus had both, he was short and he was in the midst of crowd. Zacchaeus needed to see Jesus because his seeing Jesus would help to deliver his invitation to Jesus. The crowd and his short stature were the intercepting agents that would have denied him. Just like Zacchaeus, the crowd is all that surrounds you, the crowd is everything that is taking away your time for Jesus, and the crowd is all that is clouding you from seeing and understand the need to spend more time in is presence. The crowd in place does not settle well with a short stature.  With the crowds in place and short stature a factor, that puts Him in a far location from you. Zacchaeus acknowledged his great dilemma and knew that without making an uncommon move, Jesus would never receive His invitation. As a result he refused to accommodate his dilemmas. ÒAnd when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him,[ and said to him, ÒZacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.Ó 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.Ó (Luke 19:5-6) Do you sincerely desire to have Jesus invited to your house? Just like Zacchaeus did, all believers can do. By getting away from every representation of a crowd and by looking for a higher ground or place where Jesus is conversant, where He is always passing through. In all ZacchaeusÕ running and climbing, his invitation came to Jesus and He became a guest to Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus a tax collector, short in stature, among the crowd had his invitation delivered and Jesus entered his house. You can invite Jesus into your house if you will go all the way to deliver your invitation.

WHAT DO YOU WANT?< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

1 Samuel 1:1-24, Luke 18:35-43

A blind man heard about the passing by of the Healing Healer and he cried out for mercy. The ones that are not blind and could see wanted to keep him quiet because they were the ones that were actually blind. It can be considered as blindness whenever there is an attempt to stop or deny anyone from receiving healing. When Bartimaeus the blind man received information that the Healer was passing by he cried out for help, ÒAnd he cried out, saying, ÒJesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!Ó  39 Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, ÒSon of David, have mercy on me!Ó(Luke 18:38-39) The blind man knew what he wanted, but did not ask for what he wanted instead he was making noise, asking for mercy, assuming that Jesus knew what the problem was. Jesus knows what the problem was yet He wants us to ask for what we want. Have you been asking or you have only been making noise? Luke 11:9, ÒÒSo I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.Ó There is a difference in asking and assuming that He knows. Asking is a demonstration of faith.  After BartimaeusÕ noise making of asking for mercy, Jesus decided to remind him to ask, ÒSaying, what do you want Me to do for you?Ó He said, ÒLord, that I may receive my sight.Ó (Luke 18:41) When are you going to start asking rather than making noise? Hannah could have died barren, until she asked for a son from God; she was under the comfort of her husband. Elikanah was giving Hannah a special treatment to make her comfortable with her situation; he was doing that not to have Hannah be provoked because of her barrenness. In one miracle trip, she received her breakthrough when Peninnah, the second wife of her husband provoked her. 1 Samuel 1: 10-11, ÒAnd she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the LORD and wept in anguish. 11 Then she made a vow and said, ÒO LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.Ó HannahÕs bitterness of heart provoked her to ask what she wanted.. All the while, she was going to Shiloh and nothing was happening. But the day she actually asked, her story was rewritten from barren woman to mother of Samuel. Hannah testified to what she did before her miracle came through, 1 Samuel 1:20 ÒSo it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, ÒBecause I have asked for him from the LORD.Ó What do you want from Him? Bartimaeus asked, Hannah asked, and now it is your turn to ask just what He commandedÉto ask. Go and ask Him for your miracle.

IGNORE DELAY< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

Exodus 32:1-14

ÒNow when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, ÒCome, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.Ó Ignoring delay in some areas of your journey in life will block out doubt and the ideas of stepping out of position. Knowing whom you believe with a consistent meditation on His testimonies will add up favorably, when it seems that the road has been cut off. The children of Israel knew quite well by virtue of their exposure to different miracles through Moses that God could not have abandoned them, yet they gave into an unnecessary worry that did not have a basis. As a result of MosesÕ delay from coming down from the mountain, an unholy gathering took over from where there was supposed to be holy gathering. The children of Israel began to see delay as a result they began to look for another god. Some delays are necessary especially when God is the beginning of such a journey. There are some places you have started, but delay has made it look like you are wasting out. The fact is, when you wait on God you can never be wasted. Also, there are some delays that are meant for God to measure our faithfulness. Some delays are not of failure, but to actually make a way of getting to the expected end. When MosesÕ delay became glaring in the sight of the children of Israel, they began to seek for a god to take over from God that cannot be substituted, a God that will not accept any compromise. Delay will turn man quickly out of the way of GodÕs command. Are you experiencing any kind of delay? Your delay will turn unto deliverance in the name of Jesus. Why should there be any worrying when that He said He would be with us. Philippians 4:6-7, ÒBe anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.Ó Determination cannot hold off anxiousness that is generated from delay but the grace of God, by the Spirit of God, you can scale into not being anxious. A state of unexpected delay will definitely generate concern and there will be every reason to be anxious, but the word of God reveals here the antidote for anxiousness. Take all to God in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, and the peace of God will take over you. Instead of you seeing delay, see it as Òdeliverance on the wayÓ God is in control of all and He will not delay any longer in Jesus Name.

WHERE IS FAITH?< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

Luke 8:22-25

ÒNow it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, ÒLet us cross over to the other side of the lake. And they launched out.Ó (Luke 8:22)  Crossing over does not come by accident it always comes for a purpose ordained by God. In any crossing over that is meant to settle man for the glory of God, faith has to play a direct role. Jesus, the one that knows the end from the beginning, and the beginning from the end, wanted to take His disciples on a journey of crossing over where the application of faith has to be operational. Every crossing over requires launching out, not camping in. Without launching out there will be no crossing over. And in launching out, challenges will always wait to delay, deny and dispose the one that it is set to cross over. However, with the living Word of God on board, it will not matter what comes to delay, deny and dispose, getting to the other side will be accomplished. How will you respond in a journey where Jesus is Lord? The disciples were exposed to the challenges that are embedded in crossing over because they refused to sleep when they were supposed to be sleeping. Could it be that the disciplesÕ faith was growing slowly while Jesus was with them? It was some of the same disciples that went to sleep when they were supposed to be praying with Jesus. The Bible mentioned, ÒBut as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. 24 And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, ÒMaster, Master, we are perishing!Ó Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm.Ó(Luke 8:23-24) Do you have Jesus in your vessel? It does not matter if you sleep or you are awake, the storm will come, but the bottom line for you is that having Jesus in the vessel is a guarantee that victory is certain. Why not be still, trust in Him, and He will not sleep over when the storm rises to a challenging level. The journey to other side, the journey to cross over is a challenging one, but it will require consistent demonstration of faith. Jesus responded to the storm and reacted to His disciples, ÒBut He said to them, ÒWhere is your faith?Ó And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, ÒWho can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!Ó(Luke 8:25) Jesus responded by calming the storm down and He reacted by questioning the faith of the disciples. Is there any storm rising in attempt to drown you? Jesus is asking you where your faith is? Jesus took a stand by rising and rebuking the wind of destruction and water of affliction. Jesus has risen for you.

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

Luke 9:12-17

Will you lay a claim with expectation? Lay a claim for your blessings because He is a merciful God that cares for His children. In your expectation eliminate contamination. As you begin to expect from the hand that has been keeping you by grace, and not by work, do not allow your location or situation to become an agent of contamination to your expectation. The One (Jesus) that we expect from has never been limited or delayed by any force. Location or situation will not matter when GodÕs blessings are settled. Once in a desert (location) at a late hour, where there was no food to feed a stranded multitude (situation), Jesus extended His hand of provision. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He will extend His hand in any location and situation that you have found yourself. Jesus multiplied five loaves and two fish to feed a multitude that was not less than five thousand. Before the miracle there was a command in place that was to be activated before manifestation. Have you been following His commands? Before the miracle of the loaves and fish, Jesus gave a command, in Luke 9:14-15, ÒFor there were about five thousand men. Then He said to His disciples, ÒMake them sit down in groups of fifty.Ó 15 And they did so, and made them all sit down.Ó As a believer how have you positioned yourself in your expectation for the visitation of His miracle? Jesus did not do anything to the loaves and fish, until after His command to the disciples was carefully delivered and responded to by the multitude. After He observed obedience, ÒThen 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.Ó (Luke 9:16-17) In following His command, miracle followed in the area of their need, miracle responded where there was no hope for provision. Miracle showed up at a late hour. There was no documentation of any struggle by the crowd, neither was there any documentation of rowdiness because they followed His command. It became a simple direction. Are you having problems following His commands? If you will obey His commands the direction of getting your expectation will become a simple one. Jesus that did it yesterday is alive to do it again for you today. He is able if you will allow Him to enable you in taking a seat of obedience. Taking a seat of obedience will bring forth your abundance. Claim your blessings. He has come to give life abundantly.