eMpower • iMpact • iMpart
“Never be motivated by fear or guilt.”
Flee from anything that is trying to manipulate you to do something if their tactic involves fear or guilt. It is not from God. God motivates with love and mercy. Remember, God has not given us a spirit of fear. Therefore, He doesn’t motivate by fear. He died on the cross to remove our guilt. Therefore it would be counterproductive to motivate by guilt.
It is not our job to change people. People will change when they have a real encounter with Jesus. Our job is to give them an undeniable encounter with God. Once people encounter the power of God, they will never be the same.”
our all-powerful Father who has the ability to quickly take away our sorrow, sometimes allows us to walk through the pain. Why would a good Father do that?
I’m learning to see discomfort, setbacks, and disappointments as opportunities for God to provide protection; as opportunities for God to do more than I can ask, think, or imagine.
God wants to do the miraculously in all of our lives. He wants to resurrect areas we thought were hopeless. He wants to turn our mourning into marveling.
This morning, allow Holy Spirit to come and bring you comfort as He did for me. As I was processing all of the above emotions, I began meditating and personalizing Psalms 112. I remembered who I am and whose I am. Fear is not my inheritance nor is it yours.
I remembered my history with God. He has always looked ahead and provided. We have never experienced lack. While God has not yet opened my eyes to see the Ram in the bush, I know it’s there. Because I trust God is Jehovah Jireh, the God who looks ahead and provides.
Get over yourself. Yes, you will offend some just by being you but Jesus offended people by being Himself. Don’t live your life trying not to offend people. Live your life glorifying God.
In the Christian community, we celebrate Good Friday. We are reminded of the suffering of Christ and His ultimate sacrifice for the world. We take time to mourn and reflect. Church services are held and we are reminded, Sunday is coming.
Easter Sunday is a day of celebration. We don beautiful pastels and remind each other, “He has risen indeed.”
But no one ever talks about Easter Saturday. How did Jesus followers feel that faithful Saturday? Boys and girls, between Good Friday and Resurrected Sunday is Confused Saturday.
Friday was final. His followers saw with their own eyes His death. Jesus even said, “It is finished.” Their dreams of ruling were over. Their hopes of delivering Israel from the rule of the Roman government were gone. Friday slammed the door on their idea of deliverance.
Saturday, they awoke confused, disappointed, perhaps angry. What happened? How could they have been so wrong? They were sure Jesus was the Mesiah! They were convinced He had come to deliver them from the Roman Government. But today, He lay in a tomb, covered by a stone, crucified.
Saturday, His followers had to come to the sober realization there would be no military uprising, no government take over, no sitting in places of authority. Jesus, their leader, was dead. It was over.
Have you ever had a Saturday season? Perhaps you are in one now? Have you ever experienced death of a loved one, death of a dream, death of a hope? I mean, have you experienced a time when there seems to be no way what you hoped for can come to pass.
You prayed for a child but due to circumstances beyond your control, a hysterectomy was needed. That is Confused Saturday.
You prayed for a spouse. Met someone and thought he was your Boaz only to find out he was a Bozo. That is what confused Saturday feels like.
You prayed, contended, and believed for miraculous healing for your loved one. A prophetic word came and guaranteed life. But your loved one died anyway. That is what confused Saturday feels like.
You worked hard for a promotion. Prayed about it. Declared it. Felt the Lord say, “It is yours.” And then instead of a promotion, you lost your job? That is what confused Saturday feels like.
Confused Saturdays are marked with profound disappointment. We question His goodness. We process the death of our dreams.
Even in His death, however, Jesus demonstrated how to handle confused Saturday. He surrendered to the death process. Jesus died gracefully. He died with Hope. He died knowing, His physical death was not the end. He died knowing, Resurrected Sunday was coming.
“Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.”
Luke 23:46 NLT
As we face our Saturday season, we, too are called to surrender. For the Christian, surrender is not giving up, it’s giving into God’s hands. It’s entrusting our lives, our dreams, our hopes into His hands. It’s trusting the bad thing will work together for good. It’s faithing God has a better plan. It’s relinquishing our ideas of success to His plan for our success. It’s knowing Resurrection Sunday is coming.
Can you surrender! Can your confused Saturday become Surender Saturday?
Jesus’ followers idea of deliverance was never realized but they got something far better, something everlasting, something that extended for thousands of generations. They got a Messiah who delivered them from sin, equipped them to set captives free, and empowered them to change the world.
Yes friends, Saturdays are hard but Sunday is coming!
He calls us to forgive
Without an acknowledgment of wrong from the one who hurt us,
Without repentance or contrition from the one who wronged us,
Without an apology or a promise to do better from the one who offended us,
We are exhorted to forgive just as freely as we were forgiven.