Holy Spirit is the Secret Sauce - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) November 28, 2023

Have you ever heard of Stephen? He was a member of the early church in Jerusalem. Stephen was selected to help with food distribution to other believers. It seems like a simple and straightforward job, right? However, the apostles determined that the chief qualification required for this position was that the selected candidates be filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:3). Why was the Holy Spirit important for the mere handing out food to people? We'll understand that a little later.

Now back to Stephen. In Acts 6, he is one of seven men chosen to distribute food because they met the stated requirement. Upon their selection, the apostles prayed and laid hands upon them (Acts 6:6). From there, Stephen is next described in Acts 6:8 - Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. How did he go from serving food to doing signs and wonders? The answer is the Holy Spirit.

Remember that the chief qualification for the position was that the candidates be filled with the Holy Spirit. The presence of the Holy Spirit in Stephen's life enabled him to quickly rise from the food service department to operating in the miraculous powers of the Lord.

In every area of our life, the Holy Spirit is the 'secret sauce' we need to be elevated from a nobody to somebody great. Godly promotion leaves an enduring mark not just on earth but in God's kingdom. This applies to believers no matter what their field of occupation/service is. There is no task, big or small, that does not require the acknowledgment of the Holy Spirit to be successful.

Such promotion can never be compared to the fame and attention the world gives. Therefore, don't look at the people of the world and think their kind of success is the ultimate goal. There are multi-billionaires who despite their fame and wealth could not find healing for diseases God has the instant cure for. They departed from this earth leaving behind all the money they had accrued. None of it helped them when it mattered the most.

Now, that same Stephen who did mighty works in God's name eventually died. He was martyred by men who didn't believe in Jesus and who were jealous and prideful. However, the story of his elevation through the Holy Spirit as well as his impact on Christianity and the world has spanned thousands of years. And to imagine, he started off as a simple food server.

What more you, who might be feeling insignificant? What could having the Holy Spirit as your guide do for you? How would your acknowledgment of the Holy Spirit - sent from Jesus to those who believe in Him - make a difference? There's only one way to find out and that is to do what qualifies an individual to receive the Holy Spirit: genuinely repent for your sins, submit to Christ and His instructions, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

(Please be sure to see the Altar Call in the next post).

To learn more, please read:

1. P&P 200: The Ticket to Heaven

Hidden Identity - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) November 24, 2023

"The Lord works in mysterious ways." Most of us have heard that saying at some point or another and we think we understand what it means. We actually have little idea. Thankfully, the longer we walk with Him, the more we can testify that indeed His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts.

One way God moved mysteriously was to hide the identities of His servants until the time was right. In the Bible, God used people who didn't look like a big deal to others. And yet, when the Lord was ready, He revealed His children for who they truly were and used them to do miraculous things.

Consider Joseph. A dream of his coming greatness contributed to his brothers' jealousy and hatred. This led to slavery, an accusation of attempted rape, and jail time. The grace on his life was recognized by a few people, and that led him from slavery to becoming the Vice President of Egypt. And when his brothers came to buy grain during a famine, they didn't recognize him. The calling on Joseph's life to save his family and future generations from famine and death wasn't fully recognized then.

Then there was Moses. When he ran from Egypt, he ended up in Midian. There, he met Jethro's daughters. After protecting them from some men, the women invited him home and described him to their father as "an Egyptian" (Exodus 2:19). However, Moses had always been an Israelite. His true nationality and indeed the great call upon His life would only be revealed 40 years later in a great way - it was intrinsically tied to the freedom of his people from slavery.

Finally, look at Queen Esther. She was a Jew married to the king of Persia. Alas, her true identity was known only to her uncle, Mordechai, and he leveraged that knowledge when it became clear that every Jew would die because of one man's murderous hate for them. But when the time came, God allowed her true identity to be revealed and it averted the genocide of her people. It also brought down their enemy and anyone who might have later tried to get revenge.

Now, why did God hide the identities of these His servants from others? He was protecting what was precious from the enemy. He was ensuring that the earthly tools for His victory wouldn't be found out and destroyed before their appointed time.

God did the same thing with Jesus Christ, hiding Him in Egypt as a baby and allowing Him to walk the earth for 30 years before He entered ministry and endured constant attacks from satan and those used by the enemy.

If you love God and wonder why nobody is recognizing your service, don't worry, and don't give up. You're in good company. God may have hidden your true identity until a time of His choosing. Take a breath, don't compare your journey to others, and praise Him for what He's building in you. At the right time, you'll be called for duty and if it's His will, others will see the hand of God on you.

Please remember that Joseph, Moses, and Esther were focused on obeying and honoring God. As you patiently wait, have the same attitude. It's not about others seeing the anointing upon your life, it's about God shining through your life and getting the glory (John 3:30). Just walk in the fear of the Lord and He will help you bear good fruit that will speak louder than anything else.

May the Lord help each of us to not look down on the days of small beginnings. May we focus on pleasing God and not the accolades of men. May we be content with being hidden and be ready when the Lord's call arrives. IJMN Amen.

See you at Noon EST!

Standing in the way - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) November 21, 2023

Have you ever wondered if anything in your life is hindering your prayers? It's not a comfortable issue to confront but self-professing Christians can't ignore this point.

We recently considered this subject on August 25, 2023, with the post, Let It Go. We return to this topic because many of us still don't realize that there are things we have done or are doing that stand in the way of our prayers being answered.

Take Naaman for instance. He was the Kingdom of Aram's war commander. Despite his wealth and influence, he suffered from a debilitating disease - leprosy.

However, an Israeli servant girl noted that her master could receive healing if he met with the "prophet who is in Samaria" (2 Kings 5:3). The prophet in question was Prophet Elisha and he lived in Samaria, the capital of the Kingdom of Israel.

Taking a chance, Naaman journeyed to Israel. He, however, didn't get to meet Elisha because the prophet sent a messenger with a simple instruction - “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” (2 Kings 5:10).

Naaman was incensed! How dare the prophet not come to greet him properly. How dare he send him to the filthy River Jordan when there were cleaner water bodies back home. How could he, the warrior of Aram be treated this way?

His staff convinced him that he'd come so far and might as well do this most simple thing. Soon, he agreed and did as Elisha said. As he came out of the river the seventh time, he was completely healed.

Like Naaman, each of us has a problem that requires God's direct intervention. And like the war commander, we have to submit to the Lord to get what we need. Only He has the solution, and we must choose to obey Him in order to overcome.

Often, we think that praying repeatedly is all we need. However, there are times when God expects us to do something specific in addition to our praying. Typically, fasting will quiet our minds enough to hear God's instruction. Or, the Lord will use someone else to point us in the right direction. Whatever approach He uses, we need to be desperate enough for God's solution and we must obey in order to see light at the end of the tunnel.

What stands in our way could be certain lifestyle choices, sin habits, or ungodly attitudes. Yet, once God shows us what needs to go, we must commit to eradicating it.

We don't know what it was about Naaman that contributed to his ailment. But clearly, God wanted to show him that there were things about him that needed to go. His pride, his lack of fear of the Lord, his worship of false gods, his condescending attitude...the list could likely go on.

What is it about you that God is pointing to as a problem that keeps your prayers from being fulfilled by Him? The Lord wants to wean you and get you free from everything that stands in the way of Him granting your heart's godly desires (Psalm 145:19). Are you willing to let Him show you what needs to go? And, will you let go of whatever it is?

To learn more, please read

1. Are your prayers detestable?

2. Why does God bless us?