Sometime ago, I realized I wanted to write a letter expressing some of my thoughts to you Peppers. I just wanted to have a heart-to-heart of sorts. Those can be tough because P&P is structured and I only get to write what the Lord instructs me to share. Recently, however, He permitted me to share some thoughts. I'm calling these messages my 'Dear Peppers' series. I'll drop a few from time to time and I pray they shall be received with the spirit of love with which they are being shared. That said, I wanted to encourage each of us to be careful that we never consider the Lord a burden. He can't become another item we tick off our to-do list. The devil strives to make the things of God, and the Lord Himself, distasteful to us. The enemy wants us to love and cherish the things that God finds detestable while seeing what God desires as tiring. We can't let satan win. Or as I like to say, don't let satan punk you! God gives us so many ways to interact with Him and we need to take advantage of them. We can talk to Him while cleaning our home, watch edifying Christian content, or turn up some praise music and dance with abandon for Him. He also encourages us to fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ via church services which now take place in person and online. Then there are gatherings like this which allow us to honor Him as a group with praise and intercession. Plus, if we remember your Jericho Moments and review our testimonies or those of others, we'll know that the Lord is good and worthy of our constant attention. We don't want to be like those He spoke to in Micah 6:3 - “My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me. God asked that question thousands of years ago and if we are to be honest, we might be just like the people he was talking to back then. We can't afford to be like them. Eternity and where we'll spend it are on the line, so let us ask God to help us to not be like those who see God as a burden. Let us submit to Him and do what He tells us to do so we walk with Him till the very end. Lord, thank You for being my Father. Thank You for Your promise of never-ending love. Today, I ask for Your grace and strength so that I always delight in You. Restore to me the joy of my salvation and empower me to joyfully walk with You to the very end, IJMN Amen. Psalm 37:4 - Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart (NASB). Got any questions about today's post? Fire away. Do you ever feel like God and the things of God are a burden? How do you handle those moments? Do you talk to someone or rely on the Lord, Jesus and the Holy Spirit to get you through. Let's talk and see you later for fellowship (and pre-fellowship chit chat). God bless you.
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While on earth, Jesus was very concerned about the spiritual condition of people because their spiritual condition had physical implications. This is why He often cast out evil spirits from people to ensure their freedom from disease. He also taught people how to live in alignment with God's expectations, for that strengthened them spiritually and in the physical. Finally, He died so all who believe in Him could also ascend to Heaven when their time on earth comes to an end.
Jesus knew that all who would come to believe in Him would be mere humans and therefore imperfect. Despite this, one of the many promises He gave is in John 17:22 - I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one. This statement tells us that all who believe in Him are recipients of God's glory. He did this so that each believer would have spiritual unity with God even while living in the physical realm.
This promise - that mere humans could receive the glory of the Almighty - was so important to God that even before Jesus uttered it, the Lord used Isaiah to pronounce it. Isaiah 60:1-2 - “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you.
It is almost impossible to believe that the Creator of the Universe would share any of His glory. Yet, Jesus specifically said that He'd given us the glory that the Lord gave Him. However, what does that mean in a practical sense? How does that affect believers from day to day? Imagine what it means for God to be glorious. He is powerful and capable of so much more than we can ever understand. And this same glorious God wants to bring believers into some of that. We can never be as glorious as He is, but in His loving kindness, He wants all who believe in Him to walk in that shine.
Look at Isaiah 41:15 - “See, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff. It tells us that when God's glory is upon you, you become a powerful threshing instrument in His hand. You become a battle axe that He uses here on earth to effect His will and His word. This way you become an agent of godly change in your family, you neighborhood, your workplace and everywhere else.
God's glory gives authority to exact His written word. It also empowers you to do the things Jesus did and more because the Savior Himself said in John 14:12 - Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. In this case, the scripture becomes a living, breathing thing in your life. The Lord will point you in the direction of a verse and you will see it work in the physical just as you know it has worked in the spiritual.
God's glory also brings His favor into your life. The things that stop others will barely slow you down, because God's glory brings His grace and the capacity to do what others deem impossible. His favor grants success and protection. Remember how Elisha provided the widow with a miracle that multiplied the little oil she had into vats of oil that she sold to get out of debt (2 Kings 4:1-7)? That's what God's favor brings - fullness of life and miraculous rescue from everything trying to spell disaster and failure.
However, there are conditions attached to fully living in this glory, in this gift. You must submit to God's Spirit (Proverbs 3:6). For it is through the Spirit of the Lord that God's glory fully descends upon an individual. The Spirit of the Lord comes through accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Therefore, it is not enough to say you believe in Jesus. You must receive the Holy Spirit and walk with Him in submission. He is the Voice of God who reminds you of what Jesus taught (John 14:26). He instructs you which way to turn (John 14:26). He tells you where to not go because as stated in Romans 8:14 - For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.
The specifics of this submission might look different from person to person but the overall effect will be the same. It will mean making God the head of your life. Choosing Him and what He wants before your personal desires (Matthew 6:33). And over time, you'll realize that your desires increasingly line up with His (1 Peter 4:2). His glory upon you makes that and so much more happen.
If you believe in Jesus, have submitted to His authority in your life, and are allowing Him to build You into a vessel for His purpose, then you need to believe that He's given you God's glory. You might not feel or see it yet but let the Lord show you. Let Him build you up to the point where you'll see the promise of Jesus at work in your life. Till then, tell God you want to see His glory to come upon you today.
See you at Noon EST for P&P fellowship when we'll worship God, intercede for others then turn our attention to making sure we align with the Lord in order to confidently say, "His glory rises upon me."
How many of us want to experience God's compassion and favor? Many don't know what this feels like and for those who do, they want more.
Let's examine Isaiah 27:11 - ...For this is a people without understanding; so their Maker has no compassion on them, and their Creator shows them no favor.
This scripture warns that people who lack God's understanding will not experience His compassion and favor. Therefore, the opposite is true - people who have God's understanding will enjoy His compassion and favor.
This begs the question, how does one acquire God's understanding? Well, there's a Bible verse for that, praise God! James 1:5 - If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
This instruction couldn't be any more straightforward! If you want God's understanding/wisdom/knowledge, simply ask Him. He has promised to give it regardless of your sin and shortcomings.
There is, however, a caveat we must all be aware of. Hosea 4:6 warns us that if we reject the Lord then He will in turn reject us. Therefore, when you ask for God's understanding in an effort to be a recipient of His compassion and favor, be mindful not to reject Him and what He has to offer you.
The consequences of such rejection might not occur because you choose to ignore God's instructions a few times. Still, a flagrant disregard for His wisdom will eventually be an indication that His help is not wanted. And if you choose to reject Him through your cumulative actions, thoughts and words, getting that wisdom back might not be as straightforward as it once was. This is because of the word in 2 Peter 2:21 - It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.
Please don't reject the Lord. Receive His understanding and let Him lead you to a place of sustained compassion and favor that you enjoy the fullness of life He has available for you.
God bless you and see later at fellowship when we'll worship and intercede in prayer for others. Then, we'll look within to see what we can do to receive and maintain God's understanding that we then enjoy the benefits. See you at Noon EST!
For more related content, please read:
Fear The Lord: Praises & Favor - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) February 25, 2022
Don't Turn From God - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) February 17, 2023
Acknowledge God - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) February 14, 2023
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