Kingdom Principle of Power and Provision
February 11, 2016
Matthew 10:6-20
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ 8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. 9Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; 10take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep.
11″Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave. 12As you enter the home, give it your greeting. 13If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. 15I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. 16I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
17″Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. 18On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Kingdom Principle of Power and Provision
One of the principles that Christ taught His disciple in this exercise and that He would have us to learn is that your power and your provision are in your assignment and commission. What God has called you to do He will enable you to do and provide for you to do. Along with these provisions is the responsibility to walk in obedience and the direction of your calling and assignment.
I pray we are all getting a revelation in this hour that God is through with the time of segregation between “Ministry” and “Laity”. God has called us all in one capacity or another to “Ministry”. It may not look like what it traditionally has, but the body of Christ has been crippled so long by the paradigm that the congregation or general church body is only to be preached at and often members have set in pews and heard the same message of salvation spoon fed to them a thousand different ways. That is like repeating the first grade a thousand different times. God doesn’t want us to be content with remaining on the milk of the Word and the foundational principles. We each have a calling of ministry in our lives that we need to grow up in and be empowered to act upon. Hebrews 5:11-14 gives us somewhat of a rebuke in this area when it says, “We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 12In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” The Word of God is exhorting us, “Body of Christ it is time to grow up and become of full age and maturity.” We, as the body, have often been quite content to sit back, pay our tithes and relegate the spiritual responsibilities to those in “Ministry”. If we are to move into the things of God and the calling He has upon our lives in this hour then our free pass is over. Let’s grow up and find what it is that God has called us too. Ministry leadership’s responsibility is to help you through their gift and calling to come into yours. The body of Christ has been lethargic far too long. It is time we become activated. When we do and we act upon what the Holy Spirit is directing and calling us to do our power and provision will be in our obedience to respond to that calling and direction.
Jesus didn’t tell the disciples to take anything extra with them on their assignment, for a workman is worthy of his hire. Many of God’s people may be lacking because we are not responding to meeting the needs in one another. We may often rob the servants of God because of our selfishness and unwillingness to see our responsibility in adequately providing for those who are operating in their calling. For the body of Christ to be whole it has to operate in unity and oneness under the headship of Christ and the direction of the Holy Spirit. We are no longer about “us four and no more”. We are our brother’s keeper, his provision and his blessing. Likewise, he should be ours. Let us arise from our complacency and come into our function in the body. Do not worry that you don’t feel worthy or able. Christ is your worthiness and the Holy Spirit is well able to help you fulfill the assignment He has given you. Just be faithful and obedient and He will empower and provide. Like I heard one dear Christian lady say, “His will, His bill.” First of all, let us get in His will.
Blessings,
#kent
Regrets
May 14, 2015
1 John 1: 9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Philippians 3:13-14
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Regrets
Most all us of carry regrets of choices we did or didn’t make.
There isn’t any way we can change the past or from our history take,
the memories and consequences of regrets we carry within.
But forgive ourselves we must, of our past regrets and sins.
Most importantly we learned, so as to never regret again.
God forgets past sins when we repent and ask Him to forgive.
So we now must forgive ourselves and move on to better live.
Kent Stuck
Sometime the hardest people to forgive in life is ourselves. Some of us are still carrying guilt and condemnation from past decisions and choices. They may have been horrendous decisions with devastating consequences, but God still forgives and has forgiven you of that sin, the first time you ask Him. It may be you that is grieving the Holy Spirit by not having the faith to not only believe that God has forgiven you, but that you must also forgive yourself and set yourself free from the guilt and condemnation that you have been carrying.
One thing that isn’t acceptable to God is our unforgiveness, but that doesn’t just apply to others; it also applies to our forgiving ourselves. You can’t change your past, but you can change your future by ‘forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.’ You have a purpose and it isn’t bemoaning your mistakes. Don’t allow your past regrets to define you, but motivate you to be that better person. Who I was may be who I no longer am, but only my life and actions can define the difference. Forgive yourself and move on.
Blessings,
#kent
Tired?
March 18, 2014
Tired?
Isaiah 40:31
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint.
There are times on our journey through life that we just get tired. We get emotionally, physically and spiritually weary; in those times our excitement and exuberance wanes. Our desire ceases in its passion and we just want to turn away, escape and turn off all the demands and challenges that are present in our life.
Perhaps you’re tired of fighting the battles in your life. You know you need to get up and go, but your body is saying, “no, just let me sleep,” or your mind and emotions are saying, “I just can’t deal with it any longer.”
Our lives have many demands, pressures and expectations placed upon them. Some of them are of our own choosing and many just goes with the territory. Without the proper rest, these issues and trials of life will tend to burn us out. Maybe some of you are feeling that way even as you read this. In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says, “Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light.” Sometimes we think, “how can this be, when it is all of this trying to live right and do right that has gotten me to this place of exhaustion.” Maybe we are trying to be everything to everybody and we just feel spent. I think women in particular experience this because of all the emotional and physical demands they carry with family, career, household and a social life.
Most of us know that a lot is often riding on our being able to keep up the pace and perform our duties. Even though we feel the strain and exhaustion we keep on pushing. Where is our rest?
Do you ever find that even if you could rest, you can’t? Your mind is always racing with all of the things that need to be done. It is like juggling, you are afraid that if you rest from your concentration you will start dropping the balls and your world will fall apart. In our drive for success we often create our own mousetraps that keep us running. But the issue is you need rest!
Jesus is telling us that He has not come to heap more on to our already overflowing plate, but He has come to give our life perspective, meaning and purpose. Maybe we think we already have all of that, but when we look at all that we do in the light of eternity and what it really means to the sum of our life, how much of it is still as meaningful?
When we come into the rest that Jesus has for us we find that place where we are not carrying the entire burden of life. The issues and trials of life we now share with our Savior. Our reliance is now shifted from our ability to His ability and strength in us. The Lord doesn’t require of us what He has not provided the resources to do. Our scripture from Isaiah says, “they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.” That waiting is the hope and expectation we have in God, in His Word and promises. Our strength, our rest, our renewal is in laying hold of the life of Christ in us. The Word says, “I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me.” The Lord is my place of rest and strength. When I’m tired and weary, when my natural man doesn’t feel it can keep going on, it is like that story of “Footprints in the Sand”, the Lord has not deserted us, but as we come into His rest we find that He is carrying us. When we are tired we need to crawl up on our Daddy God’s lap and just rest. Let Him have all your burdens, all your cares, worries and pressures. The Lord is your rest and in Him you will find the encouragement, the hope and strength you need to carry on.
Blessings,
#KentStuck