Oh Happy Day!

Sometimes blessings come along when we least expect them and from sources we never thought could be a blessing. We’re all familiar with the scripture that tells us that all good things come from God so we know that no matter from whom or where we receive our blessings, they ultimately come from God.

So why am I saying that? Because I want you to take a moment and just look around you. A lot of times we think we’re getting the short end of the “blessing stick” because we don’t have big-time, lightning bolt, get-it-on-TBN kinds of miracles happening in our lives. But, beloved, trust me, it’s those little blessings that make up the bulk of God’s activities in our lives.

I once heard a preacher say that you should take all the little blessings you receive and gather them together as you would gather flowers for a bouquet. Then present the bouquet to the Lord. I know that sounds just a little hokey but the theory really holds true. Now I know for sure that God doesn’t mind us coming to Him in thanks for every little blessing we receive. In fact, the opposite is quite true…He loves it when we come to Him with thanksgiving in our hearts. But for your own benefit, try gathering up your little blessings and see what a large and beautiful bouquet you’ve created for the Father. You’ll be glad you did…and so will He!

Wisdom Worth Sharing

Following are a few paraphrased excerpts from a prophecy that came through Kenneth E. Hagin on March 1, 1981. They are a great encouragement to jump-start your prayer life:

• Your ministry (or life) will never be powerful nor get off of the ground unless it’s backed up with prayer. So build your prayer life first. Build your prayer life upon the Word. Only a ministry (or life) that’s built upon prayer will be effective in these last days.
  
• Some will say, “Well, the Word will do it, just let the Word do it.” But the Word will never be as effective as it should be if the one who delivers the Word is not backed up with a life of prayer. So let the prayer life come first. Let the ministry of prayer be first.
• Some have said, “Lord, use me. Lord, use me.” But remember, even the gifts of the Spirit can be misused. The gifts of the Spirit if used in the flesh are not powerful. They must be backed up with a life of prayer. And so when they’re backed up with a life of prayer, then those become great weapons, powerful weapons to pull down the strongholds of the enemy, which will enable you to do the work of God.
  
• So build a life of prayer. Put prayer first, and by so doing the Word…then you'll understand the move of the Spirit. And then automatically you'll move with the Spirit.
  Give yourself wholly and keep yourself pure and keep yourself clean, and walk before God with a pure heart as well as a pure and wholesome and holy body. And you shall be a vessel used of the Lord. Give yourself unto prayer and the Lord shall manifest Himself unto you.
  
• So quit looking with your physical eye. Quit trying to figure out with your natural mind. Quit trying to understand with human reasoning. Get into the spirit and pray in the spirit. And you'll come to know things in the spirit. And you'll come even to see things in the spirit.
  
• Very humbly and sincerely come and say, "Lord, teach me to pray." And give yourself over to the Spirit and He'll lead you into prayer conquests that your mind cannot fathom and your imagination would have never even imagined. But you'll be glad you did for your life will be a light.
  

Staying Thankful

When you are seeking a sweet and private time with the Lord, the best “process” to follow is to do what the scriptures tell us. Psalm 95:2 tells us to come before His presence with thanksgiving and to make joyful noise to Him with songs. Psalm 100:4 says to enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise; and to be thankful to Him and bless His name. Let’s break it down:

• Tell Him what you’re thankful for.
  
• Have a joyful and happy attitude.
  
• Sing to Him.
  
• Praise Him by telling Him how great He is.
  
• Bless His name.
  

I have a lot in my life to be thankful for and I remind God quite often of how grateful I am for the things He has given me and the things He has done for me. What about you? What are you thankful for in your life? Tell Him. If you can’t think of anything, start at the bottom of the list and work your way up. Start with blessing His name. Who is His name? (That’s right, Who, not what!) His Name, the Name above all names is Jesus! Bless God for sending His only begotten Son to die on Calvary’s cross for YOU. He shed His blood so that your sins could be forgiven and that you could walk in righteousness all the days of your life and live in eternity with the Father. How can you not get excited about that? How can you not be thankful for His blood? Who wouldn't feel like singing and making joyful noise?

Thank you, Lord, for the great sacrifice You made for us. I am so thankful and so grateful for Jesus and His shed blood. What better way to enter the Father’s presence?

A Matter of Conscience

One of the questions ministers often get from those who are still seeking salvation is, “Well, what about little children on deserted islands who never heard of Jesus. Are you telling me that they’re all going to Hell because they don’t believe in Him?”

I love this question because it so has an answer!

And the answer is the conscience. So what is the conscience? It’s that little part of your being that sort of connects your soul (mind, will, emotions) to your spirit. Think about it. When you “know” something is wrong, you just know it. No one has to tell you it’s wrong and it’s not necessarily something you have to learn. Let me give you an example.

Have you ever met parents who actually teach a child to steal or lie? Of course not. Any 3-year-old will take something that’s not his, hide it because he “knows” he’s not supposed to have it, and then lie to cover up the theft! Right? Of course I’m right! Why do you think thieves steal things in the dark of night? To cover up what they “know” is wrong.

Believe me, people, it’s not just “Christians” who “know” the difference between right and wrong; nor is it Muslims nor Jews nor any other religion professing enlightenment. So where in the Bible can we ensure that this is the truth?

Let’s look at Romans 2:14-16 which tells us that people who don’t have a law to guide them, actually guide themselves in a manner much like a law but which is in their hearts. It also says that it’s a person’s conscience that actually bears witness and either accuses them of their actions or excuses them of their actions.

As for the folks living on that island, well, God will judge them based on how well they follow the leading of their consciences. But what about those of us who have heard about Jesus? Our conscience lets us know what’s right or wrong there, too. And in order to reject Jesus, we actually have to make a conscious decision to do so. We all have a conscience; we all have to decide to either believe that Jesus is the Son of God or make a conscious decision to reject Him.

Keep that in mind the next time someone asks about little kids on deserted islands!