Hallelujah!
On this Resurrection Sunday forward may you walk in the fullness of the resurrection power of Jesus Christ! Of all the great prophets in history, Jesus is the only one to have risen from the dead. He sits at the right hand of the Father. He intercedes for you continually. No other god or prophet died to set their followers free. No other god or prophet is alive today. No other god or prophet offers eternal life. No other god or prophet offers the peace that surpasses all understanding while on this earth. Jesus is Messiah!
Take These Words to Heart!
In reading chapter 20 in the Book of John this week I was struck by what Jesus said to His disciples when He appeared to them after His Resurrection. His message reverberates through the ages to His followers today:
-Peace. He speaks peace to them three times. Anytime God repeats something three times it is to emphasize. The first thing Jesus spoke was peace. He repeated His gift of peace three times. He offers to His followers the peace that surpasses all understanding. Despite what is happening around you in life, His peace is there for you. Open your heart to Him and receive His peace.
-Commission. Just as His Father sent Jesus into the world to bring the eternal salvation of His Kingdom to earth as it is in heaven, so Jesus sends His disciples. For those who follow Him today, the commission remains the same. You are sent into the world to reflect the Light of the World. You are sent into the world to be the vehicle Jesus uses to lead others to salvation and to bring His Kingdom to earth as it is in heaven.
-Forgiveness. Jesus tells His disciples to forgive the sins of others. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord of your life you must forgive others. This is not easy in the natural but it is a Kingdom mandate. It can only be done with Holy Spirit empowerment but it must be done. If you are challenged in this area seek the Spirit’s help and He will lead you situation by situation into a lifestyle of forgiveness.
-Blessing. Finally, Jesus says that those who are not present with Him physically at that time, but believe in Him, will be blessed. If you have made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, believe in Him and His resurrection (even though you cannot see Him), you are blessed. Know that you are blessed. Walk blessed. Live blessed. Extend blessing to others. This is the Kingdom path of Jesus Christ!
May your Resurrection Sunday be blessed. May you ever walk in His peace. May you fulfill His commission. May you grow in forgiveness.
Quotes to Ponder This Week
“Peace be with you…Peace to you! …Peace to you!” ~Jesus, John 20:19, 21, 26
“As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” ~Jesus, John 20:21
“If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” ~Jesus, John 20:23
“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” ~Jesus, John 20:29
“LORD OF THE RESURRECTION, O God of new life, we have buried our sadness, frustrations, and problems in the tombs of our minds. Heal the wounds of our past. Where we find death, give new life. open these many tombs and fill them with the power of Your Risen Son. Amen.” ~Gerald Horan, OSM, taken from Strength for Service to God and Country
A Prayer Request
Thank you for your continued faithfulness to pray. Please keep all who serve our country, our servicemen and women and their families in prayer for salvation and safety. They are our front-line on the battlefield, let us be their front-line in the spirit. Also, let us cover all who have come home wounded that they and their families will receive the kindness, help and support they need to go forward in their lives. God bless all our diplomatic and military personnel and their families. May the Lord keep them safe.
Pray for all throughout the world for hedges of protection against radical Islamic extremists and all forms of terrorism. Pray for Christians who face violence and death for their faith. We have long prayed for spiritual victory over radical Islam in Esther’s Warriors Ministry. We now see the reality of this threat come to the forefront in this time in world history. As Iranians and Islamic extremists are shouting ‘Death to America,’ let us speak life, hope and a return to God in America!
Please pray for all in authority over us, for the full truth to come forth concerning Benghazi. May God richly bless the United States of America, bring to light every single crooked place and keep her safe. The lives lost in Benghazi, the continuing targeting of conservative groups by the Internal Revenue Service, Operation Fast and Furious, the Department of Justice targeting journalists phone records, the National Security Agency overstepping its legal authority are hardly “phony scandals.” We continue to pray for truth to prevail in each of these situations.
Pray for the families who have lost loved ones, for those relentlessly targeted and for all of us who are proud to call ourselves American.May we may arise united once again as One Nation Under God in this auspicious season in our country’s history. These are treacherous times and now more than ever we must maintain our walk with the Lord, saturate this country in prayer and stand for all that is right in America. Fail not in this hour.
Pray for peace in Israel. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
Please Join Me In Prayer
Father we thank You for Your faithfulness and Your Son, Jesus Christ. Open our hearts to receive Your peace. Teach us to live in peace and reflect Your peace to the world around us. Awaken us to the fullness of Your commission in our lives. Soften our hearts to forgive and walk in forgiveness all the days of our life. Thank You that we are blessed. Let us be a blessing to others. Grace us to pray without ceasing for our brothers and sisters who suffer at the hands of Islamic terrorists. Open the eyes of our leaders to arise in this season to defend the very belief in You upon which our Nation is founded. Thank You for keeping Your hand on America. We humbly pray this in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen and Amen.