Hosanna!
I wish you a blessed Palm Sunday. This day we commemorate the triumphant entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. It was a day filled with celebration and hope for the crowds that followed Him. They all followed Jesus because they believed He was to be their earthly king who would save them from Roman rule.
As the week progressed and He was arrested, tortured and hung on a cross only a few remained. The original throng believed in Him only on the surface, in the natural, for what they hoped He could do for them. The remnant believed in Him and was willing to follow Him to the cross. They sought nothing worldly from Him. At the cross even the thief asked only to be remembered by Jesus.
Put Action to Your Words!
So it is today. Throngs say they believe in Jesus yet there is no outward evidence to show a life committed fully to following Him as His disciple. In fact, sadly, there is much outward evidence of division, judgment, gossip and every evil work. Not unlike those crying, “Crucify Him,” many begin the journey but when their wants are not met they turn from Him and His ways.
Remember, even Satan believes in Jesus. To profess belief is meaningless if there is no fruit. If you hold bitterness, resentment, anger in your heart (and it is always a heart issue) and do not let the Holy Spirit cut that out you remain a believer in name only. A blood bought child of God lives a changed life. If your life has not changed substantially after accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior then you stopped at just the words you professed.
Are You Church or Kingdom?
To grow in the Lord is a lifelong process to be sure but the evidence of Holy Spirit indwelling should be visible. If you have been going to church for many years and still have much strife in your heart, you may have stayed in church but you have failed to arise to a Kingdom walk. Jesus calls you to represent His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. He never talked about church as a social gathering in a building on a specific day of the week. He spoke often of the Kingdom of God and bringing that Kingdom to earth as it is in heaven. He is clear on the busyness of ‘works’ that replace a relationship with Him. Playing church was never His plan. It is not meant for His true disciples. We are to be the church. Whether you sit in a building or not is immaterial.
Sadly, in this country, church has morphed into a social club devoid of the power that Jesus left to His disciples. He is clear that His followers will heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons. Where do you stand on these? Jesus said to believe without doubt. Do you believe in word only or do you know that you know that you know that you are here in this place ‘for such a time as this’ to walk in the miracles Jesus tasked His followers to perform in His name? Please hear me. I am not advocating eliminating church. I am saying we all need to be the church and walk in Kingdom power and authority.
Are You Ready?
As we go into this Holy Week and walk through the days leading up to His crucifixion will you be just a palm waiver on Sunday…gone by Friday? Or will you be part of the remnant who will arise in resurrection power to usher in the Kingdom of God to a dark and dying world? Now is the time. We are the people called by His name to bring heaven to earth and be the light shining bright in the dark. Really spend time this Holy Week releasing anything not of Him and pursuing Him and His Kingdom work. We are in a season as never before. Step up this week. Renew your faith. Refresh your commitment. Make no mistake; we are in a spiritual war 24/7. Put on the armor of God and let us go forth united for the Kingdom of God!
It Is Never Too Late!
If you have not yet made the decision to accept Jesus into your heart, do it now. Do not wait another minute. Speak to Him from your heart (for it is always a heart issue). Tell Him you have fallen short in your life. Sincerely apologize for your sins. Ask Him to cleanse you and come into your heart and be Lord over your life. From this moment forward let His Spirit guide you along the narrow road that leads to everlasting life.
Quotes to Ponder This Week
“Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart for Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ ~ Jesus, Matthew 7:21-23
“And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” ~Jesus, Matthew 10:8
“These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.” ~Jesus, Matthew 15:8
“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says.” ~Jesus, Mark 11:23
“Where is your faith?” ~Jesus, Luke 8:25
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” ~2Corinthians 5:17
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is not law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” ~Galatians 5:22-26
“You are Lord and You are mighty and You are merciful. Raise up all who would call upon Your name. Raise up those that love You and seek You and trust You. Lord, we need an army of believers that would stand on Your Word above all else. Raise up warriors, Lord, who will fight on their knees; who will worship You with their whole hearts, Lord. Lord, call us to battle that we may proclaim the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Raise them up, Lord. Raise them up!” ~Miss Clara, War Room the Movie
Please Join Me in Prayer
Father God, We thank You for sending Your Son Jesus Christ to set us free. We humbly ask that You empower us to walk fully in Your Kingdom power and authority in this season. Let us not look to the left or to the right but to stay ever focused as You direct on bringing Your Kingdom to earth as it is in heaven through us. Embolden our walk to live out the fullness of our destiny in You. Great is Your faithfulness, Oh God! We pray this in agreement in Jesus’ name. Amen and Amen.
Arise ‘For Such a Time as This!’
We are at a crossroads in this country. More than ever in our history we are a country divided. We are a church divided. If we, as disciples not just believers, expect to see God move in this situation then we must come together now. The election is just months away. The absence of Christians at the polls in the last election resulted in the change we are now seeing. Spread the word that we must come together in unity across all lines of race, denomination, sex and occupation to rise up victorious in this season. If you are simply ‘playing church,’ stop now. Be the church. Unite the church. Raise up the church. This is our shining hour if we each choose to play our part.
It is incumbent on each and every leader to embolden his or her people to vote for the candidate most closely aligned with Biblical principles. Many leaders are afraid of losing their 501(c) (3) tax exempt status so they choose not to discuss voting at all. Here is a link to share that clearly states the main thing you cannot do is endorse a particular candidate or party. https://www.irs.gov/Charities-&-Non-Profits/Charitable-Organizations/The-Restriction-of-Political-Campaign-Intervention-by-Section-501(c)(3)-Tax-Exempt-Organizations
You can and should promote participation in the election process. Only God can turn this around but His people must play a part in the process. Whether a leader or a disciple of Jesus Christ, encourage all you know to vote. If you attend a church, ask your pastor to encourage the congregation to go to the polls. We have a platform. Let’s use it. Our vote counts only if it is cast!
“I’ve known Dr. Ben Carson for many years and have a lot of respect for him. A few days ago he announced that he is joining forces with an organization called My Faith Votes to help get more Christians out to vote. Their goal is to make the 2016 general election the largest turnout of Christians the country has ever seen. That’s my goal—and my prayer—as well. That’s why I’m going to the capitals of all 50 states this year with the Decision America Tour to hold prayer rallies and urge Christians to get involved in the political process and by all means, VOTE! In the last four presidential elections, an average of less than 5 million votes separated the major candidates—yet, more than 25 million Christians didn’t bother to even show up at the polls in 2012. That’s just a shame. Ben Carson is right when he said, “I believe Christians in this country can easily determine the next president of the United States and all other national and local leaders, should they simply show up at the polls.” ~Franklin Graham 3/12/16
A Prayer Request
These are treacherous times and now more than ever we must maintain our walk. Fail not in this hour. #Pray for America. Please join us in prayer: https://drmicheleburke.org/esthers-warriors-ministry/
We thank You , Father God, that You keep Your hand on America. Forgive our sin and heal our land that we will remain One Nation Under God. May God richly bless the United States of America, bring to light every single crooked place and keep her safe. May we arise united once again as One Nation Under God in this auspicious season in our country’s history. We continue to pray for truth to prevail concerning Benghazi and all issues as we saturate this country in prayer and stand for all that is right in America and for all of us who call ourselves American. We pray this in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen and Amen.