Are you called to Evangelize?

Those God calls to evangelize have a fire in them to do it. Their comfort and feelings become low priority to how God can use them.  If you don’t have this fire or can’t imagine putting your comforts aside, know he is calling you to something else. Let him show you what that is.

Luke 10:2-9 (AMPC) 2 And He said to them, The harvest indeed is abundant [there is much ripe grain], but the farmhands are few. Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I send you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no provisions bag, no [change of] sandals; refrain from [retarding your journey by] saluting and wishing anyone well along the way. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, Peace be to this household! [Freedom from all the distresses that result from sin be with this family]. 6 And if anyone [worthy] of peace and blessedness is there, the peace and blessedness you wish shall come upon him; but if not, it shall come back to you. 7 And stay on in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house. 8 Whenever you go into a town and they receive and accept and welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9 And heal the sick in it and say to them, The kingdom of God has come close to you.

1/29/2023

The Barren Fig Tree

Producing “fruit” is one of the many benefits of being a believer.  God rightly expects you to flourish considering what he has done for you. Jesus is the gardener who shows you how. He helps as you cooperate. If you don’t, he won’t force you but that carries a very high price.

Luke 13:6-9 (NIV) 6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”

 

1/22/2023

God Knows More than you Do

A common human thought is to think your success is from your efforts alone or that your failures are yours alone to fix. Neither is correct. God knows more than you what you do best and where you need his help.  He loves to help!  Walking with God makes all things right.

Isaiah 50:10-11 (TLB) 10 Who among you fears the Lord and obeys his Servant? If such men walk in darkness, without one ray of light, let them trust the Lord, let them rely upon their God. 11 But see here, you who live in your own light and warm yourselves from your own fires and not from God’s; you will live among sorrows.

1/15/2023

Traveling to Hell

 

If you are going to travel far - even to hell itself - to find a suitable God and even grow so weary you have to strengthen yourself to go on, use that strength instead to walk to the one true God who created all things.  Ask him to show you his perfect understanding and grace.

Isaiah 57:9-11 (TLB) 9 You have taken pleasant incense and perfume to Molech as your gift. You have traveled far, even to hell itself, to find new gods to love. 10 You grew weary in your search, but you never gave up. You strengthened yourself and went on. 11 Why were you more afraid of them than of me? How is it that you gave not even a second thought to me? Is it because I’ve been too gentle that you have no fear of me?

1/8/2023

Healing a Proud and Haughty Man

God used the faith of a child - a captive child from the adult wars of Syria and Israel - to lead her Syrian master to seek out healing through Elisha the prophet. God lovingly used a humble child to humble and heal a proud and haughty man.

2 Kings 5:1-3 5 The king of Syria had high admiration for Naaman, the commander-in-chief of his army, for he had led his troops to many glorious victories. So he was a great hero, but he was a leper. 2 Bands of Syrians had invaded the land of Israel, and among their captives was a little girl who had been given to Naaman’s wife as a maid. 3 One day the little girl said to her mistress, “I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy!”

 

1/1/2023