Do you know what the best kept secret is? The details concerning my return. I said that no man knows, not even the Son, but the Father only. This is a significant event and my declaration has not kept people from developing scenarios and schedules throughout history. How many of these have been correct so far? None. So it is still the best kept secret in the world. Do you have your own favorite version of this? How do you hold your position?
Have I not chosen the poor to be rich in faith? The poor are aware of their need for me, but the affluent have no such awareness, and so they suffer from poverty of spirit, which is not the same thing as being poor in spirit. This is bad enough, but it can be carried one step further. The poor are also aware of their need for one another and so they seek out one another and make the connections that sustain their community of life.
Nicodemus came to me and I told him that he must be born again to enter the Kingdom of God. He was shocked. Are you? Has this phrase become so commonplace to you that you do not recall that the process of birth is strenuous and messy? Is this how you would describe your conversion experience? And for the one being born it is the ultimate departure from a comfort zone, into a place that is larger, but still completely strange and unfamiliar. Do you understand that all of these concepts apply to a spiritual birth?
What descriptor is more sought after by adolescents than being cool? Yet is this a desirable trait? It implies aloofness, cynicism, suppression of enthusiasm, and opposition rather than support. Do you admire people who are warm rather than those who are cold? Being cool and being cold are similar. Do you see these qualities becoming increasingly prevalent in older people and society as a whole in a culture that resists maturity? Adolescent traits are not attractive in adults.
Dr. Pamela A. Russell has just released a new book titled Disciple Me. It contains the four keys and draws the reader into hearing God's voice as they work their way through the fully interactive book, discovering what the Word and the Spirit have to say about important foundational truths.
Have you heard that prayer changes things? There are multiple ways to view this. For some, prayer is the means to change the world around them. There is Biblical support for this, and if you need prayer for healing, go to those who expect that something will happen as a result of their prayers. Another school of thought is that the primary purpose of prayer is to change the one who is praying. The Biblical support for this is not as obvious, but it is there. Could it be that both are right?
Are you a trusting person? Are you aware of the dangers of being too trusting of other people? You can be taken advantage of, and your trust can be violated. Are you aware of the danger of not being trusting enough? This one is not so obvious, because the losses are by omission. If you are not sufficiently trusting, do you know what beneficial opportunities and relationships you will decline? Even if you are reluctant to trust others you may be too eager to trust one particular person. Yourself. How can you approach your life in such a way that you are not too trusting of yourself?
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. Psalm 46:7
Recently I was part of a phenomenal supernatural event. I had asked Jesus, “Lord, HOW can I help in the arena of spiritual warfare?” Four days later Jesus woke me up at 3:40 AM and immediately I was in the spirit, in the heavenly realm. He said, “Peg, I want you to command angels.”
Do you attend the best church for you? Is it the best church? Do you understand the difference? The best church for you may not be the best church for everyone. Israel was divided into tribes, but was still one people and one nation. You may not think of churches as tribes, but do the same concepts of group identification apply? Belonging is a strong inherent human impulse. So is superiority. Can you see that one is innocent and the other is not? Support your church as the place that I have planted you for nourishment and growth.
Are you generous? The world runs on money, and this influence is present in the church as well, where stewardship is a euphemism for giving, and it is reduced to one dimension measured in dollars. I have given some people more financial resources than I have given to others, and of whom much is given much is required, but does that make them more generous than others? I want you to think of generosity in terms of generosity of spirit, which is a larger and more extensive view of which money is just a part. How many dimensions of generosity are present in your life?
