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Respite For the Weary
Dear Children,From my last letter, you learned Satan is powerful, and he is the “ruler of this world.” However, may your heart also listen to this truth as well: God is the Author of power, and He has overcome the world! May you never be without hope.Now, I have the awesome privilege of trying to explain the power of God. To do this, I want you to close your eyes and take yourself back in time as I remind you of a few Old Testament Bible stories. I have chosen these particular ones simply because I would have loved to have seen, for myself, God’s majestic power displayed in these particular ways:1. Creation. Can you imagine watching God forming the waves of the sea, or giving the moon and stars their light in the vast universe? Or can you imagine the Creator of life knitting together the intricate details of the first human body; and then, God Himself breathing the first breath of life into him?
2. Noah’s Ark. Don’t you think Noah wondered a time or two how he and his family would shut that huge door to the Ark? It had to be heavy and stable enough to hold two of every animal on the earth! Well, God Himself shut the door for them. I would have loved to see the massive ramp go up . . . gently, smoothly, tightly, securely.
3. Parting the Red Sea. Think children, what if you were there? What an amazing display of the power of God . . . and to walk between walls of water!
4. David and Goliath. God’s power was in that faithful young boy, and God’s power sailed with that stone?
Now, children, I want to turn our focus to the power of Jesus, the Son of God, who is One with God. Keep your eyes closed and imagine you’re with Him. These are some New Testament stories that, again, I would have loved to eye-witness:1. Feeding the five thousand. An awesome event! How could the five loaves and two fish multiply without the power of Jesus? No way at all; but with Him, nothing is impossible! (Matt. 19:26) They went away full, and satisfied---with twelve baskets left over!
2. Calming the Sea. If I were in the disciples’ boat during that storm-infested night, I would have been absolutely terrified, out-yelling these panic-stricken men (and “losing my lunch” in between screams)! But, Jesus calmed the violent storm with just three words, “Peace, be still.” And immediately, the wind and the waves obeyed Him; they became perfectly calm. Would you not fall at his feet and worship Him after witnessing such amazing power?
3. One Healing Miracle. There were so many great miracles, but I possibly would have chosen to see the healing of the blind man----the one where Jesus spit on the ground, made clay, and put it over the man’s eyes. Jesus then told him to go wash his eyes in the Pool of Siloam. The blind man obeyed His voice and received his sight, seeing life for the very first time.
4. Easter Morning. What if you were walking with Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary and you heard with your own ears the greatest truth ever spoken to mankind: He is not here, He is risen! Would your heart have leapt for joy? It can now.
I want to end by focusing on the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit’s power pertains directly to us, the believing Christians, living right now. When Jesus left this earth, He did not leave us as orphans, but He sent The Helper in His place. And His Spirit is one of the Trinity, so He has all the incredible power of the Holy Father, and Christ the Son. He asks us not to quench His Spirit, but to use it. What do you plan to do today with the power He has given you? Here are some things I always hope for in my life:1. To have the power of His unconditional love. I want to love you, my children, and your daddy, and my parents, and my friends, and my “enemies” the way Jesus Christ loves me.2. To have the power of self control in all I say and do. So much of the time, I push Him aside and rely on myself. (That, by the way, is quenching the Spirit.)3. To have the power to speak boldly for Christ. I want my lips to be a fountain of praise, bringing honor and glory to His Name as long as I live.4. To have the power to endure all things. I want to run the race with endurance, and to fight the good fight of faith, never losing my hope, no matter what comes my way.Can I do these things? Can you? Yes, we can! But only if we allow the Holy Spirit to reign in our hearts. Remember, His power is perfected in weakness (II Cor. 12:9), so don’t think you have to have it all together first. That’s a lie from the father of lies, himself. Let God’s awesome power, dear ones,form youprotect youremove sin from youcarry youfeed and satisfy youquiet youmake you “see”and give LIFE to you forever.I challenge you to compare the list above with the list of what Satan wants to do to you with his power (from my previous letter); and then, my dear ones, choose your Commander.
I love you
Dear Heavenly Father,May You forever be exalted and praised because of Your awesome power! You are truly so much greater than our Enemy. You have promised to overcome the world with Your presence, Your peace, and Your plan. Thank You, O Holy King of kings.I pray my children would become completely confident in this mighty power of Yours, dear God. Remind them of the incredible displays of Your authority existing all throughout Your Word:You can make water pour from rock,You can cause the sun to stand still:You can shut the mouths of lions;You can crush Satan under Your feet.May this give my children the assurance that when they have you completely reigning over their hearts and minds they too can fight Satan and be victorious. For You, Ruler of Life, are all they need in order to defeat the devil, ruler of this age. You are their Holy One, their Creator, their Redeemer, their Master, and their Friend. May they be assured, You will never leave them nor forsake them as they confront the evil one! May Your truth and Your power make them strong and courageous.Also, dear Father, I pray my children would become even more confident when they realize Satan is just the opposite of who You are. You are truth, but he has nothing to stand on but lies. And these lies can, and will, come crashing down beneath him if he is attacked by the power of Your Word. May they use this mighty weapon to behead the great serpent of old, I pray. You are the Savior of this world, dear Lord Jesus. May my children claim Your power and be forever victorious in You.
Amen
Matt. 28:18; John 16:33; John 20:21-22; Luke 10:19-20; Ps. 62: 5-8; John 11:25-27; John 14: 15-18; I Thess. 5:19; I John 4:4
Ps. 89:11-18; Gen. 18:14a; Rom. 16:19-20; James 4:7; I Chron. 28:20; Heb. 4:12-13; I John 4:14-15; John 8:31- 32, compared to John 8:43-47
Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord; though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. Isaiah 1:18
Dear Lord God,
When you forgive our sins, a miracle takes place. You take joy in washing us clean by the life, death, and resurrection of your perfect son Jesus. Help us to walk in this gift every day. No need for guilt, because our "scarlet sins" have been changed to a purity that's "as white as snow." In Jesus' Name, Amen.