Monday 26 August 2013

Walking Upon Water

Can you imagine walking on water? Walking on a lake or a pond? To our minds and to nature, it is impossible. It is just so impossible to the mind of a scientist or anyone for that matter. Walking on water would blow our minds that we would be in complete shock. 

There were two men in the bible, Jesus and Peter that walked upon water. In Matthew 14: 22-33, it talks about Jesus walking on the sea towards the disciples in a ship and Peter coming out to join Him.

In verse 22-23, it says that Jesus told the disciples to go on the ship before Him while He sent the multitude away. After He went up into the mountain alone to pray. Jesus saw how important it was to spend time with His Father in prayer. After Jesus came out of the wilderness from fasting 40 days and 40 nights, the bible says He returned in the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:14). We too need to spend time with God and as we do we come to a place where we know God for who He is and through that we would begin to manifest the supernatural kingdom of God with signs, miracles and wonders.

"Most assuredly I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also and greater works than these he will do because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name that I will do that the Father may be glorified in the Son." John 14:12-13 (NKJV)

In verse 24-27, it says that the disciples became afraid when they saw Jesus walking on water. They thought it was a spirit or a ghost. Then Jesus said 'Be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid'. We are sons of the Most High God, we have to know who we are. We have not been given a spirit of fear but a spirit of power, of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). We have power to do the works that Jesus did and even greater works. Be not afraid!

"And these signs will follow those who believe, In My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues. They will take up serpents and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them, they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover.” Mark 16:17-18 (NKJV)

In verse 28-31, Peter was very bold to ask Jesus to let him come unto the water. Peter began to walk on water towards Jesus, he began to do the impossible but then he began to look at the wind, the things around him, the difficult circumstances. He lost focus on Jesus and started to focus on the circumstance and then he began to sink. Our focus should be on Jesus, He should be our number 1 gaze and focus.

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Colossians 3:2 (NKJV)

We should also put our trust in God no matter what the situation is because God is for us and if He is then who can be against us. We have to trust that everything works for the good of those that love the Lord and that are called according to His purpose. Peter also doubted. Jesus says in verse 31, 'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?'. Faith is very important and we need it to be able to come to God and do what He has called us to do.

God, I asked that we would put our trust in you. We would believe what you say and trust in your unlimited ability to do what is best for us. I pray that we would set our affections on things above, that You would be our one thing and our one gaze. In Jesus' name, Amen.



Tuesday 20 August 2013

The Voice of the Lord

In Psalms 29, it talks about the voice of the Lord. It says that the voice of the Lord is powerful and it is full of majesty. It is the voice that sounds like many waters, it is the voice that wants to speak to each and every one of us today if we would only listen. I wrote a poem last year on the voice of the Lord so here goes.

His voice is like the rushing of the sea
Covering every part
Making Himself known
In the corners of the earth

Through prophets and apostles
He speaks
With fervour and authority
Dividing everything asunder

To ears, to eyes
To senses, He speaks
Never failing to be true
Always remaining forever

Be awake O ye people
For He has something to say
He wants to speak to you
At every time of the day

Look to see
Listen to hear
Sense to feel
His voice is here

© 2012 Trisha Carter

Wednesday 14 August 2013

Radical Faith

What is faith?

In Hebrews 11:1, it says 'Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen'. Faith is believing in the impossible, it is believing in the things that we cannot see yet still we believe they are there. Faith is when we believe in the invisible God and His Word. Faith is very important in our journey of Christianity as it is needed in every aspect of our lives. It is needed when we have no more money left and we have to trust in God, our provider, it is needed when we are waiting to see if  we will get that job or that opportunity.

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)

Without faith, it is impossible to please God. If we don't have faith then how can we be saved if we don't believe in God. We have to believe that He is. When we come to God, we must believe that He is a rewarder. He rewards those who diligently seek Him, who search for Him with their whole hearts and seek to spend time with Him.

There are many people in the bible who exercised their faith which can be seen in Hebrews 11 but there was a woman who had radical faith that she would be healed.

43 Now a woman having a flow of blood for twelve years who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any.
44 Came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.
45 And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?” When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?'
46 But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” 
47 Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.
48 And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” Luke 8:43-48 (NKJV)

This woman was suffering with an issue of blood for twelve years. She was tired of being sick and tired of going to the doctors. When she heard about Jesus, the man who heals, she decided maybe if I just touch the hem of His garment, I would be healed. Now that is radical faith, believing that if you just touch His garment that you would be healed without Him even first touching you. She had faith beyond her own imagination and beyond what seemed impossible to the human mind. She was radical.
   
Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
Mark 9:23 (NKJV)
 
Because of her faith, she was made whole in verse 48. Her faith caused her to come to a place where she recognized that with God all things are possible. We just have to believe like this woman.

As the apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith in Luke 17:5, God I asked that You would increase our faith, that we would believe fully in You. I pray that we will have no doubt, no unbelief but we would have radical faith in You no matter the situation and that we would touch the hem of Your garment. In Jesus' name, Amen.


Tuesday 6 August 2013

God The Potter, Me The Clay

God is our creator, we are the creation. He is the one who has created each and everyone of us for a particular purpose and time. We are a chosen generation who is special in the eyes of their creator. God is the potter and we are the clay.

But now O Lord, You are our Father, we are the clay and You are our potter and all we are the work of Your hand. Isaiah 64:8 (NKJV)

What does it mean to be a potter?

A potter is a person who makes something beautiful from a piece of dirt, clay. That is how God made us . We were made from the very dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7). This dust can also be considered as sin. In Romans 4:23, it says that all of us including both the rich and the poor have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Even though, we were scarred with sin, God still created us for a purpose even as a potter has a purpose or a plan for what he wants his creation to be or do.

As the potter gives life to this dirt, the clay so even God gave us life by sending Jesus Christ to die on the cross for us. Jesus is the life (John 14:6). The potter knows every inch of His creation. He knows the cracks and the smooth parts. God knows our faults yet still He forgives us (1 John 1:9) and He knows what we are good at. God knows everything about us even the things, we hide in the deepest parts of our hearts (Psalms 139).

We may think that we are ugly, that we are not worthy to be saved or forgiven but God says that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

I will praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works and that my soul knows very well. Psalms 139:13 (NKJV) 

God is continually moulding and shaping us into what He wants us to be. He tells us what we shouldn't and should do through His Word so that we would become lights in the earth for Him who will go and minister to the nations of the earth. 

When God created us, He had and still has a plan and purpose for each of us (Jeremiah 29:11). God made us for a certain purpose but in order to know this purpose, you must know God, the creator and the potter. He says that if we seek Him that we will find Him.

And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV) 

So seek God and get to know your potter.