Matthew 6 – The Entire Chapter is Recommended Reading.

As I read, prayed, pondered, and meditated on the Word, some challenges and encouragements arose in my heart and mind. Motives are more important to God than acts. The why catches His eye more than the what. In prayer, Jesus brought to light the reality and need to be simple, concise, and real.

Recently, I heard the LORD say, “Just talk to me.  Don’t beg Me and try to manipulate Me.  Just talk to Me.”

In Matthew 6, Jesus instructed us on the path to true, effective prayer. Some think that repeating a prayer, phrase, or declaration enough times influences God, but not according to Matthew 6.

Jesus said, “Follow this example of prayer…”

• Acknowledge God and His sovereignty.
• Make God the center or foundation out of which we think and do streams.
• Invite God’s presence into our lives and situations.
• Embrace His purposes in our lives and open our hearts to His kingdom realm and authority.
• Acknowledge with Thanksgiving and Gratitude His provisions daily.
• Forgiveness – from Him to us and from us to others.   EVERYTHING!
• Release others from the chains of our judgment and release our judgments to God.
• Ask for and expect God’s deliverance in EVERY TRIAL, TEST, or TROUBLE.
• Recognize and verbalize God’s Lordship and power.  Bask in the reality of who He is.

Then, to remind us of the key element in effective prayer, He added vv. 14-15 – “And when you pray, make sure you FORGIVE the faults of others SO THAT your Heavenly Father in heaven will also forgive you. 15 But if you withhold forgiveness from others, your Father withholds forgiveness from you.”

Matthew 6:21 –“For your heart ALWAYS pursues what you esteem as your treasure.”

What do we want most?  What is most valuable to us?  Is it God and His purposes or our desires and preferences?   That will reveal the motive of our prayers and our acts.

Matthew 6:22 is revelatory, “The eyes of your spirit allow revelation-light to enter your being.  If your heart is unclouded, the light floods in!”

What clouds the heart?  It is anything that is elevated above or detracts from God and His purposes.

The Golden Rule of Matthew 7:12-14 is critical in achieving peace, purpose, and power in God.

Matthew 6:12 – The Golden Rule is not a stand-alone verse or truth.  It is connected to vv. 13-14.  “Enter through the narrow gate (treating others the way we want to be treated and following the precepts of God’s Word).  The wide gate to destruction is (living selfishly and mistreating others).”

It says, “…nearly everyone chooses the crowded road (the road of self).  The narrow gate and difficult way (treating others the way we want to be treated and forgiving) the road that leads to life – so few find it.”

The way, the truth, and the life are ours, and in that is effective prayer that moves mountains.   We have been called to be citizens of the kingdom and empowered to demonstrate it in this world.  

May God’s Grace, Peace, Presence, Provision, and Power be with you daily!   God Bless!

In Matthew 11:27, Jesus says something incredibly powerful and important to us:“You (Father God) have entrusted Me (Jesus) with ALL that You are AND all that You have.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word, I was challenged to believe big and expand my understanding of who we are in Christ. Let the words of our text soak in!  God entrusted Jesus with ALL God is and ALL God has.  Muse on that a moment.   Jesus was the expression and demonstration of ALL God is and has.

We are IN Him, and He is IN us.   Jesus said in Luke 10:19 that He has given us ALL authority (the authority He has).  Paul said in Romans 8:17 – that we are Joint heirs with Jesus.  That means we have been entrusted with ALL Jesus us and has, and He is entrusted with ALL the Father is and has.

The declaration of Matthew 11:28-29 empowers us and reveals the incredibleness of that promise.   “Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden?  Come to Me.  I WILL refresh your life (not just you momentarily but your life), for I AM your oasis. 29 Simply join your life with Mine (die to self and become one with Jesus).  Learn My ways and you WILL DISCOVER that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please.  (Most people don’t believe that. They think that God is hard to please).  You WILL find refreshment and rest in Me.  For all that I require of you will be pleasant and easy to bear.”

Whatever we need, whenever we need it, is embodied in Jesus, and we are IN Jesus.  That is cause to rejoice!   My shouting shoes are on, and my hands are in the air, rejoicing in gratitude!

We need to develop spiritual eyes to see, ears to hear, and minds open to His revelation.   Matthew 13:12 – “For everyone (how many?)  Everyone who listens with an open heart WILL RECEIVE progressively more revelation UNTIL he has more than enough.”

It is time we stopped begging God to do what He gave us the authority to do, and we stopped making excuses and offering justifications for our lack. All things are possible with God, and that means ALL things are possible with us.

• Who does God say we are? 
• Who does the devil, the world, other people, and our minds say we are?  

We have to believe one report; which one do we choose?  Remember making that decision is step one.  Learning to believe and live it is number two.

We can’t become until we decide to be.  God does not, cannot, and will not lie.   Therefore, He says we have authority and are joint heirs with Jesus today. We are more than conquerors, and nothing is impossible.   What do we say?  Our answer determines our future and could mean life or death to many.

Be who He said.  He will take every step you take in the process of becoming.  The prize is ours IF we will make the trip.

Have a fantastic day, and remember Jesus is coming soon, and we will win in the end!

1 John 4:7-12 – “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word, my heart was moved to cry out for grace.   The kingdom operates from love.  All God is, all God does, and all God has flows from Love.   It is who He is.  

Love refuses to be complacent and fights to complete its object. 

The incredibly simple but enormously complex directive of Matthew 18:15-35 is only possible through the power of love.  We tend to make Matthew 18:18-20 separate from vv. 15-17.  That robs us of the spiritual.

Out of the overflow of love comes the unrelenting desire for restoration.   We forbid bitterness of heart and release love and miracles into our lives.  Healing comes.  Restoration comes.  Power manifests itself.  Lives are transformed beyond those directly involved because love is the most powerful witness on earth.

The example Jesus used on debt makes the necessity of unrestricted forgiveness clear.  When we consider what He has forgiven us of, we are forced to compare that to any offense that comes to us. 

If we are faced with impossible situations and no answer seems forthcoming, we need to ask ourselves a penetrating question: Is there any hint of unforgiveness in our hearts toward anyone?

Do not justify it, gloss over it, or deny it.  Have we fully released that person?  Can we be around them without bristling inside or feeling the pain all over again?   Is the wound still sore?  Do we have an inner sneer when they speak?  If so, maybe we have not forgiven fully from the heart.

Matthew 18:19 – “…If two of you ask God for something in a symphony of prayer, My heavenly Father will do it for you.”

Can you pray for and with the person you forgave?  Can you agree with them in prayer?  Can you manifest the love of God to them and for them?

I want nothing to be allowed to stand between me and God.  I want nothing to hinder my access to the throne.  I want nothing to hinder the Gospel.   Love heals, but unforgiveness produces festive wounds that hinder faith and freedom.

When we stand before Jesus, and He asks, “Did you learn to love?”  What will we be able to say?   Love is demonstrated, and if our attitudes, thoughts, words, and deeds do not agree with our profession, we won’t be able to say, “Yes, Lord!”

We have authority, but Love must prevail for it to function fully.  Love releases power that would be tyrannical if released outside of love.  The Isaiah 61 anointing only comes through love!   Father, forgive me for not loving as You love, and help me to begin now!  Nothing is impossible in Him!

Keep looking up and expecting; God never fails!

Matthew 21:22 – “Everything you pray for WITH the fullness of faith you WILL receive.”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, several things gripped my heart.   I will attempt to capsulize what I saw and heard.   In Matthew 21, we have the account of the instantaneous withering of the fig tree.

Jesus used it to illustrate the faith exhibited in the kingdom realm.  The words “speak out of faith’s fullness” arrested me.  (v21).  Matthew 21:22 –“Everything you pray for WITH the fullness of faith you WILL receive.” Do any of us live at that address and see that consistently in our lives?  If not, why not?  There has to be a reason beyond the escape clause: “Well, God is sovereign.” 

Let me ask, “Could Jesus’ interaction with the religious crowd be revelatory?”   Matthew 22 gives us possible insight. The invited guests to the wedding feast did not come.  Matthew 22:5 is powerful: “But the invited guests were not impressed. One was preoccupied with business…”

Likewise, the instructions of Jesus about responsibility and allegiance in that chapter also give possible insight.  The Roman coin bore the image of Caesar.  Jesus said, “You give Caesar what bears his image, and because you bear the image of God, give Him all that belongs to Him.”  What are we to give to God?  Ourselves!

Later, Jesus revealed the importance of love—love to and for God and others. In Matthew 23, Jesus addressed performance vs. motive. His message was about doing vs. being.

In Matthew 25, the ten virgins, five wise and five foolish, we see another dimension of why we do not consistently manifest the fullness of faith in our daily lives. The oil supply has to be adequate for darkness and light. 

Here’s what I heard in my heart:

• There must always be quick, total surrender and obedience to Jesus, regardless of what He asks.
• There must always be love without restrictions for God and man.
• We are to always be filled and stay full of God’s oil (Holy Spirit).
• We are to live daily with unshakable expectation that God will do what God said He would do.

Never deflect our lack by saying, “God is sovereign, or He knows best or in His timing.”  Those are true, but they can become escape pods to deter us from pressing into permanent residence in His presence, where we see what He is doing and hear what He is saying.  In that place, we never question, “Is this the will of God?”  We know the will, and 1 John 5:14-15 becomes a demonstrated reality for us.

The fullness of Faith is available NOW! 

Have a fantastic day, and keep expecting a miracle!