1 John 3:20 – “For whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.”  ESV

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word today, a reality we all know exploded in my heart and mind.  That reality is God knows! God knows what?   He knows Everything!   There are several examples in the Book of Acts that leaped off the page at me this morning.

In Acts 8, Philip preached in Samaria and saw a great outpouring.  Then, the Holy Spirit said, “Philip, leave here and head south.”  There were no other instructions.  The directive was to head south into the desert.   Why?  The Ethiopian eunuch was seeking God while riding in a chariot.  God knew where he was and the condition of his heart.   Had Philip not been obedient, that man could have been lost for eternity.  God knows!

In Acts 9, Saul, the terrorizer, had his encounter with Jesus and was led into Damascus blind.   Ananias was directed to go to a specific house and pray for Saul.   As a result, Saul was healed, and I suggest that confirmation was an anchor in Paul’s life.  Had Ananias not been obedient, Saul might not have become Paul.   Of course, God could have found someone else, but Saul saw in a vision Ananias coming.  God knows!

Then, in Acts 10, Cornelius was praying, and an angel came and directed him to send to Joppa to a specific house and have Peter go to Caesarea.   Peter had the sheet vision which prepared his heart to understand.   He went, and Cornelius and those with him were saved and filled with the Holy Spirit.   Had Peter allowed his orthodoxy to prevail, this expansion of the kingdom might not have occurred, and the gospel might have been delayed in reaching the Gentiles.  God knows!

We must become explicitly obedient to the Holy Spirit, knowing that God knows!  God knows every detail and is watching!   Obedience is required!   Imagine what might happen when we explicitly obey the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The reality that God knows is either a tremendous comfort or a terrifying thought!   I pray that it will bring peace today and every day!

Acts 3:15-21 – “You killed the Originator of life, whom God raised from the dead.  To this fact we are witnesses!  ¹⁶ And on the basis of faith in Jesus’ name, his very name has made this man—whom you see and know—strong.  The faith that is through Jesus has given him this complete health in the presence of you all.  ¹⁷ And now, brothers, I know you acted in ignorance, as your rulers did too.  ¹⁸ But the things God foretold long ago through all the prophets—that his Christ would suffer—he has fulfilled in this way.  ¹⁹ Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out, ²⁰ so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and so that he may send the Messiah appointed for you—that is, Jesus.  ²¹ This one heaven must receive until the time all things are restored, which God declared from times long ago through his holy prophets.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, I was challenged.   I felt like I was reading the unread in the Book of Acts.  What do I mean by the unread?  I mean the things that are skimmed over and unnoticed.

In Acts 3, we focus on the miracle of healing and give little emphasis to Peter’s charge to the onlookers.  In verses 15-19, he explained the miracle, but his message was in verse 19 – Repent!   That is the heart of God!  His miracles are evidence of His love and desire to restore us.

The religious rulers threatened them with excommunication.   Peter and John rejected the endorsement of tradition and religion in favor of obedience to God.   The result was a prayer meeting where they asked God for boldness to preach Jesus.

The result in Acts 4:31 was another outpouring of the Holy Spirit.   God’s answer to their prayer was another saturation with the Holy Spirit.   We sometimes overlook the fact that they did not seek that outpouring but boldness and courage to continue.   God’s answer was to saturate them again with the Holy Spirit.  The key to fulfilling His commission is saturation with the Holy Spirit.

When Steven related Israel’s history, he spoke of the burning bush.   God said to Moses, “You are standing on Holy ground.”   What made it Holy?   We take experiences and make shrines, but what made that spot Holy?  It was God’s Presence!   God’s Presence makes the place Holy ground.  We seek signs and make shrines.  Seek God, and wherever we are becomes Holy ground.

We are praying for revival, but we will not have it without promoting repentance.  Without repentance, there will be no revival.   Repentance brings us into the presence of God and opens the door to saturation in the Holy Spirit, which produces the boldness and power to bring conviction, the doorway to revival.

We want more of God and His power.  The only doorway through which it comes is Repentance!   If we want more of God and His power, we must submit ourselves totally to Him.  We do not need more programs.  We need His presence.  We are waiting for open doors of opportunity without realizing that when the saturation of the Holy Spirit comes, every door, every place, and every person is an opportunity.

It’s harvest time!   Let’s rejoice and come to Him in

John 20:6-9 – ^“Then Simon Peter, who had been following him, arrived and went right into the tomb.  He saw the strips of linen cloth lying there, ⁷ and the face cloth, which had been around Jesus’ head, not lying with the strips of linen cloth but rolled up in a place by itself.  ⁸ Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, came in, and he saw and believed.  ⁹ (For they did not yet understand the scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead.)”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, several things moved me and captured my thoughts.  The folded napkin in the tomb is meaningless in our Western culture, but not in Jewish culture.

The Gospel of John 20:7 tells us that the napkin, which was placed over Jesus’ face, was not thrown aside like the other grave clothes.  The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded and was placed at the head of that stony coffin.

Simon Peter arrived and went inside.  He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, along with the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head.

To understand the significance of the folded napkin, we must first grasp a bit about the Hebrew tradition of that time.  The folded napkin had to do with the master and servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition.  When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he ensured that it was exactly as the master wanted it.  The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating.

The servant would not dare touch the table until the master was finished.   If the master were finished eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers and mouth, clean his beard, and wad up the napkin and toss it onto the table.   The servant would then know to clear the table.  For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, “I’m finished.”

But if the master got up from the table, folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table because the folded napkin meant, “I’m coming back!”   The message was clear, but did Peter and John receive it immediately?  Jesus always gives us signs of what He is about to do, but do we grasp them?  Not always immediately.

After Jesus appeared to them, a transformation began in their hearts and minds.  In the Upper Room, the full impact of His Promise and Purpose flooded their hearts.

The Holy Spirit was and is the Key.   He is our direct connection to Jesus, and Jesus is our direct connection to the Father.  Acts 1:8 gives the key to the fulfillment of the commission.  He provides the power or energia to fulfill the purposes of God.  He brings revelation and conviction to the heart.

Ephesians 5:18 reveals the infilling and compares it to being drunk.  The word is pleroo (saturated).   In Acts 2:15, Peter responded to the comparison of being drunk by saying, “You are right, they are drunk, just not on natural substance but with the Holy Spirit.”

In that saturation, they had the divine energia to work miracles and turn entire cities upside down for God.  Their message was REPENT!  Everything begins with repentance!  Repentance opens the door.  The Holy Spirit provides the power to be and do!

The ultimate evidence that Jesus arrived in heaven, poured His blood on the mercy seat in heaven, and the sacrifice for sin was accepted was the Day of Pentecost, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.   They were saturated, and in that energy, the church was born.  But it was not a one-time experience.  They were continuously filled.  
Jesus came and is coming!  We have a mission and a commission.  We have the provision of power to be and do what He purposed.

Are we saturated?   They became saturated by being united in purpose and in repentant prayer.   Every time the Spirit was poured out, it was the same.  Are we saturated?  

Lord, we pray that You saturate us with Your Presence and Spirit, and enable us to become all You desire, impacting our world!

2 Kings 10:28-31 – “So Jehu eradicated Baal worship from Israel.  ²⁹ However, Jehu did not repudiate the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had encouraged Israel to commit; the golden calves remained in Bethel and Dan. ³⁰ The Lord said to Jehu, “You have done well. You have accomplished my will and carried out my wishes with regard to Ahab’s dynasty. Therefore, four generations of your descendants will rule over Israel.” ³¹ But Jehu did not carefully and wholeheartedly obey the law of the Lord God of Israel. He did not repudiate the sins which Jeroboam had encouraged Israel to commit.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God, several thoughts came to mind.  The freedoms we enjoy have come at the price of sacrifice and commitment. In war, there can be no half-heartedness. A full commitment to the cause is essential for victory.

In reading the Book of 2 Kings, a common thread emerges that highlights the requirement of total commitment.   Jehu was an imperfect man, yet God used him to deliver Israel.   He cleaned out the swamp of corruption in a significant way, but… BUT?   

In 2 Kings 10:28-29 – “Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel. BUT, as for the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu DID NOT DEPART from them, especially the worship of the golden calves that were in Bethel and in Dan.”   He did well, but not 100%.

After Jehu, we find several kings who did what was right, BUT… However, they did not abolish idol worship.   They reached a place where excessive tolerance was embraced, and everyone served their own gods, calling it a commitment to GOD.

2 Kings 17:33 is revelatory, “They worshipped the LORD and…”   The AND is the problem. “And served their own gods after the manner of the nations…”   God requires total commitment. Jesus said in John 15:14 – “You are my friends IF you do everything that I command you.”

God is trimming the tree of fruitlessness and pruning the fruitful.   Total commitment is required. John 15:6 – “Unless a man (person) remains with Me, he will be cast outside like a branch which is withered, which they pick up and throw into the fire to be burned.”

We cannot serve God and worship idols simultaneously.   If we are to fulfill our purpose, we must give God our all.   Today is tree-shaping time in the kingdom. Lord, make us productive trees.

Pruning is not always pleasant or easy, but it is productive, and we want to be productive for God’s Kingdom and Harvest.   Rejoice that He sees enough in you to Prune You!

John 11:20-22 – “So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary was sitting in the house.  ²¹ Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.  ²² But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will grant you.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, I was drawn to the Gospel of John.   The thought of the miraculous filled my heart and mind.  The miraculous is a rarity in most churches and among believers today (myself included), which troubles me.

As we read the account in John 9 of the healing of the man born blind, we see the challenge of faith.   It is an amazing miracle.   We tend to relegate it to Jesus and beyond our ability.   We forget that Jesus is our pattern.   Miracles are tools of evangelism.  Miracles get everyone’s attention.

In John 11, we have the raising of Lazarus from the dead.   That event is another amazing miracle.   Everyone’s attention was captured.   Martha and Mary demonstrated the same human reason we manifest.  First, they blamed Jesus for Lazarus’ death.  “If You had been here.”  Then Martha said, “But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, He will give You.” (v.22).

Mary and Martha moved from blame to hope back to human reason.  That process negates the ability to be used by God in the miraculous.   Jesus saw it as done.   Mark 16 and Matthew 28 record our commission.  It is not just evangelism but deliverance and healing.

Isaiah 61 gives us a list of things God’s anointing produces.   Included in the list is the miraculous.  We are to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the leper, cast out demons, set captives free, and reach the lost.

Jesus said in John 10:27, “My own sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” In that discourse, He revealed that if we are His sheep, we hear Him.   In John 15:7 – “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you…” It is there that miracles become a normal part of our lives.  We have become a society that trusts the arm of flesh more than the hand and Word of God.

My cry is, “Lord, make me a vessel of Your power so that Your miracles will be present and light will shine forth.  I cannot be content with less.”

Don’t blame Jesus, trust Him!