Matthew 18:21-22 – “Later Peter approached Jesus and said, “How many times do I have to forgive my fellow believer who keeps offending me? Seven times?”  ²² Jesus answered, “Not seven times, Peter, but seventy times seven times!”  TPT 

In Matthew’s Gospel, there is the revelation of an old but compelling truth.  It has captured my consciousness.   Knowing Jesus as Savior and Lord is life’s most important revelation and experience.   This is not knowing about Him but knowing Him!   In Matthew 16, Jesus asked the disciples what others and they thought about Him.

Everything Jesus taught was always a progression.  He shifted the question from what was speculated to what was known.  Peter’s supernatural revelation is the foundational truth that opens the door to life—you are the Messiah!  Then, the contrasting life views are exposed out of that revelation, Carnal vs. Kingdom.

If we view life through the grid of self, we live as paupers in the palace.  Matthew 18 is built on the foundational truths of Matthew 16-17.   If we do not truly know Jesus and have not truly surrendered our lives and wills to Him, we cannot or will not truly, completely, and properly forgive.  If we do not forgive, we do not truly live.

Jesus and bitterness, anger, and hate are incompatible.  We have the power to change entire cultures and control the demonic powers “IF” we know Him, fully submit to Him, and follow His precepts.  Forgiveness, which flows out of God’s love, is displayed and practiced; we can bind and loose!

We are transformed when we see forgiveness in the light of His act toward us on the Cross!  The story of the debts being forgiven (Matthew 18), the failure to reciprocate, and the ensuing torment is an arresting revelation or visual.  

The once forgiven but unforgiving debtor was handed over to the tortures until the debt was fully paid.  When will it be paid? NEVER!  That is the message!  Failure to forgive is a rejection of God’s mercy for us.  It elevates the self to the pinnacle and places our feelings and desires above God.

We may claim to be Christians, but if we allow unforgiveness to live in us, we deny Christ.  Christ cannot be “IN” us and hate, bitterness, and unforgiveness live there, too.  Knowing Him enables us to endure wounds and still love and forgive because we Trust Him.

Life is not about us.  It’s about Him, and in Him, there is fullness of joy and All Spiritual Blessings.  He fills us with all we need when He is our all.  It is the self of Jesus, not both. The debt owed to us by others is minor compared to the debt He paid for us. Embrace His freedom and release forgiveness to others. It releases forgiveness to us.

Don’t live as a pauper in the place through unforgiveness.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven, and that condition of forgiveness opens the windows of heaven, giving us eagle’s wings and enabling us to live in His fullness!

Have a fantastic day. He loves you unconditionally and totally forgives you!  We need to do the same!   God bless!

Proverbs 17:22 – “A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.”

Smile a while and give your face a rest is an adage based on the theory that it takes more muscles to frown than to smile.   After extensive research, the scientific community has no consistent conclusion on how many are required for either. 

However, the smile—transmitted consciously or subconsciously—is viewed across cultures as a sign of friendliness, especially when greeting others. Frowns are considered an expression of disapproval, sadness, or rejection. Therefore, a smile elicits a far better response than a frown.

There are forty-three muscles in the face; most are controlled by the seventh cranial nerve (facial nerve).  That nerve exits the cerebral cortex and emerges from the skull just in front of our ears.  It splits into five primary branches: temporal, zygomatic, buccal, mandibular, and cervical.  Those branches impact different portions of the face and enervate muscles that allow the face to twist and contort into various expressions. 

The Bible says that a merry heart does good, like medicine. (Proverbs 17:22).  It also says a broken spirit dries the bones.   Ezekiel spoke of the Valley of Dry Bones, but what about in the natural body when the bones are dry? What does that mean?  It is an indication of an unhealthy condition that can lead to many worse things. 

We need healthy bones just as we need healthy spirits.  Our bones provide support and structure for our bodies.  Our spirits do the same for our lives.  Our bones protect our vital organs, such as the brain, heart, and lungs, from impact and injury.  Our spirits do the same thing for our inner man.  

Our bones store essential minerals such as calcium and phosphorus, which are necessary for various bodily functions, including muscle contraction and never transmission.  Our spirits likewise enable us to function spiritually.  Our bones produce blood cells in the bone marrow, which are vital in fighting infections and keeping us healthy.  Our spirits keep us connected to the Blood of Jesus, which keeps us whole.

We do not want dry bones in the natural or the spiritual. Therefore, we need a Merry Heart and should follow Paul’s prescription in Philippians 4 and Ephesians 5:19. We should be like David and encourage ourselves in the LORD (1 Samuel 30:6).

Today, rather than succumbing to the mulligrubs and throwing a pity party, why not focus on God and choose to rejoice?  Why not choose to be glad in this day the Lord has made?   Why not let the inward smile reach the face and, no matter what comes, keep our focus on God and let the Joy of our hearts reach our faces even in the middle of a trial?  Why Not?  It is a Choice!  

I believe the Bible says that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever and that God will Never Ever leave or forsake us.  God Does Not Fail!  Therefore, I choose to Rejoice and Trust Him!   I’m smiling right now!

Let the joy of the Lord flood your hearts and minds today, and receive the healing from having a merry heart.

Psalm 73:1-5 – “TRULY God is good to Israel, and to those who are pure in heart.² But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.³ For I was envious of the wicked when I saw the prosperity of the ungodly.⁴ For there is no end to their death, and their folly is great.”

This is both a warning and an encouragement.   This Psalm begins with confession and lamentation that he had been comparing himself to others.  The apostle Paul warned us not to compare ourselves with others.  Others are not our standard of measure, nor are others evidence of God’s favor or love – God is impartial and deals with everyone separately.  We never know what He is doing in any life but ours.

Paraphrasing, the Psalmist said, “I had just about reached the point of no return as I saw how the wicked prospered and got away with murder.”  In his eyes, the wicked did not seem to have any repercussions for their sin and wickedness.  Who among us has not done that at some point in our lives? 

A few verses later, the light came on, and he gained a revelation that produced victory through a proper perspective.  In verses 15 forward, he addressed the temptation to recount or rehearse what he saw, making it his view of life and God.

His confession was, this is what I was doing, and the end of that would have been my destruction.  I would have been finished and lost my faith.   He admitted that what he was doing was wrong.  It was a destructive mindset.  Then the light came on, and he declared, “When I came into the Throne Room, “my mind was enlightened.  I was set free!”

Notice that it was there that he understood that there would be a payday someday.  He understood that God is faithful and never forsakes His children.  He knew that his situation was his situation and that he was not to be judged or compared to anyone else.  He understood that God was working on him and working on him.   It was a path that no other human could walk for him.   He came to the revelation that it was God and him.  At the end of the day, he would (because of God’s Grace) come forth victorious Eternally!

Remember, GOD does not fail to see our situation, but if we focus on others, we lose sight of God in us.  Christ in us is our Hope. 

We need to make God first, not others, circumstances, hindrances, or anything.   We need to determine in our hearts and minds that we will seek God, His Kingdom, and His Righteousness First!  If you do that, then fasten your seat belts, for in that condition, He has a superhighway to bring us His enrichment.

Victory is not tomorrow’s promise.  It is today!   Victory is today’s promise!   See it, believe it, receive it.

Have a fantastic day today, and keep looking up; redemption is nearer than we first believed!

Galatians 1:12 – “…for it was given to me directly by the unveiling of Jesus Christ.”

Paul’s declaration to the Galatians, as he said in 1:12, that the gospel he preached flowed out of the ‘unveiling of Christ’ in his heart and mind, is a powerful testament to the transformative power of Christ’s life in believers.  Christ’s life replaces self-life, and to the degree we are yielded, He is manifested in and through us, empowering us and giving us hope.

Galatians 2:20 –“My old identity HAS BEEN co-crucified with Christ and no longer lives…” Think about that. “AND NOW the essence of this NEW LIFE is NO LONGER mine, FOR the Anointed One LIVES HIS LIFE THROUGH ME – we live in union as one.”    [Emphasis mine]

Whose life and who is living it?  We have traded our old life for His new life, and in our surrender, He lives that life through us.  But not without our cooperation. He does not arbitrarily force us to live Him. ‘My New Life is empowered by the faith of the Son of God who loves me so much that He gave Himself for me, dispensing His life into mine!’  If that revelation becomes a reality in our hearts, we become totally free, liberated from the struggles and shortcomings, and at peace.

Paul’s prayer and desire for the Galatians and us was that “the Anointed One would be Fully Formed in our hearts!”

Galatians 5:16 – “Let me emphasize this: AS you yield to the dynamic life and power of the Holy Spirit, you will abandon the cravings of your self-life.” 

Galatians 5:18 – “But when you yield to the life of the Spirit, you will no longer be living under the law, but soaring over it!”

Galatians 5:25 – “IF the Spirit is the source of our life, we must allow the Spirit to direct every aspect of our lives.”   

Therein is the Key – a yielded exchanged life. We gave Him our old life, and He gives us His new life. Not only that, but He comes in and lives His life through us.  But only with our Full Surrender and Cooperation!  If we are tired of struggling and falling short, it is time to embrace the Cross and see ourselves crucified and fully immersed in Him. Christ IN us! Christ Through us! Christ, instead of us!

 That life is a life of victory, peace, power, and love.  It is ours!  Do you want it?  Then, give up and let Jesus take over!  Have a fantastic day!

Deuteronomy 8:3 – “And He humbled you and let you be hungry and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, THAT He might make you to know that man does not live by bread alone, but by EVERYTHING that proceeds out of the mouth of Yahweh.”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God, something moving was quickened to my heart. The revelation of trials or the revelation in trials.

In Deuteronomy 8:3, Moses rehearsed the journey from bondage to the precipice of victory in the Place of Promise and reminded them of their difficulties.

God allowed difficulties, and those difficulties created a condition and mindset that brought revelation. God is our source, nothing nor anyone else. Without the difficulty, they would have continued to view themselves as inherently special, which would produce the stench of arrogance. Instead, in a situation they could not solve, they SAW God’s power and love.

Every trial contains a revelation if we allow it to surface and have its designed effect. Paul’s thorn in the flesh spoke to that truth.  2 Corinthians 12:7-10 is worthy of in-depth consideration and meditation. Speculation runs rampant about what that was. Not to create debate, but Paul told us what it was or who it was, “the messenger of satan” to harass him.

The lesson or revelation is not that this was to keep Paul humble but that in it, he saw the revelation that when he could not, God’s Grace and power were his strength and covering.

I love this rendering of verse 10 – “So, I’m not defeated by my weakness, but delighted! FOR when I feel my weakness and endure mistreatment-when I’m surrounded with troubles on every side and persecution because of my love for Christ-I am made yet stronger. FOR my weakness becomes a portal to God’s power.”

Trials can truly make us stronger if we see the Christ who strengthens us through the problem. Realizing our human weakness opens a portal to God’s power through total surrender. We see our true source.

2 Corinthians 13:3b – “Christ IS NOT weak or feeble in His dealings with you, BUT mighty and powerful WITHIN you.”

Recognizing our inability opens the door to His ability and releases His power in and through us. We don’t look for or desire trials, but in them, there is the opportunity to SEE Him as He is, us as we are, and tap into His Grace, Power, and Provision.

I am not suggesting that we desire difficulties, trials, and tribulations. I am saying: You are weak only in your own strength, but you are strong in Him when you become weak in you! Let your Weakness be enveloped into His Strength and Soar Like the Eagle!

Have a fantastic day, and remember Who you are, Whose you are, and that All things are possible for you through Faith!