Meditating on Jesus going into the wilderness just after His being baptized by John the Baptist and before His ministry, I was drawn toward Jesus in that time period that He had much conversation with the Father of heaven. And while He had much conversation with the Father in those forty days, He also heard from the devil.
In conversations people declare their hearts! They can declare they are glad to see you or else drag their feet in greeting you. They can declare much joy, or a pain or hurtful situation. They can express the trial they are experiencing in a stressful state with much sorrow. Of they can give a message of too much information or only that which is false. Then again, there are those who choose a life without people and without speaking!
In that wilderness Jesus walked, the devil, too, desired some conversation with Jesus. And in those forty days, it was about identity. And when Jesus returned to begin His ministry, He continued to spend time going to the Father in prayer!
Jesus had A Committed Prayer time to speak with the Father! Jesus was keeping His identity with God the Father, and His plan.
Morning time: Mark
1:35 & in the morning, long before
daylight, He got up and went out to a “deserted place”, and there He
prayed. Amplified Bible
Evening time: Mark 6:46-47 and after He had taken leave of them, He went off into the hills to
pray. Now when evening had come, the boat was out in the middle of the lake,
& He was by Himself on the land.
Solitary Prayer time: Luke 5:15-16 But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him; and great multitudes came together to hear, & to be healed by him of their infirmities. 16 And He withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.
The more THE demand from people on our lives, the more we should pray!
All Night: Luke 6:12 Now in those days it occurred that He went up into a mountain to pray and spent the whole night in prayer to God.. 13 And when it was day, He summoned His disciples & selected from them twelve, whom He named apostles (special messengers).
Jesus chose that time
in prayer finding the Father's heart to choose the 12 disciples.
Prayer had held Jesus in the mind of God. Philippians 2:5…Let this same
attitude and purpose & [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus:
[Let Him be your example in humility:]
We are to have a Prayer commitment, praying for those God
has given to you and me as family members, friends, people we work with and any
who is within our circle of influence.
Prayer commitment is not only
for ourselves…… but for pastors of other churches, other leaders and other
people’s children and not just for our own! It is in love when we, yes you and I,
respond to God’s plan for them and pray!
Yes, the company you
keep will determine where you will go in this life! Jesus even warns these
people that the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God. And
all they heard was what they thought to be blasphemy! That very thing is going on today in the land of which I live and most likely where you live anywhere around this world!
I love this when he the high priest asks Jesus...."I put You under oath by the living God": Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!" Jesus voiced an affirmation that He is the “Son of God” a title expressing His exclusive and unique oneness with God! Jesus came to separate the holy of God from the profane. He gave an affirming word of God: Luke 23:3 then Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” he answered him and said, “It is as you say.”
Identity! Identity! Identity!
If you ever have a disastrous situation occurring before you and those close to you, you will certainly come through holding out to Jesus and worshiping Him the ONE who is TRULY the Son of God!
Yes, the demons knew Jesus! And they greatly desired to not be harassed by the powerful One of God!
An atheist
believes there is no God. Do you know what God's response to that is? "The
fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God'"Psalm 14:1.
An atheist
does not pray. The atheist has no time to seek God in prayer. The Lord says in
the Book of James, "You do not have because you do not ask" James 4:2. An atheist does not read the
Bible. So the average atheist is very susceptible to the devil's lies because
he or she does not take time to read and study God's Word. Hopefully that does not apply to those saying they are Christ's followers today!
An atheist walks by sight, not faith. So sad too that many people including Christians should tend to walk by sight and not by faith. They fail to receive the miraculous power of God and how it came through Jesus! "Without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God" Hebrews 11:6. An atheist never gives to the Lord's work. An atheist lives only for this life. "The eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth" Proverbs 17:24.
People were wanting to rid their plate of that which they did not like, you know like the child who will not eat their food that their mother put on the plate. They kick, scream and push the plate away till they get their way. And many in that place, like Pilate, Caiaphas or Herod would have their way but it was the way of destruction and yes death to them!
You know
Herod had seen Jesus, was exceedingly glad to see Him because he, Herod, had
heard many things about Jesus and Herod had hoped to see some miracle done by
Him. ( Luke 23:6-12) But alas, Herod with his men of war, would treat Jesus
with contempt and mock Him and send Him back to Pilate.
Do people seek out something from you that is only a part of the kingdom of God but not willing to participate because they do not want to hear God's words spoken by you?
Pilate wishing to release Jesus called out to the crowd. And YOU know that crowd chose Barabbas (the world) and not Jesus (life eternal). So Pilate gave sentence as they requested. ( Luke 23:24) Barabbas was released and Jesus was delivered to their will. Yeah, remember that screaming child not wanting to eat what was before them, well here you have a people kicking and screaming wanting the world and not life of God!
People today are clamoring for the murderer to be put back into society and the righteous to be jailed. People are clamoring for their demands and not that of the Father Who is the Creator!
Yes, where Jesus would walk, the Holy One would not be revered by many. But His prayer time brought power, looked like grace, and caused reactions. In His teaching, the doctrine was the EXTREME when heard, and some received the Son and some refused. But His prayer was for ADVANCEMENT OF THE KINGDOM!
Jesus
encountered many people on His walk from the wilderness to the Place of the
Skull, where He would take His last breath at Calvary. In John 17:3 and this is
eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, & Jesus Christ
whom You have sent. He prayed: John 17:6 "I have manifested Your name to
the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them
to Me, and they have kept Your word.
John 17:11 Now I am no longer in the world, but these are
in the world, & I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those
whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.
Yes, Jesus
was no longer in the world, His heart faith was in His Father. And in John
17:26 And I have declared to them Your
name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in
them, and I in them." NKJV
We live in this world, but we should not be of it.
Holy One of God is majesty on high. Holy One of God is life eternal, that speaks truth that lives in prayer and resides in a rest. Might we be united with the Holy One of God, to see with our eyes and understand in our hearts. United to one heart where we expect to see the astonishment in the faces of those God is touching by His presence in and through us. Before we go to participate out there, we should have the intimate time to know our Father’s heart.
Knowing not
what you might encounter in the coming year, but that your steps are ordered in
the Lord like Jesus: you have a voice, not a languishing voice, but one of joy
and gladness, a song of praise that fills the atmosphere where the peace of God
rules your heart and a boldness of authority because Jesus is Lord of your
life.
It may
appear bleak where you reside, but we have the Holy One of God. The world may
have lock-downs, shutdowns, closed signs, wearing the latest new masks designed
by some new designer; still we should not be in fear nor should we be the tired nor
weary. Pray for your leaders eyes to be wide open to actually see and ears to hear and to guided by love in God by
the Holy Spirit. Pray for those dealing in insanity that they would become sane
again. If you know their names, those living, confess their names before the Father, and ask with that righteous desire that they would live and not die to declare the works of God
People
require conversation! We were never meant to be alone! We know the Way, for
Jesus pointed it out to us in John 14:1-11 they WAY HOME! To go along with Jesus is one heart
with Jesus! For in Him is truth revealed and life is given in the Father. We
give thanks for this revealed nature of the Father and purpose set in Jesus for
we received Him and carry His authority in boldness in a walk where demons
quake, the religious shake and chaos around us becomes only peace! We receive the next advancement of His kingdom.
Come Lord Jesus Come!
The Faith that Sees and Is Seen
Weighing the Hearts
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