For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. (Mark 11:23) http://bibl.co/1093
Day: September 10, 2015
Through Christ, You Can Conquer Your Habit
“Think carefully about…Jesus.” Heb 3:1 NLT
Let’s say you’re trying to lose weight, but you love doughnuts. How can you overcome temptation? By repeating, “I must not eat doughnuts—I must not eat doughnuts—I must not eat doughnuts”? No, the more you think about doughnuts, the more you’re going to want them. Instead you must focus on something else (or someone else—Jesus!) who can help you overcome the temptation. Your problem is not in the doughnut shop, it’s in your mind. That’s where victory is won or lost. Paul writes: “Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Ro 12:1-2 NLT). You can lock yourself up in a room and still think about doughnuts. On the other hand, you can get your mind on Jesus, draw strength from Him, and drive victoriously past every doughnut shop in town. The same principle applies to any habit you want to break and any sin you want to conquer. Does victory come easily, or overnight? No, Satan tempted Jesus repeatedly in the wilderness, and he’ll keep tempting you until he realizes his strategies no longer work. “Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him” (Mt 4:11 NKJV). Through Christ, you can conquer your habit.
Mark 3:13 And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.
Here was sovereignty. Impatient spirits may fret and fume, because they are not called to the highest places in the ministry; but reader be it thine to rejoice that Jesus calleth whom He wills. If He shall leave me to be a doorkeeper in His house, I will cheerfully bless Him for His grace in permitting me to do anything in His service. The call of Christ’s servants comes from above. Jesus stands on the mountain, evermore above the world in holiness, earnestness, love and power. Those whom He calls must go up the mountain to Him, they must seek to rise to His level by living in constant communion with Him. They may not be able to mount to classic honours, or attain scholastic eminence, but they must like Moses go up into the mount of God and have familiar intercourse with the unseen God, or they will never be fitted to proclaim the gospel of peace. Jesus went apart to hold high fellowship with the Father, and we must enter into the same divine companionship if we would bless our fellowmen. No wonder that theapostles were clothed with power when they came down fresh from the mountain where Jesus was. This morning we must endeavour to ascend the mount of communion, that there we may be ordained to the lifework for which we are set apart. Let us not see the face of man to-day till we have seen Jesus. Time spent with Him is laid out at blessed interest. We too shall cast out devils and work wonders if we go down into the world girded with that divine energy which Christ alone can give. It is of no use going to the Lord’s battle till we are armed with heavenly weapons. We must see Jesus, this is essential. At the mercy-seat we will linger till He shall manifest Himself unto us as He doth not unto the world, and until we can truthfully say, “We were with Him in the Holy Mount.”
Choose to Look Forward
This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live . . . — Deuteronomy 30:19
The reading for this week is which means “standing,”from Deuteronomy 29:9–30:20 and the
Ezra Frech is an amazing 10-year-old who is inspiring both young and old around the world. Ezra was born with a rare condition that left him with a twisted left leg and only one finger on his left hand. At the age of three, doctors decided to amputate his lower leg so that he could wear a prosthetic and placed his big toe on his left hand.
Yet, in spite of these disabilities, Ezra has grown to become an expert athlete in just about all sports, competing with and beating kids born without any disabilities at all. What really makes Ezra special, though, is his positive attitude. He says, “I can focus on what I don’t have or I can focus on what I do have. I choose to focus on what I have.”
This week’s Torah portion is always read within one to two weeks of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. The portion begins, “All of you are standing today in the presence of the LORD your God . . .” (Deuteronomy 29:10). This is seen as a foreshadowing of the holiday to come when all Jews will stand before God in the synagogue. The entire reading is seen as intricately connected to the meaning of the High Holy Days.
Later on in the portion we read, “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life . . .” The rabbis relate this message to the New Year as well.
On Rosh Hashanah, the custom is to blow the shofar, a ritual ram’s horn, 100 times. There are two reasons for the number of blasts given in the Talmud. The first is connected to the cries of Sisera’s mother (Judges 5) who, according to tradition, cried out 100 times upon hearing her son, the enemy of Israel, had been killed in battle. The other opinion states that a woman giving birth cries out 100 times. The shofar is intended to recall crying. However, it can either represent cries of death or cries that lead to birth.
Similarly, as we begin the New Year, we get to decide what message we will take with us. Will we cry for all that “died” this past year? Will we bemoan what we don’t have and what didn’t happen? Or will we cry out in anticipation of the new things life may bring in the new year? We can choose to live in the shadow of death or live in the light of life. As the verse implores us, let’s choose life.
It’s time to let go of what’s holding us back and of the things that we cannot change. Instead, let’s choose to embrace our blessings and new possibilities that the new year will bring.
HE STILL SPEAKS! 