March 21, 2020 WWJWMTD by Steve, the son of John

Hope, Hope, and more Hope

Hope is not waiting for a vaccine, money to pay your bills, or having enough food and toilet paper. Hope is and will always be Jesus Christ. That can seem too simple to most people and even Christians. Many Christians will not experience a dramatic miracle in their lifetime. But it is ‘miracles’ that every individual person is needing at this time in history. Where are the miracle workers? Where is the promise of the Church? Where is the author of miracles—where is Jesus?

Jesus has given me miracles my whole life, even when I was not asking for them. A life with Christ is a life with miracles. However, we do not all seem to experience miracles when we want them the most. There have been times when I wanted a miracle ‘NOW’, but the miracles did not come without patience or suffering. Sometimes I had to affirm my belief in Christ first and then God made me wait. What was that all about?

I believe that this is one of those times. There are things you and I must do. I stated at the beginning of this year, 2020, that we should read and memorize the last chapter of the Gospel of Mark, chapter 16. Before miracles were performed, Jesus had to get His disciples to believe in Him. Looking back, we would think that the disciples believed in Jesus. They walked with Him and saw the miracles He did, but it was not until they grappled with His death and resurrection that they finally believed in Him. Once they did believe, then the miracles came (see verses 16:15-20). First you need to make a personal spiritual inventory of your life—do you believe in Jesus to the extent He is asking you to believe? So read this chapter each week (or every day for a while) and begin to believe!

Secondly, are you keeping yourself in a state of repentance? Matthew 5:3 says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This verse means to keep oneself in a constant state of brokenness or repentance. We must always be willing to ask for and receive forgiveness. Not only for ourselves but for others. The disciples, once Jesus was taken from them up to heaven in the clouds, were commanded to stay in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came upon them. They could not perform the miracles Jesus wanted them to do unless the Comforter, the third person of the Trinity—the Holy Spirit, came into them. So, they waited! What did they do while they waited? I will tell you. They practiced forgiveness—they learned to forgive themselves and each other. This took time—forgiveness does not come so easily. Sin has history and roots of bitterness so the disciples had to first learn how to forgive and receive forgiveness before they could become one—as one person in complete unity! This is our second step toward miracles—to forgive and be in unity. First to really believe and then to become one through forgiveness.

The final step is finally to receive and allow the Holy Spirit to do what God wants to do in the world. When we allow the authority and power of the Holy Spirit to manifest Himself in our lives toward others, miracles begin to flow. Many people do number one and two but allow the Holy Spirit to have His way and allow the Holy Spirit to give all the glory to Jesus and the Father is not something all Christians are willing to do. God wants the glory for what He does, and the Holy Spirit will only give glory to the Father and the Son, not to you and me. This I believe is why we do not see more miracles.

So, if you read my last article titled, Prayers in the night/I could not sleep, be sure you pray believing in Christ, finding forgiving for yourself and others, and accepting the power of the Holy Spirit to work through you. Make sure you are thankful and give all the glory to God for what He does (you are just a tool in the hands of God).

Read Mark chapter 16, find forgiveness, and pray for the ax head of prosperity to swim in America and the Holy Spirit to carry away the virus into the depths of the ocean. This is what Jesus wants us to do!

WWJWMTD

What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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