17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 But we all, with unveiled faces, looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18

13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.

Galatians 5:13

A quick survey in the New Testament will reveal the radical nature of the freedom Jesus Christ endorses and encourages. In essence, Jesus came to set us free to spiritually change (2 Cor.3:18) and serve others in love (Gal.5:13). No matter “where” you are at, there is liberty by the Spirit of Lord to approach the Father with confidence to initiate needed transition or transformation in your heart, mind and body. Being stuck is your choice not God’s. “Where” the Spirit of Jesus is there is always freedom to help others in time of their need. We all often fall short of this glorious call to “seeking” and “serving” God, I certainly do. The good news is we can constantly start afresh through humility and repentance to secure the grace to move forward and progress in our call to be conformed to the likeness of Christ!

The highest expression of FREEDOM is to place oneself under the Lordship of Jesus by the loving power of His Spirit! Our Independence is best expressed in Dependence on God.

Slavery in the First Century was widespread in the Roman Empire. Some historians believe before the rise of the Roman Emperor’s (1st Century B.C.) perhaps 66-90% of the population were slaves. In the first century jC.E. an estimated 60,000,000 slaves existed within the borders of Roman domination. Of the 6,000,000 people in Italy, 2,000,000 were slaves.  

Thus, the radical message of EMANCIPATION by the Gospel of Jesus Christ cut to the core of the life and identity of the majority of the masses.  Unlike slavery in the United States, slaves in the Roman Empire were made in two primary ways.  Slaves were taken as spoils of war.  Secondly, people sold themselves into slavery or their children to make a living, pay off debt etc.  Slaves could be  highly skilled, educated and coveted among the Roman elite citizenry.  Slavery was a brutal reality with little dignity in the industry.  When paraded to be sold in the market places, they would have a written sign hung about their necks divulging strengths and weaknesses to inform potential slaveholders.  Sex-traffiking was not unusual with young girls.  Some slaveholders set aside a little money in a freedom account for their slaves. Over time they could then use that savings account to purchase their freedom. Unfortunately, often the amount needed could take anywhere from seven years to a lifetime of servitude. The early leaders of the church did not seek to disupt the institution of slavery, rather, they appealed to both slaves and slave-masters to exhibit respect and dignity in the sight of Jesus who would judge all (Eph.6:5-9).  

A “bond-servant” (gk.doulos) was someone who sold themselves into slavery to serve another. The Apostles adopted this understanding to describe their voluntary allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ. We are set free as ‘sons and daughters’ of God only to sell ourselves into service of His Lordship by the power of the Holy Spirit!  To proclaim “Jesus is Lord” was a crime against the state which declared “Caesar is Lord” (1 Cor.12:3).  True freedom is ultimately expressed in submission to the kingdom of God not the respective government. A man or woman who picks up their cross, denying a selfish life  to follow the decrees of God in Christ are not restrained nor ruled by the decrees of governments.

As a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ what exactly have we been set free from? Three platforms of genuine Christian Liberty:

• Free from spiritual ignorance (John 8:32,36)…Freedom releases the Spirit of revelation into the true knowledge of Jesus in our hearts to conquer unbelief, apathy and fear!
• Free from the “dominion of darkness” (Col.1:13-14)…Freedom redemptively transfers us to the kingdom of God and His forgiveness! The devil loses control of our lives under the dominion of God in Christ. This is triumph of the goodness of God over Evil!
• Free from the ruling power of sin (Rom.6:18,22)…Freedom ushers in the King of Grace to rule over our sinful nature in the power of the Holy Spirit! This is the progress of sanctification in all seasons of life when walking in the law of the Spirit of life (Rom.8:1-3).

Freedom, boiled down to its essence according to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles,  is manifested in a life marked by moral transformation and servanthood.  A truly free human being does not focus on their “rights” but upon the glory of God and His right-eousness.  A disciple who is sincerely worshipping  by  sitting at the feet of Jesus to learn His ways will rise to wash the feet of others.  

The Spirit of the Lord gives us all the resources we need to personally be restored into the likeness of Christ. This inward transformation of the heart will always lead us to serve others with the very love and power He imparted to us.  

True Freedom is manifested in voluntarily becoming a Slave, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ to do His will to repay the debt of love!

WORTHY IS THE LAMB OF GOD WHO RELEASED US FROM OUR SINS TO WORSHIP AND SERVE HIM IN LOVE!

Hebrews 11:  The Patriarch’s & Spiritual Fatherhood

I’m not writing all this as a neighborhood scold to shame you. I’m writing as a father to you, my children. I love you and want you to grow up well, not spoiled. There are a lot of people around who can’t wait to tell you what you’ve done wrong, but there aren’t many fathers willing to take the time and effort to help you grow up. It was as Jesus helped me proclaim God’s Message to you that I became your father. I’m not, you know, asking you to do anything I’m not already doing myself.

(1 Corinthians 4:14-16 – The Message)

*In general, ‘biblical manhood’ is demonstrated by listening to God’s voice with implicit obedience sustained by confidence regardless of short term outcomes (Heb.11:1-2; 13-16). Worldly Manhood is often defined by the degree of Erectile Dysfunction…but Biblical Manhood is determined by Prostrate Function, a bended humble man before the Heavenly Father in fervent dissemination of the word of God and prayer. Let me explain, the word for “worship” means to “bow down or prostrate” before God. In this posture of surrender, we praise, pray and give thanks to The Eternal Father in Jesus Name. We also receive His blessing and His word to then go and lovingly help others. The word of God is what prevails to change the course of our personal lives and potentially human history. Not simply a conceptive sprint, Fatherhood is more a marathon of influence over a lifetime amidst the mountains, valleys, heights and depths of human experience. Spiritual fathers traverse all terrain to raise up sons and daughters for the Glory of the Father! Spiritual fathers are experts at receiving the seed of God’s word and releasing God’s word to their generation.

Hebrews 11:1-22 identifies several characteristics of spiritual fatherhood. No matter what our particular life circumstances, we can all become ‘spiritual fathers’ as we walk with God.

Now faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old gained approval… All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen and welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. 15 And indeed if they had been thinking of that country which they left, they would have the opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them. (HEB.11:1-2, 13-16)

• 7-Disciplines of Spiritual Fatherhood:
• Sacrificer
• Seeker
• Prepper
• Trailblazer
• Blesser
• Wrestler
• Forgiver

Read: Hebrews 11:1-22

Pray: Each Patriarch has an outstanding characteristic (sacrificer, seeker etc.).  Pray you will grow up toward these particular traits of a spiritual father in the gospel for the benefit of others and to please your Heavenly Father.  If you ask,  The Heavenly Father will give you the Holy Spirit to be your source of grace and knowledge (Luke 11:13).

Share: Find one other person you can personally share this devotion with in a meaningful way.

ABEL (v4): Sacrificer-  Spiritual fathers give their best. They understand the value of the blood of Jesus as the high cost of God’s grace to secure our eternal redemption & salvation.  They point others to Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

ENOCH (vv5-6): Seeker-  Spiritual father’s diligently seek God and His reward. They walk with their feet on the ground in protest to the wickedness of their generation. However, they are uniquely focused on ‘other-wordly’ realities.  Heaven has the upper-hand of influence in the way they conduct their affairs.

NOAH (v7):  Prepper-  Spiritual fathers warn their family and their generation about the coming judgment of God.  However, they build into their family an enduring faith in God no matter how bad things are getting.

ABRAHAM (vv8-12;17-19): Trailblazer-  Spiritual fathers do not need to know to GO! They break the sinful patterns of their family’s tradition & idolatry  and strike out into unchartered territory. 

Isaac (v20): Blesser-  Spiritual fathers speak blessing not cursing into the lives of their children.  Like Isaac, they dig wells (Gen.26) of blessing to bring life and growth to those around them.

Jacob (v21): Wrestler-  Spiritual fathers wrestle with God, with their sinful nature (Rom.7)  and with spiritual wickedness (Eph.6). They are engaged in honest prayer and worship while embracing their weakness.  Fathers understand weakness surrendered to God in humble obedience is the true nature of Worship.

Oil Painting ‘Frederick Taubes,Jacob Wrestling With The Angel,1944

Joseph (v22):  Forgiver-  Spiritual fathers release forgiveness from their heart (deep in their bones) to those who have mistreated them.  They have insight into the sovereign goodness of God that triumphs over all evil. 

Joseph Recognized by His Brothers (1863 painting by Léon Pierre Urbain Bourgeois)

^{The Poignant Posture of Spiritual Father’s…is about Prostrate Function in potent effectual prayer for the family of God!}

all the fullness of God.^{Ephesians 3:14} For this reason I kneel before the Father,¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your heartsthrough faith. And I pray that you, being rootedand established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of

Godly spiritual father’s living under the Heavenly Father impart the strength of the Holy Spirit and the the deep stabilizing love of Jesus Christ.

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Acts 10:44-46

Brothers & Sisters,

Revival will not follow our displays nor quick step itself on our terms. We must be willing to let go of our tightly woven unbiblical expectations, preconceived worldly methods and presumptuous clock management. The choreography of the Holy Spirit is an endless supply of creativity, spontaneity and specificity. How can anyone read the gospels, the Book of Acts, or the great revivals of the Old Testament and advertise a revival? Like the apostolic teams in Acts, we must be currently under the Lordship of Jesus and the corresponding powerful leadership of the Spirit while speaking a word from the Heavenly Father on earth to His people with the evidence of His manifest presence.

Revival is not the result of spastically, statistically or demographically moving heaven to do something , but rather the Spirit of God falling upon and filling His often lifeless, smoldering beleaguered people with a fiery resurrection love and God-optimism. Revival then takes hold in consistently surrendered obedience to His will, personal character transformation and a community engagement to turn the world upside down with the gospel.

Revival has come when the leaders of the church have nothing to say because the people have become the sermon and the symphony of the Holy Spirit! The accurate anointed preaching of the  Word of God becomes the sturdy river bed of the Holy Spirit to refresh, restore and release  the people of God into the dry deserts of humanity.

Revival, God breathing His life into the human spirit, soul and body, often penetrates before the message is completed. The altar is the human heart not only the front of the church. The revival we desperately need is among those perhaps we would not include in our missional strategy and war rooms. The target of the Holy Spirit is obedience on behalf of those who need to obey the gospel. We know we have tapped the wells of heaven when the preacher stops speaking and the band stops singing to listen to the congregation supernaturally speak to God, for God and about the Majesty of God!

You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. 3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. (2 Corinthians 3:2-3)

31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; 32 but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” 33 But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!” 34 And He said, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me (cf.Lk.22:52-64).”

Luke 22:31-34 NASB

***This devotion will help you embrace Jesus in the midst of your duality between obedience and disobedience. You will identify the value of  faith, hope, love and purpose in the midst of your greatest disappointments. The personal Intercession of Jesus overcomes the inconsistencies of your choices and turns you around to go and help others.  This Gospel narrative can completely transform the way we view failure in ourselves and in others, how we conduct spiritual warfare and how we pray for others.

This intense exchange between Jesus, Peter and Satan is during the Passover meal in the Upper Room (around 9pm). The disciples were discussing who would betray Jesus (Luke 22:21-23) and who was “regarded as the greatest” among them (Luke 22:24-27). Sometime between Midnight-3am, in  the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus would be betrayed with a kiss by Judas, all the disciples would desert Him and he would be arrested. 

Lessons of The Great Reversal:

• “Simon, Simon”: We are tempted at our points of weakness. “Simon” is that part of us that is prideful, lustful, greedy, bitter, flimsy, fickle, cowardly, judgemental, angry,  etc.  If we are not careful and humble, The “Simon” in all of us, is the foothold that we can give to Satan to build a stronghold of resistance to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

• “Behold”: We need to “STOP” and listen carefully when Jesus is warning us about spiritual warfare and pending potential failure.  Listen carefully for the “whispers” of the Spirit, the “shouts of the Spirit” and “embrace the rod of correction” by the Holy Spirit. We can stop the maturing of sin in our lives by humble submission to God (James 4:4). 

• “Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat;”: In similiar fashion to ancient Job, Satan approaches Jesus and insists that Peter be given into his hands to cast like wheat and chaff before the gale winds of adversity.  This word for “has demanded permission” is only used here in the New Testament. Satan is requesting Jesus  to completely let go of Peter, allowing Satan full power over Peter.  

Click link below “Sift Wheat by Hand”: 

https://youtu.be/jleK4pHtQIw

Satan is limited and constrained at all times by the hand of God. Evil can only advance as far as the goodness of God allows. The Sovereign Good of God always checkmates evil. Rejoice in the victory of Jesus over sin, death and Satan.  Do good today in word and deed by the power and love of the Holy Spirit.
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom.12:21).

“You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” (Acts 10:38)

• “But I have prayed”: “BUT” is the beginning of or the source of the Great Reversal! The intercessory ministry of Jesus will always prevail over the accusations, condemnation and weapons of Satan.  Focus on Jesus, the originator and consumator of your faith (Hebrews 12:1-3).  Jesus is our Advocate/Intercessor before the Father.  There is no higher authority or more influence than the intercession of Jesus on your behalf.  Satan’s authority, though rebellious, is derived from God. Our lives are always in the hand of God, no matter what! 

If you are praying for a rebellious child or grandchild or friend…pray they will “turn around” in repentance, their faith will not fail and they will discover immediate purpose to help others. DO NOT focus on the failure or the details of the struggle itself.

• “That your faith may not fail”: Jesus allows the testing of our faith to purify our character and prepare us for His purpose. Peter failed but his faith did not! 
  “Fail” means to cease, quit or fade into obscurity. Satan wants to steal the seed/wheat kernel of faith that produces fruit unto the glory of God.  Satan wants to steal our confidence, he wants us to give up.  The devil seeks to pin us down beneath the crushing weight of personal disappointment in ourselves or in others and self-pity and self-loathing. Jesus protects “the faith” in us to promote humility and grace.  Satan wants to destroy our faith to promote the ‘chaff’, the activities that will not produce any eternal treasure.  Our faith must be refined in the fire to remove the impurities of pride, self-reliance…”faith”, according to the older Peter, is THE MOST valuable possession we have! 1 Peter 1:7, “so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; “

Faith may be eclipsed for a season but not extinguished.  Faith is always God’s gift (Eph.2:8-9) based on His word about Jesus Christ (Rom.10:17).  Remember FAITH is the ‘inner persuasion of God” to trust Him and the whole of His proven character (Heb.11:6). Repentance shortens the season of ecliptic failure. Confession is the agreement that we are saved by grace not works.  Faith focuses exclusively on the free gift of  righteousness of Christ from God (2 Cor.5:20-21)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, martyred German-Theologian-Pastor during the Third Reich, said in his writings, ” Falling away is far more serious than falling down. The most brilliant virtues of the apostates are as dark as the night compared with the darkest weaknesses of the faithful.” (Ethics)

• “When you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. ”: Godly sorrow with conviction of sin leads to repentance, recovery and restoration of ministry purpose…Peter heard the “cock” crow, locked eyes with Jesus and “went out and wept bitterly”.  On the other hand, Judas was filled with remorse and “went out and hung himself”. 

Jesus saw past the failure toward the results.  Prophetic Grace may see failure but provides repentance and redemption.  We can actually become more sufficient in God’s love to bring stability and strength to others!  Your best ministry can follow your worst moments!  We know we are being restored when we deeply desire to love as we have been loved by God.  Our eyes switch from excessive self-absorption to trying to figure out each day how we might be a source of strength to others.

• Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!” 34 And He said, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me”:  The “rooster” and  Satan did not have the final say in Peter’s life. The intercession of Jesus is the final word over our lives. Jesus switches from “Simon” to “Peter”, in fact, Peter would be imprisoned and be crucified upside down for the love of His Lord and friend Jesus!

 

Rooster Crowing Compilation Plus: Click Below Link…this is kind of funny!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3CenN7d30Y

May each of us rediscover the presence, purity, power and purpose of Jesus in the midst of the inconsistency and duplicity  of our lives. May we by His grace and truth be turned again toward Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength to make a difference in the lives of those around us!  Amen

Influence is the mark of true leadership not necessarily crowds. Godly Leadership under the pressure of a crisis requires the character of Jesus. This devotion will point you to the influencing presence and truth of Jesus in His darkest and most difficult hours. You will be filled with His love, joy, peace and courage to face a transition, rejection, hostility, misunderstanding, loneliness, and suffering.

What would you say to friends and family, knowing you would be arrested and put to death within 12 hours? Consider Jesus, the Last Adam…He warns about approaching trouble, scandal, offense, hatred and death. He points to those who influenced Him most…the person and work of the Father and the Holy Spirit. He points to the future,  promising immeasurable love, overflowing joy and deep peace in the midst of all hell breaking loose in the world. He assures his friends of absolute victory over sin, Satan and a hostile world…RESURRECTION is the predictable and unstoppable consequence of  voluntary obedient sacrificial love!

Under the night sky, The teachings of Jesus in the Gospel of John 14-17 were most likely delivered to the disciples during the Passover meal and/or enroute to the Garden of Gethsemane (John 14:31;18:1). He would have meandered through the streets of Jerusalem in the shadow of the Temple Mount area between around 9pm-midnight. He may have paused in a private corner of the temple court to deliver some of these eternal inexhaustible truths. He may have then exited Jerusalem at the southern Water Gate and followed the steep path outside the walls over the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives.

 

 

 

Six times Jesus repeats the phrase, “These things I have spoken to you”. Jesus, like Elijah, is weaving together a master tapestry, or a teaching-mantle to leave at the feet of the apostles to pick up, like Elisha, and call upon the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ in the difficult days that are upon them.  The Double-portion of the Spirit was promised and greater works would ensue following the necessity of the cross. 

 Contextually, Judas is absent, the Eleven are filled with sorrow, confusion is setting in like hypothermia, Jesus Himself is distressed. The Olive Press of Almighty God is beginning to crush the Son in accordance with His will and the impending cup of suffering.  Yet, Jesus is downloading the final words for His final moments before the hour of His crucifixion. The torches and the lanterns are about to be ignited and swords taken up by Jewish leaders, a brutal Roman cohort…all led by a satanic ambitious greedy friend who thought he needed to force the hand of Jesus to take control and assert His power and authority to throw off the Roman yoke of oppression. Judas,the friend, was thinking, a surprise military coup…the Ancient Foe was thinking death by crucifixion.

 

Suggested Devotional Exercise:

• Read each Chapter of John 14-16 Over the Next Week

• Go to each phrase “these things I have spoken to you” and meditate on the immediate verses surround each of the six repeated phrases

• Read aloud and meditate upon each Scripture and bullet point reflection

• Pray to Father in Jesus name whatever is on your heart

• Find someone to share these truths with and walk them through each of the six reflections

• Take Holy Communion together to “Remember Jesus”.

 

•  

• John 14:25
  25 “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

• Be assured Trouble is coming but you will not be abandoned.

• Help is on the way…the Father is for you!

• Truth will emerge as you merge with Jesus!

• You are smarter than you think…the Holy Spirit will not let you forget what matters most!

•  

• John 15:11
  These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

• Joy from Jesus is both internal and external.  Joy springs forth from the indwelling Holy Spirit and floods our spirit, soul and body with Resurrection life in all the vicissitudes of life!  Joy flows deeply regardless of the weather!

• Joy is the awareness, recognition and reception of God’s grace in our lives…thus, we can “Rejoice always!”

• Loving obedience is the watershed that determines the nature of our Christian experience…No love, No Spirit, No obedience, No Joy…ouch, help us Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner…to grow in grace is to manifest the fruit of joy (2 Pet.3:15) in the experience of Jesus’ Personal Presence!

• John 16:1
  “These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling.2 They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. 3 These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me. 

• (16:1 )I have told you all these things, so that you should not be offended (taken unawares and falter, or be caused to stumble and fall away). [I told you to keep you from being scandalized and repelled.] Amplified Version

• The teaching of Jesus prepares us to handle rejection by the world for the sake of His name and the cause of the Gospel. 

• The sober realization of the inevitability of persecution , while following in the steps of Jesus, frees us from being perpetually trapped in the misguided effort to accommodate the world so they will recognize and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior on their term of self-preservation.

• John 16:4
  But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you. 5 “But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; 11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

• The faithful words of Jesus couches the sorrow that fills our heart when we do not understand what is going on! (v6) Jesus anticipates our depression and proactively tells us the truth so  we can repent and move forward in freedom.

• When we internalize the teaching and promises of Jesus, we gain the advantage with the Holy Spirit who fights our battles for us to convince the world of their need for salvation in Jesus.

The angry mob tries to push Jesus over a cliff. (Luke 4:29)

• John 16:25
  “These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father. 26 In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; 27 for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father. 28 I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father.”

• 29 His disciples *said, “Lo, now You are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech. 30 Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God.” 31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? 32 Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 

• The language of Jesus, filling the heart and mind, is constantly pointing to the Father’s character with revelatory wisdom and revelation.

• The prophetic grace of Jesus’ words prepares us to deal with both failure and loneliness. Why?  So we don’t abandon all restraint in our isolation. Grace buys us time until He can rebuild our trust and be empowered by the Spirit to be His witnesses in this broken world of cold hate and unbelief.

• John 16:33
  These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

• Finally, the law of Jesus will turn pressure into peaceful access to the Father producing  character, hope and abundant love.

• Obedient students of Jesus run into the fray with courage and perpetual optimism born of the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. 

• The shout of the church to the world rings true with “God has reconciled you to Himself through Jesus Christ. Call upon Jesus and you will be saved!”

Father, we boldly come and humbly ask in the name of Jesus that you fill us with these words of Jesus. Burn them in our hearts and minds by the Holy Spirit to guide us through these dark and troubled days with love, peace and joy. We ask for the courage and the faith to follow in the footsteps of Your Beloved Son. May the World see our love and unity, opening their eyes to the Revelation of Jesus as Lord and Savior.  Amen