Matthew 14:23 “After He had sent them away, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray. Later that night, He was there alone.” ~NIRV

In the text above Jesus went by Himself. It says He went “to pray”. He didn’t leave or dismiss the crowd because He was overwhelmed, He simply had to be with the Father. The Father is not only the Source of His Son, but He is also who Jesus intercedes to on our behalf. It is God who grants the mercy and miracles.

Jesus tells us that we must stay in the Word and walk in His image. We do this by knowing who we really are. Yes, we are God’s children. We also must always remember that we are His 'creation'. He created us for a purpose, His purpose. Just as God used His Son to feed the 5000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish, God has every intention of using all He created, those of us who believe, for similar important miracles.

This is why we must, like Jesus, dismiss some things in our lives and go be by ourselves and pray. Dismiss distractions like certain conversations, some old places, or social media. Leave the things that may feed bad spirits in our lives and go sit with the Lord and His Word. When we do this, not only will we find God’s peace, we will also find our direction from the Lord. As His peace calms us to the point where we can hear Him.

In the scripture, Jesus had just performed a miracle in front of the people. He went by Himself to be with the Father to receive peace and guidance. As needed to recharge and prepare. Romans 8:34 tells us that Jesus intercedes for us. He does this full time.

If God blessed us to know Him through His Son, He wants us to also be a full-time intercessor for others. To humble and tame our human emotions, we will sometimes need to spend quiet, ‘alone’ time with God and let Him empower us, just as He did with His Son.

May God bless and keep you under the umbrella of his love, power and protection in Jesus’ name.
 
Amen

​~Billy

Nehemiah 8:10 “…So don’t be sad. The joy of the Lord makes you strong.” ~NIRV

One way to understand God’s love is to know the difference between being happy and being blessed with God’s joy. Happiness is based on ‘happenings’. For example, young George is happy because he has just saved enough money to buy a car he saw on sale at the car lot down the street. He is happy because he has pictured himself in that car and has told everyone about it. But when George gets to the car lot, he finds that the car has been sold and is not available anymore. He is no longer happy. His happiness has been taken away just that quickly. It is because his happiness was based on a material object. One he can touch, see and smell. When that object was no longer attainable to George, his happiness disappeared.

It is in ‘Joy’ where God’s power in our strength, comes from. And His power has a greater effect on us, than just being happy. With joy we can be content no matter what is happening around us. Joy from the Lord is knowing that He is in charge. It is with this joy that we begin to see others differently. It is with this joy that we learn to love others instead of judging them. Joy is the foundation for us being called to love deeply, and sincerely, reflecting God’s own love. If George went to buy that car with joy in his heart instead of happiness, he would have realized that he may not have gotten that car because God had something better for him.

In life we are where we are, because God has something better for us and those around us. The world my be showing us its worst, but God has us in place to present His best. We receive joy from the Lord. And we know this gift is powerful because the devil tries to steal, kill and destroy it. But we must protect our joy because Nehemiah 8:10 says, “...the joy of the Lord is your strength.” It is in God’s gift of joy where we can overcome all obstacles. And continue to move as servants for the kingdom.

​May God bless and keep you protected, healed and loved as you continue to journey in Jesus’ name.
 
Amen