Warriors Arise: July 29th, 2020
John 20:19-20 (NKJV) Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
John 20:26-27 (NKJV) And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”
In John 20:20 Jesus appears in the midst of ten of His disciples but Thomas is not there. Then in verse 25, Thomas says he will not believe “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side...” I have this thread in earlier prayer strategies. Today's prayer strategy is this: when you know God has done the miraculous for someone else you have the opportunity to ask God to do the same miracle for you. In this case, you know God can do it, but you may be challenged with, "Will He do the miraculous for me?"
Therefore, it isn't a question of God's ability; it is a question of His love toward me. Does God love me as much as He loves the other person He did the miracle for? Do I have the same access to God as another believer? Does the same power of God reside in me that resides in the next believer?
In 2 Kings 2 Elijah has been training Elisha to take his place as prophet in the land.
2 Kings 2:8-14 (NKJV) Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water; and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground. 9 And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?” Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” 10 So he said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” 11 Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. 13 He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. 14 Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over.
If God did it for him, He'll do it for me. But this wasn't a new thing for God. Elijah and Elisha were not the first or second people to part the waters and walk through on dry ground. Moses was the first. When Pharaoh was chasing after the Hebrews to bring them back as slaves God uses Moses to part the waters and millions of people walked through on dry ground.
Exodus 14:13-16 (NKJV) And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” 15 And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16 But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
The miracle of parting the waters to walk through on dry ground began with Moses. In the beginning God parted the waters. Moses was the first human being to use the power of God to part the waters. Then in Joshua chapter 3, God does it again for Joshua and the children of Israel as they enter the Promised Land.
Joshua 3:14-17 (NKJV) So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest), 16 that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.
I do not know how many of us need this sort of miracle in our lives but there have been times when people have been carried away while in their car by flash floods. Could they asked God to part the waters so they could drive to higher ground? Of course they could.
Thomas could have been asking for the same thing the other ten disciples got. He knew what God does for one, He can do for another. God is not afraid we will ask Him to do the miracle again. He doesn't just have one miracle for one problem. What He does for one He will do for another. When that problem occurs again, use the testimony of one who received the miracle to cause you to press in and lay hold of the same miracle for what you are facing.
Why do we not pray like this? What is holding us back? Many times it is because we are afraid. We do not believe God loves us as much as He must love the other person. God loves us. But will you receive His love so You have the faith to believe He will act on Your behalf like He acted for another?
Moses in a short period of time learned to extend God's power in a situation. I thoroughly enjoy the byplay between Moses and God is Exodus 14:14-16. Moses tells the people, be a peace, God is going to fight your battle. God says, "Why are you calling on Me?" Then tells Moses to do the miracle. What if God has already given you the power to do the miracle? You keep asking Him for something He has already given you; the power to conquer, the strength to persevere, the healing to be made whole, the provision to succeed, the purpose to achieve, the love to overcome. What if we believed that if God told us to do the miracle we would do it? What if we believed that when God has done the miracle in or through someone else He will do it for us. The favor of God rests on those who embrace what He has given them.
Miracles are not isolated incidences in our Christian history. Miracles are living testimonies of our Christian heritage.
Father, I ask for You to open my mind to receive the entirety of Your Word. I ask to know You. I ask to see the miracles of my Christian heritage and to believe what You have done for others You will do for me, in my time of need. I ask to embrace the miracles You do today. I will not deny another's miracle just because of my own hang-ups. If my mind struggles to believe another's testimony of Your love, kindness, or miraculous I ask for Your Holy Spirit to correct me on the spot. My heart's desire is to see You at work in my life and the lives of others. I open my heart to the miracles that are happening all around me. I praise You for all that You have done in my Christian heritage and through the years, in my personal life. As a people, we need the miracle of Your love to be deposited into each one of us. I release Your agape into the lives of the people all over the world. I rebuke hate and selfishness. I rebuke unforgiveness and excuses. I loose upon the people unconditional love and servanthood. I loose upon the people forgiveness and responsibility in the mighty Name of Jesus. I pray for each believer to live out the Christian heritage of our past. I pray we would release the fullness of what Jesus died to give us, the abundant life does not come from taking what is not ours. The abundant life comes from being responsible in our relationship with You. We are to be who You created us to be; we are live in the fullness of our salvation. We are saved body, soul, and spirit. We are to release the kingdom of heaven here on earth. We are to release the power of God to overcome the enemy. We are Your people, called by Your name and we will release Your power to bring freedom to the captives in Jesus' name amen.
A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,
Veridee Joy
My hope is for Believers in Jesus Christ to join together each day to pray, to push back the enemy as we release God’s power here on earth against the coronavirus. The prayers will be listed each day as Warriors Arise. I will put a date with it so we can keep them straight. If you have any questions please feel free to make a comment or private message me. If you would like this to come to your email directly please go to verideehand.com and subscribe.
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