Warriors Arise: May 29th, 2020
"Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. And then they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe." Mark 16:9-11
Mary Magdalene was faithful to do as Jesus instructed. She went to the disciples and told them all Jesus had told her. This was the second time she told them, "Jesus is alive!" This time it was not one angel telling her, not two angels telling her, but Jesus Himself! Jesus, in the flesh, living, breathing and speaking her name. Jesus, who met her in the midst of the storm of chaos and disaster, sent her to His disciples with a message.
I heard too many pastors preach about doubting Thomas but not one of these disciples headed out the door on their way to Galilee when Mary Magdalene, Mary, and Solame came early on the morning telling them that Jesus said He would meet them in Galilee. Peter and John ran to the tomb where Jesus' body was supposed to be but they did not go to Galilee. They went home to ponder what they had seen. And they didn't see anything. Literally, they saw nothing but the cloth Jesus' body was wrapped in. They did not see Jesus' body; they did not see the angel the women had seen earlier that morning. They did not see the two angels Mary Magdalene saw in the tomb after they left to go home. They did not see Jesus talking with Mary Magdalene. They did not follow the instructions of the first angel delivered through the three women. I'm not sure anyone could say the disciples believed the message or the messenger whether it be the angel or the women. And now, Mary Magdalene comes in claiming she actually saw Jesus. He spoke her name and gave a message for her to give to them.
"And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe." Mark 16:11
Thankfully, it does not say, "they did not believe her." It just says they did not believe. So it wasn't the messenger they didn't believe; it was the message.
"Now faith its the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1
When Mary Magdalene comes the second time and with another message it is an opportunity for their faith not only to grow but to be put into action. The angel did not say, "Go get the disciples and bring them back to the tomb. They need to see Jesus is alive! They need to see Jesus is not here! When they come I will tell them where they can meet Jesus." The angel said told the women to tell the disciples, "Jesus will meet them in Galilee."
There are times when God tells us to do something but we return to the last place we had a God experience, instead of following the instructions of the Father to meet Him in the new place. God is the Good Shepherd. If the sheep remain in one place too long they will eat the grass down to the roots. The Good Shepherd takes His sheep to another field full of grass, ready to eat. The disciples where not supposed to go where Jesus had been but to where Jesus would be.
Faith has substance. Meaning, there has to be a change in our thoughts, which will lead to a change in our behaviors or there has to be an action to go along with what we now believe. Faith grows. When we apply what we know about God to what God is telling us to do now, our faith grows.
The disciples were at a crossroad. They had always had Jesus there to tell them what to do, but now Jesus was sending a message through someone else. They were not seeing Jesus with their own eyes. They were not hearing Jesus with their own ears. He had never done this before; they had always heard from Jesus for themselves. This was different, uncomfortable, and impossible. This would need faith.
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" Hebrews 12:6
"The walk of faith is a glorious process of becoming increasingly free in Christ. By faith in Jesus' resurrection, we become free from the fear of death. Through faith in Jesus as our High Priest, we know that we have One who understands our temptations and can help us as we become free from sin. By faith in Jesus' holiness in our lives, we can be free to boldly enter God's presence without hesitation. Continue to put your faith in Jesus daily. Know that you can entirely trust him who is the same yesterday, today, and forever." (an excerpt from Spirit-Filled Life Bible)
The disciples had so many experiences of people witnessed exercising faith:
The centurion who sent his servant to go to Jesus for healing of another servant. He said Jesus did not have to come to his house just speak the word. Jesus marveled and said He had not seen faith like that in all Israel.
The father of the demon-possessed boy. He professed, "I believe, help my unbelief".
The woman with the issue of blood. She reached out and touched the hem of Jesus' robe and she received healing. Jesus said it was her faith that healed her.
It was time for disciples to seize the opportunity to grow their faith.
Father, I do not know what it will take but today I desire to seize the opportunity to grow my faith. We need Your Kingdom to come; You will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. I ask today for the death of the coronavirus. We don't need a cure or a vaccine we need the coronavirus to die, in Jesus' name. I ask for worldwide revival. I ask for people to know Your love for them, comprehend the saving grace of Jesus Christ, and receive salvation in Jesus' name. I ask for people to know You have walked them through this pandemic. I ask for people to see that You have protected them from the coronavirus. I ask for people to see You have kept their jobs for them to return or to believe that You have a better job for them. I ask for the supplies businesses and farmers need to be expedited and brought to them immediately. I ask for those who need a job to find one better than their last job. I ask for Your hand to come and grip the wrist of the enemy so hard he has to let go of the affliction he has put on us. I ask for You to silence the words of the enemy, so he cannot continue to lead us into bondage with his lies. I ask for You to release healing to Your people. I ask for You to release finances where they are needed. I ask for You to realign business deals and opportunities in our favor. I ask for the truth of Your amazing love to free the captives. I ask for You to deal with the enemy who accuses those who are seeking You and following what You are saying. The way to be perfect is to be one who will seek You and follow where You lead. I ask for You to speak to our government officials. I pray they will know Your voice and follow Your instructions. I ask for You to give them insight as You guide us out of this pandemic. I am thankful for the government officials who pray to You and no other god. I ask for You to hear their prayers but also for them to hear Your words of instruction in Jesus' name. I pray You would minister abundant life to Your people, who are called by Your name. I pray we would choose to grow our faith as we seize the opportunity to walk with You, talk with You, hear from Your, and meet You where You are. We get used to having You come to us, meeting us right in the midst of where we are but there are times, You want us to meet You in a specific place. You lead us into triumph. Therefore we need to be where You have called us to meet You. Give us boldness, confidence and faith to go and meet You 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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