Leaderboard

Some say, 'The River is flowing. Just step in.' But we need to say, 'Just step in, and the river will flow.' Some are passively waiting to see what God will do, while He is waiting for us to exercise faith to see Him move with power. Mark said it well: "And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord kept WORKING WITH THEM and confirming the message by the attesting signs and miracles that closely accompanied it" (Mark 16:20). God worked with them instead of them working with God. THEY had a responsibility to step in FIRST. AS WE SEEK HIS PRESENCE -- THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO SAY, "OH WELL, THAT WAS NICE," AND THEN GO ON WITH OUR EVERY DAY LIVES! PRESS HIM AND STEP IN! Jesus had just risen from the dead and had been seen by the women. However, not all understood or believed. Two disciples were walking towards Emmaus talking about these confusing events when Jesus joined them (Luke 24:13-32). They did not recognize Him but listened intently as He explained from the prophets of old all that He had accomplished for them. When they reached their destination, Jesus acted as if He would go on. What do we do when it appears that the refreshing of the Spirit that we have experienced is moving on? These two disciples PRESSED Him to stay with them. They were not passive about this. There is a time in which we must press Him to continue to move with power through our hunger, prayers, faith, and actions. We must step in! Jacob wrestled with God for the blessing even after the Man told him to release Him. He received a name change and a character change. Even more than that, Jacob received a face-to-face encounter with God! Are you hungry for that? One touch from God can change things within you that will not change through years of counseling! One day, a storm arose while the disciples were in a boat. Jesus walked on the water towards them, but acted as if He were going to walk right by them! Their cries attracted Him, and He stepped in and stilled the storm. Do you need a breakthrough from the Lord? Don't give up. Remember that His delays are not denials. PARABLES BRING OUT THE HUNGER FOR GOD Jesus often told stories in parables. Why did He do this? He did this in order to divide the crowd. Only those who were hungry and committed enough to ask Jesus the meaning would receive the deeper meaning. Those who were half-hearted and gave little thought to what Jesus said would not. We must have a deep-seated commitment and hunger for God and His work among us to receive all that He has for us. Jesus told us that the Kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field (Matthew 13:44). It was so valuable that a man sold all he had to get that treasure. When God's presence and work among us is so valuable that we would lay down other things for it, we will have it. The men on the road to Emmaus so valued this Man's presence and words to them, that they convinced Him to stay with them. What happened next was amazing! Luke 24:30 tells us: "But as soon as He had sat down with them, and had taken the bread and had blessed and broken it and was handing it to them, their eyes were opened and they recognized Him." Jesus did something that would have been culturally unacceptable at the time. HE took the bread, blessed and broke it. It was the father or master's responsibility to do that, not the visitors. THAT was when their eyes were opened. Jesus does not want to be a visitor in our life. He wants to be in charge. This is not passivity on our part! THE NECESSITY OF "STEPPING IN" We allow Him to move and to be Lord as we pursue His PURPOSE for our life through our hunger and faith. We must give Him abundant opportunities to manifest supernaturally in our midst through stepping out and laying hands on people. When we allow God to take the place of Lord over our lives, and not our traditions and church programs, He will reveal Himself in such a way that eyes are opened! People will know Him! These disciples knew the facts of Jesus' death and resurrection from what Jesus had taught them, but they did not know Him! As they pressed Him to stay and allowed Him to take the place of Lord, they received that "MORE!" THEY KNEW HIM! GLORY! Let's not allow this time of refreshing to pass without pressing Him for MORE! QUESTIONS TO ASK MYSELF: Do I want to know Him in a deeper way? Do I want to be changed from the inside out? Do I want to see people saved, healed, and set free? Step in! ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com

Exodus 16:4 - "Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law or no." GOD TOOK A LITTLE, INSIGNIFICANT MATTER, THE FOOD THEY ATE--AND USED IT TO SEE IF THEY WOULD LISTEN TO HIM OR NOT. HE TOLD THEM HOW MUCH OF IT TO GATHER, WHEN TO GATHER AND WHEN NOT TO, AND WHAT TO DO WITH IT AFTER THEY BROUGHT IT IN. AND THE ISRAELITES WENT RIGHT OUT AND VIOLATED THOSE INSTRUCTIONS. THEY SHOWED GOD BY THEIR ACTIONS THAT HIS VOICE WAS NOT IMPORTANT TO THEM. THEY WERE NOT WILLING TO OBEY EVEN HIS SIMPLEST COMMANDS. GOD WORKS THE SAME WAY WITH US TODAY. BEFORE HE SENDS US ON A MAJOR MISSION, HE GIVES US THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVE WE CAN BE TRUSTED WITH SMALL INSTRUCTIONS. Luke 16:10 - "He who is faithful in a very little (thing), is faithful also in much." Ephesians 1:3 - "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." The earthly minded will constantly try to restrain those who are seekers of God with such statements as,"don't become so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good," which is precisely the opposite of true wisdom. Heaven is the realm into which we are called to abide with Christ Jesus, and the only truly effective ministry we will ever have on this earth is originated from that position. The church that becomes too earthly minded is not doing the earth any good. We are called to be a bridge between heaven and earth, and to represent the reality of all we have been given in Christ Jesus in the heavenly places. Christians should be so saturated with heaven that it is more real to them than anything in the natural realm. Ephesians 2:4-6 - "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus." "Then he said, 'Take the arrows,' and the king took them. Elisha told him, 'Strike the ground.' He struck it three times and stopped. The man of God was angry with him and said, 'You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.'" - 2 Kings 13:18-19 Breakthrough IS Coming: Keep Striking the Ground! Do not be discouraged if at first you don't see your victory manifest. Breakthrough will first happen in the spiritual, then in the natural. Just because you can't see it in the physical does not mean it isn't happening in the spiritual. Keep on striking the ground! What has been barren and withered for so long will begin to revive and flourish. And the good news is? All that you need for breakthrough has already been given to you; it's already there! The Lord has deposited that miracle within you and it will bear fruit as long as we walk in accordance with the principles of the Kingdom. Affirmation: I AM WILLING TO HUMBLE MYSELF, LAY DOWN MY OWN AGENDAS/AMBITIONS, AND WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GOD -- KEEPING MY EYES FIXED ON JESUS. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com