Rise

Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened.

Acts of the Apostles 3:4‭-‬7 NLT

I remember a time when I was younger I hurt my knee from playing basketball and the pain was excruciating. It was to the point it was hard to walk. I had crutches, a big bulkey knee brace and wraps. The doctor told me I had to keep the weight off of it. It made things harder to do when you wanted to move. When I had that injury I had a hard time getting up and down. Then there was a day where I woke up, my knee was swollen bigger than it ever had been and it was as if my knee had locked up. I couldn’t move it at all. I was in so much pain. As I opened my eyes I saw my sister standing there and she told me that I had to get up and walk. I told her I caouldnt move my knee. She grabbed me by the hand and she told me in order for me to feel better I had to get up and move.

HERE IT IS…

We can get stuck in our pain, or issues, our situations, our problems so much that we become stiff. Just like this lame man he forgot what it was like to move. He was asking for money as of the money would make him walk. As of the money would heal him. He need something greater. Peter reached out his hand and told him to RISE. We have to learn not to stay stuck, get stuck or wallow in our situations. But the only way to get above your problems is to Rise above them. Reach out your hand and allow God to pull you up out of your problems and situations. Rise and be free. Rise and be at peace. Rise and know that God has everything under control. When you rise that’s when the blood will start to flow in your situation. RISE

Unwrapped

And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”

John 11:44 NLT

I am the type of person that likes covers when I sleep. A really thick blanket just seems like I sleep so much better. Just the way I am almost cocooned in the bed makes me feel like I am being secured where I am sleeping. The feeling of those covers and a blanket makes it easier to sleep. Then there are those nights where the weather changes and the covers become to much. It becomes hot and uncomfortable and I am trying to find my way out those covers. But the way that I have wrapped myself up and in a deep sleep it’s hard to fully get out of the cocoon I am in.

HERE IT IS…

Lazurus was dead wrapped up in the ceremonial cloth and buried. But when Jesus arrived, and shouted for him to come out he was still wrapped up. I believe that some of us have been called out of the tomb that we have been in but we were so wrapped up up in what we had that we cant unwrap ourselves. The scripture says that Jesua told the others that wee there to unwrap him. Sometimes we have to be able to allow the people God has sent in our lives to help us unwrap somethings in our life. Because we can be so entangled in it that we cant see or reach the point to start unwrapping it. God has called you out of the tomb. Now it’s time to unwrap, unpack and come out of what your in. Rise up and come out.

Raised up

A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!”

John 11:1‭, ‬43 NLT

As a child I didnt like going to funerals and didnt like seeing people hurt, crying, and feeling the way they felt. I didnt like seeing people grieving over the loved one that passed. I would often want to give the loved one back to them so they wouldn’t have to hurt. It wasnt until I realized through the death of someone close to me that death was apart of life. In learning and experience that i began to search for gods reason. Soon became funny to me that God would use the raising of Lazarus to help explain death. In our lives we dont just lose loved ones to death, but we lose other things too. Situations die, problems die, sickness dies, we die daily.

HERE IT IS…

This is the part of the story that stuck out to me. Lazurus was sick, but Jesus shouted. Lazurus was dead and gone funeral had, wrapped for preservation and buried. But, Jesus shouted. We often times things will come along that God allows that pits us in a place of being wrapped up, given our last words. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Things will come that will try to put us down where we are embalmed with what the world says is over and now we are stiff and cold and put away. But, Jesus shouted. It’s in the raising of the voice that Jesus does to bring him out. I know that even if he whispered it still would have happened. But, Jesus shouted. Sometimes in order to come out of what your in you have to muster up the strength, stand boldly in front of what’s got you down and shout, COME OUT. Raise your voice towards heaven let everything know that by the power given to me by my God,
COME OUT

Rising

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

Romans 8:11 NLT

You know what is fascinating to me? Something I could watch happen over and over again? Bread being made! Wierd right? It’s the truth. I could watch videos on bread or watch it being made all day. I know your thinking its wierd because of how simple it sounds. Well I love it because of the way it’s made. Watching the flour and yeast and oil and sugar and butter and other ingredients depending on what type of bread. The best part is when you have to let the bread sit, and it rises to the point to where now you can bake it. There is this point that after all the ingredients have been put into the bowl, the dough was taken out the bowl. It’s now going through the kneading process. That after that you have to wait for it to rise.

HERE IT IS…

We often times look around us and see others who seem to be rising right in front of us. We are things happening for other people. We see the blessings raining down upon them and how much they are recieving. We fail see what point of the process we are in. But the great thing that I notice is that in bread you always need yeast to make the bread rise. The same power that was in Jesus to help him rise is in us all. You have the power to raise any situation in our life. Just like Jesus there is a period that we all may have to wait. Jesus rose in 3 days, and your waiting may be longer but the truth of the matter is that you will rise. You may just ne covered and waiting, but you will rise. The power you need is in you.

Free dont freeze

When the believers heard about this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus, his hometown. The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers.

Acts of the Apostles 9:30‭-‬31 NLT

I heard Pastor Jamal Bryant say; “dogs dont chase parked cars”. I came in on the middle of this saying and once I listened to the rest of what he was saying, he was saying that when you think about or discouraged about what others are saying about you, or doing to you, you have to understand is that they are trying to make you stop in your tracks. When you were younger and perhaps walking to or from somewhere and you heard a dog bark like crazy you froze. We were taught to stop moving and it will possibly leave you alone. That’s what the people want you to do is stop. A dog doesn’t chase a parked car, only the ones that’s moviving.

HERE IT IS…

Saul changed his life and turned it over to God. Now he is doing the work of God and preaching in Jesus name. The Jews didnt like that. So the wanted to kill Saul because they were afraid of what could come from it. The believers saw this and moved him to where he would be safe. I am just here to tell you that now that you are about to or making or have made this change, you will hear some dogs barking. Dont stop moving. Dont freeze in your tracks because that’s what he wants you to do. We have to understand that those dogs that are barking are the ones that haven’t been freed yet and are still behind that fence. Once in a while those dogs will get loose. But I know a man that will hide me in a safe place that they cant get to me. Keep going. Keep pushing because God has his hand on you.

It’s in you

Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength. Saul stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days.

Acts of the Apostles 9:1‭, ‬19 NLT

You ever go to a place with a complaint or to try and get something accomplished and you had an attitude but left differently? You ever go to a place and looking to give them a piece of your mind and left with a purchase? It’s hard to go in a place with an attitude and the service was so good that you left there changed than you were when you walked in. I have had that happen to me and it’s all because of who I was dealing with. The person was so polite, or could empathize with you as if they got it. You concerns wasnt thrown to the wayside. Your attitude wasnt met with attitude but with love and concern.

HERE IT IS…

Saul went there looking to kill some more of the followers of Christ. He wanted to try and kill the spirit of what they had in them and with every breath was looking to carry them out in chains. Here is his mistake. He went to the High Priest and on his way back ran into the presence of Jesus. On his way back with the same attitude to kill me destroy the spirit of God in the followers he met the very thing he was trying to destroy. Isn’t it funny that the very thing we try to suppress, cut out, cancel and remove from ourselves that God had put in us we run right into that very thing. You go in one way and come out a different way. The very thing your looking to get rid of God puts right in front of you and you have no choice but to walk in it. You may come in one way, but God is going to change your mind.

Vouched for

When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had truly become a believer! Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus and how the Lord had spoken to Saul. He also told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus.

Acts of the Apostles 9:26‭-‬27 NLT

I was helping a friend out in a hard time in they’re life by helping them get a job. This person had went through a time in their life when they had to live with different people. Divorced from his wife. Missing his kids. No work to pay his Bill’s. It just seemed that everything that could go wrong did! So they sent me they’re resume, I gave it to my supervisor and asked him to pull his application offline. Got him in to an interview and my supervisor asked me am I sure he will be a good hire. I gave a brief history of us working together and what they had to endure. I told my supervisor that I would vouch for him and that if it dont work out I would take the blame.

HERE IT IS…

People didnt believe that Saul had been changed completely because of his past, and because of the attention he was getting from the Jews because of who and what he used to do. Then Barnabas brought him before the apostles and told them of how he changed. He was vouched for by Barnabas. Isn’t it amazing that we all have been vouched for? How great is it that God sent his son to vouch for us on the cross. Regardless of your past. Regardless of what your going through. Regardless of what has, is and will happen Jesus took that cross and vouched for your sins. Your past is just that, the past. When other people didnt believe that you have changed God continues to put you in places where others can see just what God had done in your life and tell your story. You have been vouched for by God. Now live in his will.

Check your surroundings

Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength. Saul stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days. And immediately he began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is indeed the Son of God!”

Acts of the Apostles 9:19‭-‬20 NLT

There was a rough time in my life where I was going through alot. Moved with no place to go. Jobs were not working out. Had to have food for the kids and money was funny. But the thing I remember is that when I moved I had to stay with my parents again. This time it wasnt just me. It wasnt just my wife. We were a family. 7 extra people in my parents home. I had to humbly my pride as a man. I had humble myself as a husband and father. I had to get to a place where I was regaining who God wanted me to be and not who I wanted to be. It was a tough time but we made it.

HERE IT IS…

Saul was humbled at this tree where he was blinded, sat down, and not eating. Imagine being hungry, you cant see your way, and no place to stay. Here he is by himself having to sit still and listen to God and wait for help to come. Not knowing if it was coming or who it was. Then came Ananias and he laid his hands on him. Eyes were opened, and he ate. This is the best part, he stayed with him and as he stayed with him the spirit that was on him rubbed off on Saul. Sometimes God will humble you and put you in a place and around some people where the spirit is because he needs what’s on them to get to you. You are where you are because needs you to get something from it. Just like Saul, once your there for a while, the spirit of the Lord will become apart of you. So that when you leave, you wont be the same as you came. Check your surroundings

Hide and seek

So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength. Saul stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days.

Acts of the Apostles 9:17‭-‬19 NLT

There was a game that I think we all use to play called hide and seek. In the game you get a group of people together and you pick who is IT. The person who is IT, has to go somewhere and count to give everyone time to hide. Once they finish counting they have to come out and try and find the people that are hiding. Once they find them they now have to tag the person they found. The last person they find is the one that’s it and the process continues. The hardest part about this game is finding the people that are hiding. If you dont the people have an opportunity to run to what’s called base and are safe from being IT.

HERE IT IS…

Paul was seemingly playing a game of hide and seek with God and Anninias and didnt know it. As he was placed by a tree he didnt see him coming. The scripture says when he found Saul he tagged him(laid hands on him). He blessed him and now Saul is IT. Isn’t it amazing that when you play a game of hide and seek with God he always finds you? How awesome is that when he finds you he takes you from your hiding spot and makes you IT? You can hide all you want, you can run if you want. The thing about it is that even if your found your IT. But, if you run you realize that the base that your running towards is God as well. So I ask, what’s the use in running?

Dont talk just listen

Then the people said, “Come on, let’s plot a way to stop Jeremiah. We have plenty of priests and wise men and prophets. We don’t need him to teach the word and give us advice and prophecies. Let’s spread rumors about him and ignore what he says.” Lord , hear me and help me! Listen to what my enemies are saying.

Jeremiah 18:18‭-‬19 NLT

I have been this question so many times when people come to me to ask my advice, “why do people talk bad about you?”. My answer is this, you be worried when people stop talking about you when your doing the right thing. People are going to talk about you before your born, after your born during your life and even when your dead and gone. Why? Because they have to find something, or create something about you to try and bring you down to where they are. It’s not really about you, have you ever stopped to think about that. Alot of times it’s the God and the things God is doing inside of you that they are talking about. We have to remember we are just a vessel.

HERE IT IS…

Jeremiah had the same problem but what he did is what is the answer. He took it to God. This is where people dont realize the power that you have with God. He listens! Jeremiah took it to God and told him what could happen to him if he didnt do something. God listened and gave the people of israel a warning. You are not the first person to be talked about, and you wont be the last. The great thing about God is that he hears the voice of his children that hear him. The only thing you have to do is keep following gods voice. Let God take care of God things. You follow him.