Featured
Posted on

The Danger of a Church Without Salt

Do you go to church? If you do, why do you go? What do you think the purpose of the church is? Culture and religion have greatly affected people’s views of the church. Growing up in the church and observing it over the last five decades, I found differing opinions amongst those who led and attended. Some referred to it as “a soul-saving station,” while others felt it was “a hospital for the hurting.” It then moved on to being “Seeker sensitive.” Though these sound nice, shouldn’t we be looking at what Jesus said was the purpose of the church?

We have allowed culture and religion to both define and shape what the church has become. It began with wanting church growth which seemed like a good thing. We then began changing the “language” we used, how we dressed, and the length of the service so it wouldn’t feel like church. The was hope people would feel welcomed and come again because it didn’t disrupt their schedule too much. Then we changed the message and stopped preaching on subjects that might be too intrusive. Instead of teaching the whole truth with conviction, we left out all the “how to live a Biblically holy life” parts because we didn’t want people to feel judged.

But when the church forfeits her boundaries, she has lost her salt. She is no longer effective. In that environment, no one is correctible. Even those in leadership begin living without boundaries. Scripture is clear. The church belongs to God, and He corrects whom He loves. (Hebrews 12:6) God starts dealing with sin in His house first. (1 Peter 4:17)

So what is the purpose of the church? Jesus gave us the answer in Mark 11:17 (NKJV).

17 Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.'” (NKJV) Jesus said this after turning over the money changers’ tables and driving out all those who were selling their wares. But if we back up a few verses, we can see this picture more fully.

Mark 11:11 11 “And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.”

Jesus had taken a good look around at everything, but because it was late, he decided to deal with it the next day. Now let’s look at it in John 2:13-16. 13 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. 15 When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. 16 And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!”

Jesus literally took all night to think about what He saw. He then made a whip while looking around and watching what they had turned His house into. And with righteous indignation, he cleaned His house.

Jesus had declared the “what” of the church’s purpose in Mark, but in Matthew, He tells us the why. Matthew 21:12-14 12 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.'”

14 Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.

It is imperative that we get this right. If we want to help the sinner find salvation, the misunderstood find acceptance, the broken made whole, the bound find freedom, and the sick made well, we must keep the proper purpose of the church.

We can’t be led by the culture any longer. We must lead the culture. It’s time to bring back the salt. We must be praying, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done.” If there is going to be a revival, it must start in the church with its leaders. And when they are revived, they will lead the people into revival. We have allowed the unchurched world to lead the church for too long. It’s time for the called to take their place and lead with fire, conviction, and holiness. If we do, then the blind, the lame, and the lost will make their way back into the church and be saved, healed, and delivered.

We don’t have time to waste. Jesus is coming for a bride that is without spot or wrinkle. Let’s be the salt and light to a tasteless and dark world. This resurrection season, let’s be the revived.

Jaime Luce

Photo 119063520 / Church © Jantanee Rungpranomkorn | Dreamstime.com
Featured
Posted on

Are You Satisfied?

We are so continually busy. Busy with work or school, family and friends, chosen activities, and responsibilities of every kind. For some, the business seems necessary. For others, it is a search for satisfaction or a sense of accomplishment. At the core, we’re really hoping that what we are doing matters, yet sadly, so few things really profit.

I love how beautifully the King James says it. John 6:63 tells us, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” The picture the word quickeneth conjures is one that quickly gives a jolt of life, a spring in the step. That is something to think about. The things we do by instruction from the Holy Spirit bring a quick boost of joy and life to our hearts and lives. What we do in obedience gives strength and meaning. We realize God’s purpose.

On the other hand, the flesh doesn’t profit at all. Though I believe we are to take care of our physical bodies since they are the temple of the Lord, 1 Timothy 4:8 tells us, “For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” The power in this verse is to remind us of what to be focused on, Godliness. It’s living for and unto God in all things that will profit everyone and everything for all of time and eternity.

If I focus on myself, I risk living unsatisfied and ultimately doing it all for nothing. Jesus said, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” Mark 8:36. We have a life of obedience to live. Jesus also said in 1 John 5:3, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.”. Instead, they give life and purpose. They fulfill and give strength. In short, they satisfy.

I know we can’t walk away from all responsibility, but I challenge you to make sure that you do the things that give life and strengthen you for your journey. Follow the leading and instruction of the Spirit of God. Let your obedience bring you great and deep satisfaction to your soul. Let the joy of the Lord indeed be your strength. Nothing else will satisfy. It only leaves you wanting more.

Every pleasure the flesh can offer fades quickly and leaves you wanting. Regardless of how you find physical pleasure, it won’t last. If you eat this morning, you will need to eat again. Every addiction, self-gratification, or obsession will leave you empty. CT Studd got it right. “Only one life twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.” Proverbs 4:7 “…In all of your getting, get understanding.” If you want to live your best life now, don’t waste your opportunity today to live by the Spirit and live a satisfied life.

Jaime Luce

Featured
Posted on

Do The Hard Thing!

Do the hard thing even when people don’t understand you. Paul had it in his spirit to go to Jerusalem. His friends, who were believers, even prophetic, told him not to go. They tried to convince him not to do it. But Paul knew what was in his spirit. He told us in 1 Corinthians 4:4 that he conducts himself in all good conscience. In Acts 24:16, speaking of Paul, “So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.”

Don’t disobey to please people if you know that you have heard from the Lord. Keep your conscience clear. Men won’t always understand. That’s because God didn’t speak that to them. They weren’t on a zoom call with you to hear what God said to you. People have good intentions, but they won’t always understand.

If Daniel were facing his choice to be thrown in the lion’s den today, people would have told him, “Dude, listen. You don’t have to do this. Just close your windows and pray in secret. That way, you won’t offend anyone and not risk your life.” But Daniel did what Daniel knew to do. Daniel going headlong into the lion’s den was the very thing that brought glory to God and influence with the king. It was the exact place Daniel was called to serve. His actions caused the removal of those with corrupt influence and the establishment of righteous influence.

If the Three Hebrew boys were facing the fiery furnace today, people would have justified them bowing down and even encouraged it. They would have told them, “it wouldn’t be God’s will for you to die. If you die, how will you do anything for God? That isn’t necessary. God sees your heart.” Ehhh—wrong! The act of being thrown into the furnace influenced the king, causing him to declare that God is the only real God. It was their willingness to do the hard thing that caused their bonds to fall off, and it was that hard thing that brought glory to God.

The kingdom of God is the invisible, influencing the visible. It is the unseen influencing the seen. Like the wind, you see its influence without ever seeing the wind itself. People won’t see that God is influencing you. They will only see later what the impact was. People won’t understand you. Accepting that will help you go from being a people pleaser with no influence to a God pleaser with tremendous influence. Do the hard thing!

Trouble may come before the thing is finished, and people will say, “See, I told you.” But you can’t worry about that. Those same people don’t ask you for your opinion before doing what they think they should do. They aren’t worried about what you think or if you agree. In fact, for Paul, Daniel, and the three Hebrew boys, it looked like they were right.

Let’s look at Paul. If he had listened and not gone to prison, we wouldn’t have most of the New Testament. The influence and reach of Paul’s obedience to what God put in his spirit still speaks over 2,000 years later. We still cling to what he taught us about following Christ.

Don’t waste time judging others. It isn’t your business, and it isn’t your calling. Do what God speaks to you to do so you can influence and make the impact you need to make.
Do the hard thing!

Jaime Luce

Photo 136777058 / Do © Josephine Julian Lobijin | Dreamstime.com
Featured
Posted on

The Hard Truth

Truth is truth regardless of how hard or offensive we may think it is. Our culture has programmed the masses to believe that truth is only truth if we like or agree. Those of this mindset Jesus confronted. After feeding 5,000 people, the number of followers Jesus had multiplied. They were entertained by the miracles and satisfied by what Jesus provided them. But as soon as Jesus told them the hard truth about what they really wanted and what was really necessary to follow him, they were offended.

John 6:60-64 60 Therefore, many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” 61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are Spirit, and they are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.”

Jesus let them know that they would find the life they were seeking if they believed the truth. Without it, all of their efforts would profit them nothing. The hard truth was that they would need to change their minds. They would have to let go of their preconceived ideas. They would need to relinquish the control they clung to. The culture to reject truth was so pervasive that Jesus turned to the twelve and asked if they would leave Him too. Would they be like those who were hard-hearted and only see from a carnal natural perspective? A perspective that only wanted to satisfy their flesh. Or would they be those who lived after the Spirit? Those who would live for eternity and not just the here and now.

Those who love truth respond like Peter. John 6:68-69 68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also, we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 

What was the game-changer? How did Peter jump from the dull of hearing to the rock the church was built on? The answer is in verse 69. He knew Jesus. He continued with Him, followed Him, sought Him, and came to believe. It’s ok if you’re in the process of knowing Him. Stay the course and seek the absolute truth. Not the false truth that makes you feel good or that you and everyone else agrees with. Be a seeker of real truth, the hard truth, that you must eat Jesus’ body and drink His blood. That your life is not your own and that you are called for a purpose greater than yourself.

That group is much smaller. But that’s the group that can stand through any storm. Those are the ones who see the miraculous take place. That group of people carry boldness and are not timid or fearful but full of faith and power. This band of believers will get out of the boat and walk on water, and this group of people will shake the world for God’s glory. They will make an impact. They are those who love and proclaim truth! 

I challenge you today. Take a hard look at what you accept or criticize about the Word of God. Jesus said in Mark 8:34-38 34, When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

The choice remains yours. Choose wisely.

Jaime Luce

Featured
Posted on

Greater Is He Who Is In You…

The prayer of faith is powerful. But like anything else, if you don’t use it, it remains powerless. The lack of use then prompts the question, “Do we really believe it works?” If we did, we would use it and do so frequently. If we don’t believe it, why? Did we pray once, and nothing changed? Did something bad happen, and we are stuck because we blame God? And if we blame God, we can either think we are punishing Him by not talking to Him or because He didn’t end up being the big Santa in the sky; we’ve decided we won’t ask for anything. 

All of these thoughts or questions lead to the bigger question. Do we really know God? To know Him is to know His thoughts about us and life and His way of doing things. He said in Isaiah 55:8-9 8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. (NJKV)

God said that King David was a man after His own heart because David continually conversed with God telling Him that He loved His precepts (thoughts), judgments (justice), and ordinances (established decrees for living). Moses would climb the mountain to “know God,” wanting Him to show him His glory (His divine nature and character). These men wanted God and not His hand. God then showed them His hand because they knew Him. They desired a real relationship with God and asked of Him continually. Because they knew God and His power, they didn’t doubt God or His compassion. They humbled themselves and didn’t question God’s methods because to do so would imply that they knew better than God.

They understood that God is the almighty, all-knowing, all-powerful creator of all that is seen and unseen who desires a relationship and wants to be known by us. He will hear and answer our prayers when we pray in faith believing. But believing comes from knowing, and knowing produces trust. Trusting is the silent but firm foundation that faith is built on.

When we look at Mark 5, we see that those who understood the power of God were not His disciples. It says that Jesus crossed the sea to the Gaderenes, and the demons saw Jesus coming afar off. Immediately upon getting out of the boat, the possessed man was there with the demons pleading not to be tormented by Jesus. If only we had the faith of those demons, we would see the miraculous power of God. It’s a sad state of affairs to know that demons have more faith than we do. If the devil knows to be afraid of what you carry, you need to be aware of the power you carry. That power can change your circumstance when you operate in faith.

But often, we do what the people of that region did. Jesus didn’t operate the way they wanted Him to, so they begged Him to leave their country. Can you imagine that? Because they didn’t like His ways, they rejected their savior. Let’s not be guilty of that. Let’s spend the time it takes to know our God and His ways, and in so doing, we can find freedom and deliverance from the schemes of the enemy and healing for our souls.

If we are believers, let’s believe! Let’s believe in who God is and what He will do for those who trust Him. Let’s make it our mission to know our God, and let’s welcome Him into our cities, states, and countries and see revival sweep our land. The power of God is real. So let’s believe in faith and watch God move.

Featured
Posted on

The Fork in the Road Called Faith

Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a ruler in the Jewish community. He was a teacher of the law and confident in his knowledge of God. However, when He encounters Jesus, he realizes how much he doesn’t know. In John 3:1-21, Nicodemus is struggling to understand the kingdom of God, and Jesus explains that he must be born again to see the kingdom.
At this statement, the one who usually teaches must admit he doesn’t understand and needs to be taught. Then even after Jesus explains, Nicodemus says, “How can these things be?” He has arrived at the juncture of faith.

At this crossroads, this fork in the road, Jesus needs to teach the learned that he is still missing it. And the missing ingredient isn’t tangible. Jesus confronts the real problem for Nicodemus and so many of us. He tells him in verse 12 that “If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” In a nutshell, Jesus is saying, “with all your knowledge, you are still missing the most important piece. You have no faith.”

Many of us are like Nicodemus. We live not believing because of the natural. We look with natural eyes trying to see what can only be spiritually accessed. We fail to recognize that our flesh is inadequate and unable. But facing that very fact awakens us to the realization that we are dead and need to be born again to live. If our spirits are dead, we have no faith. We live suspiciously and remain critical and only know doubt.
Nicodemus had head knowledge, but it had not converted his heart where one believes and is convinced.

No matter what we think we know, we must continually be taught and corrected by the Lord. We need Him to instruct our hearts as we lean into His. We must spend time in His word, in prayer, and his presence, seeking the answers to all of our questions. We, like Nicodemus, must have our hearts converted and begin exercising faith. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that it is impossible to please God without faith.

Today, humble yourself and ask the Lord to show you where you need faith. Let Him teach you what you don’t know. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.”

Jesus has the answers to all of your questions. So let your faith rise and make the way for you to lay hold of them today.

Jaime Luce

 

Featured
Posted on

Your Gift Reveals Your Heart

Have you been guilty of judging another person’s gift? Gift-giving is personal. Often, those who know us the most intimately give the best gifts. In fact, the most extravagant gifts are usually given by those who understand our hearts. To a person outside of that relationship, the gift may not be understood or valued, but it means a great deal to the receiver. The gift can even be mocked or ridiculed and cause others’ hearts to be revealed. Such was the case in Matthew 26:6-13 NKJV.

6 And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. 8 But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.”

10 But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. 11 For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. 12 For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial.13 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

Jesus had closely walked with His disciples for three years. He had been preparing them for His death and resurrection. He knew the cost of the gift He was about to give them and that they couldn’t know its value until much later. But there was one, not obvious to the rest, who desired to give a gift that would cost her all that she had even before Jesus would give His. He would pour out his life for others while Mary would pour out her sustenance for Jesus. Both would be mocked, undervalued, and misunderstood.

That’s what giving to the work of the Lord is. Jesus said, “she has done a good work for Me.” and that it would be told as a memorial to her! Our gifts matter. Your offerings, especially when costly, are not a waste. Those who think so are only revealing what is in their own hearts. They excuse their distaste for them by saying there are more worthy places to give as if they give to any.

From the beginning, gifts have been mocked. Abel gave a righteous gift, while Cain hated him for it. Instead of giving and doing what was right or worthy, he envied, judged, hated, and murdered his brother for it. What does seeing others’ gifts provoke in you?

Mary saw the fullness of the blessing and gifts she had received from Jesus, which provoked her to give. The disciples saw the gift she gave, which provoked them to mock and one to murder.

Don’t listen to the hard-hearted and envious. Give to the Lord with abandon. It has great purpose in the kingdom. Your reward won’t come from men. It will come from the one you gave the gift. He sees what you have given, and He knows the cost. Your gift will be echoed through time and eternity, and in the end, you will hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” Matthew 25:23 NKJV

“Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38 NKJV

Love gives. Jesus said in Matthew 6:21 NKJV, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Do you really love Him? There is more to love than the giving of gifts, of course. Jesus also said that if we loved Him, we would keep His commandments. The common denominator in this equation is your heart. During this Valentine’s season, where we make an effort to show love, let me provoke you to examine your heart.

You cannot give what you do not have. Maybe your heart needs to be converted or prodded. Let the knowledge of what Christ has done for you provoke you. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 NKJV

Jaime Luce

Photo 16673832 / Giving © Andreka | Dreamstime.com
Featured
Posted on

You Have What It Takes

There is a misconception that is prevailing in the church. The dangerous and misleading belief is that you just need to say a prayer of salvation, and you’re good. You’ve got a ticket to heaven, and all will be well. Why it’s misleading is because you can receive the mercy and grace of God by just asking. But once you have moved from the children of darkness into the children of light, there is something for you to do. And what he calls us to do has great consequence for us and the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 25:14-30 tells us the parable of the talents. Verse 14 begins like this. “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.” In this parable, the man is dealing with his own servants. He isn’t talking about strangers or outsiders. He is talking about those are his. He then gives one servant five talents, one servant two talents, and the last servant one talent. He gave each according to their ability, so nothing was required of them that they could not handle.

Heaven operates this way. We’re given what we have the capacity to increase. There are no excuses. We should be doing something to grow what we have been given. To bury it is to bury your future and, ultimately, your eternity. It is that drastic!
The servant given five talents made five more, and he heard the words in verse 21, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”

Likewise, in verse 23, the second servant was given two talents and heard, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”

However, in verses 24-25, the third servant who was given one talent made excuses while placing blame on his lord and said, “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.”

But look what his lord said to him in response. “You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming, I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And Cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

This parable closely resembles another parable Jesus gave of the wedding feast in Matthew 22. Someone comes into the wedding without the proper garments on, and the king said to the servants, “Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into out darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

I know this can sound hard but hear me out. You won’t be required to do what you aren’t capable of doing. However, sometimes you’re called to do what you think you can’t do. Moses thought the people wouldn’t listen to him and that he was insignificant and asked the Lord how. The Lord asked him a question in response. “What do you have in your hand?” He then successfully led millions of people to freedom with the rod that was in his hand. And God will do the same with you. You do have what it takes. There are no excuses. God has given you everything you need to be fruitful in this life and the next.

Don’t worry about the one with five talents or the one who has two. Just do what you’re called to do with what you have, which will produce an increase. And when you do, what a reward you will receive when you hear those words, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” What a day that will be! So go for it. Do something with what you have and watch God do the impossible through you.

Jaime Luce

Photo 206344844 / You © Maria Marganingsih | Dreamstime.com
Featured
Posted on

Just Pray

Prayer. Such a small but powerful word. And to access its power, you simply must do it. You want to do it. You know you need to do it. Your own spirit calls to you, asking you to do it. And it’s the one thing that can actually change you and your situation. It is the one thing that can bring peace into your chaos. But it won’t happen by itself. You must do it. Just as keys are only useful when you use them, so is prayer.

Prayer is the ability to talk face to face with the one who created the galaxies. The one who formed the heavens and the earth with just a word. The one who owns it all and desires to share it. The one who imagined you and dreamed a good plan for you and knows how to bring it to pass. The one who loves you so personally that He gave His life just for you so that you could live that life He planned in grand fashion.

In Ephesians 6:18 (NIV), Paul says, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” That covers it all. He tells us to pray about everything, anything, all things, and keep praying.

He also tells us how to do it. By the Spirit. Why is that important? Because in Romans 8:26 (NKJV), we read, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” That is so comforting. Even when we don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit does. If we will open our mouths and allow Him to pray through us, even when it only sounds like groans, God hears me and knows what I need.

Then the promise is that He not only hears us, but He answers us. 1 John 5:14-15 (NIV) says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

We are instructed to pray. It’s like Naaman, the leper, in 2 Kings 5. When the Prophet told him what he needed to do to be healed, he didn’t want to do it. His servant reasoned with him and said to him that he would have done it if the Prophet had told him to do a hard thing. Why not do the simple thing he instructed? So Naaman realized he was wrong, did what he was told to do, and received his miracle.

God is your Father, and He is a good father. The closeness and nearness we desire from Him are found in prayer. You can’t have a relationship where there is no talking. It’s not a hard thing we are called to do. The answers you desire are found in Him. The help you need is found in Him. The breakthrough you are fighting for is found in Him. Everything you could ever need or want is found in Him. The key to accessing it all is prayer.

If you want this year to be different, become a person of prayer. It’s very simple, yet so many miss it. Don’t be one of them. Let the Lord begin to direct your life in the plan He designed just for you. You can start right now, right where you are. All you have to do is pray. Your answers are waiting.

Jaime Luce

Photo 107558500 / Prayer © Enterlinedesign | Dreamstime.com

 

 

Featured
Posted on

Is Fasting Really Necessary?

A brand new year often brings a desire for consecration for the Christian. We sense that we need to draw closer to the Lord or, in essence, rededicate ourselves to Him. We recognize the need for more of Him. For many, that consecration means fasting. Fasting literally means not eating food. I know it has become common practice to go easy on ourselves and say that we are fasting television or social media for a time. Though those things are good to do, they aren’t fasting. Fasting means food.

But is it necessary? There are objections to fasting found both outside and inside the church. If the objection comes from the outside, it is usually coupled with comments like, “That’s a little fanatical” or “isn’t that a bit extreme?” If it comes from within the church, it is from those who desire to argue over particular scriptural references that suit their opinions.

First, let me be clear, you don’t have to fast to get saved. However, when Jesus behaves in a particular manner, it would seem a behavior we ought to emulate. John 5:19 “Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” So Jesus emulates the Father, and we emulate Jesus.

It would seem that the Son of God would not need to fast. But we see that in Matthew 4:1-11, he clearly did. Why was it necessary? Immediately after Jesus’ baptism, he was led up into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Jesus knew what was ahead. He knew the enemy would be coming to tempt him. With that knowledge, Jesus chose to prepare. His preparation was that of fasting. He humbled his flesh to allow no hindrance for His Spirit to rule.

The purpose should be the same for us. We don’t fast because we think it is a magic wand that can make God answer our prayers. Instead, we humble ourselves and our flesh so that our spirits draw closer to God. We desire His strength and power instead of the fleeting power of natural food. We understand that fasting doesn’t change God. It changes us, and that is where we need the help.

To live a surrendered life for Christ in this new year will take our participation and preparation. If you live to advance of the Kingdom of God and for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, It will take your participation. You may need to put away the former things and put on His righteousness. You may need to die to the flesh so you can live to the Spirit. To do this, it may take humbling yourself and acknowledging your dependence on the Lord. If we recognize that we need Him today and every day, we will do whatever it takes to remain close to His heart.

Jesus said that we would have tribulation in this world, so we know we will face difficult circumstances and temptations like Him. But He also said, be of good cheer for I have overcome the world. He showed us a remedy. He showed us what He did. He fasted.
I think it’s that simple. If Jesus needed to do it, I think it is fair to say that we do too. If you feel that there is too much space between you and your Savior, if you just need more this year, if life is overwhelming, or you simply want to rededicate yourself to the Lord and His purposes, consider a time of fasting.

Happy New Year!

Jaime Luce

Photo 45724681 / Fasting © Win Nondakowit | Dreamstime.com

 

 

Featured
Posted on

Press On!

Phillippians 3:13-14, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Are you pressing? Though the road has been challenging, are you pressing forward? Though all may have forsaken you, are you pressing? Even though you have a past, are you pressing? Even though you’ve had some successes, are you pressing?

Paul had experienced it all. He began with a past that left him feeling he was the least. A worm at best. He had been blind, beaten, shipwrecked, bitten by a snake, and abandoned, to name just a few. He knew failure in ministry and relationships. He wrestled with his flesh, saying he didn’t do the things he wanted to, and he did the things he didn’t want to do.

On the other hand, he was rocking the world by bringing the gospel to the gentiles. He had brought the baptism of the Holy Spirit to those who hadn’t so much as heard that there was a Holy Spirit. He healed the sick and raised the dead. He mentored and fathered new Christians to lead, and he mended and reunited relationships with those once torn. He authored thirteen of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament and finished his race well.

With a new year upon us, let us remember what Paul taught. Forget what is behind. There is a prize to win that God has called us to win. The enemy would love to keep us locked up in the things we can’t relive. It isn’t an easy thing, of course. Paul said he strained forward. The original Greek for that word means to exert oneself to the uttermost. It’s hard work. It’s a stretching, and stretching is painful. But like a rubber band, once it has been stretched, it will never be a small as it once was. It has grown.

We, like Paul, must press on. That word press means to move rapidly and decisively toward. To hasten and to run. Before we know it, 2023 will be at the door, and what will we have done? Let’s press on. Let’s leave the past in the past and stretch toward the prize. To look back is not to press but to regress. It’s time to advance with precision. We’ve got a race to win, and 2022 is just the year to do it. Press on saints. Let’s win the prize!

Jaime Luce

Photo 167306351 © Golfmhee | Dreamstime.com
Featured
Posted on

You Will Still Be Victorious

The obstacle in front of you does not necessarily mean that God isn’t with you. When God wanted to set His people free from the grips of Pharoah, He hardened Pharoah’s heart to show His great power over the God’s of Egypt, using the very plagues that mirrored the God’s they served.

Each plague represented when Pharoah said “no” to Moses’ demands. Each “no” represented a more demanding situation for the children of Israel. But it was God who hardened His heart. God was definitely going to set His people free. He had already declared it and sent Moses to get the job done.

But to look at it with natural eyes, you would think that God couldn’t possibly have sent Moses since Pharoah kept refusing. It would seem that God was not with them nor desiring to deliver them.

We see this happen again when the children of Israel are preparing to go to battle and take their promised land. God tells Moses to have them attack King Sihon of Heshbon, who had refused to let them pass through his land while they journeyed in the wilderness. In Deuteronomy 2:30, Moses says this, “But King Sihon of Heshbon refused to allow us to pass through because the Lord your God made Sihon stubborn and defiant so he could help you defeat him, as he has now done.

God again hardened the heart of an enemy He wanted to be defeated. That news should be a massive place of hope for us. Most people would think that if God told them to go battle something, it would be easy. They believe if God told them, the doors will fling open, and no battle is necessary. A battle doesn’t represent God’s absence. In fact, it could represent the exact opposite.

If you are following the leading of the Holy Spirit, and you feel you must enter the battle, then yes, God will give you the victory. However, you may still have to battle. God can’t lose a fight. And sometimes He hardens your enemies’ hearts against the plan of God in your life. If He does this, it is because He plans to destroy that enemy in your life completely. He allows their cup of iniquity to fill so that you can utterly destroy the works of the enemy in your life once and for all and take new territory.

Don’t be discouraged. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. (Eph 3:10) If God is for you, then who can be against you? (Romans 8:31) If you must fight, then fight. God will surely give you the victory!

Jaime Luce

Photo 4344312 / Battle © David Kovziridze | Dreamstime.com

 

Featured
Posted on

What The World Needs Now

An old song says, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.” The question is how to get it. In the book of Romans chapter 5 verse 5, Paul says, “And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”

If the Holy Spirit fills us with love, then what the world needs more of is the Holy Spirit. We desperately need Him. We can’t know how to love without Him. It isn’t enough to know about Him. It isn’t enough to visit with Him. We must be filled with Him. We must allow ourselves to be emersed and overwhelmed with God’s Holy Spirit. And by that intimate experience, we can more fully understand the difference between our carnal love and His perfect love. 

Real love, Godly love, makes one feel safe and secure, casting all fear from His presence. Once the fear is gone, then peace is free to reign. If we struggle with peace, we are struggling with love. If we are struggling with love, we are living with fear. Thank God for the Holy Spirit. 

I don’t know about you, but I need Him. I need Him to think straight. I need Him to clear the clutter of my mind. I need Him to lead me in the way I should go. I need Him to comfort and calm me. I need Him to encourage and strengthen me. I need Him to teach and instruct me in the ways of God that lead to life instead of aimlessly walking the paths that lead to destruction. I need His love filling me so that I know how to love.

Folks, we need the Holy Spirit. Can I encourage you to recognize and cherish the gift we have been given and spend time being filled by His Spirit today? He alone can meet our hearts’ deepest needs, and He is available right now. Why wait another moment. Invite Him in to make the difference and fill you with His much-needed perfect love. Allow His love to cast out all fear and bring you the comfort of His matchless peace. He’s just a prayer away.

Jaime Luce

Photo 7444425 / Baptism © Jose Antonio Sanchez Reyes | Dreamstime.com
Featured
Posted on

The Main Thing

In every circumstance and every situation, there is one determining factor that has the power to alter, change, restore, and make brand new. It alone holds power to manifest an answer where only questions abound. It is the single factor that set’s you apart. This one element is the golden ticket, the treasure map, the compass of direction. The single key that opens every door tears down every wall, and defeats every enemy is the presence of God!

In Exodus 33, Moses is having an exchange with God about continuing with his assignment. We’ve all been there. We begin and see the mighty power of God displayed as we set out in faith to accomplish the task He called us to do. Somewhere along the line, things go sideways. The people who were with you are now against you. Where you thought you’d be and where you are now look nothing alike. Even your conversations with the Lord are discouraging because He’s just as fed up with everyone’s lack of faith as you are. Though God promises you that He will still use you and accomplish what He said He would, you feel depleted and not comforted.

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “Keep the main thing, the main thing.” What Moses was worried about was the main thing. He knew that even if he continued forward with a new plan, that would still eventually accomplish his task; without the main thing, it would mean nothing. This is where most people miss it. This one main thing is why God chose Moses.

All Moses cared about from the beginning was God’s presence. It was his only sure thing. It’s as if to say, “If God goes with me, I know it will go exactly how God says it will go.” Moses was so attached to this truth that God would speak to him face to face. And even in that seemingly perfect relationship, Moses wasn’t satisfied. The cry of his heart was, I need to know you more. He says to the Lord, “Show me your glorious presence.” In essence, he was saying, “I know you talk to me, even intimately, face to face, but I want to know why you do what you do and how you think. I want to know all of your ways and how to walk in them.”

King David had this same heart. That’s why it is said of him that he was a man after God’s own heart. God’s presence going with you, leading the way, is the secret of every victory. To know that God is with you, fighting for you, preparing the way, is the peace and courage of every giant slayer. It is the ammunition for every weapon you wield. It is the ultimate prize. To have the presence of God is to have peace that passes all understanding. It is strength to continue to fight the next battle. It is assurance that you’re going to be ok.

If you seek anything today, may you seek His presence. Keep the main thing, the main thing. Nothing else really matters. Though the season is busy and chaotic, remember where peace comes from. It won’t come from checking off all the boxes and finishing the must-dos. It will come when you’re face to face and hear Him say, “I’m going with you, and I’ll show you all my goodness.” There is nothing like the presence of God. Make Him your priority, and watch Him make the difference.

Jaime Luce

Photo 131085075 / Presence © Photodynamx | Dreamstime.com
Featured
Posted on

Miracles Come From Gratitude

Thanksgiving is a time when even those who don’t regularly practice gratitude try to. Social media posts are filled with challenges to be grateful for something every day, while others post funny turkey cartoons wanting to spread some laughter and joy. It’s the one time a year that we emphasize remembering the details in life that really matter and for which we should be most grateful. There is something about gratitude that compels us. We want to give to those who have given to us.

In 2 Kings 4:8-17, we read of one such event. Elisha, on many occasions, travels through the town of Shunem. Each time, an unnamed woman invites him to stop in for a hot meal before continuing on his journey. She senses that he is a man of God and wants to bless him. So she talks with her husband, and they build a room especially for him so that when he passes through, he not only can have a meal but a place to stay and refresh.

This act of generosity so impacts Elisha that he asks his servant to call her so he can speak to her. He asks her, “is there anything I can do for you?” But because she gave her gift out of pure generosity and with no expectation of reciprocation, she responds with “no. My family takes good care of me.” She wanted nothing in return, only to be a blessing.

Her response made Elisha more determined. He asked his servant, “what can we do for her?” Gehazi, his servant, perceived a great need. She had no child, and her husband was old. She may not need anything now, but without a son, her future might look very different.

So Elisha calls her back and tells her, “next year at this time, you will be holding a son in your arms!” She cried out, “No, my lord! O man of God, don’t deceive me and get my hopes up like that.” But the scripture says that sure enough, by that time the following year, she was holding a son.

Friends, it was gratitude that prompted her miracle. It was gratitude that brought back to life a dead dream. It was gratitude that did the impossible. Saints, let gratitude birth your miracle. And this time next year, we can testify once more to the goodness of God, continuing the blessing of Thanksgiving.

Jaime Luce

Photo 188329241 / Gratitude © Maria Marganingsih | Dreamstime.com
Featured
Posted on

Work Your Favor And Use Your Gifts

Favor is a funny thing. It’s not garnered because you desire it. It is bestowed for reasons only the one giving can determine. Jacob had 12 sons, but it was the 11th that captured his heart. Joseph was the firstborn from the woman he’d worked 14 years to marry. Because she remained barren for so many years, Joseph was not conceived until Jacob’s old age. Finally, seeing the fruit of that love gave Joseph the favor that no other son could achieve. The giving of a gift showed Jacob’s favor and affection. A coat of many colors.

But as they say, “Favor ain’t fair.” His brothers hated and envied him for it. Their perception of his favor, dreams, and gifts was that Joseph was a threat. Though they were older and had more position, they would lose that status if Joseph’s dreams were true. They blamed their possible feat on Joseph’s favor and gifts. They hoped if they removed him and his glaring coat, they’d not feel the lack of their own dreams. Yet stripping Joseph of his colorful coat and selling him into slavery only exacerbated their problem. Now they had to continually witness their father’s grief and sorrow, cementing forever the favor that belonged to Joseph.

Potiphar’s wife had a problem with it too. She thought she could manipulate and use Joseph’s favor for personal gain. She wanted to partner with it and share in his favor. What he carried was so evident that though she held position above Joseph, she wanted what he had for herself. By keeping his coat, she thought she held power to control Joseph’s future.

Even in prison, Joseph’s favor was present, putting him in charge. God was positioning him for his breakthrough.

You may feel like Joseph. Your situation seems to be going from bad to worse. Even if you’re still in a prison, feeling forgotten, use your gifts anyway. Bring heaven’s interpretation to the lives of those in the prison with you. Don’t entertain the lies of the enemy. You are destined for greater things.  If your dreams are still unfulfilled, hang on. Envy, manipulation, and delay can’t stifle the gifts God has given you. This is not how your story ends. You have not lost your favor. There are countless numbers of people who need your gift. Your position is being set. So, work your favor and use your gifts.

Jaime Luce

Photo 105550084 / Coat Many Colors © Bohuslav Jelen | Dreamstime.com

 

Featured
Posted on

It’s An Opportunity, Not a Setback!

Can you imagine? David, just a shepherd boy, singing and playing his instrument while watching his father’s sheep. When out of the corner of his eye, he sees a lion jump from his hidden position to attack the sheep. By himself, David jumped and ran toward the lion, killing him and saving the sheep.

Now, can you imagine that instead of celebrating his great victory, David instead sits down to say, “Why God? Why did you allow that lion to attack us? I’m no good at this. This is too hard. I guess I shouldn’t be a shepherd. You must not want me to do this.”

Let’s take it even further. David is again worshipping the Lord and watching the sheep graze when out of the shadow comes a bear that is running full force straight at them. Alone again, David kills the bear and saves himself and the sheep.

David could have thought, “Why does this keep happening. I’ve already had to fight a battle. God must not be with me. What am I doing wrong? Why do I always have problems?”

When faced with another problem or another battle, the temptation is to take the victim mentality even if you’ve won the previous battles and think you have a setback. If your self-talk sounds something like, “Just when things were going good, this had to happen.” Or, “Why does this always happen to me?” Then you’ve got to shake yourself loose from the grip of self-pity.

Like David, your past battles had a purpose. They worked for you to enlarge you. The fight you are facing right now is not a setback. It is an opportunity. You can take even more territory. God has more for you!

You can be like David doing a task that seems menial and mundane. You may think this is all there is. Well, I’m here to tell you it’s not. God has opened an opportunity to enlarge you. But taking territory and enlarging is a battle. Anyone who has tried to grow a company understands that enlarging is hard work. It’s an uphill battle with many obstacles. And at every place of enlargement comes a more significant, more intimidating struggle.

David was just delivering bread and cheese when he heard Goliath vomiting his threats and mockings. At that moment, David could have thought, “not again…,” “not another fight.” I’ve already had to deal with a lion and a bear. What more does God want from me?” Thank God he didn’t think those things. Instead, he said, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine who defies the armies of the living God?” After finding out the reward, David’s immediate reaction was to run toward the battle. Ours should be the same.

Revelation 1:6 says we are kings and priests unto God. We are overcomers, not down and outers. We advance the kingdom of God and take territory. Like David, we don’t shrink back. (Hebrews 10:38) That day, David was positioned for the palace. The previous battles prepared him for this giant. Just like before, David took that giant down and cut his head off. And saints, so can we!

We are not living in a setback moment. It’s time to advance. It’s time to take new and larger territory and slay our giants! Don’t be intimidated. Don’t listen to the lies and tricks of the enemy. Think from the proper perspective. Take every negative and defeatest thought captive. Deny fear any entrance and march forward in faith. Your victory will position you for your greater purpose and will bring deliverance to you and all those around you.

Jaime Luce

Photo 31570586 © Shutter999 | Dreamstime.com
Featured
Posted on

Misinformation

We’ve all jumped to conclusions. We see something, hear something, or imagine something because we saw nothing and heard nothing. Relying on senses alone will lead to a conclusion that is just as imagined.

After selling Joseph to traders, Jacob’s sons brought Joseph’s coat that was shredded and dipped in blood to their father. They simply asked, is this your son’s coat? Immediately Jacob’s mind took him to the worst-case scenario. He declared that Joseph had certainly been attacked by wild animals and was undoubtedly dead.

Satan uses this method with precision. We watch professional propagandists while ignoring missing facts. News stations and social media platforms hurl accusations as “misinformation” but with no investigation. Though these sources are no longer trustworthy, countless conclusions are made. Finding truth means uncovering all pertinent questions and answers, but the enemy keeps the most valuable information hidden, simply showing us a shredded bloody coat.

Saints, we’ve got to quit falling for this tactic. We don’t have to settle for the devil’s lies. We don’t have to fear the devil or the plans he has for us. We are overcomers. We overcome sin. We overcome death. We overcome oppression. We overcome poverty. We overcome sickness and disease. We overcome fear. I could go on and on. Our God is not mocked. When we know the truth, we are free indeed. Instead of jumping to conclusions, we must say by the Spirit, “and in conclusion.” We need to be declaring it to ourselves and each other. The conclusion is that God has already defeated the enemy. He has pronounced his punishment and declared our victory.

Go to the Word of God. Declare His promises over your life. Ignore the “false evidence” that the devil is waving at you with an “It is written.” Don’t agree with your enemy. Instead, speak life and promise. God’s word is the final say on the matter. Psalm 138:2 “I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.”
There is no higher truth than God’s word. Declare truth today and receive your victory!

Jaime Luce

Photo 74800484 / Deception © Rawpixelimages | Dreamstime.com

Featured
Posted on

Surviving The Waiting Season

Hang on, saints! God is faithful. And He is going to see to it that the promise He made you comes to pass. Staying encouraged in the waiting season is key. But to do that, we need to look at the first promise. In that promise, we see three important factors about promises.

God told Noah to build an ark of safety for the coming flood. He was asked to prepare for something that no one had ever experienced before. Everything about this call would sound crazy to anyone who heard it. He would be mocked and ridiculed for years. Yet despite public opinion, Noah obeyed and survived a flood that destroyed everyone else.

After a year on that boat, God told Noah to leave the ark of safety. Noah’s first act once off the boat was to build an altar and make a sacrifice to the Lord. The scripture says that the Lord was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and promised that he would never again flood the earth and that as long as the earth endures, there will be seed, time, and harvest. It was a tremendous promise that their future would be secure and blessed.

Then, to give Noah a continual reminder, God placed a rainbow in the clouds as a symbol of His promise. So in every time of rain, Noah wouldn’t need to fear. He knew where to fix his gaze. He could look up and see God’s promise.

The first point in this promise is that it would not only affect Noah. Its reach still covers us today. When God gives us a promise, it endures. Our God is eternal, so His gifts are eternal. Romans 11:29, “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” No matter how much time has passed, God hasn’t changed His mind about you. The promise stands, and it will bless you and those after you.

Second is the necessary element of time. God said there would be seed, time, and harvest. The promise is the seed. But after you receive the seed, there will be time. How much time? The right amount of time. God’s perfect plan has a perfect time. “For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by faith.” Habakkuk 2:3-4 (NKJV) If you remember that time is part of the promise, you won’t be so discouraged in the waiting.

The third element of this promise is perspective. God put the promise in the sky. For Noah to see it, he would need to lookup. Luke 21:28 (KJV) “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” This scripture reminds us that even when we face the chaos of a fallen world, we can look up and know God is faithful to His word. Just as Noah was safe on the ark, God will keep you.

Your promise is for an appointed time. Look up. It will come to pass.

Jaime Luce

Photo 2600043 © Steven Ramsdell | Dreamstime.com
Featured
Posted on

Don’t Miss This Opportunity

I would venture to say that everyone, regardless of what you believe or where you stand on current issues, is experiencing some form of dissatisfaction. We are dissatisfied because we have genuine and tangible needs that are going unmet. But dissatisfaction breeds action. And the action we take determines whether we experience joy. Don’t miss this opportunity.

We are shown a picture of a Father who prepares and provides for His children from creation. Adam was not created and then told to cultivate a garden. God created a fully loaded garden that was ripe for productivity and multiplication. Then He placed Adam in it. Not the other way around. God knows what we have need of before we ask. So why don’t we have it?

The answer is twofold. First, we are given instructions. God told Adam, eat anything except one particular tree. But disobedience will rob you of the blessing every time. He gave similar instructions for Moses to give to the people. Deuteronomy 28:1-2 says,” “If” you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come on you and accompany you “if” you obey the Lord your God.” (My emphasis)

To receive what we are asking for means we are living a life according to God’s instructions. We have surrendered our lives for the Kingdom of Christ and no longer live to fulfill the selfish desires of our flesh. We have died to ourselves, and we now live unto God. Living this way opens the doors to answered prayers and invites the supernatural to invade your natural. It gains access to the “already prepared for us” blessings that simply need asking for, which leads to the second reason.

We must ask! When Jesus was talking to the woman at the well in John 4, He said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” If you really knew who He was, you would ask Him. He has the gift-ready. He comes prepared. He simply needs you to ask.

James 4:2 tells us that “yet ye have not, because ye ask not.” Then in John 16:24, we’re told, “Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” Some translations even say, “ask largely!”

John 14:12-14 says, 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

Those verses sum it all up. If we live as Christ lived and ask, we will have what we ask for, bring glory to God, and our joy will then be complete. Don’t resign yourself to complain about what you are seeing or experiencing. Don’t go without. Ask God and follow His instructions.

If you need to repent for disobedience, then repent. Turn from the old way and start fresh today. He is faithful and just and will forgive you. He will help you start again just like He did for the woman at the well. She ran to tell the good news with joy. She was free from her past and now had a future, and so do you. He’s waiting right now. Ask for what you need. Follow His instructions see what God will do.

Jaime Luce

Photo 52228604 / Ask © Yuryz | Dreamstime.com
Featured
Posted on

The Tool Being Used Against You

The Eleven O’clock news used to be known for its news. You could turn on the television for thirty minutes and get caught up on the world’s headlines. Now, however, national news has become nothing more than argument and opinion. A quick synonym search for the word argumentative will give you opinionated. Everything we see and hear, from commercials to cartoons, is now bloated with opinions being shoved down our throats. And if we aren’t careful, we will become, in retaliation, precisely the same way. Why?

Exodus 17 tells the plight of Israel right after coming through the Red Sea and escaping Egypt and its slavery. The people are moving camp but have not found water. V.2- 6 says,

“2 So once more, the people complained against Moses. “Give us water to drink!” they demanded. “Quiet!” Moses replied. “Why are you complaining against me? And why are you testing the Lord?” 3 But tormented by thirst, they continued to argue with Moses… 

Thirst torments

4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with these people? They are ready to stone me!” 5 The Lord said to Moses, “walk out in front of the people. Take your staff, the one you used when you struck the water of the Nile, and call some of the elders of Israel to join you. 6 I will stand before you on the rock at Mount Sinai. Strike the rock, and water will come gushing out. Then the people will be able to drink.” So Moses struck the rock as he was told, and water gushed out as the elders looked on.”

The reason everyone so badly argues is thirst. The world desperately needs living water from The Rock, Christ Jesus. Instead of expecting mere men to satisfy our thirst, we should be asking the Lord for the water only He can provide. Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4:10-15, 10 Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” 11 “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? 12 And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?” 13 Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” 15 “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”

Until we drink from Him, we will continually be thirsty, argumentative, and opinionated. Like the woman at the well, we will continue having even our most intimate relationships destroyed for thirst. Our angry spirits need a drink of living water. People will never satisfy. Only Jesus satisfies.

If you are angry today or feeling so unsatisfied that you’re irritated by everyone and everything, I have the answer. It’s Jesus. He wants to give you living water that will bubble up from your inner-most being and water the dry hard ground of your heart. People will never be able to satisfy you. Five husbands couldn’t do it for the woman at the well, and different people or a new city, won’t do it for you either. Turn to Jesus and take a long deep drink. In fact, go to Him every day and take as long of a drink as you need. His well never runs dry.

There is a famous beer commercial that says, “Stay thirsty, my friends.” I find it ironic that the world wants us to remain thirsty. But Jesus wants us satisfied. The choice is yours today. Choose refreshing. Take a drink and choose life.

Jaime Luce

Featured
Posted on

If You’re Not Careful, It Will Be To Late

For those who are awake, not woke, but awake, we share a feeling of urgency. Some, because of how uncomfortable the state, ignore it while others are driven by it. Still, others feel trapped and don’t know what to do with it.

The scriptures always contain the answers. If we want wisdom, if we want to know what to do and make the fewest mistakes possible, we must be people of the Word. In what sounds like sadness, or a realization that comes late, Moses prays this prayer recorded in Psalms 90:12. “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”

Doesn’t everyone want to know what to do? Yet, there is a second and equally powerful need. To know when to do it. Former chairman of Chrysler, Lee Iacocca, once said, “Even the correct decision is wrong when it was taken too late.” 

We must understand that time is the only commodity that you can’t get back. It’s more powerful than money because you can’t get more. You only have what you have. The body of Christ must act now. Whatever you’re planning to do for God must be done now. Whatever witness you are going to be, be it now. Whomever you are going to reach, reach them now.

To us as a country. We must take action now. There is no more time. It isn’t enough to know what must be done. We must do it now, or it will be too late. We know what wisdom tells us, so let us not be fools. Whatever happens, will be because of what we did or did not do.

Dt. 31:7 “Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it.”

Our children will inherit what we cause them to inherit. The burden lies with us. Don’t wait any longer. Be strong. Take courage. Take action. Pursue an inheritance of great value and help them lay hold of it before time runs out.

Jaime Luce

Photo 71114394 © Goshiva | Dreamstime.com
Featured
Posted on

It’s A Set Up

We’ve all heard that God works in mysterious ways. Well, those who say it aren’t wrong. When Elisha wanted to retrieve an ax head from the bottom of a lake, his instruction was to throw a piece of wood in the water where the ax head sunk. This action caused it to float. When Gideon needed an army, the instruction was to use torches and pots as weapons. They won. When Israel needed water, God told Moses to throw a tree in the bitter water, and it would be made sweet. Water problem solved.

But God’s setups are twofold. They wrought you the victory, and at the same time, they bring a fear of God to those who witness it. The awe of God can be terrifying for both the one who needs to follow His instructions and the one to whom those actions are for.

Genesis 14 tells of the Exodus of Israel from Egypt. They are now three days into the desert, and God hatches a plan. He tells them to circle back to the sea because Pharaoh will think they’re lost and chase after them. I’m sure Moses thought, “that’s a horrible plan.” But God reassures him by telling him in verse 4, “And once again I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after you. I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army. After this, the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord!” So the Israelites camped there as they were told.

I know we’d probably rather God just help us make the great escape out of our troubles, but you’re more important than that. God has marked you as His. You have great purpose and opportunity to let God get glory from your life. He wants to give you bodacious miracles that show you how much He loves you but and at the same time, show how mighty He is to everyone around you. He wants to win them too. 

When trapped between the sea and an enemy, don’t be intimidated. God will hatch a plan. Maybe even a mysterious plan. But it will lead you through safely on dry ground while swallowing up your enemies. You’re just the decoy. It’s all a setup. Don’t let fear stop you from obedience. Remember, He planned it this way. He’s got this, and He’s got you.

Jaime Luce

 

Featured
Posted on

What Does Surrender Look Like?

What does real surrender look like? Surrender doesn’t mean laying down or throwing up your arms in defeat. Surrendering means wrestling.

God had spoken to Jacob through a dream and told him it was time to go back home and become the man God had purposed him to be. But going home meant facing his brother, whom he had run from and who vowed to kill him, leaving Jacob in the middle of two undesirable scenarios. He was currently mistreated by his trickster uncle Laban who’d deceived him into marrying off his oldest daughter, stole his livelihood by changing his pay ten times, and accused him of theft. All the while, Jacob had caused Laban to prosper greatly. Neither staying nor going was promising, yet God had spoken, and it was time to go.

The original trickster had no more moves. When Jacob realized he had no way to save himself, he prayed this prayer of surrender in Genesis 32:9-12 (NLT). 9 Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my grandfather Abraham, and God of my father, Isaac—O Lord, you told me, ‘Return to your own land and to your relatives.’ And you promised me, ‘I will treat you kindly.’ 10 I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your servant. When I left home and crossed the Jordan River, I owned nothing except a walking stick. Now my household fills two large camps! 11 O Lord, please rescue me from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me, along with my wives and children. 12 But you promised me, ‘I will surely treat you kindly, and I will multiply your descendants until they become as numerous as the sands along the seashore—too many to count.'”

In this prayer, Jacob faces who he was. He had done nothing to deserve God’s love or kindness and was asking for God’s help. After this prayer and by faith, Jacob sent his family and all he owned ahead and was left alone. We want to think that at this time, God would swoop down and encourage Jacob, give him a pep talk, and assure him that everything would all be alright, but that is not what happened. Instead, a fight ensued.

A “man” came and wrestled with Jacob. Wait. What? Why would God come and fight with Jacob when he was trying to obey? He was already terrified? Because God knew what Jacob did not. For Jacob to go home and face Esau and inherit the promise God made him, he would need to do it as Israel and not Jacob. Verse 28 (NLT) says, 28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on, you will be called Israel because you have fought with God and with men and have won.” The KJV says, “prevailed.” He needed to go back as a victor.

Surrender means we must now contend for the promise God has made us. We realize that on our own, we can do nothing. Left to our own devices and old natures, we will fail. God wants to give us every promise we are believing for, but that means becoming God’s man or woman. He never blesses flesh. What’s born of the flesh is flesh. Jacob’s conniving to receive blessing only birthed Laban’s false blessing in his life. Real blessing, the blessing that was spoken over Jacob before his birth, was that of the Spirit. We wrestle with God over it. We contend and don’t turn loose of it until we get it!

That wrestling match is for your growth. God is not intimidated by you wanting to wrestle it out with Him. He intentionally initiates it. The result will be a change in your walk that’s permanent. No longer will you lean on your own strength but on the surety of God’s word. You will have prevailed. You will walk into situations knowing you are already the victor. Like Jacob, you can advance and face your fear because your identity is no longer that of the guilty or undeserved. Your name has been changed, you’ve received the blessing, and only promise lies ahead. 

Don’t lay down and quit. Surrender, and get in the ring. And don’t turn loose until you get what God’s promised.

Jaime Luce

Photo 23385970 / Wrestling © Cwastudios | Dreamstime.com
Featured
Posted on

Let My People Go

Regardless of the state of a man, God is just. In Exodus, He did not demand that Pharoah worship Him, nor those who lived in Egypt. His command to Pharaoh was simply to allow His people the freedom to do so. He knew at the end that Pharoah would allow them to go and do as He commanded. Still, because He is just, He allowed Pharoah to let them go and worship Him before any judgment would be pronounced against the Egyptian king personally, his land, or his people. God is so good that He gave this defiant, earthly king the ability not to do battle with the King of Kings. And in His mercy, He still gives this ability to the kings, presidents, and officials of today. God is not slow in His deliverance, folks. He is deliberate. And He will always win. Our part is to continue to proclaim the message during the waiting.

But to harden your heart and deny Him will always bring consequences. Pharoah refused 10 God opportunities. Each opportunity was a chance to allow God’s people the freedom to worship when, where, with whom, and for how long He chose. Each act of defiance led to the strong arm of God’s judgment until the eventual plundering of Pharoah, his army, and his people. Make no mistake about it. If God say’s “let them go,” He plans on setting them free.

Today, your lack of freedom may be because of a “Pharoah’s” government interference. It may be an addiction or sickness. You could be financially struggling from a crippled economy. Maybe you live in the chains of bad decisions or past pain. Or perhaps you are sitting in an actual prison.

Let’s begin to do as Moses did. We must cry, “Let my people go, that they may worship me.” Don’t let fear stop you. Moses took his brother with him to help him have the courage. This is why we must stand together in this battle. We are to be each other’s encouragers. And we must stand in faith. Moses expected that God would do the mighty signs and wonders He said He would do. We, too, must trust Him in that same way. God wants to use us to show forth his mighty power in this day and hour. The command has gone out. “Let me people go, that they may worship me.” Who will you be? Moses or Pharoah? The choice is yours.

Jaime Luce

Photo 48527681 © Dvalmas | Dreamstime.com
Featured
Posted on

To obey or not to obey. That is the question.

Christians everywhere are trying to determine what is right and what is not. Our government and media as a whole are crying “foul” against Christians who say anything contrary to their agenda.

The pressure is causing many who are weak in faith to succumb to mandates and ideologies that are contrary to scripture. From the beginning, God made us free. In the garden, we were given freedom of choice. Galatians 5 says, “It was for freedom that Christ has set us free.” The entire book of Exodus is about the dramatic deliverance from slavery to freedom. Our own United States Constitution was written so that we, the citizens of this great nation, would know our freedoms and fight for them when necessary as our forefathers did. In our bill of rights, we are told that our very first freedom is that of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition. Right now, every single one of these is under attack.

How should we as Christians respond? I would answer by saying we should respond exactly as God would expect us to. If you fear God, you are not to fear man. Acts 5:29 says, “We must obey God rather than human authority.”

In the book of Exodus chapter one, we read how the children of Israel increased in number and power. So much so that Pharoah and all Egypt feared them even though they had made Israel their slaves. Pharoah then tells the midwives Shiphrah and Puah that if a girl is born, let her live, but if it is a boy, to kill him. This is what Exodus 1:17 says, “But because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king’s orders. They allowed the boys to live, also.”

I am sounding the alarm and battle cry. This is a call to action. The people of God are to stand strong. We have our strategy in Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.” Ephesians 6:13-18 Therefore, put on the whole armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

We have marching orders as Christians and as citizens. Freedom is Godly and worth fighting for. It’s time to stand and be counted. It’s time to live what we preach. Today I challenge you. Stand for righteousness! Stand for freedom!

Jaime Luce

Photo 177004268 / American Freedom © Jon Rehg | Dreamstime.com
Featured
Posted on

Stand in the Gap

The world is screaming, “How could you?” The President of the United States left thousands upon thousands of Americans and innocents in harm’s way as he pulled our military out of Afghanistan. The decision to leave behind our people flies in the face of our own military code of “No man left behind.”

Immediately we saw who the real American leaders were. People like Glenn Beck and the Nazarine Fund and Kenneth Copeland Ministries, who raised over 22 million dollars in just two days to go and get people out, all those who gave that money, and then, of course, our honorable veterans who said, “not on my watch.” These people who seemingly had no way to make a difference made the most significant difference.

In scripture, this is the kind of person God calls. In Exodus, two midwives refused to kill innocent babies though Pharaoh commanded it. In Esther, Mordecai stopped an attempt on the Kings life. Esther understood her position to save a nation came at the risk of her life, but she answered that call. David, who was just a boy, ran toward a giant to save his nation when the king refused to fight. Samson took on entire troops by himself and won. God’s prophets wielded their authority and appointed kings, and removed others. Jael took a tent peg to King Sisera’s head. Disciples repeatedly were thrown in prison for bringing truth, healing, and freedom to those who were bound. Jesus allowed himself to be put on a cross and die for the world’s sin when we could not. That is a hero, and the scriptures are riddled with them.

What kind of person are you? If you see a crime happening, do you report it? Do you try to stop it? Or do you look around and say, “that’s none of my business.” If you call yourself a Christian, you are called to be an intercessor. Someone who intercedes on behalf of another. We are called to stand and make a difference. We are those who are full of faith and refuse fear. We are the body of Christ. If you attack one of us, you’ve attacked all of us.

It’s time to stand and be counted among the brethren and live as overcomers!

Jaime Luce

Photo 55352857 / American © Oleg Zabielin | Dreamstime.com
Featured
Posted on

Keep Digging!

“We’ve struck water!” they exclaimed. Isaac’s servants had just found freshwater. While still excited about the discovery, the people in the next town came demanding that it belonged to them, though they themselves did not dig the well. Instead of wasting time in senseless arguments, Isaac sends his men to another location to begin digging there.

They again have great success and find water, yet the same argumentative people come to claim it. Refusing to give up, Isaac moves a third time to a different location where his men are again successful. This time, without dispute.

We will all have to dig wells on our journey. A well not only represents the obvious of water for life, livestock, and crop growth, but it also speaks of inheritance and blessing.

Abraham, Isaac’s father, was very wealthy. He had passed all that he owned to his son Isaac. In order to carry that kind of blessing, he needed wells to sustain that blessing. Digging wells meant making room for more blessing because they were an identifier. It marked land, ownership, and independence. If you had your own wells, you didn’t rely on those around you for sustenance. Isaac’s wells meant it was God alone who provided for his needs, as was the case with his father.

If you want to be blessed, you need wells, but know that there will be attacks from the enemy to rob you of your wells. The enemy wants you bound to his demands and to keep you from freedom. In America, we face this threat even now. Our government wants to control our wells. Businesses everywhere are wanting to hire, but people have decided to receive their water from others wells. It affects, economy, freedom, and prosperity.

I encourage you today to keep digging! Don’t quit! Dig a well of prayer and let the Lord lead you to a place of freedom and a well of no dispute. Don’t drink from someone else’s well. Dig your own and don’t waste time. There is a well for you. There is a place of refreshing and provision, and God has an inheritance and blessing for you that no one can take from you. He is our provision and sustainer. His authority is unparalleled and undisputed. And God will give you good success.

Keep digging!

Jaime Luce

Jaimeluce.com

Photo 224923788 © Alekna | Dreamstime.com

 

 

Featured
Posted on

Hold Fast to Your Promise

As Abraham listened, he heard what sounded like the breaking of a promise. God had told him that by Sarah, he would have a son. And through that son would come descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky and sand of the seashore. How could God ask him to offer his son as a sacrifice?

Do you find yourself hearing the Lord’s instructions to offer back to Him all that He has given and promised to you? This is the test of faith. Genesis 22:1 says, “Sometime later, God tested Abraham’s faith.” This test comes not before you have seen God move on your behalf but after. It comes when you think all is as it should be. But the test isn’t just to see if you will continue to believe God but do you still believe his promise in the face of losing what you now have.

Abraham had waited for twenty-five long years to have Isaac. But now Isaac was here. He was grown. The promise seemed to be playing out just as promised. So why would the test of faith come now? Because now you have something to lose. The test of faith was not just to receive but to hold fast to it in the face of having it and now losing it. Would he still believe God if God took the very thing that held the answer?

Abraham’s faith was such that whether he was waiting for Isaac or if God was taking Isaac, He was still going to fulfill his promise. Abraham’s faith said, no matter what I don’t have or I did have, God will still do everything He said He would do, even if that means resurrecting what is dead. The bottom line is that He believed God, period.

Today, be determined to stand. Stand firm on the words you have received from the Lord. Don’t turn loose even in the face of loss. Remember that God is not a man that He should lie. He is God Almighty! And He will do exactly what He said He would do.

Jaime Luce

Photo 207837487 © Adonis1969 | Dreamstime.com

 

Featured
Posted on

When God Closes A Door

After enduring the years of mocking and unbelief, the day had come when all the preparation was finished. God gave Noah the final instructions. Get your family in the boat because, in seven days, everything is going to change. So Noah did everything as the Lord commanded him. 13 “That very day Noah had gone into the boat with his wife and his sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—and their wives. 14 With them in the boat were pairs of every kind of animal—domestic and wild, large and small—along with birds of every kind.15 Two by two they came into the boat, representing every living thing that breathes. 16 A male and female of each kind entered, just as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord closed the door behind them.” Genesis 7:13-16

There are times when we have labored, worked, and obeyed. We did the work alone while standing against the mockers and the nay-sayers. We did everything the Lord asked us to do, and then God closes a door. It can feel isolated and cut off. It can seem like a tight, narrow, and limited space. It can even stink! Nothing seems solid. The ground continually moves under your feet. There is no stability for what seems like an eternity.

You may question if this is actually God’s plan for you and wonder if you heard Him correctly. But when God closes a door, it’s for your protection. When God closes a door, He’s redirecting you. He knows that the landscape of your world is changing, and you won’t survive it if you aren’t shut up with Him and shut out from your yesterday and all those who wanted to hold you there. But the flood you are experiencing is serving to carry you to a new mountain top with a whole new view and perspective.

Keep checking the dove’s (Holy Spirit) response. He will let you know when the floodwaters are no longer a danger to you. While you made the preparations not knowing what was coming, God has been making the preparations for all that is new. And when that door opens, it will be a whole new world.

Jaime Luce

Photo 184850667 / Ark © Nonneljohnvilbar | Dreamstime.com
Featured
Posted on

How To Use Your Power

The power of God is not selfish. The Father did not give the gift of the Holy Spirit to puff up or bring glory to any person or personality. The power of God is holy. It is to empower us to do as Christ did. Jesus himself, after being made manifest at his baptism by having the Spirit descend like a dove and remaining on Him, and having the voice of the Father commend Him, went into the synagogue on the sabbath day and quoted from the book of Isaiah and said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Luke 4:18-19

John said in 1 John 4:17 that “…as He is, so are we in this world.” We live in the power of the Holy Spirit to bring Glory to God by doing the works that He did as unto Him and in His name. If our Christian walk is simply to try and clear our conscience for death, we have missed it.

To be born of Him is to live from Him. From the life He has given. From the place we now have in His kingdom and for His purpose and glory and not our own. It is a place of complete humility, self-denial, and of complete and total surrender. It is a life lived for Him alone.

If all we do brings glory only to ourselves or fame and fortune for vain imaginations, we are doomed. Through the Holy Spirit, we have tremendous power to affect our world and all those around us. But we can grieve the Holy Spirit. He can be misrepresented and misused. He is given for the distinct purpose of preaching the gospel, healing the brokenhearted, bringing deliverance to those bound, sight for the blind and liberty for the bruised, and preaching the Lord’s favor over your years.

That is what we should be busy doing. Jesus instructed us in Matthew 10:8 to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the diseased and drive out demons. He told us He freely gave all of this to us so we could freely give it to others.

Let’s not waste another day or even another moment. If we say we belong to Jesus, let’s get busy looking like we do and bring glory to His wonderful name. Invite the Holy Spirit to baptize you as He did Jesus, and let’s turn this world upside down one more time!

Jaime Luce

Photo 16677271 © Jesse Albanese | Dreamstime.com
Featured
Posted on

Longing Desire

King David, a man after God’s own heart. What was it about David that garnered such a title? Could it be that he feared no man and only feared God? Could it be that he knew how to worship so entirely that he would dance out of his clothes? Could it be that he wouldn’t allow the name of the Lord to be mocked? Though David was deeply flawed, just like we are, and sinned great sins that, to his own admission, were against God, David knew what it was to be desperate for more of God.

As the dear pants for the streams of water, so my soul longs for you, my God. Psalm 42:1b If you have ever felt the power of God working through you, you will understand this longing. When you have filled yourself with Him so that there is no more room for you, you realize that the life you now live is not your own, and the life you now feel pulsing through you desperately wants to be imparted to others.

This life, the life of Jesus Christ, can sustain you through any storm and strengthen you for victory against any battle. The life of Christ is eternal, everlasting, and abundant. Though it is more satisfying than you can describe, it leaves you wanting and needing more. It carries the ability to rise above every obstacle and soar over treacherous terrain. It frees you of all doubt and fear and gives you vision for your future while leading you in the direction to take.

Oh, friends, there is nothing that satisfies like Jesus. More of Him is all that is necessary, and nothing less will do. Seek for Him, and you will find Him. Draw near, and He will draw near to you. Today, come drink from the streams of living water and be filled.

Jaime Luce

Photo 11862358 / Deer Drinking © Hdsidesign | Dreamstime.com
Featured
Posted on

Where Is Real Peace Found?

Gone are the days of just desiring to live a quiet and peaceful life. A life where you can just freely live, make a living of your choice and raise your family with the values and beliefs you hold dear without interference. Instead, we are daily wakened to the life-draining news and propaganda. Couple that with the onslaught of forced feedings of agenda by social media or any media for that matter. 

In this current climate, we need the grace and peace Peter spoke of in 2 Peter 1:2-4. “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

Thank God for the Word! We can escape the kingdoms of this world by living for the Kingdom of God. In a time when we desperately need grace and peace, Peter tells us how to get it. It is found in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. The more that I seek to know Him, the more grace and peace I receive. 

The knowledge of Jesus gives us access to His great power by the Holy Spirit for “all things” that deal with life and righteous living. Through salvation, we are now partakers of the promise that we can escape this world’s corruption and the lust that drives it.

If you need the grace to deal with today, go to the Word. If you need peace for the storms outside, go to the Word. Jesus said in Matthew 11:29, “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” So today, if you need more grace to deal with this life, or if you need peace for your mind and heart, learn of Jesus, who will multiply to you all that you need.

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” 2 Corinthians 13:14

Jaime Luce

blob:http://127.0.0.1:41050/e5b4e346-9440-4b5b-bae8-d4bcff8fff8a

Featured
Posted on

Jesus Was a Doppelganger

The dictionary definition of a doppelganger is the double of a living person. John 14:9 (NIV) “Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” The life of the Father was seen and emulated in the life of Jesus Christ. We are also called to be doppelgangers, the doubles of the living and resurrected Son of God. When people see us, they should see Jesus. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV) “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

When people see you, who do they see? Who do you look like? Do you look like the culture you live in or the life you came from? Are you a dead ringer for the world and its desires and lusts? Or are you living a life worthy of your calling? Do you represent what Christ represented and a life free from you’re old nature? Do you live to advance the Kingdom, or do you live to satisfy your own natural appetites? Is your meat to do the will of the Father like Jesus and give living water to all those who are thirsty? (John 4) Or do you yourself need a long fresh drink from the wellspring of life because you have been chasing your own will and feeding on things that continue to leave you wanting? Would someone assume you were a Christian because you look so much like one? Romans 8:19 (NKJV) For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.

I challenge you today if you call yourself a Christian, to look at your example. If you are hungry, eat from the one who can satisfy your soul. If you are thirsty, drink from the living water so that you will never thirst again. Jesus is at the well waiting. Will you come?

Jaime Luce

Photo 177000027 © CristinaConti | Dreamstime.com
Featured
Posted on

Don’t Conform

Our current national climate is one of conformity. It literally wants to strip you of your nationality, race, gender, religious beliefs, personality, and even your own thought life. We went from the extreme of everyone should say their opinion to everyone needs to be of the same opinion. And if you are not, you need to be silenced.

But Scripture is clear on this matter. From our creation, we were free. Free to choose God or deny Him. Though He wanted us to choose Him, He made no demands to conform. Instead, He offered transformation. If you wanted to live free from the effects of sin and the choices of those around you, you could be transformed and thereby not bound by them.

Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2 (NKJV)

His will is that you are free. He never wanted you mindless, genderless, raceless, powerless, or lost. He wanted you to know you were born on purpose and with purpose, and by design. He made you the gender you are because you have a destiny to fulfill. Robbing you of your gender denies you of ever feeling fulfilled, never living your purpose, and endlessly chasing your tail. Your color and nationality carry strategy, power, and influence. It reveals the beauty, creativity, and generosity of God. You don’t have to change what and who you are to be loved. You were known and loved from the beginning, and with great detail, you were handcrafted.

Don’t give away your mind or its power to think over to those who would strip you of your freedom. Instead, renew it. Purge it from the lies that have stolen your God-given identity. Keep it always refreshed and growing. Wash and cleanse it with righteousness. Fill it with the Words of life. Feed it with the promises and purposes of God.
We don’t serve a dictator! We serve a powerful and yet benevolent God! He is rich in love and mercy, and He longs to set us free from any and all tyranny and bondage. Don’t turn loose of the freedom Christ purchased for you. Choose liberty. Choose to live free.

Jaime Luce

Photo 131698297 © Volodymyr Tverdokhlib | Dreamstime.com
Featured
Posted on

Take Revenge

We have heard “Vengence is mine, says the Lord” preached, as it should be. He is much better at true justice than we could ever be. He also does it with absolute righteousness and with no malice. However, there is an appropriate time to take your revenge.

 

2 Corinthians 10:5-6 (KJV) says, 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

We are to be ready to take revenge on every lie that has been spoken to us and over us. Those lies most likely have caused us to make decisions that stood in opposition to God’s will and plan for our lives. Those decisions then, in effect, led to actions of disobedience. That disobedience was the weapon of choice that the enemy used against us to rob, kill, and destroy our lives.

But when we cast those thoughts, lies, and disobedience down and walk in obedience to the One who called us, we actually make the enemy pay. Our obedience is what gets revenge on the enemy. We can then take revenge on our past and on the old bad decisions we’ve made. We can say HaHa devil. You don’t win. I win. And now that I know the truth, I am making it my business to make up for lost time. I will take new territory and walk in my purpose. When the enemy comes to tempt you, yell back to him, “now I know to do the opposite, and I might even do it twice. HA!”

So go for it! Take revenge and make the devil pay!

Jaime Luce

Photo 186368634 © Vitezslav Vylicil | Dreamstime.com
Featured
Posted on

Expect it!

There is a book available to those who are pregnant, or as we say, expecting. It’s called “What to expect when you’re expecting.” The irony is if you expect something, you already know what you are expecting. We sometimes fail to see we have this same upsidedown idea of prayer. We pray but then act like we have no idea what will happen.

Mark 11:24 (NIV) says, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

If you don’t expect anything, then why pray? Why waste your time. Even in football, the quarterback may throw the last chance throw that seems improbable, hoping for a score, and we call it throwing up a Hail Mary. They don’t expect to get it, but they throw it up just in case. If you expect nothing, you’ll get nothing. You will get what you have expected.

Don’t pray as you play. Pray believing. This Father’s Day, Be like Father Abraham. He is known to the Christian world as the Father of Faith. He never staggered at the promise of God. He never considered the condition and deadness of his or his wife’s body. He was fully persuaded. Romans 4:21 “And begin fully persuaded that what he had promised, he was able also to perform.” And he received!
Pray differently today. Expect to receive what you are believing for, not by mind over matter but by faith! It is by faith you will receive. Believe the One who promised and expect it!

Jaime Luce
Photo 97576772 / Expect © Elen33 | Dreamstime.com
Featured
Posted on

Episode #1 Family Legacy

Philippians 4:9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me- put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. 

Paul left a legacy to Timothy, his son in the faith. Even now, we are receiving from his legacy that inspires us to live as Christians.

During this episode, Jaime shared the microphone with both Judy Mercer and Jeremy Mercer to talk about “Family Legacy,” what it is and how to create one. Hear the insights from their family’s experience of a Godly legacy of prayer, service, and a surrendered life to Jesus Christ. It will inspire you to live on purpose and to leave a legacy for your children and grandchildren. Don’t miss it! 

Like, Subscribe and Share and help us get the word out. 

You can follow the Jaime Luce Podcast on her website Jaimeluce.com, or you can watch on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5xwetJjxwjybkino9J1W6w

  • Jaime is on Facebook at jaime.luces.page
  • On Instagram at jaime_luce
  • Twitter @jaime_luce

If you prefer to email, you can do so at mail@jaimeluce.com

 

 

 

Featured
Posted on

How To Reign

Death beds produce weighty final words. You don’t waste them when time is running out. You don’t bother with the things that don’t matter. Even in crime movies, the person dying utters the name of the perpetrator or a dying family member emits their last chance at an “I love you” or an “I’m sorry.” You say the things that need to be said. You say what matters most.

So what did King David, who reigned over God’s people, say to his young and inexperienced son? What were his final instructions for becoming a king? In 1 Chronicles 22:12, He first tells him to keep God’s law, and then he will prosper, which is always the prerequisite. But then he gives instructions in v.16. “Arise therefore, and be doing, and the Lord be with thee.” In other words, Get Busy! But busy doing what?

What did David prepare so fervently for so that no time would be wasted? For this one thing, he left nothing undone so that what mattered most would be taken care of. What was so important? To build the Lord’s house! Not how to grow your kingdom or how to defeat your enemy. No. Instead, he gave him the key to a successful reign. Do what God says and build his house. That is what a God-king teaches his kids, and we should do the same.

Don’t waste time building your kingdom where moth and rust corrupt. Build Gods! David layed up ahead of time, all the money, the furniture, all the building materials, and all the labor. He prepared and planned and gave lengthy instructions for one thing. He then told Solomon to get busy doing it. Get up and build God’s house. 

Folks, like David, time is short. Don’t waste another minute or your substance on your own kingdoms that will someday vanish away. There is one Kingdom that will never pass away. There is one Kingdom that is eternal and where the work will never be wasted or lost. Seize your final moments before Christ returns. He is coming for a glorious church. So “Arise therefore, and be doing, and the Lord be with thee!” 

Jaime Luce

Photo 161719365 / Becoming King © Artmim | Dreamstime.com
Featured
Posted on

Don’t Walk. Run!

God isn’t going to win. He’s already won! Satan isn’t going to lose. He’s already lost! So what are you waiting on? This Christian life is not a walk-a-thon. It’s a race. 1 Corinthians 9:24 says, “Know you not that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.”

Run! Don’t walk. David said in Psalm 18:29, “For by You I can run through a troop, By my God I can leap over a wall.” So today, blow past the things running against you. Leap over every hurdle placed in front of you. Run and get your prize. There is nothing that the Devil can do to stop you that God hasn’t already dealt with for you. You have been given all authority!

2 Peter 1:3a, “as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” You have already been equipped with everything you need. If you have not yet received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, then get it! We have no excuses. Everything that we need has already been purchased and given. All we need to do now is run.

There is a great cloud of witnesses cheering you on! Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” God has marked your lane. He has set your mark, and He has set your free. So run! Start now. Don’t let anything stop you. Run hard and run fast. So advance today in Jesus Name, and claim your prize.

 

Jaime Luce

Photo 30843844 / Runner © Photographerlondon | Dreamstime.com
Featured
Posted on

God Is Not Schizophrenic!

To quote a line from The Princess Bride, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” Today’s “Christian” commonly has adopted the world’s ideologies and, subsequently, its definitions to define scripture. Let’s get something straight right from the start. God is not schizophrenic. He says what He means, and He means what He says. If God says something is sin, it’s sin. If God says be ye holy as I am holy, it means live holy. If you can’t see a holy righteous God doing it, then you’d better run from it.

In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. John 1:1-2 (KJV) Jesus is The Word. The Bible is literally His voice to you. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 (KJV). For I am the Lord, I change not. Malachi 3:6 (KJV) You are not so special that God will change it just for you.

We cannot make it say what we want it to say. In the same token, you can’t call yourself a believer and only believe some of what it says while “not agreeing” with the parts that you don’t like. You either believe it, or you don’t. Either obey it or throw it out. It will never fit the current narrative of a secular society. You don’t get to create your own bible and call it holy or God-breathed. By trying, you do just as the children of Israel did in the wilderness and make an image of a god that you created. That is not God, and it will not save you from your sin. Your own made-up god and religion will never gift you an eternity in heaven.

You and I have only a limited amount of time on this earth. You have free will and can choose how you will live it. If you call yourself a Christian, I pray you shake yourself today, drive a stake in the ground, and declare as Joshua did. “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” If you have, don’t back down! Stand your ground! Let the Lord of Glory show himself strong on your behalf. Choose you this day, whom you will serve. Then get busy serving Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And if I never meet you here on this earth, I applaud you. I stand with you. And I’ll see you in heaven.

Jaime Luce

Photo 12651255 / Bible © Oseland | Dreamstime.com
Featured
Posted on

Nothing Can Stand Against You!

To you who have decided, to you who make God’s business your business and aren’t content to simply sit in salvation, you will be victorious! Have no fear. God has already planned your enemy’s defeat!

There is a special blessing that comes on those who walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh. He that foreknew you predestined you. He knew you would choose Him. He knew that you would make it your business to follow hard after His heart, so He justified you and glorified you for His purpose, the very purpose He chose and planned for you. So don’t worry. He is the one who made the plan. And since you want His plan and follow His lead, He will see to it that you get there and accomplish all that He placed in your heart.

V.31-33 “What shall we say then to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall he not with him so freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.”

“No weapon formed against you will prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17

Jaime Luce

Photo 44040115 / Armor © Merydolla | Dreamstime.com
Featured
Posted on

Amazing Grace

For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith; and this is not from yourselves: it is the gift of God: not by works, so that no one can boast. (Eph. 2:8-9 NIV) The word grace here means kindness, attractiveness, goodwill, and favor. It is a benevolent God who showed us His great kindness and favor instead of giving us what we deserved, He gave us His favor which cost Him dearly. He made His Son our scapegoat. He placed all of our sins on His innocent Son to welcome us back into His presence. 

God’s grace may be abounding, but one thing it is not is cheap. It isn’t sloppy and inexpensive. Though He has enough for all, it can be wasted. And though it is potent and powerful enough for the strongest of sinners, it can be misapplied and subsequently made of no effect. Its vastness is unsearchable, but its reach is precise. Romans 1:5 tells us, “By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name.” Paul teaches us that the grace of God is not given so that we can sin without fear of punishment but instead for obedience to the faith. Grace is not a get-out-of-jail-free card. It is, in fact, the opposite. It is the powerful gift of God to lead a life of obedience to the faith in victory over sin and to carry its message to the world.

This precious grace is to be valued and never squandered. Be careful not to trample on the goodwill and favor of God. Instead, embrace the grace He so lavishly poured out to you. Today bring great joy and glory to God by letting it lead you. Let it order your steps. Let it change you and grow you up in the ways of God as He intended, bringing you joy and freedom. Grace truly is amazing.

Jaime Luce

Featured
Posted on

3 Keys To A Fear Free Life

You can only fear not when you know you have nothing to fear. Over and over again, Jesus told people not to fear. Whether in a storm or facing persecution, and even when gripped by sickness or death, Jesus’ first words of instruction were not to fear. He even dared to ask the disciples who thought they were going to die, “why are you so fearful?” Mark 4:40 (KJV) He told them this because He knew who He was and what He planned to do. Could it be that simple? According to Jesus, yes. 

Key #1. Believe. As believers, we really do believe that Jesus is the Son of God. That according to Ephesians 1:20-23, Jesus, whom the Father raised from the dead, is now sitting at His right hand in heavenly places, far above “all” principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. That covers everyone and everything, including governments.

Key #2. Know the one in whom you believe. As stated above, Jesus knew who He was. He knew that all authority in heaven and earth was given to him. All things are subject to him, and in fact, all things are under his feet (Ephesians 1:22)

Key #3. Know God’s plan for you. If God before you, who can be against you? Romans 8:31. For the believer, it’s settled. They know that according to Ephesians 2:5-6, “Even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ, (by grace you have been saved) and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” So we are sitting “far above all” with Christ. And as his body, all things are then under our feet. You have authority over every situation. Don’t turn loose of your faith. God has a good plan for you. (Jeremiah 29:11) Read the book. He doesn’t want you sick. God didn’t give that to you. God wants to prosper you. He didn’t take that from you. God has a future for you. He hasn’t changed His mind.

 If you don’t know Him, get to know Him by reading His Word. You can know what He wants, likes, and expects. You can know what He blesses and what he curses. He isn’t hiding. In fact, He is knocking at the door of your heart right now. Just open it. If you have repented of your sin and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, then understand that you are hidden in Christ. And no matter what you are passing through, as a believer, you are just passing through.

Believers believe. So if you must, say this out loud and remind yourself, “I am a believer. I do not doubt.” Say it again and again. Say it until it becomes a part of you, and watch how fear runs away.

 

Featured
Posted on

What Is A Christian, Really?

What is a Christian? Its origin held significant meaning, yet today it is a term thrown around by every kind of person with every kind of doctrine, including those which have no association to Jesus Christ or His church at all.

Those who feel the word represents “good” call themselves Christian. This comes from some sense that morality or good works are associated with this term. However, what morality is would be debatable among this group as well as what is good. The term “Christian” to them is still a word they want to align themselves with, even if it is only to comfort their conscience from some fear that hell is real and it’s possible to go there. Sadly, the term has been so diluted that those who are not Christians still claim Christianity. By doing so, they change its meaning and its value.

I, for one, want to boldly exclaim that it is indeed very important.

Acts 11:26 tells us they were first called Christians at Antioch. Its origin in Greek came from the persecution of those who were known as servants or followers of Christ. The word Christ itself means anointed one and not Jesus’ last name. A Christian believed that Jesus the Christ was and is the Son of God and not a mere man. That He died and resurrected from the dead; and ascended back into heaven and is now seated at the right hand of the Father making intercession for His saints. These “Christians” were baptized in His name, believed in the power of His name to perform miracles, signs, and wonders by healing the sick and casting out devils, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit as were the 120 disciples on the day of Pentecost, which was the gift of the Father.

That, my friends, is not a word that just anybody can claim association. These bold men and women feared God more than man, loving not their own lives. You couldn’t even serve food to the widows if you were not full of the Holy Spirit.
So today, I challenge us all to ask ourselves, am I a Christian?

Jaime Luce

Photo 138900484 © Tinnakorn Jorruang | Dreamstime.com

 

 

 

Featured
Posted on

In Not Choosing, You’ve Made Your Choice

Don’t kid yourself. We live in a polarizing time—a time when you no longer have the luxury of walking in the middle lane. You can’t be a closet Christian. You can’t hide in the shadows. If you hide, you have made your choice.

This shouldn’t be a surprise. 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” (NKJV) If you can’t see the difference, then you are in the dark. Christianity has never in history been a compromising force. The church has stood against the gates of hell for 2,000 years. It has survived because of those who refused to compromise. She has marched on in victory by following the commands of Christ and living a life directed by the Word of God and not that of man.

Men and women of God have given their lives for the sake of the gospel. These “Christians” never wavered in their stance. They never shuttered under governmental edicts. They were legitimately friends of God and not in word only but deeds.

The church likes to sing the song titled, “I am a friend of God.” But are we? Are you? Do you know what it means to be a friend of God? At the last supper, Jesus told his disciples in John 15:14, ” You are My friends “if” you do whatever I command you.” We are not automatically God’s friends. We must do whatever He commands us to do.

He had just told them in Chapter 14 that “if” they love Him, they will keep His commandments. Not just the ten commandments, but “whatever I command you.”

Today I challenge you, as did Joshua to Israel when preparing for battle. Choose this day whom you will serve. Not deciding is deciding. Don’t leave your eternity in the hands of men. The choice is yours, and you alone will give an account for that decision.

Be bold. Take your stand. Choose Christ and be counted among His friends.

Jaime Luce

Photo <a href=”https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photo-arrow-opposite-directions-asphalt-roads-yellow-image57157296″>57157296</a&gt; © <a href=”https://www.dreamstime.com/oat3dee_info&#8221; itemprop=”author”>Phawat Khommai</a> – <a href=”https://www.dreamstime.com/photos-images/roads-opposite-directions.html”>Dreamstime.com</a&gt;

Featured
Posted on

Why Are You Here?

Bad news, death, and destruction are easily found all around us. People are crying out in grand display, each clamoring for your attention. Every day you choose what you will feed yourself. Do you continually go to the same muddy well for a drink? Do you pick fruit from the same diseased tree?

You determine the inputs, which then determine your outputs. When Jesus had died, the women who followed him came to the tomb distraught. Their input was nothing but death and bad news. They had come looking for Jesus’ dead body so that they might apply spices and perfumes, hoping to comfort their grieving minds and spirits.

Isn’t that what we try to do? We continually go back to the dead places looking for comfort and peace. It won’t matter how much perfume you put on a corpse. If it’s dead, it’s dead. So I ask you as the angel asked them, “Why seek ye the living among the dead?”

As believers, we are to walk each day in the knowledge that Jesus is not dead. He is very much alive! If you need life, don’t turn to dead things for it. Go to the source and giver of life. Determine to feed yourself from the tree of life and drink from the one who gives living water. Jesus told his disciples, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; he that believes on me shall never thirst.” John 6:35

I have good news. You don’t have to spend your day walking amongst the dead. You can choose life today! Jesus is alive and waiting to comfort your soul, bring wisdom and instruction for the questions you don’t have answers to, and give you hope and vision for your future.

Your tomorrows will be dictated by your choices today. Death or life. “Choose life!”

Jaime Luce

Photo 148129685 © Izanbar – Dreamstime.com

Featured
Posted on

You Decide

The crowd of accusers stood hurling their violent lies and threats, desiring to silence Jesus and any who followed Him permanently. Though Pilate was in a place of authority and power and wanted to leave Jesus alone, his weakness, lack of personal conviction, and political agenda governed his decisions. What to do with Jesus would be left to the will of the people. 

Luke 23:25 says, “And he released the man for whom they were asking, who had been thrown into prison for a revolt and murder; but he handed Jesus over to their will.” 

Right now, Jesus stands accused in every life, house, church, and government. Weak, politically minded, current-day Pilates are waiting for our reply to these accusations! Make no mistake. Jesus will again be handed over the will of the people, to “Your” will! What you do and say right now will have massive consequences. You won’t get another chance. 

If Jesus is your King, don’t cower to the crowd of accusers. Don’t join the prevailing voices (v.23) to crucify. The church must stand as the bride of Christ in all of her victory, claiming that the gates of Hell shall not prevail again her!

Today is the day of salvation. Today you choose whom you will serve.

 

Jaime Luce

Photo: Mel Gibson’s: “The Passion of the Christ”

Featured
Posted on

Jesus Needs Your Donkey

In preparation for saving the world once and for all, Jesus needed something. He needed a colt. The one that was still tied up. The one that had not yet been used. The one that was lowly and humble.
That’s the one Jesus needed. That’s the one He’d choose to carry His glory. That’s the very one He needed to prepare the way to salvation. He chose the colt with no experience or significance. The one who didn’t yet know his potential to carry the weight of glory. Yet that’s the very one Jesus needed.

What do you have that the Master needs to carry Him through the streets? What have you kept tied up that needs to be loosed? What do you think you have that is too humble to be significant? I say to you that the Master has need of it. It’s time to allow the King to be carried in on our backs. It’s time for His praises to be heard. It’s time to worship Him!


There is no more time to waste. There are no more excuses. The Master needs you. He needs what you have kept tied up. He needs what you think isn’t yet ready for use. He needs you and every resource you own. He needs your talents and gifts no matter how insignificant you think they are. He needs your voice to be declaring who He is. If you do not, even the rocks will cry out for He’s worthy of your praise.


Jesus still uses the tied-up and ignored. Today, let Him loose you and use you for His glory. Decide to give Him your everything. Say yes to carry Him on your back. Let His glory be heard so that others can be loosed and rejoice with you.


Happy Resurrection week!
Jaime Luce

Photo 38339435 © Maxximmm – Dreamstime.com

Posted on

Help For Carrying Heavy Burdens

In Matthew 16:21-25, Jesus predicts His death and resurrection and rebukes Peter for not being mindful of the things of God. The things of God, meaning the cost of actually following Him. He says in verses 24-25, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” In His teaching, he unfolds that He will deny His own life and carry a cross that leads to losing it, as well as telling them that anyone who wishes to follow Him will have to do the same.

This saying is not a contradiction to Jesus being our burden bearer. This same Jesus said, “come to me all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” Matt. 11:28 Jesus indeed carried the weight of our sin and punishment so that we could be free. But being a disciple and following Jesus means living as He lived. He carried a heavy cross. In fact, the cross was so heavy, and Jesus so weak, that He fell under its weight and needed someone else to carry it for him. (Luke 23:26)

Think about that for a minute. The burden that Jesus was carrying was so heavy that He fell under its weight and needed someone else to come and carry it for Him. God wasn’t angry that Jesus collapsed under its weight, and He isn’t angry with you when you do. Matthew 12:20 says, “A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench.” Instead, He sends someone to help you along the journey, someone who will pick up that cross for you and help you walk your difficult road.

In Exodus 17, Moses led the children of Israel out to the battle. They won as long as he held up his arms. But if he began to put his arms down, they began to lose. The weight of millions of people rested on Moses’ ability to hold up his arms. In his natural strength, he couldn’t do it. So, Aaron and Hur came beside him, and each held up an arm. Because they were willing to help bear his burden, the children of Israel won that battle.

We may not be able to take each other’s problems or issues away, but we can help bear one another’s burdens by prayer and compassion. We can walk the walk together. Jesus couldn’t do it alone, and neither can we. We need one another. Instead of judging one another when we fall, let’s help each other back up. Maybe their cross was too heavy. Even on the cross, Jesus believed the best in those who were the reason He was carrying a cross. He said, “Father, forgive them. For they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

1 Corinthians 12:23-26 (NLT) says, “And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.”

We are the body of Christ. If one hurts, we all hurt. Galatians 6:2 (NLT) “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.” Today, we can be the encouragement someone desperately needs. How about it. Let’s show the world how it’s done. Let’s be disciples.

Jaime Luce

Photo 25731937 © Jan Wachala | Dreamstime.com