January 31 – There Is A Shaking Going On

“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.” Matthew 7:24

Are you prepared to have your faith shaken? God is doing the shaking, and He has a purpose. The body of Christ will be purified through the shaking and testing process. The world will be drawn to God, looking for answers, during a severe shaking process. It is important to read Hebrews 12:25-28.

God made a covenant with Abraham and began to develop a blood line of holy people that would eventually usher in the Messiah, Jesus Christ. God revealed His power through this holy people and performed miracle after miracle to prove Himself.

NOW God will again reveal His power through a people with whom He has cut a covenant; that is, the body of Christ; and, through the shaking process, it will become a pure and spotless bride that will be ready for and usher in the Second Coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ! God will again prove Himself to a world that is shaken through a people who have faith that cannot be shaken.

Be sure that your faith is grounded on the ROCK that cannot be shaken!

PRAY: “Father, I recognize the shaking going on in the earth today, and I thank You for Jesus, my Solid Foundation. There is nothing to fear. I go forth with joy in His Name. Amen.”

January 30 – Abstract Love

“My little children let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” I John 3:18

The story about a professor of psychology illustrates the difference between showing love and simply talking about it.

The man had no children of his own but, whenever he saw a neighbor scolding a child for some wrongdoing, he would say, “You should love your boy, not punish him.”

One hot summer day the professor was repairing his concrete driveway. Tired after several hours of work, he laid down the trowel, wiped the perspiration from his forehead, and started toward the house. Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a mischievous little boy putting his foot in the fresh cement. He rushed over, grabbed him, and was about to spank him when a neighbor leaned out his window and said, “Watch it, Professor! Don’t you remember? You must love the child!” At this, he yelled back furiously, “I do love him in the abstract, but not in the concrete!”

Love should not be an abstract or theoretical word but, rather, demonstrated “in deed and in truth.” Take the first step toward someone today to demonstrate your love!

PRAY: “Loving heavenly Father, You are my example when it comes to demonstrating love. Help me do a good deed or say a good word today. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

January 29 – Paraclete People

    “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.”  John 14:16

Jesus said He would send another Comforter, speaking of the Holy Spirit, who would come to mankind after Jesus went back to heaven. The Greek word for “comforter” is “parakietos,” meaning “one called to the side of another for help or counsel.”

The Holy Spirit is your Comforter, your Counselor, the very expression of God to man here on earth. However, God has comforted you so that you may comfort others. Read about that again in II Corinthians 1:3-4. He has called you to be a “parakietos” to others with needs around you. Through the infilling of the Holy Spirit, you also are the expression of God here on earth. The English language derivative is “paraclete.”

You are a “paraclete,” a person full of the Holy Spirit, and called to the side of the hurting, the helpless, the hungry, the habitual, and the hardhearted.

As a “paraclete,” “paired up” with other “paracletes” and the Holy Spirit, a strong “threefold cord” is created that is not quickly broken. (Read Ecclesiastes 4:9-12.)

PRAY: “Father, thank You for the Comforter who dwells in me to give me all the help I need to be one of Your ‘paracletes’ in this present age. Today I depend on Your Presence, and I worship You. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”