HAPPY CHRISTMAS PRESENCE

 

CHRISTMAS PRESENCE 

One of the things I love most about Christmas is the Christmas carols and movies that come with the season. As a child, I somehow felt that during Christmas, there was a fairy godmother moving around, spreading golden dust of joy and laughter. I always looked forward to the season.

It’s amazing to note that Jesus' birth wasn’t just the arrival of joy, but He lived a life that serves as a role model for Christians today, showing us how we should live. As we celebrate the anniversary of Jesus' birth, let us not forget to examine His life and realize that He is the "Dayspring from on high" that the prophet Zechariah spoke of in Luke 1:78-79 (KJV):

"Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the Dayspring from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

Even before Jesus' birth, there was already a testimony of the works and significance of His arrival for mankind. In this season of yuletide, we should remember that it’s the loving kindness of God that led Him to send His Son to bring light and salvation to the earth. Through Him, we are no longer in darkness but are set in the light of Christ. When Jesus came, He illuminated the dark world, and it is He who guides our feet into the path of peace. Let us not forget that Jesus came to redeem, to save, and to spread His peace.

There is a peace that comes from the knowledge of God, and that peace cannot come from anywhere else but through salvation. As we mark another anniversary of Jesus’ birth, let’s not forget to reflect on our lives and make them right before the Lord, for He is ready to redeem, revive, and restore us. Amen.

Stay revived!

The Christmas Presence: The Gift of Jesus

The Christmas Presence: The Gift of Jesus

I waited patiently, updating my mail for news, but after staying there for so long, I thought maybe the miracle would be a gift item or an alert stating a need met. But none came through, not in the way I thought.

Perhaps, like me, you were expecting a grand miracle or something to make this Christmas special. But what if it didn't happen as planned? Does that disqualify our celebration?

The greatest miracle we could think of is the miracle of the coming of a king, not through natural circumstances, but supernaturally. Instead of focusing on unfulfilled expectations, I pondered the greatest gift to humanity - Jesus. God's greatest gift to me and us.

I love the Christmas season, but it hadn't felt like Christmas for two seasons. As I reflected on the reason for this season, I realized that it was the miracle I needed. The miracle is not in the decorations or festivities, but in the fact that Jesus came. The miracle is the love God showed us by giving us His Son for a greater cause.

As I pondered and reflected on this miracle, Jesus became fresh in my life again. His coming was no longer just an event that occurred thousands of years ago, but a fresh occurrence that transforms, renews, and helps me become the person He has called me to be.

God's word in John 3:16 remains living and fresh in our hearts: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." God's gift to us is life. Not the kind of life we celebrate and leave out but as we meditate on this life, we see our own life transformed by his hand. 

As we reflect on this miracle, we focus on Jesus, because we're not just celebrating a birth; we're reflecting on abundant life. Today, may the life Jesus brings reflect in our existence.

Merry Christmas!

Stay Revived!

"Start the Fire and I Will Stir It Up"

 "Start the Fire and I Will Stir It Up"

In the month of June, my local church had a midyear program, and during that season, the Lord laid a word in my heart: "Start the fire, and I will stir it up."

At the middle of the night, I woke up to the sound of burning dry bushes and paper at my right ear. But when I woke up, there was nothing but my sister sleeping across from me. The Lord spoke to me in the midst of a "fire." I felt a burning sound as if there was real fire close to me, but only to wake up and find nothing.

As I look back on those moments, I can understand those words. They were the words I needed in that moment of despair when I was just healed from a mental breakdown.

But as I take a look at the days that followed after that word from God, He had really prepared for each moment. The Lord does that for His people always, because He cannot do anything without an awakened man. He first awakens man to the reality He has ordained him for.

That was the reality He first awakened Gideon to when He called him a "man of valor." It's easy to always look as if we've got a plan and we've got everything covered, but what about the moments when there is no plan? The moment when people expect you to know what to do, but you're still trying to figure it all out.

Gideon could only think of feeding, and so when he was preparing what to eat, God's messenger said to him, "That man of valor." 

Judges 6:11-14 (NIV) said this about Gideon. 

11 The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 

12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior."

13 "Pardon me, Lord," Gideon replied, "but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, 'Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian."

14 The Lord turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?"

At that moment, God saw him as a man of strength. God was just saying to him, "Start the fire, and I will stir it up. Whatever it is you want to do, start the fire; I've got more for you. You've got the strength to start again. Just seek Me, and that plan you desire will pass.

As we prepare for the cross into the new year, I hear these same words: "Start the fire, and I will stir it up." It's been months since He gave me this word, and the Lord has stirred up great things in my life by just saying yes to Him.

God wants to stir up great things in our life, but we've got to say yes. 

Stay Revived!

By Guest writer.

Can God Spread a Table in the Wilderness?

Can God Spread a Table in the Wilderness?

It's so easy to doubt God's goodness, especially in moments of quietness or dry seasons. It's tempting to wake up each day and conclude that God has not helped, especially when the help does not come in the moments we desire or expect. 

During this holiday season, I stumbled upon an old journal from 2020 with a question inscribed on one page: "Can God spread a table in the wilderness?", I had written yes he can but Reflecting on it in 2024, I realized that I had taken four years to understand this psalms. In this four years, they were moments I had become the Isrealites. 

The Israelites, despite their track record of God's faithfulness, asked the same question. Psalm 78:19-21 (MSG) says:

19 They whined like spoiled children, "Why can't God give us a decent meal in this desert?

20 Sure, he struck the rock and the water flowed, creeks cascaded from the rock. But how about some fresh-baked bread? How about a nice cut of meat?"

21 When God heard that, he was furious - his anger flared against Jacob, and he lost his temper with Israel.

It was clear they didn't believe God, and had no intention of trusting in his help. However, God still provided for them.

Psalm 78:23 (MSG) says:

23 But God helped them anyway, commanded the clouds, and gave orders that opened the gates of heaven.

Yes, God can provide, even in the wilderness. Trust is the key that unlocks His provision. We must look reflect on every moment when He came through, be hopeful, and joyful, and rejoice in His faithfulness.

The end of our journey is the promised Canaan land, flowing with milk and honey. God has written out a plan to take us there, but it requires our commitment to trusting Him.

God needs our trust to unlock the wilderness seasons in our lives. Yes, God can spread a table in the wilderness.

Stay Revived!