THE HEM OF HIS GARMENT

To the woman who desperately needed a miracle after years of suffering from an ailment that defied medical diagnosis and treatment, the hem of Jesus' garment was her last hope for healing. Her sole thought was, "If only...".

Matthew 9:20-22 (NIV)

20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

Some nights ago, as I worshiped God, I heard the voices of various African church denominations praising Him in their own unique and also dramatic way. Then, the Holy Spirit whispered, "Despite genuine and holy-looking faith, not everyone can touch the hem of His garment." Many worship God, seek miracles and follow Jesus, but few are determined to touch the hem of His garment.

The crowd surrounding Jesus represents the factors that resist us from touching Him, including:

- People pretending to honor and worship Him but seeking personal gain or miracles

- False prophets feigning devotion, but with hearts far from Him

And this hem of His garment is a symbol of the person of Jesus. Beyond being so close to godly nature we are under Godly. We are more confident in our ability to touch the core of Jesus and commune or worship him.

This is not determined by our proximity to his physical person but our desperation to seek Him daily and see Him manifest. 

Just like this woman each day our desire should be to touch the master's garment hem, it doesn't really get easier because as the age closes the barriers increases but as long as our focus is on Jesus, victory is sure. 

Do you desire to touch the hem of His garment? Do you yearn to connect with the Master beyond your needs or superficial desires? Do you want to behold His face and experience His presence?

Like the woman with the issue of blood, you must press through crowds of:

- Doubt

- Unbelief

- Fear

- Rejection

- Past hurt

- Childhood trauma

Your faith can reach the whole of God, and He wants to give you the entirety of Himself, not just a part. Today, desire to touch the hem of His garment, and may that encounter bring wholeness to your life.

Stay Revived!

TO BEHOLD WONDROUS THINGS (Psalm 119:18)

Have you ever read a scripture once and had it resonated deeply with you, only to struggle to understand it at another time? At face value, God's Word may seem like historical stories, instructions, or tales. We keep hearing that God has given us his manual for us to stand out, if a manual is given to a person who is unable to fathom the truth in it, the purpose of that manual will not be achieved. But when we sit with these words, allowing the Holy Spirit to illuminate them, we can behold wondrous truths and realities.

As the Psalmist declared in Psalm 119:18, "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law." We can experience the light and life of God's Word, revealing new insights and understanding.

Recently, I listened to a minister describe the death of Jesus, highlighting the battered and shattered nature of His body during the beating. The minister emphasized how Jesus' face was intentionally disfigured, losing its form and shape. Reflecting on this, I realized that Jesus' face was marred for my sake. This truth awakened a new reality within me.

I prayed these words, and today the Holy Spirit whispered them back to me. As intellectuals, we may have a deep understanding of scripture, but we can ask God to open our eyes to behold wondrous things from His Word. We get to meditate on the life of a great king and his kingdom, and his intention is to make his reality our reality. 

Dear partner in this revival journey, can you desire today that Gods word will come alive within you? Not just achieve your reading plan for the month but also hunger for the truth that this word can bring out. That's exactly what God wants to do with his words in our lives. 

As we study scripture, let's ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the life and light within the words. May we walk in the reality of God's kingdom, seeing His Word as more than just instructions – but as a living, breathing guide for our lives.

Stay Revived!

HAVE YOU MET JESUS?

Have you met Jesus? Not the Jesus preached in your church, but Jesus Christ, our Savior, as revealed in the Bible. While listening to a message by a renowned minister, I felt a deep call, a sense that the Lord is inviting us to a personal, private encounter.

In this moment, Jesus is calling us beyond general knowledge to a profound understanding of who He is. He's not just a granter of wishes but a transformer of lives. He wants to give us His heart's desire, His call for our lives.

While we often gather as a community to hear from God, there are moments when we experience Jesus in a deeply personal way. In those moments, we move beyond calling Him "Jesus" to "my Jesus." We own that experience, and nothing can take it away.

Have you truly met Jesus? Not for material blessings or superficial benefits, but to behold Him as Paul did, to call Him "My Lord" with conviction, knowing He's alive and real.

Can we desire Jesus to become real and personal to us? Can we take the step to ask Him to reveal Himself to us? Then, when we speak of Jesus, we can speak from the depth of our personal experience: "My Jesus."

As the psalmist cried, "One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple." (Psalm 27:4, NIV)

Allow my Jesus to love you. 

Stay Revived!

By Guest Writer.

Opposition Breeds Strength

One of the games I’ve come to truly enjoy watching is tug-of-war. During our employee team bonding events, I always look forward to the game. Not that I participate—if I were on your team, I’d probably be more of a liability! Dragging that rope and withstanding the tension isn’t my idea of fun. However, I love watching the energy and effort people put into it and observing how the opposing team responds.

In many ways, life can feel like a tug of war. We often face resistance, challenges, and opposition that try to hinder our progress or block our path to new opportunities.

It’s easy to question why God doesn’t prevent these obstacles or even wonder if He’s truly present in those moments. But we often forget that one of the fruits of the Spirit is longsuffering, which means there will be times in our lives when we’re called to endure, to wait, and to trust—even when it’s difficult. God's Word speaks to this in James 1:2-4:

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

It’s during these moments of opposition that our faith grows stronger, and we become steadfast in the Lord. I recall a time when someone asked me for advice about an opposition she was facing, and my response was, “In this part of town, we tarry—yes, we tarry in the Lord until we get answers.” So, take it to God.

There’s an important lesson here: opposition doesn’t come to defeat us or make us feel overlooked. In fact, God allows opposition for a reason. Even when we don’t fully understand the purpose, there is always meaning in the struggle. It’s through facing challenges that we develop resilience, deepen our faith, and grow into the individuals we are meant to become—lacking nothing.

So, the next time you find yourself amid opposition, remember it’s not there to break you—it’s there to build you. Embrace the process, trust in the journey, and know that strength often comes through resistance.

Stay Revived!