Today’s Verse – Romans 5:5
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. —Romans 5:5 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… The source of our hope is not just in Jesus’ prior work on the Cross and in the empty tomb as he “who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10). Our hope isn’t dependent upon our own will-power and commitment to hang on to hope — although, at times, we need these virtues. No, God made sure the burning fire of vibrant hope would never run out of fuel in our hearts. He did this by filling us with his Holy Spirit and pouring his love into our hearts. That same Spirit Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead will also raise us up and give us life when Jesus returns (Romans 8:11). My Prayer… Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for the gift of your Holy Spirit who keeps my hope alive, fills me with a sense of your loving presence, empowers me to live for Jesus, and is interceding for me now as I pray. May my life consistently display my confidence in your love by sharing your kindness with others because of my hope in Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Back at the Beginning?
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, Sometimes things have a way of repeating themselves. The events in the verses below occurred after My resurrection. The apostle Peter and six of My other disciples were back where Peter was when I first called him to follow me (Luke 5:1-11); they were fishing. Once again, they caught no fish during a long night of fishing. Once again, I directed them how to catch fish, and they netted a huge haul of fish. After experiencing the miraculous catch of fish earlier when I was calling My first disciples, Peter fell at My feet and said: I can’t take this, Lord. I’m a sinful man. You shouldn’t be around the likes of me. (Luke 5:8). I then called Peter to leave his life as a fisherman and follow Me to start reaching people with My good news. After over three years of ministry with Me, Peter was back where he began. But I needed him ready to lead My disciples to take the good news to the world. However, Peter’s failure stood in the way. Despite My warning, he denied Me three times on the night I was betrayed. Despite his claims that he would not fail Me even if the other disciples did, he failed to live up to his word. Peter’s failure stood in the way of his leadership. There was that other problem in the verses below: a problem symbolized by Peter’s jumping into the water, swimming ashore, and leaving the other men behind in the boat to take care of the fish. Peter needed to humble himself, do the little things that needed to be done and live faithfully for Me. Most importantly, the confession that he was a sinful man didn’t happen this second time. Enough time had passed for Peter to own the ways he had failed Me on the night I was betrayed. He had not done so. My appearance to Peter and the apostles on the beach — see the verses below — was My third appearance to them after My resurrection. Peter had not yet confessed his failure and asked for forgiveness from the disciples or Me. Bottom line: Peter’s failure and his brash bravado stood in the way of his being a great servant leader in the new church that was about to be born. So I began My ministry of restoration with Peter. I would firmly, but lovingly, help him confront his failure in front the men who knew it best. I seized this opportunity to help Peter remember — to remember his initial call to become a fisherman for people and follow Me and to remember his failure to live up to his brash promises. In tomorrow’s verses, you will join Me as I directly but lovingly confront and restore Peter. Today, however, I want you to think about how your own sin and failure can make you feel as if you have to start all over and as if you have to win My trust and earn your right to My grace. Please know that is not true. I long to forgive and restore you. I do ask that you own your failure, that you trust the sufficiency of My grace, and that you get back to following Me. But don’t let shame destroy you. Don’t let your pride keep you from being honest with Me and others. Don’t let the evil one cloud your heart with doubts about My love for you. I long to restore you. I want to use you to grow My kingdom and share My grace. I will use your failures to help you learn to be gracious and empathetic with others so they can be restored, too. I did it with Peter. I will do it with you! Believe in My love for you. Rely on the grace I have for you. Trust the plans that I have to use you. Follow me! Verses to Live Notice how similar this situation is to the first call of Peter (Luke 5:1-11). Then notice how these two events are different. Why do you think I chose for this to be the scene of My third appearance to the apostles after My resurrection? What do you think would have happened to Peter and his leadership if I had not confronted him about his failure before I returned to the Father? There was one other time when Jesus appeared to the disciples — this time by the Sea of Tiberias. This is how it happened: Simon Peter, Thomas (the Twin), Nathanael (the Galilean from Cana), the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. Simon Peter (to disciples): I am going fishing. Disciples: Then we will come with you. They went out in the boat and caught nothing through the night. As day was breaking, Jesus was standing on the beach; but they did not know it was Jesus. Jesus: My sons, you haven’t caught any fish, have you? Disciples: No. Jesus: Throw your net on the starboard side of the boat, and your net will find the fish. They did what He said, and suddenly they could not lift their net because of the massive weight of the fish that filled it. The disciple loved by Jesus turned to Peter and said: Beloved Disciple: It is the Lord. Immediately, when Simon Peter heard these words, he threw on his shirt (which he would take off while he was working) and dove into the sea. The rest of the disciples followed him, bringing in the boat and dragging in their net full of fish. They were close to the shore, fishing only about 100 yards out. When they arrived on shore, they saw a charcoal fire laid with fish on the grill. He had bread too. Jesus (to disciples): Bring some of the fish you just caught. Simon Peter went back to the boat to unload the fish from the net. He pulled 153 large fish from the
Today’s Verse – Micah 5:4
[The LORD’s Messiah] will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace. —Micah 5:4 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… The prophet, Micah, looked into God’s future and anticipated, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Messiah’s presence as Israel’s Shepherd. This future one born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1-6) would be Israel’s Shepherd, King, and Messiah. We know Jesus, our Messiah, Shepherd, and LORD, has come! We find our hope in him. He is our Good Shepherd, who will return for us, call us each by name, and bring us securely into his fold forever. There, we will share in his protective care and eternal peace. O LORD, please hasten that day to come, soon! My Prayer… Our LORD God, thank you for sending Jesus as the sacrificial lamb for my sins and the Good Shepherd of your sheep. Thank you for the promise of rest, protection, and peace that are part of my present and my future with your Son as my shepherd. In his name, I pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
A Turnaround
Note from Jesus Dear Seeker of truth, For several days, I will continue talking to you about restoring Peter back to ministry after his three denials on the night of My arrest. Peter over-promised what he would do to stand with Me. I warned him that he would deny Me three times, which is exactly what happened. I told Peter that I was praying for him: I have prayed that your faith will hold firm and that you will recover from your failure and become a source of strength for your brothers here. (Luke 22:32) Although initially Peter was willing to defend Me using force when the Temple guards came to arrest Me, I told him to put away the sword. I then allowed the Temple soldiers to arrest Me. This situation left Peter confused. In the aftermath of My arrest and during the early stages of My illegal trial by the Jewish religious leaders, Peter denied he knew Me. He insisted he was not associated with Me. He protested and spoke an oath declaring that he did not know Me. Then, I looked at him across the courtyard; the rooster crowed, and Peter was deeply grieved when he realized what he had done and how he had failed. Peter, the rock, one of My future leaders among My apostles and in the early church, stumbled miserably. His failure was not a secret. His agony over his actions was genuine. So before I share with you how I restored Peter, I want to remind you of a story I told. I was in the middle of a confrontation with the religious leaders when I told them the story about two sons (see the verses below). The story is primarily about repentance. I want you to think of repentance in terms of the word “turnaround.” That’s what Peter needed — a major turnaround. He was prone to over-promising and reaching to grab the spotlight. Peter was always wanting to go first, be best, and say the right thing at the right time. This trait was true of Peter whether he was walking on the water then sinking, confessing Me as Lord yet then denying I would suffer, or not wanting Me to wash his feet then wanting Me to wash him all over. On each of these occasions, Peter failed. He over-promised and under-delivered! At times, Peter was like each son in the story below. He over-promised what he would do and didn’t keep his word; this is like the second son. However, like the first son, he was sorrowful and wanted to get his life back on track when he had time to think through his flawed actions. Somewhere along the way, Peter needed to own both his overstatements and his failures. He needed a turnaround. He needed to leave the past failures behind and walk a new direction, My direction, the direction of faithful obedience. You, like Peter, will stumble and fall. You will fail to live up to what you want to be. You don’t want to stumble. I don’t want you to stumble. But it will happen. Your decision at that point is very simple: Will you choose to stay in the place where you’ve faltered and live in your failure? Or will you choose to own your failures by confessing them and then turn your life around to live faithfully for Me? A life of discipleship is not about pretending you are perfect, not about saying the right thing just to make yourself look good, and not about hiding or excusing your sin. I’m not looking for a person who fakes holiness to look righteous. What matters to Me is that you are cut to the heart when you falter, and you are willing to own that stumble, then turn around and get back on track living for Me. My righteousness covers those who repent. My forgiveness covers those who choose to turn their lives around. So if you have let Me down and disappointed yourself because of your sin, remember that your failure isn’t fatal unless you choose for it to be final. I always welcome a turnaround. Verses to Live Which of the two sons below are you most like? Do you push back against what I call you to do, but after thinking about it, get your life back on track like the first son? Or do you over-promise trying to make yourself look good to the folks around you and then fail to deliver like the second son? For Me, the appearance of being religious means nothing. What I AM after is your heart and your obedience. Even if you find yourself in the shoes of the second son, please realize that you can change. You can turn around, and you can get your life back on track and live for Me. Just remember My apostle Peter. He started out as the second son, then ended up turning things around like the first son. Jesus: I will tell you a story, and you can tell Me what you make of it: There was a man who had two sons. He said to his first son: Father: Go and work in the vineyard today. First Son: No, I will not. But later the first son changed his mind and went. Then the father went to his second son. Father: Go and work in the vineyard today. Second Son: Of course, Father. But then he did not go. So which of the sons did what the father wanted? Chief Priests and Elders (answering at once): The first. Jesus: I tell you this: the tax collectors and prostitutes will enter the kingdom of God ahead of you. John came to show you the straight path, the path to righteousness. You did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. Even as you saw the prostitutes and the tax collectors forgiven and washed clean, finding their footing on the straight path to
Today’s Verse – Psalm 5:3
In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. —Psalm 5:3 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… When I read this verse, I remember Richard Melton, a beloved elder in a church where I once preached and a dedicated prayer warrior. He would quote this verse every morning before he entered into prayer. He often quoted this verse with tears in his eyes because he did expectantly wait for the LORD to join him and to answer! Why the tears? Because prayer is so much more — more than we realize and more than we can explain. It is more than making requests. It is more than offering praise. It is more than giving thanks. It is more than interceding for others. It is more than the positions we use to pray — kneeling, prostrating, or bowing before God. Prayer is us knowing God wants us there and loves when we “wait in expectation” for him and his answers to our prayers. Prayer is expecting God to act and bring his redemption in response to our prayers. It is eagerly expecting that God will meet us in our prayer time and do what is best for us, and those for whom we pray. Video Commentary… ToGather Worship Guide | More ToGather Videos My Prayer… Loving Father and Eternal God, thank you for meeting me in this prayer time. I know you hear me and care about what I share with you. Thank you for paying attention to someone like me and accepting me as your precious child. Thank you! O LORD, I wait in expectation to see you move in the lives of people for whom I pray. In Jesus’ mighty name. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Beyond Failure
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, Over the next several days, I will take you on a journey with My apostle, Simon Peter. Before his denial of even knowing Me, I warned him about this upcoming sin. While he stumbled and fell, his faith didn’t completely fail. The verses below remind you of My warning to Peter. Later in the evening when I was arrested, Peter used a sword to try to defend me (John 18:10). He was trying to live up to his promise of being willing to die for Me. He was confused when I told him to put away the sword and that I must fulfill what the Scriptures had said about Me (John 18:11; Matthew 26:50-54). Later that same evening, Peter denied Me three times (John 18:16-27) — just as I had told him he would. After his third denial, I looked straight at him across the courtyard, and he went away devastated by his failure when he heard the rooster crow (Luke 22:61-62). What should I do with those who claim to follow Me and then deny, betray, or abandon Me in a moment of weakness? What if they renounce Me in their confusion or fear or concern for their family or…? Even many of the so-called best and bravest have failed at one point or another. Does that disqualify them from My grace? Does that mean that I abandon them as they have abandoned Me? Are they to be cast out or distrusted forever? Definitely not! Watch these next few days closely. See how I restored Peter. I didn’t just lovingly confront him and forgive him, but I restored him to leadership among the apostles! But for today, notice the seeds of grace I planted in Peter’s heart and the hearts of the other disciples. Know that as you face your trials, My words are equally true for you: “I have prayed that your faith will hold firm and that you will recover from your failure and become a source of strength for your brothers …” My grace not only can sustain you, but it can also reclaim you when you have failed yet are still clinging — be it tenaciously or tenuously — to the hope that I will never leave you or forsake you! Verses to Live Over the next several days, I want to show you how I approach forgiveness and cleansing — the promise I made you yesterday using John’s words about My atoning sacrifice and My ongoing role as your advocate before the Father (1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:1-2). So read the words carefully and you will see how I was already preparing Peter to overcome his failure and sin and to be restored as My leader. Did his faith fail? No, it didn’t, not permanently. You will see that his failure — unlike Judas’ failure — wasn’t final. Was he confused? Yes! Was he overconfident? Absolutely! Did he deny me three times? Yes! Did he quit in his failure, or did he hold out hope beyond it? He held out hope. And so should you! Simon Peter: Lord, where are You going? Jesus: Peter, you cannot come with Me now, but later you will join Me. Peter: Why can’t I go now? I’ll give my life for You! (John 13:36-37) Jesus: Simon, Simon, how Satan has pursued you, that he might make you part of his harvest. But I have prayed for you. I have prayed that your faith will hold firm and that you will recover from your failure and become a source of strength for your brothers here. Peter: Lord, what are You talking about? I’m going all the way to the end with You — to prison, to execution — I’m prepared to do anything for You. Jesus: No, Peter, the truth is that before the rooster crows at dawn, you will have denied that you even know Me, not just once, but three times. Remember when I sent you out with no money, no pack, not even sandals? Did you lack anything? Disciples: Not a thing. Jesus: It’s different now. If you have some savings, take them with you. If you have a pack, fill it and bring it. If you don’t have a sword, sell your coat and buy one. Here’s the truth: what the Hebrew Scriptures said, “And He was taken as one of the criminals,” must come to fruition in Me. These words must come true. Disciples: Look, Lord, we have two swords here. Jesus: That’s enough. (Luke 22:31-38) Response in Prayer Lord Jesus, I live today confidently. I am not confident in my abilities to never fail, forsake or disappoint you, but confident in Your grace to reclaim and restore me. I promise never to take sin lightly. I will do my best never to presume on the generosity of Your grace. But for those times when I sin — I fail, forsake or deny you — I will not believe the lies of Satan that I am worthless and irreclaimable. I will remember Your grace and how You reclaimed and restored Peter, so I trust You can do the same with me. Thank You. And thank You Father for such redemptive love. In Jesus’ grace, I rest my hope and give You thanks. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2024, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today’s Verse – Ecclesiastes 5:2
Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. —Ecclesiastes 5:2 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Even in our TikTok®, short sound-byte world, far too often, many words are spoken in pledge to God that go unfulfilled. We are also tempted to pray long prayers, thinking God will hear us because of our many words (Matthew 6:7). Instead, let’s thank him, praise him, and make our requests to him. But let’s also realize that while our prayers need to be persistent, our words don’t need to be elaborate, refined, and many in number. My Prayer… Almighty God, thank you for the Holy Spirit interceding with you for us as we pray (Romans 8:26-27). Thank you for reminding us in your Scriptures that we don’t have to use articulate prayers for you to hear our hearts. Thank you for not expecting grandiose promises or dazzling words from us when we pray. We come to you as your children, your humble servants, who long to live for you and praise you with our lives and our words. In Jesus’ name, dear Father, we seek your grace as we pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Walking in the Light of Grace
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, I came to your world to be God among you and die as the atoning sacrifice for your sins. However, My ministry for you did not end with My death. After I was raised from the dead and ascended to the Father, I began My role as a heavenly intercessor for you and all others who truly follow Me. My atoning death was the last sacrifice needed. My presence at the Father’s side ensures that I am your holy advocate forever (Hebrews 7:25). My sacrifice still covers your sin. That sacrifice assures you of both your forgiveness and your cleansing. You can be forgiven and also be made pure. It is as if you had never sinned! We — Father, Son, and Spirit — do not want you to sin. Some sin is rebellion, some is weakness, some is immaturity, and some is missing your intended target for the character you desire in your life. I want you to be open with the Father about your sin. I want you to confess your sin to at least one other brother or sister in your spiritual family (James 5:16). Be honest about your sin and your struggle with that sin. Come clean about your sin, rebellion, moral failure, and shortcomings. You are not going to do everything perfectly. Only the self-deluded would claim to have never sinned (1 John 1:8). Only someone who does not understand the nature of sin would try to cling to his or her own supposed sinlessness: “You see, all have sinned, and all their futile attempts to reach God in His glory fail” (Romans 3:23). However, if you walk with Me in the open fellowship of My grace, you will confess your sin for what it is. You will want it gone, forgiven, and cleansed so that your sin is purged from any record of wrongs and you are purified from any stain of sin. Here is what I ask of you. Realize the love and blessings of the grace you have received. Realize this grace came at a very high price. Realize that My sacrifice was given for you, but not just for you: It is for every person in the world! Please, pass this good news of My atoning sacrifice and My gift of new life, overwhelming grace, complete forgiveness, and total cleansing on to those who are lost. So walk with Me… be honest with Me… and share My grace because others need this same forgiveness and cleansing that you have received. Verses to Live Read the following verses several times. They are from My beloved disciple John, who wrote them to encourage those who were discouraged with their sin. These verses contain great promises to you about what I am doing right now in the presence of the Father to bless you and bless all who choose to follow Me as their Lord and Savior: What we are telling you now is the very message we heard from Him [Jesus]: God is pure light, undimmed by darkness of any kind. If we say we have an intimate connection with the Father but we continue stumbling around in darkness, then we are lying because we do not live according to truth. If we walk step by step in the light, where the Father is, then we are ultimately connected to each other through the sacrifice of Jesus His Son. His blood purifies us from all our sins. If we go around bragging, “We have no sin,” then we are fooling ourselves and are strangers to the truth. But if we own up to our sins, God shows that He is faithful and just by forgiving us of our sins and purifying us from the pollution of all the bad things we have done. If we say, “We have not sinned,” then we depict God as a liar and show that we have not let His word find its way into our hearts. You are my little children, so I am writing these things to help you avoid sin. If, however, any believer does sin, we have a high-powered defense lawyer — Jesus the Anointed, the righteous — arguing on our behalf before the Father. It was through His sacrificial death that our sins were atoned. But He did not stop there — He died for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:1-2) Response in Prayer O Father, I know that I have sinned and fallen short of Your plan for Me. Thank You Lord Jesus for Your sacrifice. You sacrificed Your comfort, Your security, Your dignity, and Your life to give me grace. Your sacrifice gave me the way to receive the Father’s mercy through forgiveness and cleansing. Thank You Holy Spirit for Your work to transform me to be more and more like Jesus. I commit to living for Him as You empower and transform me. I promise to share His grace with others so that they can share in these blessings. In Jesus’ name, I offer You my thanks, commitment, and praise. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2024, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today’s Verse – Romans 5:1
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ… —Romans 5:1 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… The cost of peace is always high. Jesus’ enormous sacrifice purchased our peace with God. God made sure the price for our rebellion was paid, but he didn’t make us pay it because we could never have fulfilled our obligation. Instead, God paid it himself, in Jesus, and asked us to believe this “too-good-to-be-true” gift is true through his grace and our faith in his gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-7). My Prayer… Holy and loving Father, thank you for making peace and bringing me back to you at an enormous cost to yourself, the crucifixion of your Son (Colossians 1:18-19). Thank you, LORD Jesus, for willingly surrendering yourself to the horrible cruelty of the Cross. Thank you for not treating me as your enemy because of my sin (Romans 5:6-11) but as a lost sheep that needed to be found by your grace. Thank you for adopting me as your beloved child. In Jesus’ name, I offer my thanks and praise. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Wait!
Note from Jesus Dear Precious Follower, I know that waiting is hard for you. Regardless of your reason for having to wait, I know that waiting is hard. However, sometimes the best thing you can do to catch the Wind of Heaven (the Holy Spirit) in your sails of faith is to wait. Think for a minute about all that My closest disciples had experienced during the time surrounding My crucifixion: My challenging teaching and confrontations during My last week in Jerusalem before My crucifixion. The brutalities I suffered during My trials and on the day of My crucifixion. The heartbreak and devastation during the time My body lay lifeless in the tomb. The excitement of that first week after My resurrection. The wonder of My presence during the forty days of My appearances to My disciples after the resurrection. My disciples had an incredible message to tell the world. They had experienced things no one had ever experienced or would ever experience again. So in My farewell appearance to them, imagine how hard it was for them to hear My instructions to them: “But you must wait in the city until the power from above comes down upon you.” They had these great experiences, and they had this great message about My resurrection, but I told them to WAIT! Wait? Yes, wait! You see, the mission that I gave them was staggering. They were going to change the world by taking My story to the nations. Perhaps you’re wondering, “Was this small band of disciples actually going to take the message of My life, death, and resurrection to the world?” Yes! Perhaps you’re still wondering, “Was this ragtag group of disciples going to fulfill their world mission without great monetary resources? Without positions of power? Without an international network of partners? In a world of travel mostly by foot or on sailing ships, and very, very slow mail service without any internet or phone service?” Yes! Yes! That was their mission. Yes! That is what they did. You see, the secret to fulfilling their mission — as well as the secret for you to fulfill your mission — is the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. Over the nearly two thousand years since My resurrection, many have heard My words of commission to take the good news message to all the world. They have trained. They have studied languages. They have prepared themselves culturally. They have prepared themselves theologically. They have trained themselves in communication, cross-cultural communication, culture shock, and reverse culture shock. However, they have sometimes not taken the time to wait: to wait for Me to guide them to the place they need to go, to wait for Me to tell them when it is time to go, and especially to wait for the Holy Spirit to come and empower them to go. Imagine My message as a fire, a burning flame. But as powerfully as that flame may burn, it is surrounded by pockets of unbelief, places of hostility, and non-combustible spaces of disinterest. To jump these zones where the fire has little fuel to burn, the flame needs the Wind of Heaven, the Holy Spirit, to propel it past the barriers of indifference and rejection. The bearers and keepers of the flame need the Spirit to empower that flame to burn brightly in places where hearts are ready to be lit afire with the grace of heaven. My messengers must have more than human power and plans. As good as these messengers are, as precious as their faith is, and as noble as their intentions may be, they need power — real, holy, enduring, heavenly power! They need — and before you launch on a plan to bring Me glory and share My grace, whether it is some great ambitious plan or a plan to tell your neighbor about Me, you need — Holy Spirit power. So please, honor Me by dedicating yourself to waiting in prayer for the release and guidance and power of the Holy Spirit rather than trying to do things on your own strength. Isaiah promised strength from the Lord many years before I promised it to My little band of would-be world-changers: Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31 ESV) In a few weeks, I will take you on a journey through the book of Acts. You will see a little band of believers become a massive and multi-cultural family held together and propelled to new frontiers by the power of the Holy Spirit. You need to know that I want you to do the same thing in your day, again and again, with people who are committed to “make disciples” by going and “baptizing” and “teaching” others to know and “to obey” all that I taught (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV). So I ask you to wait — not stall, not make excuses, not grow cold to My message, not give in to the distractions of the world, but to wait — through prayer and holy expectation for the coming of the Holy Spirit with power. Verses to Live Before I ascended back to the Father, I promised My closest disciples that I would send “power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” You will see that power lived out in the stories from the book of Acts. However, I want you to read the passages below that came after these promises to My disciples and realize this important truth: