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The power is in you, even stronger than it was in Him…

John 18:1-14

When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.

2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.

4 Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”

5 “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.

“I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6 When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

7 Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?”

“Jesus of Nazareth,” they said.

8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” 9 This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”[a]

10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)

11 Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”

12 Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him 13 and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people.

Jesus was prepared. The soldiers were not. They flew backward and fell when Jesus said, “I am He.” Jesus is the Messiah.

Peter’s response is a human one. One of anger and fear. One that is sparked not by God, but by the evil that prowls. Jesus reminds His followers that this was part of the plan. Part of God’s perfect plan. We know from the previous readings of Matthew Mark, and Luke, that thia was difficult even for the perfect man that Jesus was. Peter acted in the way that I would’ve acted. I imagine many of us would be angry and afraid like Peter. The rebuke was not subtle, but very direct and to the point.

Tomorrow, as you go to work, imagine yourself confronting those that have spoken and acted against you. When you have their faces in mind, ask God to help you forgive them. Ask Him to come into your life and teach you to give others that gift that you have been given…Forgiveness. walk in the authority of Jesus, and as they act against you in the future, remember that you have been given life. A life designed to glorify Him even in the toughest of trials.

I will join you. As we join in prayer tomorrow morning, stretch your faith. People will notice and ask you about that light that you walk with. When they do, say that you walk with Jesus. #JesusSaves

Amen
DK

John 17:20-26 (NIV)

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you[e] known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

Complete and total sacrifice. Jesus placed himself in our place. In that moment He took our pain and suffering. So, through this act, know that that you have been cleansed of all sin. Those things that we do have been covered. What we see and do and the actions we take in sin are not of our hearts, but rather the evil one fighting to take back what has been delivered and redeemed.

We must walk in this facy. The fact that we have been saved. As we learn to walk in His favor, we can be free. The devil has no hold on our hearts, only our flesh is in turmoil.

Lord we ask you now, let not our hearts be trouble or afraid. Let us see that your son was sent for that which we sometimes toil over. We have been set free. Lord, on the name of Jesus we say we are free and delivered. Thank you Jesus. #JesusSaves

Amen
DK

We are His…

John 17:6-19 (NIV)
6 “I have revealed you[a] to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of[b] your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by[c] that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by[d] the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

Our Advocate, Jesus Christ, parts to the Father not only for those that walked with Him faithfully on earth, but all of us that walk with Him now. This prayer extends beyond all of time and from generation to generation. It is a prayer from the mouth of our Savior and Creator to the Father in Heaven. His advocacy began evn as He knew He was on His way to the cross. Even in the darkest of times.

This is what He does today. He does this for the believer. He does this so that we are sanctified through His gift of redeeming blood. This gift, given so freely and willingly to those that accept His Gospel, is available for fresh renewal when we believe.

Sanctification is not easy, but is certainly worth. Much of what you did not know about yourself will be revealed. It hurts, yes, but it is necessary for you to receive the full measure of what He has given. As you receive this truth, stay close to Him through prayer. In the same measure that blessing will be given to you, the evil will attack. The evil one will try and convince that you have it all wrong. That you are failing. That there is no way that you can do it. Guess what? He is right. You can’t! But God can. You must run to Him daily. It is an exercise in Faith. Consider it your workout. Your weights. Your running.

Be disciplined daily and rmseek Him. Seek Him, and you will find Him. Jesus is with you. The Holy Spirit is with you. God is with you. Fear not. You will make it and He will be Glorofied! #JesusSaves

Amen
DK

Hallelujah!

John 17:1-5

17 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

Amen. Amen. Amen.

John 16:16-33

16 Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”

17 At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18 They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”

19 Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? 20 Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

25 “Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

29 Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. 30 Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”

31 “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. 32 “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Now we believe. Jesus spoke plainly and clearly to them so that we would believe. It is clear that Jesus cane to this world to save us, and He cane directly from the Father. Sent by the Father to save us.

The connection that Jesus had as He was on earth has been solidified in us as well. Jesus left us with all the help we will ever need in the Holy Spirit. With that great gift, we now have the ability to see all that He sees. The choice is ours.

We need not worry, or fear. We need only to love. God. Ourselves. Our neighbors. In that order. #JesusSaves

Amen
DK

Empowered and made Righteous through Faith in God…

John 16:1-15

“All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, 5 but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

The intentional words used by Jesus are meant to strengthen us as we wait. He tells us flat out that our advocate is with us. This advocate, the Holy Spirit, is here to help us get through this world in such a way that we can walk with His authority. This advocate is our means to understanding and communication with the Father through Jesus Christ. It is He who leaves us with authority and power over the condemned one. Power over evil and sin in the name of Jesus.

He will be back. He will come for those that know Him and believe in Him. He will come for those that seek Him.

Today, have been made whole and clean again. As you take this opportunity to confess your sin to Him, know that He has taken your sin and removed it. He does this daily. Your repentance is required, but you must know that you are forgiven. You must walk in His forgiveness and not give in to the idea that somehow you are not worthy. You are. You are not only worthy, you are RIGHTEOUS! Jesus has saved you. Now walk in that Grace, Mercy, and Empowerment that He paid for. Don’t give in. #JesusSaves

Amen
DK

We have been given so many gifts. He came to save us…

John 15:(26-27)
26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

Testify! Give your testimony, and give your story to the world. Jesus has ensured that we will always have an advocate in Heaven, speaking to the Father on our behalf. Just to know that He loves us to that degree, to that unknown level, is awesome! #JesusSaves

Amen
DK

You will be hated…as they hated Him that made you.

John 15:18-25 (NIV)

18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’[b] If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’[c]

Jesus has directed and commanded us to love. Therefore, anyone who hates, does not know Jesus, and therefore does not know the Father. If you do not know the Father, then you have not ever known Jesus, and you are still living in sin.

How do we throw out the sin? Once we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we are saved. Upon receiving that Salvation, we will be prompted to love more than we ever thought possible. Our cup will overflow with so mich, that we will not have the ability to hold it in. That is precisely the way that God designed you. We are made to receive love and give love. Daily.

Picture yourself as a machine. A machine so perfectly made, that the only fuel required to efficiently operate is love. Love of God. Love of yourself. Love of your neigubor. You are God’s perfect machine, and you are called to love all mankind. Even when you are hated. Not if you are hated. When you are hated. That time is upon us now.

Hold fast to the Lord, and speak in the name of Jesus Christ. Whatever is asked for in His name will be given to you. Believe that what Jesus says, is key to activating your machine. You will love beyond any level that you have ever dreamed. #JesusSaves

Amen.
DK

Servant and Friend…Jesus Christ.

John 15:1-17

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

The move from Servant to Friend of Jesus is where we move toward as we walk with the Spirit of Jesus Christ, who makes us whole and comolete. Jesus describes us as the branches. We are that part of tree that serves a purpose for Him. We are not the root or the fruit. We are not the vine. We are the branches.

Branches must be pruned and cut away to make room for new and stronger growth. That is what God does in our lives faily, as we get to know Him more and more. As we read and become steiner and more faithful believers, He begins to cut away branches that are no longer needed, or perhaps never were. This is a lifelong process, just as with any tree that continues to grow.

Have faith that God knows exactly which branches to cut as He prunes us all. Believe that although a branch to you may be pretty, God has a plan to grow you bigger and better than you ever though possible, so that He is glorified. Rest assured that the pruning process is a painful, yes, but one that is necessary and right. For God has come into your life to make you more and more like His son, Jesus Christ…our friend and advocate. Our Savior and Redeemer. Our Creator. #JesusSaves

Amen
DK

John 14:15-31

15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[c] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30 I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, 31 but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

“Come now; let us leave.

The Holy Spirit. That still, small voice that you hear. Your conscience. That voice that tells you what is right, and what is not good. Yes…the one you have ignored many times. Yes, that one.

His gift to all of us, so that we would come to know the Father more through our own personal advocate. The Holy Spirit. The third all important part of the Triune God. The God of all Creation. He left me a gift. A blessing. I will not let it rest.

Jesus is advocating for us in Heaven with the Father, and we are down here. But we are not alone. We possess the same power as Jesus, and by Jesus own mouth we are the Righteousness of God through Jesus Christ.  #JesusSaves

Amen
DK