Encouraging Notes

HOW GREAT YOUR REWARD WILL BE

During the time of the judges, there was a severe famine in the land of Israel. Together with his wife, Naomi, and their two sons, a man named Elimelech moved to Moab to escape the famine. During their stay, both sons married Moabite women. Over time, Elimelech and both of his sons died.

After finding out that God had provided food for Israel's people, Naomi prepared to travel to her homeland. Naomi tried her best to convince her daughters-in-law, Orpah, and Ruth, to stay in Moab so they could remarry and have families. Orpah listened and returned home, but Ruth said, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me." 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her. Ruth 1:16-18

Through the Holy Spirit's leading and her heart of loyalty towards Naomi, Ruth was unwilling to leave her mother-in-law alone and chose to honor her instead of doing what was comfortable and even desirable. Consequently, God caused Ruth to connect with a very wealthy and influential Jewish man who became her husband. Ruth ended up giving birth to Obed, Jesse's father, and, as you know, Jesse was King David's father.

Wow! Because of her faith, Ruth, a Gentile woman, was chosen by God to be in Jesus Christ's lineage! From Adam to Jesus Christ, only two women who were not of Jewish descent were honored by God to be in the lineage of Jesus Christ. The first was the prostitute, Rahab, who, by faith, hid the spies. The second is Ruth.

When you choose to listen to the Spirit of God and do what he is telling you to do, there is no telling how far God's favor will take you and...

HOW GREAT YOUR REWARD WILL BE

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Have you ever saw a need so big that you felt as if there was nothing you could do to make even a remote difference? I believe this is how the disciples felt in the story of our text today.

Mark 8:1-5 About this time, another large crowd had gathered, and the people ran out of food again. Jesus called his disciples and told them, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will faint along the way. For some of them have come a long distance.” His disciples replied, “How are we supposed to find enough food to feed them out here in the wilderness?” Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?” “Seven loaves,” they replied.

There were four thousand men not including women and children. Possibly as many as 10 or 15,000 people total. What were seven little loaves going to do for that many people? Nothing unless a miracle from heaven was getting ready to unfold! Yes! The seven loaves, along with the few small fish they had found, were enough for God to produce a mighty miracle and feed the whole crowd. Wow! It is interesting that seven is the number of perfection and completeness. Without them knowing it, God was declaring that perfection and completeness come from him! The question is not about how much we have but whether or not we will give it to God so that he can produce a miracle.

Do you know that God also wants to perfect and complete something through you! God never asks us for something we don’t have; he wants to … Click for More

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IN SHAPE

People often talk about those who are well-built or in-shape, referring to their physical body. Yet, there is an unseen part of you that can also be well-built or in-shape.

You are a three-part being. You are a spirit, you live in a body, and you possess a soul. God gave you a body to live in, but he also gave you a soul. Both of those are your responsibility to keep neat, clean, and in shape!

1 Cor 6:20 What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. (KJV)

Your body is the house for your spirit and soul. We must count it a privilege to keep our houses in shape. External looks aren’t everything; that’s for sure! But a heart that wants to please God will do whatever it takes to honor Him! What you eat, what you drink, how you think, and your exercise habits are the key to your overall health! Interestingly, God took the time to talk about people’s physiques in the Bible – here is one.

Genesis 39:6 Says, “Now Joseph was well- built and handsome.

Esther 2:7 7 Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This young woman, who was also known as Esther, had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.

Why would God take the time to tell us such a thing? Though your physical body is not more important than your spiritual body, it is nevertheless important! God wants us to honor him with all that we are, body, soul, and spirit. One way that we can honor God is by managing all that he’s given us with excellence! Come on! Let’s get in shape in every way!

I pray that you understand how important it is to honor God in every area of your life! My prayer for you today is that your diligence and commitment would bring about God’s excellence in every area of your life and that every part of you would be…

IN SHAPE

PRAYER: Father, in the name of Jesus, I come to you. Today I choose to be excellent in every area of my life! I choose to honor you with my body, soul, and spirit! May you be pleased with the way I take care of all that you’ve given me! It is my honor to serve you with all that I am today! Father, for Your glory, let it be so!

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BE SAID ABOUT YOU!

Some people in the Bible are worth taking special note of – the prophet Daniel was one of them. Daniel was living in so much favor from the Lord that he rose above all the other leaders around him. King Darius was so impressed with Daniel that he decided to put him in charge of his entire empire – the most powerful kingdom on earth. This proposal made the other leaders jealous, and they began to search intently for any fault they could find in Daniel. Look at what transpired.

Daniel 6:4 Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn't find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy. (NLT)

He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy. Wow! I had to do a double-take when I saw that! Faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy!

Wouldn't you like to have been a close friend of Daniel? I am sure he was respected and loved by many! One thing I am sure of is that God is looking to raise up those with the character of Daniel. Like the Marines, God is also looking for "A Few Good Men" (and women). Are you faithful, responsible, and trustworthy? These characteristics are byproducts of receiving and living in God's love! I love what apostle Paul said to the Philippian church.

Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Phil 2:13 "It is God who works in you, both to will and to act according to his good pleasure."

God began the good work in us, and it is his pleasure and will carry it on to completion! I believe the season for increase in the body of Christ is now! God is ready to work into us the kind of character that will produce great things on the grand stage of this world! Trials bring opportunities for God to do his extraordinary work in you, so don't be afraid of them. Oh yes! Welcome them by faith!

1Peter 1:6-9 In this, you greatly rejoice, though now, for a little while, you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Before Daniel saw the promotion of God in his life, he had to face… Click for more.

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THERE IS NO POWER IN PRAYER!

What if I told you that there was no power in prayer, what would you think? Maybe that I was a heretic or had lost my mind? Consider this; Many people from all kinds of religions pray but most never access the presence or the power of God. Why? The reason why is because there is no power in the act of prayer – there is only power in accessing the presence of God. Make no mistake, faith is the only thing that taps us into God and that is why gave us this profound scripture.

“And without faith, it is impossible to please God. For those who come to him must believe that he is, and that he rewards those who diligently seek him.” Heb 11:6

Why does the Scripture say , “those who come to him?” Where you gonna go? The answer is, the realm of the spirit – the unseen realm. Apostle Paul said, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18

The beginning of accessing the presence and power of God is the recognition that God is all around us and within us. This cannot simply be a fact that one can quote, it must be a reality.

Also, successful prayer is not something I do in the morning or at some specific time, but rather a lifestyle. Living in the presence of God is a prerequisite to … Click to see more

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