Tap into Supernatural

But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. (Matthew:14:27-30)

This is a well known passage from the Bible where Jesus walks on water. Peter, one of Jesus' daring disciples decides to follow suit. As I was meditating this verse, one word caught my eye "Come". That's all Jesus had to say and within the next few minutes Peter was on the water walking by himself. Amazing! Yes, it is true that a single word proceeding from the mouth of Jesus was more than enough to make things happen. But still it is the risk taking manner of Peter that stands out. The Lord loves people who would take that risk because of the trust they have in Him. He loves those who are willing to take that leap of faith.

Note that Jesus didn't have to speak to the mind of Peter first to get him prepared mentally, followed by speaking to the water for it to become hard enough for Peter to walk! If I had been in this situation that's how I would have prayed. Lord, please make the waters hard as a land so that Peter could walk. I am not saying it's wrong to pray such prayers, but Jesus was just inviting Peter into the realm He was operating in. I call it the "Heaven on Earth" realm. In that realm, there is no fear of anything, the natural laws like gravity, water's density doesn't work. Everything over there is supernatural. It's a realm where the Word of GOD is everything and it is governed by it. All it takes to access that realm is our faith combined with the word of GOD. Peter's faith combined with the Word of Jesus (Come) enabled him to access the realm and made him to walk on water. Let's hunger and seek the Lord so that we will tap into that supernatural realm more often than not.

Blessings!

GOD is fanTAXtic

When they arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the half shekel [the temple tax] went up to Peter and said, Does not your Teacher pay the half shekel? He answered, Yes. And when he came home, Jesus spoke to him [about it] first, saying, What do you think, Simon? From whom do earthly rulers collect duties or tribute—from their own sons or from others not of their own family? And when Peter said, From other people not of their own family, Jesus said to him, Then the sons are exempt.However, in order not to give offense and cause them to stumble [that is, to cause them to judge unfavorably and unjustly] go down to the sea and throw in a hook. Take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find there a shekel. Take it and give it to them to pay the temple tax for Me and for yourself.(Matthew:17:24-27)

There are a couple of things that we can learn from this incident. Let's look at the first one. Peter had been asked about taxes and he would have been thinking how to take that matter to Jesus. With that in his mind, he enters into the house and before Peter could say a word, Jesus brings up the matter. What a big relief it would have been for Peter! Many times we are reluctant to talk to the Lord about certain things and while we are contemplating on how to go about it, the Lord Himself addresses the situation. That's the heart of the Father that is being revealed through Jesus. Before we could say a word, the Lord knows what we need.

The second thing we learn from this incident is from the miraculous provision of a shekel from the mouth of a fish. A fish that acted as an ATM! If we read this passage carefully, the tax needed for Jesus was just half shekel, but one shekel was found in the mouth of the fish just as Jesus said. Why? So that half shekel can be paid for Jesus and the other half for Peter. When we do things for GOD, He will take care of our needs. This need not apply only to the things that we qualify as "spiritual". Every thing that we do, when we do it for GOD, our needs will be met by Him.

Blessings!

GOD's Concept of Inception

You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. (Luke:1:31)

Mary, who was a virgin, conceived because of the power of the Holy Spirit overshadowed her as we read in Luke:1:35. In other words, the Lord planted the seed that is Jesus, in Mary's womb. Today, the Lord wants to plant His ideas in our hearts. When we give birth to them, it is going to be unheard of and it will bring solutions to the problems that the world is facing right now. All that we need to do is similar to what Mary did when she was told about her impending pregnancy. “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her. (Luke:1:38) Total surrender to the will of GOD. We should be willing to surrender to the will of GOD like Mary did, so that He can plant His ideas in our hearts.

The ideas that the Lord puts in our heart, when it gets executed, will bring wealth, health, solutions, peace, joy etc. We compared Jesus to the idea that the Lord will plant in our hearts. When Jesus was born, He attracted wealth from the Magi. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. (Matthew:2:11) Similarly, when our ideas that are conceived because of GOD in our minds and hearts are born (executed in the natural) it will automatically attract wealth and every other attributes of the kingdom of GOD. In a world that is exposed to new problems everyday such as corona virus, we are the Lord's chosen vessels to bring solutions to those problems. The Lord is looking for someone who is willing to surrender to His will and ask Him for solutions that the world is in dire need of.

Blessings!

Only One & Only Son

Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew:17:4&5)

Peter and the other two disciples were in total awe of what was happening before them. To know further details of this incident we must read from Luke:9:28-36. It tells us that the disciples were actually half asleep during the incident. So we can understand the state of mind they would have been in when they saw Elijah and Moses along with Jesus right in front of their eyes in a transfigured state. But still there isn't anything wrong with the statement that Peter makes here. Peter's wish was not granted though, but the answer for his question came not from Jesus but from the Father Himself. What's the need for the Father to intervene in such a fashion that sent the disciples into hiding? It's because Peter placed Jesus in the same vein as Moses and Elijah. He decided to bring Jesus under the same tent as Moses and Elijah. So, the Lord intervened and made a statement to reiterate the fact that Jesus is His Son, whom He loves. There is no one, even Moses or Elijah or any man for that matter can be considered in a similar way to Him.

Like Peter, sometimes we too forget the Lordship of Jesus in our lives. When we give importance to some people from our past or present, the same importance that we ought to be giving it to Jesus, we need to be reminded of the Lordship of Jesus in our lives. Nothing can replace or nothing can be on par with Jesus in our lives.

Blessings!