Introduction
As you probably saw last week, we made a few temporary adjustments to the 15s. Ceci had hip replacement surgery last Tuesday, and I’m playing nurse. She is recovering well and appreciates your prayers.
Today’s post is from our friend Gina Gholston. Gina reminds us to pause and remember what God has done for us, then share these experiences with others, believing God’s power will be released as we do. I know you will enjoy it. Her title is:
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Aim for the Glory
I recently spoke at a conference where the theme was “Miracles, Signs, Wonders.” As I was praying about the meeting, the Lord said to me, “Miracles, signs, and wonders are not just a theme; they’re a calling! I have called believers to work with Me as I work through them in power to make My glory known.”
Our efforts in the past season have not been in vain; much has been accomplished. And yet we will do more–the revealing of God’s glory is part of His plan for us. I once asked the Lord, “Where are we on Your timeline, and what do we do now?” Among other things, He said, “I am giving the church a space of time to advance with the demonstration of My power. Aim for the glory! To see, to know, to experience, and to show My glory must be the goal of everything you do.”
I believe we are still in that space of time, and the manifested glory of God must continue to be our aim. It’s time for the awakening we have entered to advance to another level. As we do, the demonstration of God’s glory will spark an awareness of Him that can come no other way.
The fourth chapter of Acts gives us a picture of this. At that time, the church was just being launched. They had recently experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit, empowering them to be effective witnesses for Him. There was great opportunity, but there was also great resistance and persecution. It was a critical point on God’s timeline, and they understood that their purpose in this time was to make Jesus known. So, their prayer was not “Lord, hide us from the persecution.” Their prayer was: “God, give us boldness to speak Your Word by stretching forth Your hand to heal and that signs and wonders would be done in the name of Jesus” (see Acts 4:29, 30). When they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken and they were filled once more with the Holy Spirit. The demonstration of God’s power gave them boldness to speak the Word, and the resulting miracles produced undeniable evidence of Jesus’ reality.
This must be our prayer, as well! We have come to an urgent point on the timeline of God’s plan, and He has given us this window to advance His Kingdom purposes. I believe the moment we are moving into will be marked by evidence of His revealed power and glory.
God once said to Me, “I am about to show My strength and demonstrate My power in and through a people whose hearts are fully dependent and focused on Me! The world WILL see and know that I am God as I send My people forth with the light and covering of My Glory! This is the time to rise and shine, and the dark world will respond to My Light!”
God has also been speaking to me recently about the church laying “memorial stones” by telling stories of our experiences with Him, enabling others to hear of His glory and power. We find this concept in Joshua, chapter four. As they were crossing the Jordan River into God’s next phase, Joshua instructed twelve men, one from each tribe, to gather stones from the river and use them to build a memorial. It would serve as a lasting reminder for the following generations of God’s miraculous intervention.
We, too, are moving into a new phase on God’s timeline, and He is saying, “Before you go forward, take this moment to remember what I have done to get you here. Remember what you have seen and experienced, and tell your stories, so that others will hear of My power and know that I am God.”
One of the most valuable treasures we have access to as born-again believers is not only the intellectual knowledge of God, but experiential knowledge. Intellectual knowledge is beneficial, but when it is grounded in experience, rather than mere words, it becomes much more powerful and compelling. Experience is a powerful witness. It cannot be dismissed as mere speculation, supposition, or assumption; it is undeniable knowledge gained by personal experience and observation. And when we talk about the Lord on the basis of our experiences with Him, our words become much more effective.
Many in our generation desperately need to be shown God’s power. He has made us His witnesses to declare and give them evidence of His reality. Regardless of how small or grand we may consider our testimonies, every experience with God is a treasure that gives us knowledge of Who He is. It is a knowledge that has been written on our lives by the Author Himself, allowing us to see, feel, and experience the demonstration of His love, power, and reality. When shared, these testimonies have the ability to convince others that He is real and His power is great, available to all.
We must reveal God to this generation by allowing Him to work through us to demonstrate His power, and also by sharing our testimonies. We must be bold to talk about His mighty works that we have seen and experienced. Tell your stories to your family; share your testimonies with those to whom the Lord may lead you.
One way we can do this is to use our social media platforms, sharing testimonies of how God has worked in and through our lives. Let’s lift up Jesus and make Him known. The world around us may not understand when we talk about the Ekklesia making decrees or engaging in prophetic assignments. But they understand when we share the testimonies of how Jesus healed us, provided for us, and helped us in our times of need. Where we’ve been on our journey could be where they are now, and our testimonies of the overcoming power of the Lord Jesus may be just what they need to shine light on their path and give them hope.
Pray with me:
Father, thank You for every experience You have given us, marking our lives and developing in us an unshakeable faith in You. Through those experiences, You have established for us a testimony of the reality of who You are. We ask that You would refresh us with the remembrance of the power and goodness You have shown to us. We ask that You would give us wisdom to confidently and effectively share those testimonies with others. Let our words become an unavoidable light that pierces the darkness. Bring freedom to many as the testimony of Jesus prophesies of His hope, love, and overcoming power. Grant us boldness to speak Your Word by stretching forth Your hand to heal, and let signs and wonders be done in the name of Your holy Son, Jesus! Amen!
Our decree:
We declare that we will not be silent, but will boldly share God’s hope and love everywhere we go.
Today’s post was shared by Gina Gholston and taken from her new book, Along the Journey. You can find out more about Gina at GinaGholston.com.
Click on the link below to watch the full video.