Day 9 - Alleys That Become Avenues

Thoughts on Michael Wells’ teachings in My Weakness for His Strength - # 77    

Michael’s book is available through: 

Abiding Life Ministries International

Littleton, Colorado

(303) 972-0859       www.abidinglife.com

Today’s verse is another one of those we love to quote, almost haphazardly, in those moments when we see a great victory over an enemy.  I mean, after all, if God be for us, who could possibly stand against us?  Oh…what about those times when victory doesn’t seem so imminent???

Day 9

Alleys That Become Avenues

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? --Romans 8:31

Often we are frustrated by the hindrances that are posed by other believers. Many are enjoying their walks in the flesh and spread their pettiness around to others. Once a police officer, an unbeliever who investigated the occult, asked me an interesting question. "Why is it that Satanists we have investigated belong to churches?" I asked if he knew what they did within the church. He said that was an even greater mystery, for most merely disagreed and caused division. The disagreements, he went on to say, were over minute issues such as the color of the pews, worship times, how to stripe a parking lot, or the size of coffee cups. Little did he know that this would be the most effective place for a Satanist to work, because believers, in turn, who have not found their identity in Christ will often have their identity centered around the same types of issues and will dig in to be proven right, for to admit that they are wrong about coffee cups or stripes is tantamount to admitting to being worthless failures.

If our goal is church growth, full pews, a comfortable budget, and harmony, then difficult believers are a hindrance. However, if our goal is the release of the life described on the mount in Matthew 5, then these very, if people are the avenue. We cannot desire to be spiritual giants while refusing the very experiences that could make us grow toward that end. How do we know that the Life within can love an enemy prior to our having one? How do we know that we are enabled to pray for those who persecute before we are persecuted? How do we know that the extra mile can be offered until it is required? The believers that appear to be hindrances actually pave the avenue for discovering, revealing, and releasing the Life of Jesus that is within, the Life that has overcome every hindrance to the spiritual man. I love our freedom and the way God works! I love Jesus, for if God is for us, who can be against us?

Yellow – VIP, Very Important Point      Green – IT, Incredible Truth        

Red – GP, Greatest Promises

Turquoise – UR, Unfathomable Riches           Pink – PV, Priceless Victory

Whether Satanists or difficult believers, churches have encountered those who are constantly disagreeable and cause divisions.  Some have been labeled “againers,” always against whatever.  I had one man in one church who some of the folks would sluff off by saying, “That’s just old so and so…everybody knows him.”  To which I answered, “Not the last 100 folks who joined!” 

And, of course, we encounter those who have not found their identity in Christ who often have their identity centered around the same type of issues and will dig in to fight with the others to be proven right. 

Either way, we find these a hindrance if our goal is church growth.  But, Michael gives us a very different perspective…”the release of the life described in Matthew 5.”  Then these people are not an “alley” but an “avenue.”  An avenue to a wonderful ministry of presenting “Christ in us, the hope of glory.”

One statement Michael makes stands out for me as the heart of ministry to those we have formerly thought of as “difficult believers”:

·         “We cannot desire to be spiritual giants while refusing the very experiences  

  that could make us grow toward that end.”

Learn that lesson, and we really begin to travel the avenue to “life in Christ.”  So, let us always tell those who are being persecuted, have enemies, being forced to go the “extra mile”…these are for paving “the avenue for discovering, revealing, and releasing the Life of Jesus that is within, the Life that has overcome every hindrance to the spiritual man.”

Love Jesus…for if God is for us, who can be against us!

To access ALL past weekly blogs, go to Living Life With a Capital “C” by logging onto www.leemccm.blogspot.com   Look to the top right hand side of the page, enter your email address in the box under “Follow,” then click on SUBMIT.  You will receive a “confirmation email,” and when you click on the link and “confirm,” you will receive all new posts via email.

NOTICE: a new blog on Michael Wells’ book, Sidetracked In The Wilderness, called Getting Out of the Wilderness.  You can access by logging onto www.leemcchristianministries.blogspot.com

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries

leemccm@gmail.com

P. O. Box 633244    Nacogdoches, Tx 75963                                          936-559-5696

Day 15 - Are You Qualified?

Thoughts on Michael Wells’ teachings in My Weakness for His Strength - # 76

    

Michael’s book is available through:

Abiding Life Ministries International

Littleton, Colorado

(303) 972-0859       www.abidinglife.com

Qualifications are a mysterious phenomenon in Christianity.  First of all, so many fall into the trap of listing “qualifications” as to whether someone really IS a Christian, or not…in the one’s mind who is coming up with the particular qualifications.  Unbelievable.  John 3:16 is God’s simple “qualifier” for that question.  And then we have the qualifications of whether someone should be a pastor, or not.  A teacher, or not.  A bus captain, or not.  An usher, or not.  And the list of qualifications for each goes on and on and on and on…  And, of course, someone is always getting offended because another does not live up to their list of qualifications.  Oh, I guess they have forgotten God’s “warning” in Psalm 119:165.

Day 15

Are You Qualified?

He came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at Him. --Matthew 13:54-57

Often people are questioned as to where they are from so that who they are and what they are about can be discounted. In the same way, people look for a source for God so He can be discounted; they have a vested interest in His existing only in the imaginings of man.

The topic of qualifications has come up more than once in my life, normally in one of two forms. Either someone is attempting to position himself above me in spiritual competition or he wants to discount what I say. The competition is obviously counterproductive, for once a person feigns spiritual authority over another, he proves that he has none. When qualifications are used to discount the teaching, question after question is asked until that end is achieved in the person’s mind. The funny thing is that the majority of Bible schools and seminaries could be sued for false advertising, for only Jesus Himself can create in a person what their brochures claim can be provided through education. Also, there is the problem of wisdom. It is so disheartening for one who has spent so much time in school and trusts in his knowledge when an abiding brother or sister without such systematic instruction says something that thrills the heart. This causes jealousy and resentment among the educated ones who rely on the training of their flesh. We are given everything pertaining to life and godliness in Christ Jesus the day we believe in Him; there is no more qualifying to be done. In fact, when any Christian starts requiring me to meet some criteria, I know I am with a carnal man and will leave.

Yellow – VIP, Very Important Point      Green – IT, Incredible Truth        

Red – GP, Greatest Promises

Turquoise – UR, Unfathomable Riches           Pink – PV, Priceless Victory

Imagine…the absurdity of looking “for a source for God so that He can be discounted”…what is that?!?  Looking for a source for The Source?

Michael gives us the two reasons people like qualification lists: (1) “someone is attempting to position himself above me in spiritual competition,” or (2) “he wants to discount what I say.”

Don’t you just love the verse Michael refers to…(2 Peter 1:3)…that speaks to our being qualified in God’s eyes the day we met the Lord Jesus Christ.  Well, amen.  Let us look for and listen to those who simply are abiding in Christ and letting Him do their talking…

To access ALL past weekly blogs, go to Living Life With a Capital “C” by logging onto www.leemccm.blogspot.com   Look to the top right hand side of the page, enter your email address in the box under “Follow,” then click on SUBMIT.  You will receive a “confirmation email,” and when you click on the link and “confirm,” you will receive all new posts via email.

NOTICE: a new blog on Michael Wells’ book, Sidetracked In The Wilderness, called Getting Out of the Wilderness.  You can access by logging onto www.leemcchristianministries.blogspot.com

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries

leemccm@gmail.com

P. O. Box 633244    Nacogdoches, Tx 75963                                          936-559-5696

Day 12 - Are They Really Hearing Jesus?

Thoughts on Michael Wells’ teachings in My Weakness for His Strength - # 75

     

Michael’s book is available through:

Abiding Life Ministries International

Littleton, Colorado

(303) 972-0859       www.abidinglife.com

Preaching through the Book of John, we recently crossed 10:1-6, and I titled the message: “The Voice of the Shepherd.”  It is very interesting how many “competing” voices there are to: a) keep a Lost person from ever hearing the Gospel, and b) distract and detour a born-again Believer from hearing their Shepherd.  So, today’s writing is a beautiful picture of the dilemma facing everyone as to “who are we really hearing?,” and HOW we can know the “who.”

DAY 12

Are They Really Hearing Jesus?

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. –I Corinthians 2:12, 13

Over the years I have had similar experiences to yours of people walking up to me to tell me that they had a word from Jesus for me. These words have been as varied as the people. Some have told me I was out of God’s will to be traveling to minister and needed to return home immediately. Others have told me that the Lord was telling me to go out. Go out or come in, which is it? All purport to be speaking on God’s behalf, so how to know the difference? There is no doubt that genuine words from Jesus can come through the conduit of another believer, but His word will not be an attempt to create something in us, but to witness to what is already there. God is a very intimate God and normally does not tell our secrets to another; He is far too confidential for that. Therefore, someone’s telling me I have a “hidden sin” or a “dark heart” is not received. When a word does come that could be construed to be negative, it will--if it is truly from the Lord--lift the spirit, for with the word will come the power and the truth to set me free.

Another problem with some so-called “words of the Lord” is the carnal one’s use of them as a method of manipulation, invoking the Lord’s name and our love for Him to move us in his direction. Saying, “The Lord said . . .” really means, “Keep your distance, and no rebuttals allowed.” A sure sign that this is happening is that the one speaking refuses to be questioned. The carnal person will want his to be the last word. Probably the most pertinent question when determining if something is from God or is a judgment of man is simply, “Why did Jesus not tell me Himself?” Normally when a child goes to a sibling to represent the parent, something is not right. If the parent wants to tell a child something, he simply tells him; he does not send another child to speak for him. If God wants to tell us something, and we know His sheep hear His voice, why would He send someone else? (see John 10:1-6). There are examples of His doing that in the Old Testament, and the people knew exactly what the prophet was talking about; it was not something vague or something that they could not see was wrong. This brings us to one other point: the carnal makes things vague to protect himself. It reminds me of the Asian fortuneteller standing on the corner and saying to each person passing by, “You seem happy, but something is wrong deep inside!” On any given day, that would apply to at least half of the people. God has no need to be vague, and neither are His words calculated to please the flesh. “You are going to have an expanded ministry!” “You are going to have all your riches returned to you!” “You are going to have healing!” It is all so appealing to the flesh. I would rather hear, “You are in Him, and so being in Him, He will bring the revelation of Christ in you, the hope of glory!” Carnal men want to give a word that is spectacular. Always question the motive behind what is being said. The “word” should bring neither condemnation nor exaltation; its object should be to move you toward Jesus. I have received tremendous encouragement from the words of believers that were not from them but from Him. Do not let the fact that there are phony words given deter when a blessing is to be had. Simply judge what is being said.

Yellow – VIP, Very Important Point      Green – IT, Incredible Truth        

Red – GP, Greatest Promises

Turquoise – UR, Unfathomable Riches           Pink – PV, Priceless Victory

Just imagine over the years how many people our dear brother Michael had come up to him and give him a “word from God.”  Wow!  The ridiculous brazenness of some.

Michael gives us some terrific criteria for judging what is being said.  Let us learn and take heed to make the necessary judgments.

One thing that always impressed me was Michael pointing out that God is not in the business of telling someone else something to tell me…that He could (should) speak to me directly about.  (“Why did Jesus not tell me Himself?”).  Our very intimate and confidential God will speak to us directly.  As a pastor or counselor or discipler, sometimes God may prompt us to tell someone something God has said THAT HE HAS ALREADY BEEN TRYING TO “TELL” THEM, but for whatever reason they will not, or have not, listened to Him.

And one of the most priceless victories we have in Christ is that we have been “given, and received, the Spirit that is from God,”…so ”we may know the things freely given to us by God.”  This is huge!  And what a privilege we have as a child of God!  Because right in that same passage in 1 Corinthians 2 God tells us “the Lost (natural) Man DOES NOT RECEIVE the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him: NEITHER CAN HE KNOW them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (v. 14)

Oh, brethren, let us not forget, waste, somehow make void…whatever…the gift to “hear Jesus” each and every time He speaks to us!

To access ALL past weekly blogs, go to Living Life With a Capital “C” by logging onto www.leemccm.blogspot.com   Look to the top right hand side of the page, enter your email address in the box under “Follow,” then click on SUBMIT.  You will receive a “confirmation email,” and when you click on the link and “confirm,” you will receive all new posts via email.

NOTICE: a new blog on Michael Wells’ book, Sidetracked In The Wilderness, called Getting Out of the Wilderness.  You can access by logging onto www.leemcchristianministries.blogspot.com

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries

leemccm@gmail.com

P. O. Box 633244    Nacogdoches, Tx 75963                                      936-559-5696

Day 285 - The Opposite of Glory

Thoughts on Michael Wells’ teachings in My Weakness for His Strength - # 74

     

Michael’s book is available through: 

Abiding Life Ministries International

Littleton, Colorado

(303) 972-0859       www.abidinglife.com

We sing songs, we give testimonies, and we tell each other all the time about some wonderful thing God has done…and then we give God the glory for what He has done.  Interesting.  Michael has some great thoughts about all this…

DAY 285

The Opposite of Glory

The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. --Psalm 19:1

God is glory, and He will not give His glory to another. It is not right to say, “God, if you complete the plan I have for my family, the church, and myself, I will give You the glory.” I did not know that He had lost His glory for you to give it back to Him. The glory is His, and apart from Him there is no glory.

Glory is God, and He is written into the very fiber of our makeup and being; we, along with all the earth, proclaim His glory. The heavens declare His glory, which is in all things He creates. So what is the opposite of glory? If all things have His glory in them, then the opposite of glory would be nothing attempting to be something. Who fits that description? Satan! He is a nothing attempting to be something! He is not a created being but a resultant being, the result of walking away from what he was created to be: an angel glorifying God. He wants more than anything to be a something. Glory is revealed in accomplishments, not destruction, and the enemy has no glory except that which is given him through those who fear him! Apart from that he has none of his own. That is why Satan so loves to hear the believers talk of his power, abilities, intelligence, and his capacity to strike fear in all those who would oppose him. God is the glory, and apart from Him there is no glory. Satan was not the last enemy to be defeated, but the first. Luke 10:18, “And He said to them, 'I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.'” Like fallen man, Satan does not acknowledge the Creator and has become a nothing. God is glory! 

Yellow – VIP, Very Important Point      Green – IT, Incredible Truth        

Red – GP, Greatest Promises

Turquoise – UR, Unfathomable Riches           Pink – PV, Priceless Victory

Michael sums up this “glory” thing…

·         God is glory.

·         Apart from Him there is no glory.

·         God hasn’t lost His glory for me to give it back to Him

·         Satan has no glory except that which is given him through those who fear him.

·         We proclaim God’s glory simply because He is written into the very fiber of our

             makeup and being (those of us who are born-again Christians).

·         The heavens and all creation proclaim Gods glory.

It is time we fully recognize that the enemy has deceitfully created another counterfeit in our life…taken a word meant only for God and given it to man.  Man has carelessly accepted it.  Man needs to stick to giving God PRAISE, not “glory.”

It is time we fully recognize what is “the opposite of glory.”  As Michael says, “the opposite of glory is nothing attempting to be something.  Satan fits that description.  He is a “resultant being.”  A resultant being deserves NO glory.  DO NOT give any “talk” to him!

Michael’s statement “the enemy has no glory except that which is given him through those that fear him” brings great concern to this heart.  As a pastor and friend, I hear far too many Christians mentioning the devil more often than I hear them mentioning God and Jesus Christ.  Constant chatter of “the devil’s really out to get me,” “he’s been dogging me all week,” “be careful, the devil is trying to (you name it) you!”

I wonder how many Christians stop to think that they may be FEARING Satan…when the Bible says we are to “fear the Lord.”  And those are two different “fears.”

The devil is a nothing.  Well, amen.

To access ALL past weekly blogs, go to Living Life With a Capital “C” by logging onto www.leemccm.blogspot.com   Look to the top right hand side of the page, enter your email address in the box under “Follow,” then click on SUBMIT.  You will receive a “confirmation email,” and when you click on the link and “confirm,” you will receive all new posts via email.

NOTICE: a new blog on Michael Wells’ book, Sidetracked In The Wilderness, called Getting Out of the Wilderness.  You can access by logging onto www.leemcchristianministries.blogspot.com

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries

leemccm@gmail.com

P. O. Box 633244    Nacogdoches, Tx 75963                                        936-559-5696

Day 155 - "I Want to see Jesus!" "Do you?"

Thoughts on Michael Wells’ teachings in My Weakness for His Strength - # 73    

Michael’s book is available through: 

Abiding Life Ministries International

Littleton, Colorado

(303) 972-0859       www.abidinglife.com

In Michael’s book, Heavenly Discipleship, he speaks of “worldly discipleship” vs “heavenly discipleship.”  He says, “Worldly discipleship, succinctly defined, is persuading a child of God to employ worldly formulas to become spiritual” (p. 2).  Many today have led one Christian after another to “seek more,” to seek the spectacular.  All this at the expense of faith.  Simple, child-like faith that is not seeking, but depending.  Michael gives us a great picture of the price paid for abandoning faith, a powerful summary statement, along with a simple statement from scripture that speaks volumes.

DAY 155

“I want to see Jesus!” “Do you?”

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. –Hebrews 11:1, 2

One day in my prayers I made a request: “Jesus, I would like to see You!” His response was, “Would you?” The normal way to enter into Jesus is through the unseen, that is, through faith. If we enter another way, we enter through the abnormal, the seen. Many could complain to God, “If you did for my relative what you did for Paul (strike him blind, speak to him, heal him, and teach him in the wilderness), he would believe, also.” However, is a knockout experience what we really want for our relatives? Is it what we want for ourselves? Once one has entered into Christ through the seen, he is no less in Christ, but he has not learned faith, which by very definition includes belief in what is not seen. He must then enter dark rooms of suffering and lack, just to add faith to his spiritual arsenal. This principle is seen over and over again in saints’ lives that have experienced the spectacular. They had to learn faith through dark nights of the soul. In the end, is it wise to want a vision or to be caught up to heaven? Such things bring great suffering in order to take us to a place of faith. If entrance into Christ came through trusting, though nothing was seen, be content to stay in a place of faith, in a place of the unseen, and in a place of believing. “Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed” (John 20:29).

Yellow – VIP, Very Important Point      Green – IT, Incredible Truth        

Red – GP, Greatest Promises

Turquoise – UR, Unfathomable Riches           Pink – PV, Priceless Victory

The spectacular has an enormous attraction in the world.  Sadly, it isn’t much different in Christian circles either.  Books telling of some “miraculous” event that only the author has experienced, testimonies of seeing something or someone that none other has experienced, even the picturing of an image (or, imagining it to be an image of someone) on a bizarre something…all have captured the imaginations of thousands and thousands of people, many who claim to be Christians, who want to “see” what someone else has seen, or claims to have seen.  What ever happened to the simple, uncomplicated, “bland” life of “the just shall live by faith” (“which by very definition includes belief in what is not seen”)? 

Of course, one teaching that has been missing is the testimonies of the multitudes who have had to “enter dark rooms of suffering and lack, just to add faith to his spiritual arsenal.”  Amazingly, the thousands who have been intrigued by the one who experienced the spectacular have not followed up to see what their life turned out to be.  Confirmation of the end result was not sought.  So, off we go, watching thousands more caught up in someone’s “spectacle.”

“The just shall live by faith.”  Simple, uncomplicated, “bland.”  The flesh doesn’t like that, does it?  Oh, but the Spirit does!!!  His Spirit in us, the real us.  Check out the end result of someone living by faith.  You’ll like it…if you are not living in the flesh.

To access ALL past weekly blogs, go to Living Life With a Capital “C” by logging onto www.leemccm.blogspot.com   Look to the top right hand side of the page, enter your email address in the box under “Follow,” then click on SUBMIT.  You will receive a “confirmation email,” and when you click on the link and “confirm,” you will receive all new posts via email.

NOTICE: a new blog on Michael Wells’ book, Sidetracked In The Wilderness, called Getting Out of the Wilderness.  You can access by logging onto www.leemcchristianministries.blogspot.com

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries

leemccm@gmail.com

P. O. Box 633244    Nacogdoches, Tx 75963                                       936-559-5696

Day 154 - I Will Not Stand In Persecution

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries                         LMCM

Nacogdoches, Texas                                                           Gal. 2:20 KJV

Thoughts on Michael Wells’ teachings in My Weakness for His Strength - # 72

Michael’s book is available through: 

Abiding Life Ministries International

Littleton, Colorado

(303) 972-0859       www.abidinglife.com

James wrote that “the trying of your faith worketh patience (perseverance).  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”   

Paul wrote “we glory in tribulations also knowing that tribulation worketh patience (perseverance), and patience, experience (proven character); and experience, hope.”

So the “trying of your faith” and “tribulations” are one and the same…leading to “wanting nothing” and “hope.”  Michael points out a great truth in that process: it is our admitting our weakness to stand in those “tryings” and “tribulations” that brings the power of Christ to our life.

May this beautiful writing of Michael’s bring great victories to struggling Christians world-wide!

DAY 154

I Will Not Stand in Persecution

. . . and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. --Romans 5:4-6

While reading a devotional on sacrifice, I noted that a question was posed that went something like this, “Are you willing to be poured out for others, to be a doormat?” The gist of the thought was that a believer must decide today that when those opportunities come, he will pour out his life. I think all such challenges should be met with the attitude of praying, “Lord, You know me. I would save my life at every opportunity. I have learned from Peter that it is easy in this moment to say, ‘No, never,’ and then when faced with the opportunity not to deny You, not to rise to the test. I am weak. But this I would ask: When the moment of pouring out comes, would You grant me the grace to turn to You, to recognize abiding, and thus let the life that has been poured out, the life of Jesus, be poured out again through me?” Some consider the Christian standard of behavior to be higher than any other, and they consequently suppose their job is to raise the bar even higher for other believers. If that must be so, then I quit now! I know myself, and in my flesh dwells no good thing. The standard that Jesus set is higher because He was the One keeping it, and the only hope I have is that He live it through me. If I abide in Him, He will pick the moment when I will be poured out, and it may not be a spectacular event. Often it can be some simple interaction with a relative or acquaintance, and I find myself immediately offended. I can let the stirred flesh be used of God as a warning that I am moving into self-love. If I say amen, admit my condition, and invite Him to flow through me, I can walk toward the person and love him or her. Afterward, I will have been poured out, and it will be a pleasant experience because it was actually His being poured out through me. I refuse to jump on the bandwagon and sing the lines of a chorus that say, “I will ever seek You, I will never forsake You, I will always love You, and I will be holy for You.” It is better to learn from David’s mistake when he said those things and then had an affair. I will not throw words at commitment. Sometime today I will completely walk in the flesh, and it is that awareness that makes me turn to Him the second I get up. I do not want to surround myself with people who say, “I am ready for the persecution. I will not deny the Lord. I will witness to the end.” They will be the first to deny Him! I want to be with those who fear their ability to stand, who are nervous about witnessing, who are afraid to make judgments, who have not been to Bible school, who fear their own wisdom, and who do not see how they could be fit for ministry. They will stand, for He will make them stand!

Yellow – VIP, Very Important Point      Green – IT, Incredible Truth        

Red – GP, Greatest Promises

Turquoise – UR, Unfathomable Riches           Pink – PV, Priceless Victory

Unquestionably a very colorful “day’s” writing!  More so than that of the highlights I have made…Michael pours out a picture in 3-D, full color, HD…of exactly two things:

1.     Our weakness to actually think we can make commitments we will never break.

2.    Christ’s power when we admit our weakness.

No wonder the great Apostle Paul proclaimed in the power of the Holy Spirit, “…for when I am weak, then I am strong.”  Of course that was one verse after he had quoted the Lord Jesus Christ having said to him: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”  Hallelujah!

Soak on all the things Michael points out today…especially those highlighted.  For how many of us could say with Michael, “Sometime today I will completely walk in the flesh, and it is that awareness that makes me turn to Him the second I get up”?  And, “I know myself, and in my flesh dwells no good thing”?  Well, amen!

To access ALL past weekly blogs, go to Living Life With a Capital “C” by logging onto www.leemccm.blogspot.com   To get all future blogs look to the top right hand side of the page, enter your email address in the box under “Follow,” then click on SUBMIT.  You will receive a “confirmation email,” and when you click on the link and “confirm,” you will receive all new posts via email.

NOTICE: a new blog on Michael Wells’ book, Sidetracked In The Wilderness, called Getting Out of the Wilderness.  You can access by logging onto www.leemcchristianministries.blogspot.com

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries

leemccm@gmail.com

P. O. Box 633244    Nacogdoches, Tx 75963                                         936-559-5696

Day 275 - The Invisible King

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries                         LMCM

Nacogdoches, Texas                                                           Gal. 2:20 KJV

Thoughts on Michael Wells’ teachings in My Weakness for His Strength - # 71      

Michael’s book is available through: 

Abiding Life Ministries International

Littleton, Colorado

(303) 972-0859       www.abidinglife.com

What an incredible thought to begin 2014 with…countless numbers of Christians have never seen Jesus, yet have believed!  Hallelujah!  Amen!

I wonder how many who read this will be impacted by the ministry of The Invisible King this year…

DAY 275

The Invisible King

Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed {are} they who did not see, and {yet} believed.” --John 20:29

I really love the fact that Jesus is invisible to us! I want Him to remain invisible. Of course, without faith, it is impossible to please Him. We know that. But for me, there is more. I love the fact that He is invisible. Often I enter a country wherein Christianity is illegal, especially in the Muslim countries. However, because He is invisible, I enter the country with His hand on my shoulder and no one notices. I bring with me the whole Kingdom and its King. If He were visible, it would not be allowed; because He cannot be seen, no one says a word. We enter, and with us comes all that is true about Him. Beautiful. Thank You, Jesus, that You are invisible. I also like the invisible currency of His kingdom. Often I have taken a few dollars to a place and given them to a Christian cloth-maker. The cloth is given to a Christian seamstress, and the clothes given to children at a Christian school. Everyone reaps the benefit, and every penny is multiplied. Amazing.

Yellow – VIP, Very Important Point      Green – IT, Incredible Truth        

Red – GP, Greatest Promises

Turquoise – UR, Unfathomable Riches           Pink – PV, Priceless Victory

Michael walked with the King in the midst of those who would have persecuted him had they known Who he was walking with!  Those two sentences highlighted in green are enough to encourage any missionary in one of those countries where Christianity is illegal.

But what about us?  Are we encouraged?  Are we enthused about the prospects of entering a place somewhere our Christianity is not wanted, perhaps not allowed (no matter that it is not illegal)…and our King is entering with us!  Not only our King, but the whole Kingdom.  “We enter, and with us comes all that is true about Him.”  Think of the possibilities that presents for us.  Wow!

And what about that invisible currency thing?  Everyone knows His Church gets more for the dollar than any business could ever hope for.  And not only what one dollar buys, but the unlimited dollars our King can, and does, return to the spender (and the ones who give or do for less than “market price.”). 

Our Invisible Jesus does invisible things from the world’s eyes, but can be seen through the spiritual eyes our King has given us.  Well, amen.  Let the world go on wondering how so much is done (multiplied) through so little.

That leads to me to a thought...if you have a story of the “invisible” (His currency, His presence, or other) that you think would be an encouragement to someone in another part of the world, would you email your story to me (see address below) and I will share it in an addendum to a future blog, calling it “A Touch of the Invisible Power.”  Please include your name, location, and other pertinent info you think would help others.  If for security reasons you cannot share these, we will understand.

Don’t forget…the new blog from Sidetracked In The Wilderness has begun.  It is available at my new blog address: Getting Out of the Wilderness.  Log onto www.leemcchristianministries.blogspot.com

If you have any desire to interact with me on something Michael has written, and/or any of my thoughts, please note the email address just below my name at the bottom of this.

To access ALL past weekly blogs, go to Living Life With a Capital “C” by logging onto www.leemccm.blogspot.com   Look to the top right hand side of the page, enter your email address in the box under “Follow,” then click on SUBMIT.  You will receive a “confirmation email,” and when you click on the link and “confirm,” you will receive all new posts via email.

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries

leemccm@gmail.com

P. O. Box 633244    Nacogdoches, Tx 75963                                 936-559-5696