In Acts 7 when Stephen is being stoned to death he see Jesus standing but not helping. Why wouldn’t Jesus intervene and save Stephen? We wonder the same thing sometimes about our own “death” circumstances that God allows in our lives. There is no true fruit in the Christian life without death. Christ uses these situations to uproot and remove things in our heart that are hindering His life from flowing in and through us. Let our prayer not be, “Lord, deliver me from this!” but, “Lord, give me grace and strength as you work out your purposes through this trial.”

The church of Jesus Christ began with the promise of a divine enablement to those who would turn from their sin and recognize Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. In the last days many will settle for an appearance of godliness and abandon God’s purpose for them on the earth. We must beware of always learning but never allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us into the purpose and the place where truth will lead us. In the last day’s the church we will end up where the church began—in the prayer room so that God’s power will be rediscovered. Let us be a people full of the power of God so we can step into public view and point to Jesus Christ the Savior of the world.

God is our Father and fathers say, “No.” When God says no it’s not rejection—it’s protection. This is the bad math equation: a tough season plus an open door doesn’t always mean God wants you to leave a hard place. Stay put and God will give you strength. The one that causes the wounds can be the very one that heals the wounds when you choose to stay in the difficult places. Many times God’s “no” is a course changer.

Have you deviated from the path of God in pursuit of self? If we don’t get the self-focus out of our heart, we will begin to create another Christ that will accommodate our selfish pursuit and we will end up in a dry place. Today, if you have this cry in your heart, “God come and speak to us, we are dry and we have lost our confidence and our joy is almost gone.” God’s answer to you is, “Hear the Word of the Lord.” God desires to give you a power source that is not your own. He will bring you up out of every place where death has reigned.

As the people of God, we have lost our focus. We have lost sight of our condition and our calling. It’s imperative to rediscover our identity in Christ and what God ‘s purpose is for us in the earth. If you open the door of your heart God will open the scriptures to you, give you understanding and bring you into a place of power. Let your cry be, “Lord anoint my eyes, show me Your purpose for my life and give me a heart to do the work of an evangelist.”

There is a difference between the message of Christ and all the other religions that are available to humankind. God almighty in the form and power of the Holy Spirit is not only willing to save us but He is willing to indwell us and transform us from the inside out. If you have Christ in you, the Hope of Glory, that is God’s way of making Himself known to others who are outside of His Kingdom. Christ in us gives us the power to break every bondage, endure every storm and empowers our speech to bring light to others who are captivated in darkness.