Topic: Follow the Little Promptings [Tuesday December 12, 2017]

Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! — 2 Corinthians 5:17

The Holy Spirit always wants to lead us through life, but sometimes we get so focused on seemingly “big” issues that we don’t realize how much He speaks in small promptings every day.

I was on my way home one day and intended to stop and get a cup of coffee, when I had a strong impression that I should call my secretary and ask if she wanted a cup too. When I called, she said, “I was just standing here thinking, I would love a good cup of coffee right now.”

You see, God wanted to give her the desire of her heart, and He wanted to work through me. I did not hear a loud voice or see an angel or have a vision. I simply had an inner sense or thought that I should offer her a cup of coffee.

In the same way, God wants to bless the people in your life. I encourage you today to keep your heart sensitive to God’s voice. Follow the little promptings. He will speak to your heart and lead you in the way you should go.

Prayer Starter: Holy Spirit, I choose today to quiet myself so that I can hear Your little promptings. Show me ways that I can bless others.

From Joyce Meyer’s Ministries

Topic: Death Has Lost Its Power [Tuesday December 12, 2017]

Matthew 27:52 “And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,”

This is an amazing event that only Matthew records. This earthquake apparently rolled the stones away from many of the graves in the vicinity of Jerusalem, and some of the saints buried there arose from the dead. Even at the death of Jesus, such power was released that death lost its grip on its captives.

It is uncertain whether these resurrected saints died again or were caught up to God. If they were resurrected at Christ’s death, then they would have had to die again, just as Lazarus or Jairus’ daughter or the widow’s son at Nain or anyone else that Jesus raised from the dead during His ministry. This is because Jesus was, “the firstfruits of them that slept” (Acts 26:23; 1 Cor. 15:20). Jesus was not the first person physically raised from the dead, but He was the first person begotten from the dead to never die again.

If these people were not actually resurrected until after Jesus’ resurrection, when Matthew states they came out of their graves, then they could have been resurrected with their glorified bodies to never die again.

At any rate, these saints went into Jerusalem after Jesus was resurrected and they appeared to many people. We can only guess what effect this must have had on the people.

The resurrection of Jesus puts Christianity in a class all by itself. Many people have come and gone professing some revelation from God or new way of approaching God. But only Jesus has conquered death. This makes Him unique and elevates Him above the level of any other man who has ever walked on the earth. The resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate proof of the accuracy of His doctrine.

This message was written by The Association of Related Ministries International (ARMI) is an extension of Andrew Wommack Ministries (AWM). ARMI is a unique partnership committed to providing resources to help like-minded ministers succeed in a spirit of excellence and to draw from the experience and expertise of both the AWM and Charis Bible College staff. (www.awmi.net).