BE ENCOURAGED.

*WISDOM FOR TODAY.*

*BE ENCOURAGED.*

*Scripture Treasure.*

Luke 7:22 *Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.*

*Insight and Highlight.*

At times what we want or need from God is not given but is immediately given to others.

*Scripture Commentaries*

John was Jesus' forerunner. He was now in prison and he could not see Jesus anywhere to help him out of his predicaments.

So, he sent his disciples to ask if Jesus was the one who was to come, or should someone else be expected.

How John may have reponded to Jesus's answer to John's disciples may represent how some of us feel when we are seeking God for a want or a need though not given us yet we see the same thing given to others.

Matt 11:2 says while John was in prison, he had heard the works of Christ. John was looking for such miraculous deed from Jesus.

However, the very wonders that John heard was not done to him.

This to John may have made his feelings more grevious because they showed further proof of Jesus's power in other people's lives while he was still in need of this power.

We all have questions about why some are healed while others are not healed. We have questions about why others are made fruitful while others in the same prayer platforms or revival grounds are not made fruitful.

Many of us ask questions why God is quicker to respond to others while slower in our own cases.

We must not be discouraged.

There are other things we could learn.

Firstly, there may be no more Jesus could say to endorse the integrity and power of Elijah or wished to do in life of John the Baptist, Matt 11. He had done what he was called to do. He had finished his assignment as the forerunner.

Secondly, Jesus' reply telling John's disciples to *"....go back and tell John....."* (Matt 11:4) may be indicative of informing or asking John why he should be asking Him what he already knew about Him, Jesus.

Thirdly, God does not have to prove or force the conviction of His power.

Where what we know or see of Him prove insufficient for us to believe, we must know He is more than enough to prove who He is. Therefore we should not force or invoke Him to convince us of what we already know about Him.

He does not owe anyone any reason why He chooses to answer or not.

Our relationship with Him is out of the freewill He gave us. If He constrains us to believing that there will be spontaneous response to our needs then there will be no need of choice between our freewill whether to wait, be patient on Him or to choose other alternatives of impatience after our selfish gratification.

Elijah called fire so that the people may know that He is God, 1 Kgs 18:37. So did Moses ask on Korah, Dathan and Abiram, Numb 16:30. God obliged.

He, however, did not oblige to Paul over the thorn in his flesh, 2 Cor 12:8.

Fourthly, let us respect God with His sovereignty and let us know that every command may not be subject to answers as we wished.

This will help us to understand that though we make commands to God.(ls 45:11, Matt 7:7-8, Johnn14:13-14).

We should not see His choice to restrain answers as His lack of assurance or endorsement of our faithfulness with Him.

At times, the motives behind our commands may be more about us than God Himself. At times, it may be to show we are more special to God than others, or some commands are made to fight for God.

We are not called to fight for God because He may not be on the side of His fighters, James 1:20 says our anger can not produce the righteousness of God.

Only God reserves the power to fight for Himself, Rom 12:19, Luke 22:50-51.

It is He who fights for us. It is to give glory to Himself, Exd 14:4.

He remains the Host, every battle we face belongs to Him. We can not win them except He fights for us. This makes it His war otherwise we will cause chaos. See every war of the faith as His war by using the spiritual weapons made available to you.

John was beheaded, Jesus would suffer a more gruesome death. Whatever John went through was not John but it was Jesus who was persecuted, Acts 9:4.

Where you find yourself fighting for God when He should be fighting for you, then you have missed it!

Christ overcame, you will also.

Be encouraged!

*Remorse corner.*

Our faith in Christ may not be the removal of all our weaknesses, but it is to ensure that we receive strength to see us through our weaknesses.

*Call to Word action.*

God loved John just as He loves you.Christ may not be looking for people who will only be convinced of God's power before they believed but rather for a people whom God, by His own will, would convince them by His deeds. He Himself wrought signs and wonders that people may believe, John 4:48.

*The Christian clarion duty.*

Whether or not Jesus saved John from prison did not diminish the power and the Spirit in John's life. His eternity in Christ was assured.

*Prayer.*

Lord, help me when challenges I face prove me as insufficient to believe Christ. Let me not dwell in unbelief but be encouraged to totally trust in Christ whom l have believed, in Jesus name.

Good morning all and have a blessed day.

God bless you.