For us to see His kingdom come and His will be done in our region and beyond through us as His instruments – – we need to know what He is about, and how He feels about things; and what things He cares about

serving folks. Friends – and fellow warriors – if we want to end well – and be used by God to advance His kingdom – – we must develop the discipline of withdrawing with our Heavenly Father from time to time – to allow Him to renew and recharge our spiritual batteries.

Folks who are stuck in empty religion or even empty or diluted Christianity will have a fixation with the supposed or accused errors of others; and those errors will not be disobedience to clear commands of God; but rather the lack of emphasizing the things they emphasize.

No, my purpose is rather to convince you that because He rose from the dead and is very alive and well – sitting at the right hand of the Father in heaven – – that the same power that raised Him from the dead is available to us – – as we learn to live life His way and for His purposes.

Doubt is so much a part of our consciousness, that I’m afraid many of us are not even aware we walk in it. But doubt in His power and faithfulness is a dagger against our faith.

Jesus saw the pain and discouragement in their faces that sickness brings and causes. That motivated Him to heal. Most likely, He did not wave a magic wand over the whole crowd, but dealt with them one by one. This ministry time went on into the evening.

That’s the funny thing about this glorious kingdom. It is ruled by a King who for some strange reason thinks He has the right to call the shots. And if He wants you to do something that might risk your retirement in that much longed for gated community in Palm Springs, that is his perogative.

To reveal His kingdom to His disciples and at the same time hide it from the skeptical hard hearted crowds, Jesus used seven parables to communicate crucial truths for learning to see and seek His kingdom until He returns.

tares are ....People who profess to be believers and who hang out from time to time with groups of believers they cause individuals to stumble; and they cause fractions and divisions in groups. Sooner or later they will bring some level of contentiousness and trouble because while they may hang out with believers, and may learn Christanese over time, their real home is the kingdom of darkness; and their real king is Satan, not Jesus.

Jesus states that He speaks to them in parables because they have no ears to hear His heart; and no eyes to embrace who He is. Many in these crowds have seen and heard plenty. But they have seen it and heard it through a lens or filter caked with unbelief, hardness of heart, cynicism, and a passion for their own rights and reputation.