John 7:38-39 New King James Version (NKJV)
38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Application:
In order to be Christ’s Witnesses, I have to be in a relationship with Him and a conduit of the graces from the Holy Spirit
Psalms 23rd
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.
Applications:
Putting our Hope in God assures us of His abiding peace.
Putting our Hope in God is an anchor to our souls.
Putting our Hope in God allows us to experience His Divine Intervention (MIRACLES).
Luke 1:5-16 NLT
5. When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. 6. Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. 7. They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old. 8. One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. 9. As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. 10. While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying. 11. While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. 12. Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. 13. But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. 14. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15. for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. 16. And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God.
Luke 1:26-38 NKJV
26. Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27. to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” 29. But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” 34. Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” 35. And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37. For with God nothing will be impossible.” 38. Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Applications:
Living Life with God’s Favor Opens the Door to Miracles.
Trusting God Allows You to Live Life Without Limits.
Isaiah 40:1-3 (NKJV)
1 “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God. 2 “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the Lord’s hand Double for all her sins.” 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.
John 1:1-5 (NLV)
In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. 4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
Application:
When you earnestly pray and contend for the faith God will answer you.
You can live with the assurance that God’s Word is always True.
I Timothy 1:12-17 (NLT)
12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him,
13 even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief.
14 Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus.
15 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all.
16 But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.
17 All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.
Application:
Loving other is a reflection of how you love God.
The grace you have been given is enough grace to give to others.
II Corinthians 5:17-21 (NLT)
17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.
19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.
20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
Application:
Share your faith like you would share your story about the person you have come to love.
Resist the feelings of not being worthy to tell your story, just speak from your heart and God will use it.
Ask God to give you a word and opportunities to share it with someone and
He will.
Romans 12:3-8 New Living Translation (NLT)
3 Because of the privilege and authority[a] God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.[b] 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
Application
God demonstrates His Love to us by giving and we demonstrate our love to Him as we give to others.
Whatever God has given to you is to be shared with the Body of Christ.
Philippians 4:4-8 (NKJV)
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
Application:
To live by faith is the true mark of a Christian.
Trusting in God is essential if we plan on going to Heaven.
John 13:33-35 (NKJV)
33 Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you.
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
I Peter 4:7-8 (NKJV)
7 But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.
8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”
Application:
To love others is not optional; It is a command if you are in Christ.
A true disciple is set-apart by God’s love to manifest God’s character to the world.
John 1:1-5 (NKJV)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Application:
Being a student of the Word enables you to be a person of Light.
Being a student of the Word enables you to provide hope to the hopeless.
