Bill - Revelations From The Road

Measure of Faith

April 15, 2023 by Bill Leave a Comment

Faith

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

We can’t please God without faith, (Hebrews 11:6). So where do we get faith and how do we increase it? The apostles struggled with this faith issue just like we do. They said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” (Luke 17:5), to which Jesus answered, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” (v. 6). A mustard seed is really small so do we have at least that size of faith? I’m often like the man whose son was possessed by a demon who said, “I believe, help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24). We all have some faith.

Recently, I’ve been thinking about faith, about how much it takes for my prayers to be answered and why don’t I see anything. “The evidence of things not seen.” I was reminded of Romans 8:28 which says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” The phrase, work together” comes from the Greek word, sunerego or “the working together of two or more to produce an effect greater than the sum of their individual effects.” I was reminded recently of this fact, “God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” (Romans 12:3). So, if I have the “measure” of faith and you have the “measure” of faith, when we join together in prayer, that measure is doubled. And Jesus said, “That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 18:19). That is why it is so important for us to join our measures of faith together in prayer for each other’s needs. Have faith and believe.

God has a plan for our lives and we must have faith that He will perform it according to His will, His purpose and His timing. Hang in there and let’s pray together.

Come Out!

April 7, 2023 by Bill Leave a Comment

Today, April 9, 2023, we celebrate Easter. For many people, Easter is a springtime, bunny rabbit, egg hunt holiday but to Christians, it is much more. Today, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from death and the tomb. He went through so much on Friday with the trials, humiliation, beatings, abandonment, pain, suffering and finally, death. He was placed in the tomb. We can imagine that it was dark, cold, and final. Imagine that you can hear the victory celebration in Hell because Jesus was dead. He was in the tomb. The tomb is a dark, scary place and it signifies the end. Jesus was there of His own choice….but He didn’t stay there. God had a plan. Jesus was to arise from death and walk out of the tomb never to return. He did this to give us the option of life.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23). We were all in our own tombs of spiritual death. But because of what Jesus sacrificed and accomplished, we can, and many have, respond to the command of Jesus just as Lazarus did, “Lazarus, come forth!” (John 11:43). Lazarus came out of his tomb. And, many who were dead on the day Jesus arose, “..came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.” (Matthew 27:53)

Some of you may be in your tomb of sin and death today. Because Jesus came out of His tomb, you can come out of yours. Hear Jesus calling to you, “Come out!” Can you imagine someone saying, “No, I like it in here with these demons. I think I’ll stay.” And then, there are also those today who have come out of their tomb at some point but have chosen to go back inside! They hear the call of the demons and respond to them by reentering their tomb! Jesus is calling.

Today, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from His tomb. Make it the day you can celebrate His tomb exit AND yours too. Thank you Jesus for what you did for me!

Power and Authority

March 13, 2023 by Bill Leave a Comment

“Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.” (Luke 10:19)

Power is the capacity of a person or group to influence others and alter their actions, beliefs, and behaviors. Authority is the right that a person or group has been given to use their power over others.

A policeman may have the power to arrest someone but they must have the authority of the department to legally do so. An employee may have the knowledge and ability to make a major change in their company but they must have to been given the authority from the boss to do so.

As Christians, as it states above, we have been given the power AND the authority from Heaven to confront the enemy when he comes at us with his temptations and distractions. We have the power and authority so why do we, so many times, let the devil have his way? Do we not know what authority we have? Have we not read and memorized power verses from the Bible to use? The devil is seeking whom he may devour, (1 Peter 5:8). If we use our power and authority to resist him, he will flee, (James 4:7). We must understand and use the power and authority God has given us. Sometimes it won’t be easy or immediate but we must stand on God’s Word and be persistent. And it certainly helps to have “two or three” warriors with you to do battle.

Imagine this scene: You’re on the Path of Life when this demon jumps out of the bushes and confronts you with a temptation. You say, “Get outa here, I’m not listening to you, you can’t hurt me!” The demon replies with a snicker, “A

Ha, and who do you think you are?” You declare, “I’m a Child of God!” At that very instant, Jesus steps out from behind you and says, “That’s right, and I’ve given them the power and authority to kick you back in the bushes.” The demon realizes he’s confronted the wrong person and quickly flees the scene. We have the power and authority! But, we must use them. I have written about some battle scriptures that I use in my blog. You can find them at: https://roadrevelations.org/2019/04/battle-plan. “Not today, devil!”

Things

March 4, 2023 by Bill Leave a Comment

We have many “things” in our lives, some of us more than others. We have things that help us do life. We have things that make it easier. We have things that we don’t really need but things that we want. There may be things in our lives that are idols that we’ve put before God. Then, there are things in our lives that we didn’t ask for and don’t want, things that, maybe, the enemy has thrown onto our path. Or things that come with bad decisions we’ve made. God showed me two different ways that “things” appear in our lives and how we should deal with them.

First, in Matthew chapter 6, Jesus is telling the people not to worry about “things” like what we eat, drink or wear, things that God already knows that we need. So, what’s the answer? “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33 NIV). Seek God first. Thank Him, praise Him, worship Him and set aside all the things you want and trust God to supply your need and then you may see some of the things you want.

Second. There are things that come into our lives that we do not want: sickness, death of a loved one, financial trouble, results of bad decisions, people who treat you badly at work or school, you get fired from your job or a crises happens in your home. These “things” can be devastating and make you feel like you want to quit. God, where are you?!? In these times, and you may be there now, we have to remember, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9). If we are saved and love God, He has a plan. “And we know that for those who love God all THINGS work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 ESV). We can’t see the future but we have to believe and have faith that God is at work and He will get us through. Keep believing the Word, and trusting God to do what He said He would do. And while you wait, keep thanking and praising Him.

All Is Lost…But Wait

February 25, 2023 by Bill Leave a Comment

Many of you are going through a hard time right now and you may be afraid, confused, angry, embarrassed, and are not sure how this thing is going to work out. It may be financial, relational, you may have lost a loved one, you may have made a dumb mistake or gone down the path of temptation and you feel like, “Oh, what am I going to do now?” “It’s over, all is lost.” Well, I want you to compare your situation with some people you may have heard about who were in a situation similar to yours and let’s see how it worked out for them.

Mary Magdalene was one of the women who were followers of Jesus and ministered to him (Matthew 15:41). She was at the crucifixion and was the first one to arrive at the tomb just after the Sabbath day. Imagine how she felt after witnessing that horrific crucifixion and seeing Jesus taken away. She loved him and believed he was going to be their king. Now he was dead and buried. She must have felt that all was lost.

Jesus’ disciples were holed up in a room with the door locked frightened and grief stricken. Since they were part of Jesus’ company, they thought soldiers would be coming for them next. Peter and John had been to the tomb and found it empty. What was going on? Adding to their grief was confusion about what was going to happen next. Jesus had told them he would rise from death but they didn’t see how this could happen. Fear, grief and confusion; they must have wondered, with the death of their master, what now. It seemed that all was lost!

After Peter and John went back to the others, Mary was left at the tomb alone when Jesus appeared to her. Imagine her elation to find that all was NOT lost. She ran back to tell the others but they still didn’t believe. She did. Then, on the first day of the week, Jesus appeared to the disciples in the locked room. Now they believed and realized all was NOT lost!

Now, about your situation. It may seem dark, impossible and that all is lost BUT the same Jesus that relieved the fears of his followers is alive and here today to shine mercy, grace and wisdom upon you. Thank Him for dying for you, for rising from the grave and ask Him for help. All is NOT lost!