Shake it Off and Praise

Receive God's power in a different way by praising Him in the midst of the trials.

                                                                                                            - Jenno Marco Misa

     When trials come our way, when things don't go the way we planned them to, or when the paybills come while payday is still a long way, the first base that's attacked in us are our shoulders. Before we get worried and our hearts troubled, the weight of the storms in life are first slammed onto our shoulders.

     When we want to carry something that's heavy, one of the effective ways is to put it onto our shoulders. In this way, we are able to move effectively while carrying the load. In the same way, the loads in life are first carried by our shoulders, not by our hearts. Long before there is fear, the burden comes first. Long before the sleepless nights, a tiring and exhausting day first occurs. And long before there is a prolonged predicament, a heavy shoulder is what we experience first.

     When we face challenges, we always say, "I feel very burdened", or "My problem is very heavy". We even say "I don't think I can carry this alone", or "I need somebody to help me carry the weight of what I'm going through now".

     The truth is, it is for no reason why the devil first attacks our shoulders. When our shoulders are heavy, our arms are directed downwards, towards the ground. When our shoulders feel heavy, our hands are directed towards the dust of the earth where the devil feeds. When our shoulder is heavy, the devil is preventing us from raising our hands upwards, towards the direction of heaven. He knows that when we raise these two hands and worship God, despite that heavy feeling that's weighing us down, his tactic is over. He knows that when we look away from our burdens and choose to worship God, he is finished.

     Praising God during the good times is good. When we have received the miracle we have been praying for, when our healing has come, or the breakthrough that we have been believing for has happened, it's right to praise God. But what about during the times when we feel like everything is going against us? What about the times when we feel like the weight of the whole world is on our shoulders? Or what about those times where there seems to be dark clouds always hounding above us? How can we have the heart to worship God in the midst of such trials?

     In the scriptures, (2 Chronicles Chapter 20) King Jehoshaphat faced this kind of problem. His battle seemed more insurmountable as a massive number of enemies (Moab and Ammon) have encamped against him. The safety of the kingdom was on his shoulders. Then a prophet came to Him (2 Chronicles 20:15) and said that he, Jehoshaphat, need not make a move on this battle for the LORD God Himself will fight. His position was to stand and see the salvation of the LORD.

     When Jehoshaphat heard this, he changed the formation of the army. Instead of bringing into the front line the mightiest warriors, he sent the worshippers first, singing "Praise the Lord, for He is good . His mercy and lovingkindess endures forever"(2 Chronicles 20:21). He started praising God even before he and his kingdom was fully delivered from the fangs of the enemies. Such response from Jehoshaphat pleased the LORD that the mighty God of Israel utterly destroyed all the enemies of Jehoshaphat.

    One thing we need to learn from this story is Jehoshaphat's heart of thankfulness and praise, even before the enemies were defeated. God must have been so pleased with it that He utterly destroyed the enemies. But take note, Jehoshaphat's worship was a response to the prophet's report. In other words, the victory has not happened yet, but he praised the Lord already. He must have been so persuaded that what the Lord said through the prophet, God is well able to do.

     How many of us here begin to thank God only after receiving what we prayed for? The story of Jehoshaphat is a good reminder to all of us that praising God in the difficult times opens the door of deliverance and victory. We need to be fully persuaded to the truth that God is willing and is more than able to save and deliver us no matter how insurmountable the situation looks.

    When Jesus saw the multitudes of about five thousand men, not counting women and children, He lifted His eyes to heaven and thanked His Father (John 6:1-14). He knew that God is Jehova Jireh, the Lord our Provider. After He thanked God, the two small fish and five barley loaves were multiplied greatly that it did not only feed the crowd, but had 12 baskets full of left-overs.

     On another occasion, Jesus was standing in front of His friend Lazarus' tomb . Lazarus has been dead for four days. Jesus, after declaring that He was the resurrection and the life, stooped down and thanked the Lord. Then He stood up and with a commanding voice, defeated death and called forth Lazarus back to life. And indeed, Lazarus came out, alive again(John 11).

     Notice that in the two events, Jesus thanked God even before the miracle took place. He knew that whatever He will ask, God was well able to give.

    When we choose to worship God, it is not so much on the praising, but more on the message that we convey to Him when we worship. It's as if we're telling Him "Jesus, I might be facing an enormous, gigantic, and insurmountable situation right now. But I know that when these are brought to you, these things become microscopic. I know that this problem looks bigger than me, but I also know that You are bigger than anything else. So I want to sing about that victory. I want to thank You in advance for my deliverance". When we do this and worship God, faith flows from within us without us even conscious of it. The moment we say this, it denotes a position of rest. And when we rest, God goes to work.

   Whatever that's weighing heavy on you right now, shake it off from your shoulders. We always see shampoo advertisements where the model will shake off the dandruff off his shoulders. That's how we should do it. Shake the worries off to the ground and start praising!

    Whatever your facing right now, know that just like Jehoshaphat, the Lord is telling you that you need not fight in this battle. God is saying to you right now that He is well able to bring down giants and utterly destroy all your enemies. Shake off that weight and lift up your hands and praise God. When you do that, you magnify the size of our God, instead of magnifying the weight of the problem.

Above and Not Beneath

He who was on high came down to where we were and lifted us up together with Him.

                                                                                          -Jenno Marco Misa

     You wont know how high and far above God has put you in Christ until you realize how busy the devil is trying to bring and pull you down.

     Part of our inheritance in Christ is the blessing of Deuteronomy 28:13 which says "And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them."

     The next question that comes into your mind would be "How on earth can I inherit this blessing when I was not fully obedient to the commandments of God"? 

     This is the good news: God is not looking at your obedience today, but to His Son's obedience. The Holy Spirit tells us in the Book of Romans (Romans 5:19) "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous."

     Furthermore, the scripture tells us that Christ is the end of the law, fulfilled it in its pristine standard, and personally nailed it on the cross. And when He did this, He gave us His robe of righteousness the moment we receive Him as our Lord & Savior (Romans 10:4).

     Now that you understand why God is not looking at your obedience but to Jesus's obedience, the next thing you would want to know is how high and far above has God set you in Christ. Ephesians 1:21 tells us 

     "...far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come".

     When Jesus died, He did not die for Himself because He had no sin, He knew no sin, and in Him was no sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). So when God raised Him and made Him sit down at His right hand far above all powers, it wasn't just to make Jesus above and Him only. He is seated there for our benefit, and not for His own. Remember that Jesus was all the while far above everything , long before He came as a man. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). This tells us that Jesus, being fully God, was already far above all powers since the beginning. 

     God made Jesus sit above everything for our sake, and not for His sake. He is there as our High Priest and Advocate. And as He is today, far above all powers and principalities, so are we in this world ( 1 John 4:17).

     So what things and powers are we above from? 

     When God sets you above, it means no evil power can dominate over you. It means there is no way Satan and all his demons can exercise authority over you. At your word, they tremble in fear. At your word, they depart. And with your position over them, they are no match against you. But what the devil does is that he makes the impression that he is bigger and more powerful than you. Don't let this lie deceive you of your position in Christ. Don't let it overthrow you from a position of victor to a position of victim. 

     Being above means that no sickness or pain has dominion over you. Jesus is not only above sickness, but He also paid the price of healing and wholeness when He allowed His body to be beaten, scourged, and broken on that scourging post. The price for healing has been paid. So everytime you feel that there is sickness in your body, command it to leave in Jesus's name. Talk to it, cast it out, and speak forth your healing and wholeness. If you think talking to sickness or any object is absurd, then consider Jesus. He talked to a tree, to the storm, and to the dead and all obeyed Him. Above all, the best way to come to your healing is by partaking the Holy Communion. When you do that, you not only cause an earthquake to Satan's headquarters, but you also remind all the dark forces (including your sickness) of the victory that Jesus gave you when He gave His life at the cross. 

     Being above also means that you are on top of your problems and storms in life, not the other way around. When the storms of life seem to overshadow you, remember your position in Christ. Take hold of your position and know that in every Valley, God always provides a door of Hope. What you need to do is to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. Standing still doesn't mean laziness, being unproductive, or escaping and running away from your crisis. It means your part is to remain in rest inwardly, and know that He is God. He knows how to solve and get you out from the pit that you are in.

     Whatever enemy that your facing, know that your enemy is your footstool. Joel Osteen likes to say it this way "If you should talk to your enemies, talk to the bottom of your shoes because that's where he is".

Heavenly Citizenship through Christ

Live a life knowing that your true identity is in Christ and your citizenship is heavenly.

                                                                                               -Jenno Marco Misa

The world says: "Be perfect, and we will listen to what you speak, then we will obey you."

Jesus says: "I have perfected you, therefore, speak, and heaven will listen and obey you."

     There are many people today who are 'qualifying' us based on our highest educational attainment, social status, number of cars and possessions we have, or by the title that's attached to our name. The way they regard us depends on 'what we have, who we are, and what we have done".

     But the problem about this is not all of us have these things altogether in the society we are living and interacting with. In fact, there might not be one who has these things altogether.

     If you have attained degrees or masters, it's easy for people around you to give their attention and listen to what you say. If you have finished your doctoral, the more they will listen to you and will even drop everything just to hear what you whisper. If you are a CEO, then multitude will follow after you and do whatever you ask them to do without even asking why.

     In a world corrupted with self-effort and abusive power, it's a question how one man can influence people and be a catalyst of change, especially if he is just a 'somebody'. Without any title attached to his name, it's a big question how this task will be accomplished.

     I am so glad that Jesus has redeemed us and has set us apart. In other words, He has sanctified us and made us holy. And that means, we need not conform on how the world operates just so we can get to where we are supposed to be.

     The Bible puts it this way in John 15:19 " If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.".

     Furthermore, the Holy Spirit expounds in the book of Romans (Romans 12:2) "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

     Our Pastor , Joseph Prince, summarizes these two verses this way : "We are in this world, but not of this world".

    When Jesus was on earth, He took on the profession as a carpenter. He obviously did not have any Degree or Masters, but when He spoke or address the crowd, people's attention were always turned to Him (Matthew 15:20, Mark 7:14, Luke 5:1). He didn't have any doctoral level of education, but when He spoke, the dead came back to life (Luke 8:40-56, John 11:38-44) . And lastly, He wasn't a CEO, yet multitudes followed Him (Matthew 8:1, Mark 5:24, Luke 14:25). He has full authority and dominion over everything, may it be a storm, hunger and lack, or even death.

     The truth is, Jesus is above any educational degree or any CEO that has lived or will ever live. Well you may say 'Of course because He is God". Yes that's true. But He is also 100 percent Man. And the good news today is this: God has put 'you' in 'Him' the moment you make Jesus both your Lord and Savior.

     That is why we can have the same authority and dominion that Jesus exercised over all the things that He encountered. We can have that Christ-conscious boldness to distinguish ourselves from the world. And lastly, we don't need to worry if the world is going 'crazy' knowing that we are not 'of the world'.

     In the world today, they will ask you to be perfect first, before they will listen to what you say,then obey you.

    On the other hand, Jesus says to you:" I have washed you and made you perfect, therefore, speak in my name (to your enemies, circumstances, problems, or mountains) and heaven will listen to you, and obey you.

     The world focuses on who you are, what you have, and what you have done. On the other hand, God's focus is on who Jesus is, what He has, and what He has done. God looks at Jesus, and blesses you.

     The world says unless you toil, labor hard, and rest less, you wont make your life prosperous. On the other hand, God leads you beside still waters and lay you down in green pastures where you wont lack nor want. He also makes your cup run over . Isn't that 'Restful Increase'?

     The world says, "Unless I see it, I wont believe it". God says that when you ask, believe that you already have what you have prayed for, then you will have it.

     The busy world teaches you that you need many things. Jesus says to you 'One thing is needful".

     There are a lot more 'benefits' and blessings that were blood-bought for us, but not to the people of the world. But all these goodness are made possible, not because we have done good, or have prayed long enough, but because 2,000 years ago, Jesus fulfilled the law, personally nailed it to the cross, and brought in the New Covenant-the covenant of grace, which is solely based on what He has done.

     Now that we are under grace, God has put us in Christ. As He is, so are we in this world. It takes the Holy Spirit to understand the righteousness that God has imputed on us. This irrevocable and irreversible righteousness empowers us to reign in life knowing that the same power that raised Christ from the dead, lives inside us. Through Christ, we now have our eternally valid Heavenly citizenship.

Jesus is Noah's Ark

Noah built an ark, but he was actually painting a portrait of Jesus who was the true Ark.

                                                                               -Jenno Marco Misa

     Noah's Ark had three basic elements: wood, nails,& hammer. In the same way, the cross of Jesus had these three elements :wood, nails, & hammer.

     Noah's ark had the entrance door on the side, and all must enter there, man and beast , clean or unclean. In the same way, Jesus' side was pierced by a Roman spear, and immediately blood and water came out. The blood and water has cleansed all of us, circumcised in the flesh (clean or the Jews or uncircumcised in the flesh (unclean or the gentiles) . Jesus has become the Savior to both Jews and non-Jews.

     Noah's ark was built so he and his family can be saved from the flood. In the same way, the cross of Jesus brought in a flood, but this time, it was a different flood. The flood during Noah's time was a flood of judgement and death. In Jesus's time, it was a flood of mercy, grace, healing, and blessings.

     The flood lasted for forty days. After Jesus's resurrection, He stayed on earth for forty more days before He finally ascended to heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Father (this was when all the saints buried in the city of David were raised from the grave) .

     Noah (whose name means rest) entered the ark and he and his family were saved. Finally, Jesus said to all those who are weary and burdened to come to Him and He will give them rest (Noah).

What is man that You are so mindful of?

"There is no mistake too severe that His grace can't reverse and no sin too great that His blood cannot wash."

                                                                    -Jenno Marco Misa

Out of the ashes, You breathed him to existence .(Gen 2:7)Out from slavery, You then parted the red sea. (Exo. 14:21)

Out of their complaints, You turned the bitter waters sweet. (Exo.15:25)

Out of their complaints, You rained down Manna (Exo. 16:4)

Out from the fire, You brought men out unharmed. (Daniel 3:26)

You turned water into wine for men to celebrate. (John 2:1-11)You called a sinful fisherman and made him a rock.(Matt.16-18)

You called a tax-collector to follow You.(Matt. 9:9)

You raised a man to life who has been dead for four days.(John 11:43)

You fed multitudes with just 5 loaves of bread and 2 small fish.(John 6:1-15)

Because of the cross, all the claims of the law have been fully met. (Rom. 10:4)Because of the cross, the wrath of God has been satisfied. (Rom 5:9)

Because of the cross, man can reign in life.(Rom 5:17)

Because of the cross, sin has no more dominion over men.(Rom 6:14)

Because of the cross, men can stand as a new creation.(2 Cor 5:17)

What is man that You did everything, even laid down Your own life, to pay a debt You didn't owe?Truly, love is Your nature. It takes more than eternity for men to fathom the depths of Your amazing grace and love.

Holy Spirit and Fire

"Be someone whom the devil fears, instead of living a life fearing the devil."

                                                                                            -Jenno Marco Misa

     From the time the LORD prophesied in the garden of Eden that Jesus Christ will be born through a virgin to save mankind, Satan tried to stop Him from being born and did desperate acts, even to the point of corrupting the seeds of mankind. 

     When Jesus was born, Satan had the young male children killed, thinking to kill Jesus before He coube sacrificed as the Lamb of God.

     When Jesus rose from the dead, Satan tried to terminate all the disciples who were witnesses of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. 

     Before Jesus ascended, He said that He will not leave us as orphans and that He will send another Helper (Holy Spirit) who will be our Intercessor, Advocate, and Counselor. The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Holy Trinity and when you get baptized by His Fire (the Fire of Yahweh), you will be speaking in tongues and in groaning which cannot be uttered. Now that Jesus has risen and that the Holy Spirit has been given, Satan's modus operandum is to accuse those who possess the Holy Spirit ,who speak in tongues, of being possessed by the demon (the same accusation he threw on Jesus). 

     Notice that we all have the Triune God, Father, Son, and Spirit. No wonder Satan is so threatened and so fearful that he now wants to stop this truth from spreading and keeps perverting it. He knows that when we are baptized by the Holy Spirit, Jesus can heal the sick through us, cast out demons through us, trample on serpents and the dark forces, and remind Satan of his shameful defeat 2,000 years ago at the cross of Calvary when Jesus crushed his head and rendered him powerless.

     Friends, let's not belittle the third Person of the Holy Trinity. He is the very Spirit of God poured out unto us for our very own advantage. Let us not be ashamed to continue speaking in tongues and be someone whom the devil fears, instead of living a life fearing the devil.

Don't back off from God's Blessing

"Don't settle for mediocrity when God has destined you for greatness".

                                                                        -Jenno Marco Misa

     After Moses sent out the 12 spies, ten of them came back with a bad report. This bad report stirred up a great fear and dilemma to all the tribes that they came to a point where they wanted to choose a leader, apart from Moses and Aaron, who will lead them back to Egypt. This event happened even after the children of Israel saw the great wonders and the saving grace which the LORD had done in the very sight of these people.

     How sad it is that many of us today have decided to back off or settle in mediocrity just because we heard 'other' people say that what lies ahead is 'impossible' to hurdle. Like the Israelites in the wilderness, they would prefer to remain slaves in Egypt rather than to inherit the land that the LORD has prepared and promised to them. They'd rather rot in slavery than to reign and possess the land through faith. They were not fully persuaded that God is always fighting their battles. No matter how enormous the enemies are, they always become microscopic in the eyes of the LORD God almighty.

     Let's not be numbered among those who doubt if the LORD will really fight our battles or not. Let's not be numbered among those who back off from the great promise of provision that God has prepared just because there are 'giants' along the way. But let's be numbered among those whose trust is in the LORD. He has always fought the battles for His people even back then. Knowing that He is the same today,yesterday,and forever, He is and will always be willing to fight your battles. And take note, when He fights, He always wins!

Peace in the Midst of the Storms

"Just because there is a storm does not mean there is no Peace. "

                                                                            -Jenno Marco Misa

     Many people get terrified by storms. Even Jesus's disciples, who were with Him when He performed the miracles, were also afraid in the same way as we are today. But Jesus showed us two ways to overcome this. One way is to speak to it (Mark 4:39) and the second is to walk over it (Mark 6:45-52). Both His word and His action indicated that He was above the storm. And the good news is, the same power and authority that Christ exercised over these things live inside us.

     Many a times, the storms in life that we encounter are not on the outside, but on the inside: worries about our work, finances, family concerns, and the fear of what lies ahead. Whatever it is, we all have troubled waters and storms stirring up the peace within us. God do not want these storms to have a hold on us. Instead, He wants us to exercise our authority over the very things that are troubling us. 

     Before Jesus finally ascended, He gave us His peace (Shalom). The same Peace that spoke and walked over the storm has now been given to us. Friends, let's make use and take good advantage of this Peace. It is not just a mere angel's peace nor Abraham's peace. It's the Lord Jesus Christ's peace (Shalom in Hebrew) . Let His peace arrest and imprison our hearts so that no matter how boisterous the storms maybe, we can always command it to go, or walk over it. As He is king over the storm, so are we in Him.