#First21 - Day 5

Luke 4:20-22

“…Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.

They were amazed at his words. Then they asked, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?…” In other words, upon listening to Jesus speak, the authority of his words pierced their hearts and for a moment, they believed because the scripture says they were amazed at the ‘gracious words’ (words full of grace/anointing) But then their carnal mind, the mind that knew Jesus personally. The mind that knew that he him as a man just like them, caused them to doubt. “Wait a minute…isn’t this Joseph’s son?

Jesus has fasted in the wilderness for 40 days. The Holy Spirit has descended upon Him and declared Him Son of God. He came out of the wilderness in the Power of the Holy Spirit and YET the people STILL saw him as merely Joseph’s son.

Too often when God begins to challenge you to go deeper and come up higher, you will come across those who know who you were and who want you to stay just the way you are. People who know you ‘by the flesh’ but not ‘by the spirit’. Your changing will cause them to need to change as well and they may not be ready or willing to do that. You yourself may find it challenging to believe what God says about you because ‘til now you have known yourself by the flesh and not by what God can do in you and through you by His Spirit. But, once you put your hand to the plow of God’s work, you can’t afford to be distracted by what others say or by the negative view you have of yourself. God is stirring something in your spirit. Others may not see what you see, but that’s okay. Others may not be concerned with getting ready. But YOU know what God is speaking to you. What He is telling YOU to do. He knows you and is forming and fashioning you for what HE has called You to do.

You cannot allow yourself to be limited by how others define you. For they may know you according to your old season but God is breaking you out of stuff that has held you back to break through into what He has stored up for you. You cannot continue to define yourself by your past either. You knew who you were but if you truly had a clue to who GOD says you ARE and what He has in store for you and the impact that He intends for you, the discipline of being in His Presence and His Word would surely be worth it. Prepare yourself then, howsoever HE instructs you. For He knows the weight of what you will contain.

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