You are Blessed

Dr. Mike 2026 , , , ,

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3

In my early days, I was taught that this Scripture told us to be humble. That humble people experience the Kingdom of God. But when one starts to study the Greek, one reads nothing about being humble. Instead, it speaks about those who are spiritually in poverty. Those who are in spiritual bankruptcy. They have the kingdom of the heavens at their disposal.

A slightly different meaning then being humble.

The human heart has difficulty in understanding the basis of the Kingdom of God. To recognize oneself as spiritually bankrupt in the western civilization is a rare occurrence. We are a people surrounded by wealth. We are overly stimulated by the media. We eat three meals a day with snacks between. We sleep in air-conditioning homes in the hot summer and heated abodes in the winter. Our lives are blanketed in material prosperity. How can anyone be spiritually poor?

In Revelation 3:17-20, Jesus is speaking to the Church in Laodicea. He warns them that they think they are rich and need nothing. They do not recognize their spiritual condition. They confuse the outer world as a picture of their interior heart. Instead of being spiritually rich, they are poor. What must they do to change? Repent. Accept Jesus into their home and build an intimate relationship with him. Break bread together. Become friends. HE will share his life with you. And you will share your life with HIM.

When you reach the point you are beaten, busted, and broken, you view the world slightly different. Where your identity has been shifted out of you, you feel empty. Where you have nowhere to go. No purpose. No meaning for living. Nothing to live for. Then you may have reached the point of spiritual bankruptcy. You are at the doorway of the Kingdom of God.

God’s Kingdom awaits you. HIS government rules the heavens and earth. Your acceptance of Jesus as your Lord opens HIS generous grace upon you. When you have nothing to offer HIM, but your surrender, you are in. You are then welcome to participate with HIM and HIS work. HIS favor is yours to experience. HIS wisdom. HIS discernment. HIS servants. All are at your disposal. Your life then becomes rich as you join HIM. HE shares HIS wealth with you. HE shares himself with you. He shares HIS entire Kingdom with you.

Yes, when you have reached the point you have nothing to give him, you then understand his love for you. You come to realize what his vicarious life has done for you. HE died for you before you even knew him. HE knew you before your parents were even born. And HE will give you a life more than you can even phantom. He covers your sins. He closes his eyes to your stupidity. He laughs at your incompetency. He cries in your pain.

HE knows more about you than you do. HE knows your potential. HE knows you.

You are blessed when you recognize your spiritual poverty before him. That is when HE and HIS Kingdom become more real in your life. When HIS Spirit has your approval to complete the work HE started in you. When you can participate with HIM under the umbrella of HIS Kingdom in your corner of the world. That is when you will truly know how blessed you really are.  

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

Click Here for more Writings Neatly Bound in Book Format Available at Your Favorite Bookstore.

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

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Repentance Opens Oneself to the Holy Spirit

Dr. Mike 2026 , , , ,

Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” Acts 8:18-24

Simon Magnus was a renowned man in the city of Samaria because of his magic. He amazed the crowd. The people recognized him as the power of God that is called Great (Acts 8:10). He himself heard Philip preach the gospel message and became a believer. He was baptized and continued to follow Philip watching him perform miracles. He was amazed.

But the people who were baptized did not yet receive the Holy Spirit. So, Peter and John came to lay hands on them to receive the Holy Spirit. When Simon Magnus saw this, he wanted the same power to do the same. So he offered the apostles money. He thought he could buy this ability. Peter though rebuked him and chastised him to repent. Simon’s heart was not right before God. His intention was for selfish reasons. Peter recognized that Simon was in a state of bitterness being held in a bond of iniquity. He needed to repent before God.

In some ways I can relate with Simon. In my early walk, I wanted the blessing of God. My sole purpose was to please the inner hunger of satisfying my dreams and goals. I needed God to help me achieve my plans. In many ways, it was a business transaction. I supported him if HE would support me. I didn’t really surrender my entire kingdom. Instead, I wanted his Kingdom to help make my kingdom to grow.

In many ways, it was Mike walking the Christian lifestyle the best he knew how on his own. Jesus was only a passenger observing my frustration. The Holy Spirit continued to nudge me, but I ignored HIS major advances.

But through a process of loses, pain, and struggles, my eyes slowly began to open. I got tired of banging my head against the wall. There had to be a better way. There is. It’s called repentance.

When the truth slapped this face, I then realize my stupidity. I had never totally surrendered my kingdom to Lord Jesus on day one. But over time, HE dismantled each corner of the soul. Yes, at the start HE was the Lord of my faith. Then He was the Lord of my money. Followed by the Lord of my relationships. But no, HE was not the Lord of my goals and dreams yet. I was doing everything in my ability to keep this kingdom while supporting God’s Kingdom. Only after I surrendered this kingdom, did life in the Spirit began to noticeably change.

God knew for this person to continue growing, there was one piece of the old man that had to go. Yes, God’s Spirit is alive and working in each of us. But HE will not involve HIMSELF more than you allow. As we taste more and more of God’s Spirit though, our willingness to repent grows. As we realize what needs to change, we repent. We refocus our eyes onto Jesus. We thank HIM for HIS life work, death, and resurrection. We seek ways to support HIS Kingdom in our small world. We learn to follow the influence of the Holy Spirit in us. We cry out longing to see the world through the eyes of the Triune God. HE is creating HIS masterpiece in us – the new YOU.

The work is not about us improving ourselves. The work is the Holy Spirit regenerating us into the image of Jesus Christ. This is HIS work. We are allowing HIM to change us as we hang onto our Lord in the process. Nothing is sacred but HIM. Everything is possible, with HIM. HE is the reason we can now experience life the way God intended it to be.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

Click Here for more Writings Neatly Bound in Book Format Available at Your Favorite Bookstore.

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

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Redemption Maze

Dr. Mike 2026 , , , ,

“And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption…” 1 Corinthians 1:30

Yes, Jesus paid the price to redeem humanity from the clutches of sin. The virus which enslaves us to the carnal desires of our heart. Yet, the journey to fully understand the benefits we received from HIS work takes awhile to sink in. At least it did me. In some ways, it was like wandering through a maze.

To redeem is to pay out. To purchase the contract. It was usually in reference to buy out a slave’s freedom. The apostle Paul used the term in multiple places. He though emphasized how Jesus paid the price to redeem us. We were all on death row. Guilty of breaking every God-ordain law. But Jesus poured out HIS blood on behalf of all humanity in exchanged for our freedom. HE redeemed us from our death sentence.

In the process now, we wait for the complete fulfillment of our redemption. But because of the work of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, God now includes us in Christ.  We are now sealed by the Holy Spirit which is our guarantee. Jesus now lives in us. HE will bring us to HIM after we pass-on from this age into eternity. We can now enjoy the forgiveness of our sins. When Papa God looks at us, HE views us as righteous through the prism of Jesus. The paperwork for our adoption into God’s family is completed.

We have been forgiven; our direct relationship with God restored. We are now included within the family of God. As we circle the maze of redemption, each truth hits home. The alienation from God is broken. We are now included in Christ. We get to taste the eternal benefits now as we wait for the redemption of our bodies.    

It has taken me years to truly comprehend the weight of glory God has given us in Christ. He has given us wisdom through the pages of the Bible and in himself. He has made us righteous before God. He is leading the Spirit in the sanctification of our soul. He has freed us from sin’s shackles. 

My brain explodes each time I think of the various avenues connected to the redemption maze. It starts with Jesus in the center. And connects with all the riches of HIS kingdom now and into eternity. I challenge you to take time out and focus on what Jesus’ redemption means to you. Gives us all something more to pray and be thankful about.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

Click Here for more Writings Neatly Bound in Book Format Available at Your Favorite Bookstore.

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message! | Copyright 2013-Present | Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved