Use the name of Jesus.

Use the name of Jesus.
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

Acts 3.6
Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”

You have the name of Jesus Christ. The moment you accepted Christ, you possess the name of Jesus and Jesus expects you to use it and enjoy it's benefits.

Peter and John used the name of Jesus and healed a man lame from birth and he was completely healed so He could walk and jump. There is power in the name of Jesus. Many people would see a lame man and feel pity for him but Peter saw him and he knew the name of Jesus can fix this. The name of Jesus is higher and greater than all names in heaven, on earth and under the earth. Faith in the name of Jesus is one of the key factors in using the name of Jesus. In order to use the name, we must be confident and assured of the authority and power that's invested in the name. And faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. As we hear more from the word concerning the name, the more our faith will develop towards and in that name. It's by faith we tap into the power and authority that's in the name of Jesus. As you believe the name of Jesus and use it with boldness and high expectation, you will see the demonstration of Gods power. Boldness in exercising the name comes from being completely persuaded and assured of the power in the name of Jesus. So invest your time in the word so you will be persuaded of the power that's in the name of Jesus and therefore you can use it with boldness.

Friend, it was not Peter or John who healed the lame man it was faith in the name of Jesus. If you develop your faith in the name of Jesus and use it boldly, you will have the same results, irrespective of the challenges you are facing. The name of Jesus is the key that will unlock any problem and fill you with unspeakable joy and all surpassing peace. Jesus is Lord.

"Thank you Lord for giving us your name. Lord Jesus you said, whatever we ask the Father in your name, He will give to us. I have faith in your name and I use your name boldly. I will never be defeated in life. Hallelujah."

Power to witness!

Acts 1.8
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The reason Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit is so we could witness the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus is alive. You remember, Peter couldn't confess Jesus in front of three people but after he recieved the Holy Spirit, he preached boldly and three thousand people gave their lives to Christ. That's powerful.

The day you recieved the Holy Spirit, you recieved power to be a witness of Jesus and to witness His resurrection. The Holy Spirit empowers you to be like Jesus in your thoughts, words and actions everyday of your life so that your witnessing to people has weight and is honourable. Lots of believers are very strong when it comes to preaching the resurrection but very weak in living the resurrection. This is called hypocrisy when a person talks but does not live it and such behaviours causes disgrace to the body of Christ. The day you accepted Christ, you are born again. You have the life of God in you. You have the fruit of the spirit in you. You have a great inheritance, an awesome calling and an exceedingly great power in you. When you realise who you are according to the word and live it, by the power that comes from communing with the Holy Spirit, your life will become a witness. Then when you talk, that talk has weight, it has value and it gets the attention of people.

Friend, it was the life of Daniel that caused Nebuchadnezzar to acknowledge and worship God. It was the life of Joseph that caused Pharaoah to conclude that there is a God in heaven. What message does your life give? What message does your life portray? You have the mighty Holy Spirit in you. Its not difficult, rely on Him, trust Him, talk to Him, expect him to teach, guide and show you things exactly like Jesus said. Hear him and do what He says. Fellowship with the Holy Spirit and He will make you a Champion, where your life speaks loudly than your words. You have the power of the Holy Spirit and therefore nothing is impossible for you. You are a witness and therefore you witness the resurrection of Jesus.

Protect yourself!

Proverbs 25:28
Whoever has no rule over his own spirit Is  like a city broken down, without walls.

Imagine a city without walls. It's dangerous. No wall, no protection. Without walls, the city can be attacked any time. A person who lacks self control is like a city without walls.

Jesus is the vine, we are the branches and we bear fruit. As we stay connected to the vine, we receive the life and the ability to manifest the fruit of the spirit in our lives. So the key is to stay connected to the Vine. As a believer, self control is a fruit of your born again spirit. It must be exercised and developed. Failing to walk in self control makes you vulnerable to attacks. Self control is like a wall of protection for you. It will protect you and keep you safe and prevent many unnecessary outcomes. You have the self control of Jesus in you and you can walk in it. One of the ways to do so, is by acknowledging that you have all the self control you need. Believe and confess that you have the fruit of self control in you. The confession of the fruit will result in the manifestation of that fruit in your life and situation. Everything in the Kingdom of God works by faith. Faith believes with the heart and speaks with the mouth. Faith acts on the word. Faith prophesies. Faith celebrates.

Self control will protect you. So believe and speak that you have self control and that you are walking in it. Stay connected to Jesus, the vine through prayer and the word. Confess 'The day I accepted Christ, I have the self control of God in me. I am a self controlled person. I am not led by emotions, feelings or excitement, I am lead by the word and by the Spirit of God. No matter what situations or challenges I face, I speak the right thing and I do the right thing for I have the self control of Jesus in me and I am as self controlled as Jesus himself. Thank you Lord Jesus. Glory to God'

It's all yours! Take it now.

II Corinthians 1:20
For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.

The day you accepted Christ, you were included in Christ. Because you are in Christ, every promise of God is Yes and Amen for you.

It's yours. It belongs to you. Jesus made it yours by shedding his blood on the cross. By his death, burial and resurrection, Jesus made you the rightful possessor of every promise of God. If you can find it, it's yours. Now if it belongs to you, take it and enjoy it. You see, God said Yes and Amen to every promise because He wants you to enjoy it and bless others. Our heavenly Father loves it when we enjoy his blessings. Faith and patience is how we enjoy the blessings. Faith believes and speaks the promise and patience refuses to give up on the believing and speaking. This is how the heroes of faith inherited the promise. They believed the word and spoke it and refused to give up, they were consistent. Keep believing, keep speaking, keep prophesying and keep celebrating. You will see the manifestation of His promises for it belongs to you.

Jesus has not only given you every promise of God but He has also qualified you to partake of those promises. You are not unworthy because the blood of Jesus has made you righteous, holy and worthy. Friend, every promise is yours. I encourage you to partake and distribute the blessings of God. Let your faith and patience be reported all over the world. Take it. Enjoy it. Distribute it. Jesus is Lord.

He heals the brokenhearted.

Psalms 147.3
He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.

One of the most painful things is to be broken hearted. Discouragement, denial, rejection, injustice, broken relationships, repeated failures can cause you to lose your hope and become distraught and broken hearted. Its a terrible sickness, way more powerful than any and all physical sicknesses.

You may be broken hearted today, may be things didn't work out the way you had expected or may be its just taking way too long. Perhaps some one has rejected or disappointed you but whatever the case, Jesus wants to heal you. If you give him the opportunity to do so, He will give you hope and a fresh start, a great start. He is willing to heal you and has the ability to do so. You hurt and pain may be deep but His love is deeper. I remember one sister wrote to me and told me about the pain in her heart because of her terrible past and she said scars run deep. I responded by saying His blood runs deeper. Some of us might have faced huge setbacks like this sister, but the blood of Jesus runs deeper.

Friend, why don't you give Jesus your heart. He will heal you and keep your heart safe and secure. He won't disappoint, discourage or reject you. He will never break your heart. Never. You are the reason He came, He died and He rose again on the third day. You mean the world to Him. You are eternally precious and valuable to Him. He is the head of the church and is totally and completely responsible for you. Let him heal you today. 'Lord Jesus, i give you my heart, I trust you and i know my life will never be the same. I will follow you all the days of my life. Thank you Lord Jesus.'

Praise is beautiful.

Psalms 147.1
Praise the Lord ! For it  is good to sing praises to our God; For it  is pleasant, and  praise is beautiful.

God says it's a good, pleasant and beautiful thing to praise the Lord. David said I will bless the Lord at all times and His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Praising God simply means exalting him, magnifying him, extolling him and acknowledging the greatness, the strength, the wisdom and the glory of God. The Lord inhabits the praises of his people. God is well pleased when you offer your sacrifices of praise to Him. Your praise has more adoration and depth, when you know and understand the love of the Father manifested in the person and the works of Jesus Christ. Grow in the knowledge of Gods character.  Know your Pappa God through the word and the Holy Spirit. The more you know him, the more in awe of Him you will be and the more you will praise Him. He is worthy of our praises, our worship and our adoration. Praise the Lord!

Develop a habit of praising him for every single thing for all things work together for the good of those who love God. You can never be disadvantaged, bless his holy name. Years ago, I decided to say, 'Praise God' for every single thing and by doing so it has become my language today. Friend, why don't you take some time every day to offer to God a pleasant, good and beautiful sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of your lips, giving thanks to his name. Praise is beautiful, good and pleasant. Let's minister to the Lord and Bless His Holy Name. He is worthy.

Are you really strong?

Proverbs 24.10
If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small.

The strength of a person can only be known when he is in the midst of adversity, challenges and troubles. This verse tells us any person who faints or gives up during challenges is one whose strength is small.

Everyone is strong when there are no challenges, but when challenges show up, strength is revealed. Adversity reveals the strong ones. So don't be afraid of challenges, it's an opportunity for you to reveal the strength and the resurrection power of God. Why do people give up in the midst of adversity? I believe it's because of the lack of feeding on and excercising the word. The more you feed on and exercise the word, the stronger you become. The stronger you are, the more you can endure. Strength begins with the word of God.

Everyone in the Bible faced adversity, some fierce but all did. Because they were consistently feeding on and excercising the word, they could face challenges and pressures and come out victoriously. These were simple people but faithful, consistent feeders and excercisers of the word. Friend, adversity is inevitable but falling down or standing up is a choice. The word will help you overcome and conquer the challenges and make you an example to the nations of the world. The word is your strength and therefore be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.