Be a True Disciple

 The topic of discipleship in the church can be a “hot potato” topic at times. It’s one of my “soapbox” topics that I really like to discuss. Recently, while thinking about what to write for a devotional everything I read or listened to was about being a disciple Jesus Christ. Two quotes that really grabbed me in my YouVersion devotional are:

 “Disciples of Jesus Christ know God, love people, and impact their world. “

“We are passionate about transformed people because transformed people will transform cities.“  (author unknown)

 “Winning souls to the Kingdom and then discipling them should be the main priority of the Church. It’s called fruit.” --Todd Coconato

 I looked deeper to find out what the word disciple really means. In the Merriam Webster Dictionary these are the synonyms given for the word disciple:

Follower, Adherent, Disciple, mean one who gives full loyalty and support to another.

Follower may apply to people who attach themselves either to the person or beliefs of another.

Adherent suggests a close and persistent attachment.

What does the Bible say?

 “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”   (Luke 9:23 NKJV)  

In the NLT, Luke 9:23 the first sentence emphasizes surrender, it reads as -Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way… (emphasis added)

He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”  (Mark 8:34 NKJV)  

“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35 NKJV)  

 One more scripture passage challenging us to surrender our ideas fis found in rom the end of Luke 9. It’s familiar, but this time as you read, think in terms being determined to be true disciple of Jesus, and bring others into true discipleship.

 ⁵⁷ Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” ⁵⁸ And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

⁵⁹ Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” ⁶⁰ Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”

⁶¹ And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” ⁶² But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:57-61 NKJV)

 How does one become a disciple? How did Jesus make disciples? Jesus discipled through relationships. In a video that I watched a few years ago Pastor Bryan Stiverson said the following:

·    Know God - You first must be in relationship with God to have a relationship with His people.

· Find Community - Jesus primarily ministered to the 12 disciples. Fellowship with other believers during the week. (men’s or women’s groups, etc.)

·  Make Disciples - The disciples made other disciples. Study the bible together.

·LLive Sent - After being disciple & trained Jesus sent them out to minister.

Why is discipleship such a big deal? One big reason is if there’s no discipleship that leads to the fact that there’s no fruit. I am frequently drawn to John 15:1-16, especially verse 16 which says: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” (Emphasis added)

I close with these three questions:

 Are you a true disciple? If not, why not?

Are you following influencers, prophetic, podcasts or God's Word?

Are you duplicating yourself in people or Jesus Christ?

 

 

New In You

 I’ve been thinking about the New Year we’re all about to face. If you’re like me, it seems like 2025 flew right by in a blink.  Then, there’s the chaos in our country, in the church world, as well as our personal lives, things have been difficult. I can relate as I went through some personal battles of my own.  If it were not for the strength of the Lord, my family, and friends, I don’t know what I would have done.

 Well, that is all behind me now and I am looking forward to 2026.  As we face going into a new year, I’d like to encourage you to allow the Lord to do some new things in your life. Some of you might be comfortable with your life. To that I say, the Lord loves us too much to allow us to remain as we are. We need to always be growing in some area of our life. Some of you may be fed up with life, disillusioned, even fearful.  For some of you there’s been a dream that you’ve held in your heart for years, but you just don’t see it happening. Hold on, you might be delayed, but you are still destined!

 Holy Spirit ahs been doing some new things in me and I am looking forward the new possibilities He has for me in 2026. Let’s look at some possibilities.

 New Pursuits

“There are many plans in a man's heart, nevertheless the LORD'S counsel-- that will stand.”  (Proverbs 19:21)

God might lead you to a new job position. He might send you back to school for some more training. Ask the Lord what He wants to do with your life.  If you’re a Christian maybe He’s calling you into ministry or to go on a mission trip. Be open to new ideas in the New Year. Get your steel-toed shoes ready…. It might be that you need to change some of your relationships that are leading you down a wrong path. In the bible it says, “Don't be fooled by those who say such things, for "bad company corrupts good character."  (1 Corinthians 15:33 NLT) - You have more worth than you realize. Don’t let yourself be dragged down by those who are on a destructive path in life. Letting go of past relationships makes room for new healthy relationships.

 New Reputation

"Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.” (Isaiah 54:4)

Perhaps you’ve failed in some area of your life.  Have you done something that brought you shame? Or maybe it wasn’t something of your own doing, but the false words of others against you. It can all be made new when you call upon the Lord. I could share some stories with you about how God has turned some things around in my life! All praise to Jesus!

 New Heart

 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. (Psalm 147:3)

Has your heart been wounded, broken, and shattered? Maybe your heart has been so hardened that you feel you just can’t reach out to others or allow people to reach out to you. If you ask the Lord, He will give you a new heart.  Look at this scripture – “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” – (Ezekiel 36:26)

 New Beginnings

 “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.” Col 3:10

If your life has been full of pain, abuse, addictions, and failure, whatever – God wants to give you a new life, a new beginning. I can testify to the reality of having my life taken out of the gutter and being made brand new. My life was such a mess at one time. After all these years I am still in awe that the Lord has changed my life as He has.

Friend, if you have tried everything else and it hasn’t worked, perhaps it’s time to give things over to the Lord. I know He will help you live in a new way. He will give you hope. If you will just surrender to Him, He has a good plan for your life.  “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Once again, I must share with you one of my favorite scriptures – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”  (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Lastly, every year I ask the Lord for a word to focus on for the year. I am continuing while the word Hope is always a key word in my life, my phrase for 2026 “Refining Shift.” In other words, the vision is still there, but with adjustments. My key verse is  - “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”  Glory to God!

Until next time, keep your eyes on Jesus because He never fails!

 

 

Lift Up His Name!

 

"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”  (Acts 4:12 NKJV)

In eight days, we will celebrate Christmas 2025 and prepare to enter a new year.  Wow! How did we get here so fast?    A year that I am sure has many new challenges for us as it does blessings. This year has been a rocky year to say the least. Political chaos, unusual, even weird weather, a lot of sickness. Many have lost jobs, loved ones, relationships, etc. Life just gets tough sometimes.  Whether it is health, finances, family issues or other difficulties, one thing I have learned is to call upon the name of the Lord, for it is He alone who can rescue us

 In the bible there are many references to various Hebrew names of God that point to a particular area of His care for us in our lives.   I would like to share a few of those names with you and how you can apply them to your life.

 Our first name is one we hear more often around Christmas time ...

 Immanuel – “God with us.”

“Therefore th Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. “(Isaiah 7:14 NKJV)

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” (Matthew 1:23 NKJV)

What a wonderful promise! He is always there when we need him!  Now there may be times when it feels like He is not there and instead of trusting His hand we have to trust His heart. People may leave us. But as the song Matthew West sings, “He’s the God Who Stays.” We can’t always “feel” God, but we know that His word is true because it says, “He will never leave us nor forsake us.” (Hebrews 13:15 NKJV)

 Let’s look a few other names.

 Jehovah Shalom – “The Lord our Peace” – “So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-Is-Peace..." (Judges 6:24 NKJV)

When life is stressful and you’re feeling no peace, run to the Prince of Peace and let him fill you with his peace that passes all understanding.  “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”  (Isaiah 26:3)

 Jehovah Nissi – “God is my Banner” – “And Moses built an altar and called its name, THE-LORD-IS-MY-BANNER;” (Exodus 17:15)

In those times when you just want to run and hide under the covers, run to Jesus instead and let him cover you with his banner of love and protection.

 Jehovah Jireh – “The Lord is my Provider” – “And Abraham called the name of the place, THE-LORD-WILL-PROVIDE; as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of The LORD it shall be provided." (Genesis 22:14)

This name of the Lord is a reminder of God’s promise to provide for our needs. Notice it’s our needs he provides for, not always our wants. I remember a time about twenty when I saw a $900.00 hospital bill forgiven. Praise God! More recently, in the past six years I have seen God provide in ways that I never dreamed.

 Jehovah Rapha – “The Lord is my Healer” - O Lord my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me. (Psalm 30:2 NKJV)

This Hebrew word, Rapha means to “restore, to heal, to cure and to repair.” This can apply to physical, emotional, and spiritual healing.

 Yahweh Roi – “The Lord is my Shepherd” – (Psalm 23)

This chapter is the Book of Psalms is probably the most read chapter of the bible. Many turn to it for comfort during difficult times. The Lord does care for us tenderly as a shepherd tends to his flock. To gain a greater understanding of Jesus being the Good Shepherd in your life I would highly recommend the book “A Shepherd’s Look at Psalm 23” written by W. Phillip Keller.    

 It’s amazing how when new trials come our way, we quickly forget what God has done for us in the past. When I face those times of wondering what God is up to in my life, I often go back and refresh myself with some of the meanings of His name.

 Christmas isn’t an easy time for many. My friend, be encouraged today, the Lord is for you, not against you. Ask Him to help you focus on the positives of what He’s done for you. Take a step in a new direction and trust the Lord with this season of your life. Sometimes we just need to stop and listen to what God is saying to us. 

 Lastly, don’t fall into the trap of isolation. That is one of the devil’s biggest schemes. He wants you to withdraw and be alone, making you susceptible to discouragement.  Instead of running into hiding, go to your local church or Christian friend and ask for prayer. Take time to pray His name over your life. There is power in the prayer of agreement with another person and proclaiming His name over your life!

As Tasha Cobbs Leonard sings, “There is power in the name of Jesus to break every chain, break every chain, break every chain.”

 Friends let’s go forward into this Christmas season and the new year STRONGLY declaring the hope and power of the name of Jesus! God is with us!