IT'S A "SET-UP"!
Daily Word - 06.19.19 - Pastor Sheliah
“I want you to know… that my circumstances have turned out for the furtherance of the Gospel.” (Phil.1:12 KJV)
“And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear.” (Phil.1:12-14 NLT)
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“Furtherance” defined:
A helping forward; promotion; advancement.
Holy Spirit clearly spoke to me when I was in the battle for my life, when 100 doctors had concurred that I could not live, He said, “I want you to know that your circumstances have turned out for the furtherance of the Gospel.” (Philippians 1:12) Since then, I have adopted this verse as my Life Verse!
What I understood Him to say to me, “I am giving you the opportunity of a life-time, to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those who have never heard. As you walk through this ‘circumstance’ you are a pioneer for the Kingdom! I am sending you to places that no one has yet been, and you will have a message that they have never heard, and they will see Me through your life and testimony as you trust Me!”
And so it has been that God miraculously healed me and thus – the doors of opportunity and ministry have never closed – as I tell “everything that has happened to me” – the Good News has been shared everywhere I go!
That remarkable man, the apostle Paul, penned these words from his prison cell to encourage the church at Philippi. He assured them that the things he experienced had opened doors for ministering the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Paul, in what would seem a very dark hour in his life, seized the moment and without regard to his own situation, told the guards of Jesus’s great love. They not only become followers of Jesus but they too boldly shared the Message without fear.
That’s the “furtherance” of the Gospel. That’s the pioneering spirit that recognizes that “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” (Rom.8:28)
Those who know their God, know that “it’s a set-up,” that He has uniquely arranged your life, to place you where you are that you might share with others, the amazing love and grace of Christ in your life!
ARE YOU IN A CRISIS?
Are you facing some difficult circumstances? Has your life taken a turn that you never saw coming? Welcome to LIFE! Jesus said, “In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John.16:33)
Can you not see what God is doing? Recognize that you been given the greatest opportunity of your life – designed just for you, one that will bring you before many folks who need Jesus. These are folks who have been skeptical but can now believe because they see the reality of Christ in your life!
Paul was recklessly abandoned to God; he lived outrageously! He trusted God in the good times and the bad. He understood that God was in control of everything that he would encounter! And he wrote in that letter to the church at Philippi, “For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.” (Phil.1:20-21)
Yes! God has placed you “where” you are, and you have the opportunity to “further” the Gospel – to live outrageously – sharing Jesus with those around you! Be of good cheer!
~ Shelia Hart Artt
#GloryBarnBranson #OutrageousGrace #ItsASetUp
#Pioneer #PioneeringTheGoodNews #CircumstancesWordForGood
https://outrageousgrace.org/its-a-set-up/
