WHAT ARE YOU PICTURING?

Leon FontaineDevoted

So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge.”  Numbers 13:32 (NLT)  Faith and fear operate the same way in your life. They both work to create a vision inside of you that will grow if you entertain it.  But here’s the difference: fear pictures something terrible taking place in your life, whereas faith visualizes something good.  Numbers chapters 13 and 14 give us a good look at what happens when we allow fear to paint pictures in our minds. Moses led the Israelites to the edge of the Promised Land, then sent twelve spies to scope it out. All of …

BEYOND THE CROSS TO THE JOY AHEAD

Leon FontaineDevoted

Because his heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be his, he endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation, and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God!  Hebrews 12:2 (TPT)  Imagine that after twenty years of marriage, your spouse turned to you and said, “Life’s been downright miserable, and I’ve suffered a lot being married to you. Look at all I’ve sacrificed because of my love for you.” That doesn’t sound very heart-warming, does it?  In the same way, if Jesus hadn’t been motivated by love, He could have crossed His arms and announced, “Well, my Father’s making me do this. I’m here now, so let’s move this thing along.”  But His heart wasn’t …

¿PUEDE USTED GANAR UN MILAGRO?

Leon FontaineEntregate

Cuando Dios les da su Espíritu y hace milagros entre ustedes, ¿por qué lo hace? No en virtud del cumplimiento de la ley, sino por aceptar el mensaje de la fe. Gálatas 3:5 (DHH)  No podemos ganar milagros por buen comportamiento. Eso parece simple y bastante sencillo, pero tener “fe en las obras” puede aumentar progresivamente con el tiempo si no tenemos cuidado.  Cuando un hombre entra, por primera vez, en una relación con Jesús, lejos de un estilo de vida del que no se siente orgulloso, todo en lo que tiene que confiar es en la misericordia de Dios. Él no siente que merece nada de parte de Dios. Sin embargo, después de servir a Dios por un tiempo, puede comenzar a pensar que …

THE ANGELS WAITED FOR HIS WORD

Leon FontaineDevoted

“Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?”  Matthew 26:53–54 (NLT)  Jesus loves you more than you could ever imagine. How do we know?  When we study the Scriptures, we find God’s plan for mankind’s redemption has love written all over it—from start to finish.  For example, when the Roman soldiers arrived with Judas Iscariot to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus faced a big decision. While legions of warrior angels waited for His command, Jesus simply let the soldiers take Him.  It’s mind-blowing when you think about it. Imagine knowing you’re facing certain …

LA CRUZ LO ES TODO

Leon FontaineEntregate

Pero ahora, sin la ley, Dios ha mostrado de qué manera nos hace justos, y esto lo confirman la misma ley y los profetas: por medio de la fe en Jesucristo, Dios hace justos a todos los que creen. Pues no hay diferencia: Romanos 3:21–22 (DHH)  Usted es justo. Según la Concordancia de Strong, justicia (dikaiosýnē) se refiere a lo que Dios considera justo después del examen. Usted es justo si es aceptado a Sus ojos.  La mayoría de la gente cree que, si Dios lo examinara, lo encontraría no aceptable a Sus ojos e indigno de ser aprobado por Sus estándares perfectos. Sin embargo, Romanos 3:21–22 nos cuenta una historia diferente. Estamos bien con Dios, somos totalmente aceptados y aprobados, cuando ponemos nuestra fe …