“The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.’ And He said to them…I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.’”Luke 10:17-19

The disciples had seen Jesus perform miracles. They knew He had authority and power. But the time came when they needed to perform miracles themselves. The disciples’ opportunity came when Jesus sent out 70 of them to minister in His name. Some might have been apprehensive or unsure. However, when they applied the principles Jesus had taught them, they realized that everything He said was true! They “returned with joy,” having experienced power even over demons and demonic forces! Instead of doubting or being filled with worry, the disciples simply had obeyed Jesus’ commission. They believed He had given them authority! As a result, amazing things happened! This is the kind of power and authority God offers all of us as His children. But this miracle-working power is only released when we’re obedient to His Word, faithful to His call on our lives, and acting in the authority we’ve been given. Sadly, many Christians go through life failing to grasp this awesome authority. They sit back and accept defeat, filled with fear and doubt. Instead of being bold, they’re silent. They live their lives as victims, not victors. Brothers & Sisters today, don’t be timid or weak. Fill your life with the Word of God, and believe it! Have the courage to put His Word into practice in your life. Don’t allow the enemy to defeat you or steal the victory God already has given you. Believe God’s promises—all of them! Be bold, and declare victory over the enemy’s schemes. Act upon the authority God already has given you!

"He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him."2 Kings 2:13-15

When Elijah went up to to heaven, Elisha took up his mantle and walked in the power of Elijah. The Hebrew word for mantle is "aderet". It's root word is "adir", which means excellent, gallant, glorious, mighty, noble and worthy! Elijah was a man with these qualities. The mantle that Elisha received from Elijah meant a calling which was powerful. Elisha had earned it. When the two first met, Elisha had slaughtered the oxen he was plowing with, and burned them on the wood of their yoke as an offering. Then he followed and served the prophet until the day Elijah was taken miraculously to Heaven. An officer of King Jehoshaphat summed up Elisha's life with these simple and beautiful words: “Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah. ” Just before Elijah was taken to Heaven he said to his servant, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” Elisha answered without hesitation, "“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit”. Having served his mentor so faithfully, Elisha boldly and humbly asked for a double portion of his master's spirit, and received it in full. The sons of the prophets at Jericho did not fail to recognize the anointing which Elisha carried. He carried it because of his excellent and faithful service and devotion to the man of God. We too are called by the Son of God to excellence, devotion and faithful service. The anointing which we carry from Him will express these qualities. Jesus is our perfect example, our mentor and master. Following and serving him day by day, faithfully and carefully, we will live under His glorious "mantle". Brothers & Sisters, we are called to excellent and faithful service to exemplify and walk in the anointing of our Lord. God has given us a glorious mantle to wear, His very own Spirit, that we might live excellently, mightily, gloriously, gallantly, nobly and worthily. May we receive the grace daily to wear His mantle as Elisha did Elijah's. Even as Elisha received the "double portion", we too may do "greater things". TAKE UP YOUR MANTLE!

“When good things increase, those who consume them increase. So what is the advantage to their owners except to look on?”Ecclesiastes 5:11

How much “stuff” is enough? How many “things” do we really need? In the rush of our daily lives, so much attention in society is placed on possessions. New “things” are being developed constantly. Breakthroughs provide new ways to be entertained and communicate. Innovations are introduced to improve our lives. The accumulation process never seems to stop snowballing until, in reflective moments, we might pause and realize just how much we have accumulated. Evaluating our possessions (and our needs and wants) is an important part of our lives. The Bible urges us to seek God’s perspective, and trust Him to meet our needs (Philippians 4:19). It encourages us to realize we don’t need to worry but should seek first His Kingdom, confident that He will take care of us, just as He does the birds and flowers (Matthew 6:25-34). The Bible describes how one man looked back at his life and thought about all he had accumulated, only to realize that all was “vanity and striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 2:11). It was a process that never ended. He kept getting more things, yet found that they never gave him lasting joy or peace, but instead led to a sense of emptiness. And he realized how little things added to his life. The one benefit? He was able to look at them. Brothers & Sisters today, ask God to give you perspective on your life. Seek first His Kingdom. Trust Him. And don’t let things control your life.

"Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a corrupt tree bears evil fruit. A good tree cannot produce evil fruit, nor can a corrupt tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire. So then you will know them by their fruits."Matthew 7:17-20

In Zimbabwe, it's amazing how many trees are being planted all the time. Now suppose I wanted to plant a fig tree -- would I go searching for lemon seeds? Of course not! And even if I planted a fig tree next to a lemon tree, it would still only produce figs, no matter how close it was planted to the lemon tree. So in our lives, though we may be surrounded with sourness, even planted in a "lemon grove", we are "fig trees" -- and the sweetness of our fruit will remain, because we were planted by the Lord Himself, to produce good fruit under all conditions. There is no question that if we are planted in Him the good fruit we bear will come forth in both good times and bad times. Life is filled with ups and downs, unforeseen circumstances that send our lives in strange loops we weren't expecting -- nevertheless we were fashioned to be fruit bearers...unconditionally. You may say " George, you don't understand, you have no idea what's happening in my life right now!" You're right, I don't -- but I do know the Lord who laid down his life unconditionally for you -- and that He did it so He could abide in you and you in Him -- guess what for... Brothers & Sisters, if life is overwhelming you, then it's time to reach down deep and draw nourishment from the Root of our lives Jesus the Messiah. The sap of His Life will produce... MUCH! GOOD! FRUIT!...despite the lemons! BE FRUITFUL IN SPITE OF YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES!

"And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will."2 Timothy 2:24-26

When the apostle Paul wrote this letter to his young student Timothy, he taught him some profound truths that I often apply in my life. I suppose when Timothy received these instructions, he was about my age – a young man still developing his skills at evangelism, teaching and instructing. Early in my Christian walk, I grabbed hold of a passage – let no man despise thy youth, but rather be an example in word, in conversation, in love, in spirit, and in faith. Now I'm focusing on being a servant able to teach. Paul's instruction is not to "strive" I hear him saying "be careful to teach with a proper spirit" and to avoid "trying to prove that you're right". I want to be sure that I'm not trying to force my perspective on someone, but rather instruct with meekness, gentleness, and patience. One phrase in the verse says something about the effect of teaching in the right spirit-– "they recover themselves"! It's not our job to convince someone of the truth. We "contend earnestly for the faith" allowing the Holy Spirit to do the convincing, so that someone who is in error is free to repent based on God's conviction, and not my persuasiveness. So let's be sure we're leaving room for Him, teaching in a manner that Paul would be proud of. Brothers & Sisters, we're all called as servants; so let's strive to be servants that would make our Master proud! LEARN HOW TO TEACH!

"When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing."John 9:6-7

I read this passage and I wonder how I would react if someone mixed their saliva with some dirt on the ground and put it on my face like this. Why didn't Jesus just heal this guy and be done with it? Why the messy prelude? If you'll notice, Jesus did two things. First, He placed mud on the man's eyes. Then, He told him to go and wash himself in the pool of Siloam. Of course, the man willingly obeyed. If you had some gross concoction smeared on your eyes, wouldn't you? The mud actually provided the motivation for his obedience. My point? We don't always have to understand why we find our selves muddy sometimes. Perhaps if we weren't muddy, we'd never be motivated to obey! And obedience is crucial to a successful and flourishing walk with the Lord. Brothers & Sisters, let's not despise the mud on our face today. We all have times of trial. Let's use them for an opportunity to be obedient! God is just trying to help us see better! SOMETIMES WE GOTTA GET DOWN AND DIRTY!

“Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.”Proverbs 22:6

Who is raising our children? Many parents simply assume they are the primary teachers. But there is growing evidence that much of the education of our young children actually is being done…by television. Mothers expose their children to TV or radio on an average of two hours per day! Please warned that this level of exposure is very unhealthy, and many children are “consuming too much media.” It has become far too easy and convenient to use television as a babysitter. In the process, TV has become a teacher in many homes, even a surrogate parent. But stop to consider what attitudes are being taught through television! What is the long-term impact on a child’s thoughts, behavior, and beliefs? In addition to shaping the attitudes of our children, the media forms habits that can last a lifetime. Instead of basing our lives on the timeless Word of God, many of us line up our lives with the standards in movies and TV programs. Perhaps without even knowing it, we let the media shape our beliefs about politics, fashions, morals, even our faith and attitude toward God and the Bible. Brothers & Sisters Today, think about the media’s role in your life. Has it become your teacher? Are you allowing TV programs, movies, and websites to shape your attitudes? What role does TV play in the life of your family? Make sure you are basing your attitudes and beliefs not on the media, but on the Word of God. Be on guard about what you allow into your home, and dedicate your resources to creating Christ-centered alternatives.