"The Revealing One"

 "And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost." (John 1:33 KJV) 

  "But - "When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. Be generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life." This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone." (Titus 3:4-8 NLT) 

  Just is case you might be wondering, I have been focused upon these things because I have been feeling a little discouraged myself. Not that this is anything new; as a matter of fact, I have gotten rather use to the fact that discouragement comes, almost as if it is expected. I can sometimes feel that it is approaching, like when the ocean pulls back, and you can sense that a big wave is what might be coming next. 

  To be wildly truthful, I really don't mind the times of discouragement, because they remind me what it is that keeps me going! And it surely isn't my strength and abilities that I count upon! If you know what I am talking about, then you know why it is that we sense discouragement will be coming. If you don't know, then the dirty little secret is found within, as in, we might boast about ourselves, or think too highly of what we can do, or maybe we just feel a little to sure about life, in general. 

  In case you didn't see that illustration, that sucking sound was the wind that powered our success; then comes the crashing of the waves, washing away false security! Anywho, this is probably one of the most important points that John is making; whichever John it is we might be talking about, both are taking part in this reveal.

  Not that it is a secret, but God can manifest His power and might in a whole multitude of ways; whether it be in basic life and death situations, the stars up above, how we love and feel loved; even in the shape of air, if you dare! (No pun intended!) The point is that of perspective, as in, what are you looking at, verses, that which you are looking to see. 

  Matthew Henry makes a point, saying, "Note, It is a great comfort of Christ's ministers, in their administration of the outward signs, that he whose ministers that are can confer the grace signified thereby, and so put life, and soul, and power into their ministrations; can speak to the heart what they speak to the ear, and breath upon the dry bones to which they prophesy."

  Such is the case, when we focus upon the outward appearance of anything, looking for visible proof of a work, or a spectacular sign of something happening; when it is not the manifestation we should be looking for, but Him on which the manifestation abides upon and is given from! Anything else is just noise and seemingly faded pictures of things gone by. You cannot hold unto the works, as they are for the moment, and then they are only memories; sometimes, if not all times, wrongly judged memories of thing which get misinterpreted and misconstrued. 

  As it turns out, discouragement is there to remind us not to count on the things we seemingly look for or expect to happen. Doing that, is basically sin! Is it wrong to think that we control anything; let alone, that what we can do, will result in anything on our own. James makes that point saying, "For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil." (James 4:15-16 KJV) 

  In a nutshell, be careful how you declare your anything! Don't try to take any of the glory, because in so doing, you are setting yourself up for D' Feet...

"The LORD is my shepherd, I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever." (PSALM 23 NLT)