Monday
Carry His-Story
Read Exodus 31-35; 25:16
The ark is possibly the greatest of all the types of Christ; for it is the one type which never failed. God gives the pattern in the Old Testament of who and what He is. A testimony is any spoken or written record of what God has done. They reveal God’s nature and His ways. They create an expectation in our hearts for God's ways to be manifested in our lives. The Hebrew root word for "testimony" means to “do it again." Every record of what God has done in past genera¬tions is a promise of what He will do again in our lives, because He is the same yesterday, today and for¬ever.
Scriptures speak of the ark in a number of ways: sometimes it is described simply as the ark; but at other times qualifying words are added. Thus we read of the ark of the testimony, the Ark of the Covenant, the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, the ark of Jehovah and the ark of God. The ark of the testimony is the first qualifying phrase that the Spirit of God uses in regard to the ark. It is referred to in such a way for the first time in Ex. 25: 22 and for the last time in Jos. 4: 16 at the crossing of the Jordan. It is apparent, therefore that the description of the ark as the ark of the testimony belongs to the wilderness and to the wilderness alone. It is never referred to as the ark of the testimony when in the land. Now throughout the wilderness journey, the ark had to be carried, and in being carried it was a testimony to other nations. The people of God carried the ark of testimony with them wherever they went as a reminder of the Presence, Power and work of God.
When we declare what God has done, power is released to make that testimony happen again in the lives of those who hear it. The testimonies of God are what connect each succeeding generation of believers to His covenant promises. This is why God instruc¬ted Israel in the Law of Moses to remember the testimony on a regular basis and teach it to their children. Their entire social structure of Israel was to be built on the repetition of the testimony. When we set our hope in God we strengthen our expectation of God’s power working in the midst of our situation. When this happens our faith level rises, which actually releases the power of God to work in our situation. When we stop keeping the testimony, our faith in the miraculous power of God to work in our lives diminishes. It is vital just as the Israelites did we must carry His-Story with us.
Tuesday
Declaring What God Has Done
Read Luke 8:26-39
Say the word “evangelism” and Christians get a little uptight. It sounds intimidating and we feel unprepared. “I don’t know what to say”, “What if I am rejected?”, “What if I mess up?”. These questions reflect our uneasiness with sharing our faith. So we read another book, take another evangelism course, memorize another “canned” presentation and then fall back into to inertia.
But maybe it’s not that hard. What if? Now think about this, it is easier than you think, well it is.
Our Story, Our Testimony, what God has done in our lives in our circumstances, we can evangelize to the nations declaring the Kingdom just by sharing our story. As we look at what the scripture tells us in Luke 8:26-39, Jesus heals a man who was tormented by demons for years. Unsurprisingly, the man then wanted to go with Jesus to be with him. But Jesus had another mission for him. In the most succinct statement of what evangelism is, Jesus said to the man: “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” That just about sums it up. Our testimony is nothing more than declaring how much God has done for us. Keep it personal. Keep it real. What has Jesus done for you? What does the cross mean to you? What difference does Jesus make in your life? Not somebody else – you. So, go experience Jesus, and then declare how much God has done for you!
Wednesday
Testimonies of God
Read Daniel 6:21-23; Luke 1:26-35; Genesis 9:9-17
God wants us to experience Him! Every time you see the seasons of God change and every time you see a rainbow, you are seeing testimonies of God. When we have an encounter and experience Him He wants us to share our experiences with the world. Do you know someone who has been healed of cancer or some other type of disease or do you know someone who came back to life after they died? One of the most memorable experiences for me was the births of my three children, to have God use me as a part of the miracle of birth, to see the face of the newborn creation of God, to hold the newborn creation of God and that excitement of knowing that God use me as part of this miracle. There is no way that you can keep from sharing your excitement. That fact is that we should want to share our excitement of what god has done in our lives.
There are many heroes in the bible who were testimonies of God. They proved that nothing was too hard or too difficult for God through their testimonies. When you experience God’s love and you carry that love to the world, you become a testimony of God. We are His testimonies as we share the words and the works of Jesus to a hungry world that desperately needs Him. Like the heroes we read about in the Bible, You are a walking talking testimony!
Thursday
What’s In The Box
Read Exodus 31:18; Genesis 16:14-16; Numbers 17:8; Mark 28:18-20
The Ark of testimony was the box in Moses Tabernacle. Inside this box were the Ten Commandments written on two tablets of stone, the Pot of manna and Aaron’s budding rod. The Commandments were God’s law. The manna represented God’s provision to His children of Israel. Aaron’s budding rod represented God’s power and authority. The box and Tabernacle went with the Israelites everywhere they went.
Today we carry the box inside of us everywhere we go. We are the Tabernacle of God and we carry our experiences with God which is our testimonies no matter where we are. God’s Word and His principles are written on our hearts instead of stone tablets, and we are to share them with others. His Word living in us is fresh manna that satisfies or desires and we should share it with lost and hurting people. God has anointed us to go about our everyday lives in His authority and power. Your “box” has all you need to help you be a power house for God!
Jesus said all power and authority was given to Him and He has given it to us. We are to walk and talk in His power and authority every day.
Friday
What Is The Box
Read Proverbs 3:3; 7:23; Hebrews 8:10; Revelation 21:3
Take a plain ordinary box, that is me, nothing seemingly special, a sinner, struggling with the mundane of everyday life, seeming to go nowhere special, doing nothing remotely remarkable.
Take an extraordinary God, He picks up this plain ordinary box, ordinary has a face to face meeting with extraordinary, with one touch the ordinary becomes precious and valuable, ordinary accepts Jesus Christ as Savior, grace enters in, ordinary is transformed to a beautiful and valuable box covered over with gold, which is God’s nature, life becomes worth living, there is no limit to hopes and dreams, the impossible becomes possible, desires fulfilled and satisfied, just by the touch of our loving Father.
This box now holds the valuable things of God, the things He had shared with the Israelites; He now shares with us, His Holy Spirit, His Spirit teaches us God’s nature for our everyday walk with Him and the world around us. God’s nature changes the very core of who we are. We cannot contain the change in us and we want to share this God, who has taken ordinary and made it extraordinary with everyone we encounter. We want the world to experience EXTRAORDINARY! The box is you! Only through God does ordinary become EXTRAORDINARY!
The Weekender
Looking Back
Let’s look back on what we have learned this week and review. In reflecting it is our desire that if something that you have learned really stands out that you look at ways in which you can implement them into your situation and life that will make a difference in your life.
Declare what God has done for you:
Reflect on your testimony today, what is one thing that God is highlighting about testimony is God telling you to share with others?
What does the cross mean to you?
What difference does Jesus make in your life?
Reflect on and write down one experience with God that has been most meaningful to you:
Share how God’s power and authority has helped you in telling someone about him:
How has a face to face encounter with God transformed your life?
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