Set His Face

By Shirley Mitchell

"And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.”

Luke 9:51-53 (KJV)

Near the end of His ministry, Jesus steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem. He was resolved to head to Jerusalem to fulfill God’s plan for His life even if it meant His suffering. “His face” occurred three times in these few verses. When I looked up the word “face,” I learned that “to spit in a person’s face was an expression of utmost scorn and aversion” because “the face was considered to be the noblest part of a person.” When Jesus set His face toward Jerusalem, He was setting His “inward thoughts and feelings” with a fixed purpose for Jerusalem.

Jesus set His face to the Holy City of God like one would set his face to have a discussion with someone. It was time to do business with Jerusalem. It was time to do what He had come to earth to do. It was time to carry out the plan that had been decided before the foundation of the world. He was under the mastery of the Spirit within Him. He did not give in to sin and ignore the “conversation” that He would hold with Jerusalem.

How opposite this is from the human desire to avoid facing conflict and emotionally tough situations! Maybe we’ve wronged someone. Maybe someone has wronged us. Maybe it is a relationship more tangled than a kitten’s ball of yarn. Maybe there is a circumstance that you have deceived yourself into not dealing with because you think you can’t face it. Maybe there is a situation that makes you want to stick your head under your pillow and ask God to make it go away. You and I can’t be escape artists. As women under the mastery of the Holy Spirit, we can’t hide our faces. He wants us to lift up our heads and face Him. We face God, and then we obey Him by facing the situation in a way that honors Him.

Precious one, is there someone whom you are having difficulty facing? Do you sense that God is asking you to be the mature spirit-filled believer about this one? It is time to face our most difficult and draining situations. No longer will we cower or deny the existence of the trouble. When we obey God and relinquish the outcome to Him, we live the great adventure and the victorious Christian life.

Pray with me: Oh, LORD Almighty, we worship You! You are worthy of all honor, glory, and praise! Thank You, Jesus, for not avoiding Jerusalem or evading the cross. Thank You for facing the worst cruelty of all times. Help us to remain determined to face our most difficult situations. Just as Jesus resolutely faced Jerusalem, may we face the things that make us want to hide. May we not quit but persevere to bring You glory. It’s in the Name of above all names, in Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name, we pray. Amen.

Excerpt from the Jesus Lives Bible study

Drawn to Jesus

From Ash Wednesday through Resurrection Sunday, Shirley will focus on Jesus' last days on earth. Let's grasp the meaning of the resurrection, the greatest event in all human history!

By Shirley Mitchell

"Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him."

Matthew 4:23-25

While my friend Wilma and I were talking the other day, she told me that she was preparing her heart for Resurrection Sunday through a devotion book. She said she had been thinking a lot about what drew people to Jesus. Before we could go any further, the church service started, and our conversation had to end. However, God would not let that go in me. He asked me to start preparing for the celebration of Jesus' resurrection and to meditate on the people's attraction to Jesus.

Jesus traveled from town to town preaching the good news. I imagine His arrival caused quite a racket. A crowd followed Him as He traveled throughout the region. He had captivated their attention. People stayed for days on a hillside to hear Him teach - forsaking their work and neglecting their need for food. Of course, they need not worry about a thing in the presence of Jesus. He provided a meal for thousands of them on two recorded occasions.

When He entered a new town, most people were probably going about their daily chores. Then someone may have shouted something like, "Jesus is coming. The Healer is on His way." "Jesus is teaching in the synagogue, everyone," or "The Prophet Jesus is here! He is here!" The people laid down their tools and set aside their cleaning to rush to hear His words and see Him.

He was a friend to any sinner; the nature of the sin, social position, race, or ethnicity didn't matter. He demonstrated this best when He met the Samaritan woman at the well and asked her for a drink of water. A Jewish man would never speak to a Samarian woman and make Himself unclean - especially if he knew what kind of woman she was. Jesus didn't point His finger at the town's scandalous woman. The Living Water filled the dark recesses of her soul and rescued her from bondage. She said to the people that she brought back to meet Him, "Come meet a man who told me everything that I have ever done." She was not just amazed that Jesus knew her before she met Him, but she was also amazed that He still treated her like she was valuable and worthy of meeting the Messiah.

People were also attracted to Jesus because He genuinely cared about them. Jesus showed compassion on the paralytic (Mark 1:40-45). The Greek word for compassion means that He was moved from deep inside of Him. He forgave him of his sins and made his crippled legs walk. In the funeral procession for a widow's son, Jesus saw him being carried out of the city gate. When He saw her, His heart went out to her, and He comforted her by saying, "Don't cry" (Luke 7:13). Then He raised her son from the dead.

Jesus also attracted some religious leaders who understood that He must be from God. When Nicodemus, a religious leader, came to Jesus by night, he said to Him in John 3:2-3 (The Message), " 'Rabbi, we all know you're a teacher straight from God. No one could do all the God-pointing, God-revealing acts you do if God weren't in on it.' Jesus said, 'You're absolutely right. Take it from me: Unless a person is born from above, it's not possible to see what I'm pointing to--to God's kingdom.' "

People were also magnetized to Jesus because of His teaching. Many times Scripture tells us that when Jesus finished teaching the crowds were amazed "because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law" (Matthew 7:29).

Above all His kindness, compassion, authority, knowledge, teaching, and power, the overwhelming reason why people were attracted to Jesus was that He was the answer to all of their needs. Whatever problems they brought Him, He could solve. Whatever issues that lay deep in their hearts that they may not be able to identify, He could see through the complexity of the layers and bring healing to their souls.

My friend, Jesus is still the answer today for whatever it is that is bothering you. For whatever miracle you need. For whatever stronghold you need torn down. For whatever sin you need forgiveness. For whatever fresh revelation of the Father you need, Jesus is the Answer! Hallelujah! Let's seek Him like those people sought Him and followed Him wherever He went as He traveled throughout the land. He is the ANSWER!

Pray with me: Oh, Jesus, You are compassionate and caring. It was not Your will to turn anyone away who had a physical ailment or who was already dead! You reached out to all, and You demonstrated Your authority to heal the sick, to forgive sins, and to teach with power. You removed shame, sorrow, and grief. The entire time You pointed the way to God and revealed the Father to us. You showed us the kingdom of God. We praise You for that!

You are still the answer today for any problem that any of us have. We bring You our troubles, our worries, and our ailments. We stand in awe of You like the crowds did and worship You. It's in Your Name, we pray. Amen.

His Hour Had Come

His Hour Had Come

Shirley Mitchell

“Jesus replied, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified... Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.’ ”

John 12:23, 27

John 2 tells us the story of Jesus’ first miracle. Jesus’ mother came to Him on the third day of a wedding in Cana, and she said to her Son, “They have no more wine.” In verse 4, Jesus replied to her, “Dear woman, why do you involve me? My time has not yet come.” Six stone water jars filled to the brim with twenty to thirty gallons of water were turned to wine that day.

John 7 tells us the story of when Jesus was teaching in the temple courts. Some people in the crowd were astonished at the miracles that He did. Some put their faith in Him that He was the Christ. Some said He was demon-possessed. Some were angry with Him for saying that God, His Father, sent Him and they did not know who He was, but He knew Him. These angry men tried to seize Him. However, no one laid a hand on Him, because “his time had not yet come” (verse 30).

In John 8, Jesus is again teaching in the temple area. This time He taught near the place where offerings were put. The Pharisees challenged Him and said He had an invalid testimony. Jesus said He stood with His Father who sent Him. His Father was a witness for Him. Then He told them again they did not know His Father. If they knew His Father, then they would know who He was. The confrontation again infuriated the Pharisees, but verse 20 tells us that no one seized Him because His time had not yet come.

In John 12 after the triumphal entry, Jesus is talking to His disciples. He tells His beloved followers who have followed Him from town to town for so many months the significance of what is happening on the kingdom calendar. He announces to them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” Jesus’ hour had come. It was not His time in those other instances in Scripture. Therefore, no one could thwart the plans of the Father. It was now time.

What was it time for? Jesus explains to His disciples that unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. He was telling them that it was His time to die and that through His death there would be a kingdom explosion like no other. He was troubled (verse 27), but He knew that He could not ask His Father to save Him from this hour. He knew that it was for this very reason that He came. Jesus came to die, and He came to die at this appointed hour.

Jesus’ death was carefully and meticulously planned out by the Father. They planned it before the creation of the world (Revelation 13:8). They knew that Adam and Eve would sin before they were created. So before they were created, they made a way for God to be with man. Jesus knew the way that He would die. Verses 32-33 tell us that He knew that He would be lifted up from the earth and He knew the kind of death that He was going to die. It was all part of the plan. It was all set at the right time.

My friend, we are preparing our hearts to celebrate the Father’s and Son’s great plan that was carried out 2,000 years ago. It was put on the kingdom calendar before there was an earthly calendar. As we remember the greatest story ever told, let’s keep at the forefront of our minds that God had complete control over these events and the people. He planned it all just to be with us because you and I are His beloved children. He would do anything to be with us. Hold onto this. If He would do anything to be with us, then know that He cares about your situation right now more than you can imagine. Let’s give Him our worries, our burdens, and our plans and let Him be sovereign over it all.

Pray with me: Oh, praise You, Lord, for Your perfect plan! How beautiful that Jesus knew when His hour had come. You knew! You are meticulous. You plan perfectly for Your Son’s life. We should expect that a Father who would plan so perfectly for His Holy Son’s life will also plan so perfectly for His adopted sons’ and daughters’ lives. So we move out of the way and say, plan in our lives. Fulfill Your plans for us! It’s in the Name above all names, in Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name, I pray. Amen.

Copyright ©2010 Christ Compels Ministry

One Thing

By Shirley Mitchell
“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:13-14

My daughter Mikayla surprised us when she came home from school and announced that she wanted to try out for the middle school basketball team. I was quite shocked since I didn’t even know if she could dribble. I realize this may get us banished from the state of Kentucky, but I didn’t even think she had watched five games of basketball her whole life. Doubts about her motives and concerns that she may be embarrassed crossed my husband’s and my minds. We prayed about it, and we thought God said yes. So she tried out for the team and made it.

During the first basketball practice, the coach pulled Mikayla over to the side and said that he could tell that she was an athlete. She said yes, she played soccer. He told her that he was glad that she was so aggressive, but that she needed to know something about basketball. In basketball, a player only gets five fouls so she might foul out of a few games.

In her first game, Mikayla had about 20 steals of the ball from the other team. At one game after a great steal and blasting down the court to the goal, my friend next to me said, “Mikayla is just leaving a trail of bodies all over the basketball court.” She didn’t know what a “travel” was and turned the ball over by taking extra steps. When she shot the ball, she shot like she was kicking a soccer ball with all her force to get past a goalie. The ball would slam off the backboard and down the court. She didn’t know many of the rules or the finesse of scoring, but she knew one thing. She knew how to get that ball.

I asked her after her first couple of games how she was able to steal the ball so much. She told me, “Mommy, it’s easy. I just keep my eyes on the ball. I don’t get distracted by the other things going on. My eyes are glued to the ball. I focus on one thing.”

God reminded me of Paul’s “one thing” in Philippians 3:13-14. Paul says in chapter 3 that he wants to know Christ, but he knows that he hasn’t achieved his goal yet. So he does one thing. He forgets what is behind. He strains toward what is ahead. He presses on to the goal to win the prize for which God has called him heavenward in Jesus Messiah.

God started to speak to my heart. What if we Christians pressed on to the heavenly prize like Mikayla presses on the basketball court? What if we desired one thing just like she desires to possess that basketball? I exclaimed what a great physical world reminder to be that tenaciously tough spiritually! Gosh, she inspired me to seek God and to be determined to fulfill my calling.

God’s Word tells us over and over that this world will be filled with many troubles. We will have trials. We will have burdens. We will be distracted, but Jesus Christ has overcome the world. He has taken the prize for us and asks us to reach out and grab onto it. We do this by casting our burdens upon Him. We break free from the distractions that so easily entangle us.

So beloved, how are doing on focusing on the one thing that really matters in this life? Where is your attention? How is your tenacity for experiencing as much of God as a person can have? Remember it is all about one thing.

Pray with me: Almighty God, You are magnificent. You are radiant. You are lovely. You are worthy. We exalt Your Name and proclaim Your greatness. Your ways are perfect. Your judgments are right. You alone know the end from the beginning.

We ask that You help us be like Paul and focus on one thing – You. We want to know You and to make You known. Holy Spirit, how are we doing on focusing on the one thing? Are You pleased with our tenacity to press toward the heavenly goal? Or do we need to make some corrections in our lives where we have become troubled or distracted about many things? Teach us Your ways. Give us the tenacity like Mikayla’s to seek You and fulfill Your plan for our lives. Increase our desire to know You. It is in the Name above all names, Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name, that we pray, Amen.

The Impossible

by Shirley Mitchell

“ ‘Give me your son,’ Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. Then he cried out to the LORD, ‘O LORD my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?’ Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried to the LORD, ‘O LORD my God, let this boy’s life return to him!’ ”

1 Kings 17:19-21

During the time of drought in Israel prophesied by Elijah as judgment for turning to other gods, God led him to stay with the widow at Zarephath. God miraculously provided for this widow and her son through the prophet Elijah. Even though they had this continuous provision from God, some time later tragedy struck. Her son became ill. He grew worse and worse until he stopped breathing. The widow brought the limp body of her precious son to Elijah. In her despair and grief, she said, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”

Feeling her sorrow, Elijah took the body from her arms and carried him upstairs to his bedroom. There he cried out to God and asked Him something that no one else ever had. Scripture had not recorded anyone rising from the dead at this time…Not one person. Jesus had not stopped the funeral of the widow’s son and turned their mourners’ wailing into praising and leaping. Jesus had not entered Jarius’ daughter’s room and said “My child, get up!” Jesus had not spoken to Lazarus to come out of the grave even in his grave clothes. Elisha, who also raised people from the dead, would come after Elijah. This had never been done before. There was no precedent.

Elijah could not say, “Do it like You did it before.” He could not say, “Do it like You did it for Your Son Jesus.” Elijah could not offer suggestions to God based on his past activity nor could he submit that he was worthy enough like other prophets to have walked as closely to God as humanly possible.

This was “out of the box” thinking. This was a prayer that did not limit the power of God. This prayer believed that the arm of God was able to reach anywhere. This prayer was backed by faith that nothing was too hard for God (Genesis 18:14).

We live in a time where God’s Holy Bible with two Testaments is completed, but the activity of God in our world today continues. God continues to manifest Himself in new ways that awe us. He loves an invitation to display His creative power. He responds to people who believe that He is mighty and that He can surpass the laws of the world that He created. God’s Son Jesus emphasized this to us by saying, “Everything is possible for him who believes” (Mark 9:23). At another time, Jesus said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

It seems that miracles are more prevalent in countries that don’t have their own military might, advanced medical care, safety regulations, and higher education facilities. Many of us in this country have put our trust in these protections and powers. Isn’t it interesting that someone with less education than we have can sometimes know God’s power more than we do? All four of these are blessings, but blessings can turn to curses if God diminishes in our eyes.

Gosh, I don’t ever want to go there. I want to live a life where God continues to stretch my mind about who He is. I want to live every day searching for more revelation of God. I want more glimpses of God on His throne and peeks into heaven. I want to know God as much as possible, and I want to see the impossible because I want HIM! If you feel like I do, then let’s keep pressing on together and giving God invitations to show His might and power!

Pray with me: Oh, Lord, we desire to have the faith of Elijah. Just because something has not been done before doesn’t mean that You can’t do it or that You won’t do it. It is not that we seek You only for the sake of entertainment or thirst for power. We seek to live life out on the edge with You. We desire to live an “everything is possible” life with You. It’s in the Name above all names that we pray, in Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name. Amen.


Copyright ©2011 Christ Compels Ministry

The Initiator of Love

By Shirley Mitchell

“We love because he first loved us.”

1 John 4:19

Happy Valentine’s Day, beloved! Today is the day were thousands of children like my daughters take shoe boxes wrapped in tissue decorated with red and pink hearts to school for others to slip valentines in their boxes. It is a high sales day for florists and jewelry stores. It is a day of romance. It is day for expressing love.

This day is a day of joy for many people. However, some people really struggle through this day. Many of us are lonely though. Many of us like to avoid this day. We feel unloved. Somewhere in the secret places of our minds we ask ourselves questions that we don’t want anyone else to know that we think about. We think things like when will I be loved? Why can’t I find somebody to love? Am I just plain unloveable?

The answer to all of us is that YES you are loved and very loveable. We are loved by our Father in heaven who rules and reigns on high. May be the reason why we ask these questions is because the empty place that only God can fill inside of us is crying out for us to know God’s love.

God showed us that when He sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins. He showed His love in the Bible that He had written just for you and me. It is His love letter to us. He still shows His love for you as He intervenes and orchestrates things to work together for your good. He shows His love for us when His Holy Spirit speaks to us and reveals to us the Father.

1 John 4:19 is one of the simplest verses in the Bible with the deepest of truths. It says simply that we love because He first loved us. He is the source of love. He is the supply of love. We can’t begin to love ourselves or love others unless we first receive God’s love. When we accept God’s love and let it permeate every part of our being, we feel accepted by the ultimate opinion and greatest power in the universe. His love fuels us, and it never ends.

One of my favorite things to do on Valentine’s Day is to look for my valentine from God. Sometimes it is something in the sky like a sunset. Sometimes I have felt like a song on the radio was just for me and like I was experiencing a spiritual serenade. Sometimes it is the fresh word I get when I read my Bible. I know He is there because I feel His Spirit and His love wash over me. Every time my God-moment happens, I know that He is expressing His love for me and saying, “I love you, Shirley.” I simply reply to Him usually through tears, “I love You, too. I love You so much. I love You, too.”

Beloved, have you had your valentine from God yet today? Ask Him to give you spiritual eyes to see and ears to Him. He is our Father who has done everything to let us know that He loves us. Seek Him.

Pray with me: Almighty God, You sought us out and made us Yours. Be our valentine. Let us be Yours and You be ours. We love the way You love us. You love us perfectly and completely. Take our breath away. Pleasantly surprise us. We give You this day. Take control over it and amaze us. It is in Name above all names, Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name, that we pray, Amen.

Copyright ©2011 Christ Compels Ministry

The Doorkeeper

By Shirley Mitchell

“Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.”

Psalm 84:10

My youngest daughter Victoria is adopted from China. In efforts to teach her about her birth country and her heritage, she is enrolled in our city’s Chinese school. Every Saturday, she attends language class for two hours and a dance class for an hour. This past weekend was Chinese New Year. This is one of the largest Chinese holidays. They celebrate with great parties, food, music, and dance. Victoria’s school holds an elaborate Chinese New Year party with some of the finest food while children and adults sing, dance, act, and play some beautiful Chinese instruments.

This year is the year of the Rabbit. Now, the bunny rabbit happens to be Victoria’s favorite animal. I think the reason for that is her favorite young lady Lindsey gave her a bunny stuffed animal. In honor of the year of the rabbit, Victoria’s language teacher decided to do a play about a bunny for the big Chinese New Year performance. When Victoria came home, she showed me the sheet her teacher gave her and told me the story of a little bunny, her mother, and the wolf. Then, she told me sadly that she was just the doorkeeper. She didn’t want to go to perform because she thought her role was so insignificant and that she was not needed. Of course, I encouraged her that this would still be fun and told her she needed to do this play because it was a class assignment.

When I saw them perform their dress rehearsal, I realized why she was not excited about being the doorkeeper. It was not just because she was not a bunny. It was because she remained hidden behind the cardboard box the entire play. She opened and shut the door while the other characters came in and out of it. No one would know that she was on stage until she came out at the end and bowed. Immediately, the Holy Spirit brought to my heart Psalm 84:10. It was the perfect time to teach her the deep meaning of this verse.

Psalm 84 was written by the sons of Korah. They were quite different than their forefather Korah. After the exodus from Egypt, Korah became insolent and rose up against Moses and Aaron. He led a group against them who angrily yelled at them for going too far. They shouted that the LORD was with the whole assembly and how dare they set themselves above the others. Moses went to knees. Then he said tomorrow we will let the LORD decide who should lead the people of Israel. In the morning they were to take their censors and put burning coal and incense in it and stand before the tent of meeting.

Korah and his followers foolishly agreed to the showdown. They didn’t realize they had exalted themselves in their own eyes, and it was not God who exalted them. In the morning, as Moses finished saying that this is how you will know that the LORD anointed him and sent him to be their leader, the ground opened up and swallowed Korah and all of those who disobeyed God and had come against God’s chosen leaders for Israel. Shocking, isn’t it? They had forgotten their God was a holy God. They had forgotten that He is the one who assigns tasks to His people and He architects the organizational structure. Their hearts were hard and not for God. So God punished them and showed all of Israel to not dare to question Him in such an insolent way or His choice of leaders.

Many years later, the sons of Korah wrote this Psalm 84. Their attitude was completely different than their forefather Korah. They learned from his mistake and his sin of pride. They learned to worship God and led others to worship Him, too. They no longer struggled with their importance in the kingdom. They realized that one day in the presence of God was better than having 1,000 other days without Him. They didn’t care what assignment God gave them. They just wanted to be with Him and be a part of His family. They just wanted to worship and serve God. If God chose for them to be His doorkeeper, then they rejoiced! They knew that merely being God’s doorkeeper which was one of the lowest positions was better than ever living in the tent of the wicked.

So my friend, have you been given a role that you think seems like the doorkeeper role? Do you think that you are somehow less important than your preacher, priest, or worship leader? Have you learned that whatever He has for you is exactly what you want? Do you know what you mean to God? Do you know your significance? Have you learned that one day with Him surpasses all other days? I hope so. My friend, that is true living. Seek Him first. May He be your first love. May you find fulfillment, joy, peace and love just by being on God’s team and with Him.

Pray with me: Almighty God, better is one day in Your courts than a 1,000 elsewhere. We would rather be a doorkeeper in Your house than to ever dwell in the tent of the wicked. We long to be in Your presence and to be filled with Your Spirit. You are our truest heart’s desire. We cry out for You! We don’t care what role You assign us. Don’t let our hearts betray us and for our pride to mislead us. We want YOU! It’s in the Name above all names, in Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name, we pray. Amen.

Copyright ©2011 Christ Compels Ministry