Scripture: Luke 24 v 44 - 49: " And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
48 And ye are witnesses of these things.
49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high."
When Jesus was with His disciples after His resurrection He needed them to know the scriptures but realised that their understanding of them was compromised by the Law, and the traditional teachings of the Pharisees.
He then opened their understanding, much as He did with two disciples on the road to Emmaus, when they did not even recognize Him until they were having supper together, at which point He disappeared. He had given them all the Old Testament scriptures and prophecies, all 333 prophecies, and explained it clearly. Now it was necessary that all of them had the same blessing.
Jesus reminded them of all the words He had spoken to them, every aspect of His conception, birth, life, ministry and death. The 333 prophecies that were fulfilled by Jesus Christ written over a span of 3000 years by many different people. This shows Jesus as being the Son of Almighty God, our Saviour and Redeemer, the Messiah of the Jews, the Hope of salvation for mankind.
It is very important that we understand the scriptures for it is our road map of life. We were lost in the dark on a lonely road before Jesus came into our hearts and shone His light on our path. He put the only right map in our hands, His Word, and gave us the directions for home.
Many people ask for prayer to have direction in what and where Jesus wants them to do and be. The answers come when we seek God ourselves in earnest prayer and fasting. When He sees that we are not just Sunday Christians, but have a desire to give ourselves back to Him to promote the Kingdom of God, then our path is revealed. If someone gives us a prophecy of our direction before we have it from God, be cautious. Directional prophecies confirm what we already know.
If we read the map incorrectly we will remain lost in a wilderness of false doctrine and confusion of heart, so we need to ask Jesus to open our understanding to read His Word the way it was intended. We need to discern between false and true, so we do not wander away but are on the perfect compass setting to do His will.
He was sent the promise of the Father upon His disciples, which is the power of the Holy Spirit, also known as the Paraclete, ie One who comes alongside us to help us through all the twists and turns along our path. He is responsible to teach us the correct interpretation of God's instructions to us personally.
Beware that you do not receive an instruction and turn it into a command for every Christian. This is how false doctrines and religions get started adding serious confusion to our compass. The instruction must be obeyed by you and more will be added.
When the Lord initiates what He wants us to do for Him, He provides for it in every way. If we get our own ideas and schemes and ask Him to bless and provide for them, its mostly a failure. So make sure its initiated by the Lord and that it is followed step by step, and He will be glorified in it.
The Holy Spirit conveys our prayers to the throne of God and brings the answers to us, He also helps us interpret and understand clearly the direction we should take. We do best on the road less travelled which is the strait and narrow way. On this path our unique personality is discovered and our relationship with the Father and Jesus grows abundantly.
If we understand the Word of God correctly and have a vibrant personal relationship with Him we will receive many gifts and revelations which can be used to bring others into the beautiful light of Jesus Christ. He enjoys our simplicity and childlikeness rather than our complicated superiority. So be humble before Him and He will raise you up to spiritual heights beyond your imagination.
Prayer: Heavenly Father thank You for Your Word, the Manufacturer's Handbook, please open the scriptures so we may perfectly understand Your will for us and obey it. In Jesus' name. Amen.