Divine Direction Mindset From Our God

Confession is goodfor the soul

 

 

 

Isolate some of the little things that have sneaked through your spiritual guard lately. Expose them. Confess them to God and claim the promise of God’s cleansing found in 1 John 1:9. Then remove
them.

PRAY

Ask the Lord for daily awareness of those sneaky sins that have wormed into your behaviors and attitudes. Pray that you will be the man or woman God created you to be: wholly obedient

Your choices.

 

 

 

God's design for your life not only includes those circumstances beyond your control but also those parts of your life that you assume are under your control.

Until we arrive at the place in life where we believe and understand that God is sovereign and in control, ordering everything for His own holy purposes, and working all things together for the good of those who love Him - until we understand this - we will always be discontent.

Why do you think you're going to heaven? What right do you have to ever think you could live for eternity in the presence of God's glory? Do you have an answer? There is only one way.

 

"For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to Whom be glory for ever. Amen.”

 Romans 11:36        This short and meaningful verse provides a wonderful picture of the sovereignty of God. All things in our lives come from God; how all things pass through His hands before they come to us; and how we are to live our lives solely for Him and His glory.

God's Dovereignty and Your Mistakes

 

 

 

 

I'm continually amazed at the number of people who argue with the idea that God has a detailed
master plan that governs our lives. They picture God as passively watching and waiting for us to make our choices as free human agents and then adjusting His plan to fit our preferences.

Do we really believe God would surrender control of His creation to the whims of His creatures? Is it plausible that a universe so intricate in design is run by Someone whose motto is "The best ability is
flexibility" when it come to planning?

Receive

 

 

Psalms 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.

 

Refuse to allow fear and intimidation to keep you from moving into the next phase of your gifting and calling.  The enemy would have you get stuck in a place of insecurity, but I am calling you to have confidence in Me, says the Lord, to empower you to do all that is necessary.  I am your strength and your shield.

So, I say now, plant your seeds; water them; hold them under the tension of faith, for My word never returns void, but it always brings forth that which was spoken. Enjoy My presence and be filled with the gladness that I have for you.

Come to the place where your joy is unspeakable and full of glory. Come into My peace, which passes all understanding. And, remember that I am not only with you; I am for you. I am here to lead, guide, and to bless you with all goodness. Receive!

 

My beloved, it is indeed a time in which you can grow; even exceedingly and abundantly beyond all that you can imagine.

Fair-Weather Christianity

 

 

BIBLE MEDITATION:
"If we believe not, yet He abides faithful: He cannot deny Himself."  2 Timothy 2:13

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Are you a fair-weather Christian? There are some who, if their children get sick, will stop tithing. If they get a bad report from the doctor, they stop praising. If somebody hurts their feelings,
they stop going to church.

You can tell the commitment level of a Christian by their "fair weather" gauge.
The test is, when everything goes wrong or doesn't add up, what will you do?

I'll give you some hints. Keep giving. Keep praying. Keep praising. Keep witnessing. Keep worshipping. Don't fail to be faithful.

ACTION POINT:
Think of three things you can do today to bring the light of God's Son to someone who may be struggling with his or her faith. Then go do it!

Generosity generates

 

 

 Romans 2:9-21

"Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality." (v.13)

Today we look at God's third purpose for money: to bless and enrich other Christians. One of the characteristics which God wants to develop in us is that of generosity, for our generosity will
determine how much spiritual light we have in our being.

If you have a greedy or selfish "eye", your whole being will be filled with darkness. In Acts 11:27-30 we read about a severe famine that caused suffering to many Jewish Christians. The church at Antioch - made up mostly of Gentiles - sent an offering to their fellow believers in Jerusalem, and that offering was an important means of tearing down national and cultural barriers between them, and building bonds of genuine Christian love. God likens generous giving to reaping a harvest: "He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully" (2 Cor. 9:6, RSV).

Perhaps the greatest benefit of generous giving to other Christians, however, is this - it results in "an overflowing tide of thanksgiving to God" (v.12, Phillips). Yes, God will give you much so that you can give away much, and when you take your gifts to those who need them they will break out in thanksgiving and praise of God for your help. Giving to the needs of fellow Christians means
that many will thank God and fill His Church with praise.

Prayer:

O God, help be to become a truly generous person, for I see that when I am generous, then my generosity generates generosity in others. I ask this in the peerless and exalted Name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.

 

Manipulation in the Workplace

 

 

 

"The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft..." (Gal 5:19-20).

 

Everyday we are exposed to witchcraft in the workplace. Yes, I said witchcraft. For most of us we think of this ancient term of witchcraft as something that witches do with no relevance to modern society. However, this is not the case.

Whenever you do something that has the appearance of giving something for nothing with the intentional goal of coercing someone to take action through deceptive practices, you have engaged in witchcraft. You see this take place in advertising, marketing, and even Christian ministries.

In order to avoid engaging in witchcraft in the workplace, ask yourself if you are attempting to persuade others to buy your product by using deceptive practices. Make sure you are conveying truth about your product and what it professes to do. Don't use gimmicky sales approaches to engage others.

Perception is not always reality. However, when it comes to promoting a product or service, you want people's perception to match the realty of your advertising. Then you will avoid the sin of witchcraft.

 

PROMISES ARE TRUE

WHAT'S INTERESTING TO ME IS HOW EVERYDAY WE CAN WAKE UP AND KNOW  THAT GOD IS ALWAY THERE FOR US, BUT YET CONTINUE TO DOUBT HIM AT HIS WORSD.

ASTOUNDING ENOUGH HE LOVES US AND HAS MANY PROMISES FOR US AND AS SONS AND DAUGHTERS WE CAN RECEIVE HIS PROMISES AND HIS BLESSINGS BECAUSE WE HAVE CHOSEN TO LIVE FOR HIM.

MAKE UP YOUR MIND AND ALLOW GOD TO DO FOR YOU WHAT HIS WORDS SAYS

Learning Lessons

 

 

If you want to be a victor in the race God has for you, you must learn the discipline of laying aside some weights. Many times these weights are good things in our lives. But good things are bad things when they keep us from doing the best things.

Life would be simple if it were a choice between good and bad. But typically it's a choice between good and best.

Our verse says "all things are not expedient." When you think of the word "expedient," think of the word "expedition." You are going somewhere, and if something doesn't speed you on your way, it's excess baggage and you need to get rid of it.

 

Going and not Knowing

 

 

 

 Acts 20:17-35"And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there." (v.22)

 

We come now to examine another area into which our Lord, eager to obtain fruit from our lives, may be leading us: that of ambiguity and uncertainty. By ambiguity, I mean those situations we sometimes find ourselves in where the Lord's purposes are not clear, and by uncertainty, I
mean the feelings we get when we dont know which direction to take on the road ahead. Are you the kind of person who likes to see the way ahead as far as you possibly can? Do you find yourself getting irritated and frustrated when the Lord unfolds His purposes just one step at a time? If so, then your irritation is saying something about you. What is it saying? Perhaps it is saying that in
this area of your life, you are "a corn of wheat afraid to die"; you are fearful of trusting yourself to the unseen and unknown purposes of God.

 There isn't a Christian reading my words now who hasn't been called to walk this path of
uncertainty and ambiguity, and there may be many who are there at this moment.  The apostle Paul, in the verse before us today, was in this situation when he said:

"I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there" (v.22,
GNB). 

 What an honest admission: going - yet not knowing. Yet there seems to be no anxiety or apprehension in that statement. And why? Because the great apostle had died to all self-interest. Having surrendered to God, he was not at the mercy of circumstances, situations, feelings - anything. Sure of God - the one great Certainty - he needed to fear no uncertainty.

Examine yourself

 

 

You've heard it said, "Do not let the sun go down on your wrath."  But, I also tell you not to let any day end with strife, contention, or division in your own heart or between you and someone else.  Seek peace and let it be established in you and in your environment.  Set your mind on things of the Spirit and not on trouble in the world.  Let your soul be established in righteousness, peace and joy,
says the Lord.  This is especially crucial in the current political climate in your nation and around the world. 

 

1 Peter 3:11  Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.

 

DAILY PRAYER

 

 

 

Father,I praise you for modeling obedience as a Son. I thank you for modeling faithfulness. Thank you for humbling yourself, for dying so that I may have life. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Daily prayer

 

 

 

O Father, it is obvious that unless my confidence is placed in the Ultimate, then I will not be able to cope with the immediate. Help me to be a fully surrendered person. For surrendered to You, I
need surrender to nothing else. Amen.

Nothing hidden

 

 

I am shining a light on things hidden in darkness.  I speak not only of strategies and weapons formed against you from the realm of darkness, but also revelation of My kingdom that has been obscured until now.  There are things that have been unclear to you that will suddenly be understandable.  The sword of the Word will holy wisdom that will produce effective action through faith, says the
Lord.  This is a time of clarity. 

 

Luke 8:17  For nothing is secret that will not
be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to
light.

 

DAILY PRAYER

Father, we are grateful for the fire of Your Spirit that ignites us to be strong in our faith, wise in our understanding, and obedient in our service to You. May we be eager to listen to Your Spirit's promptings as we fulfill our duties this day. Amen

 

 

 

Ever been mad at God

 

 

No matter how much money you have, how secure your job, your health or your future -  it can all evaporate in an instant; YES an instant.

The verse that follows is at the end of the book of Job.  After all the questions and concerns, God finally answers Job and his friends. This is just part of what God says:

“Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, “Here we are?” Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind? Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip the water jars of the heavens when the dust becomes hard and the clods of earth stick together? Do you hunt prey for the lioness and satisfy the hunger of the lions when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in a thicket? Who provides food for the raven when it’s young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?” Job 38:35-41

Even though the lion hunts, God brings the lion its prey. Don’t ever be so arrogant that you think all your hard work, long hours and playing politics will get you the next big deal or the next championship. We do what we can with the talents God gave us BUT the victory is the Lord’s and the Lord's alone.

You can work 24 hours a day, give it all you can - and if God does not want it to happen, it won’t. If you want to get mad at God, then transfer that over to Satan who has twisted you into thinking that God does not love you. That is a lie of Satan; it is not from God. God is the only place you can turn to. Today, stop believing a lie that you are the master of your ship and in control of your destiny. All we are called to do is put our hand to the plow with our talents; but it is God and God alone who sends the rain. Oh, and by the way, STOP trying to make this life heaven. When you look to death and heaven as your reward, then nothing on this earth can steal your joy, nothing! That is true victory.  

 

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Know your Jurisdiction

 

 

 

 

Jurisdiction: The legal power or authority of doing justice in cases of complaint; the power of executing the laws and distributing justice.

Power of governing or legislating.The power or right of exercising authority.The limit (boundaries) within which power may be exercised.  He knew the laws of the land and was appointed to execute them. He was trained to discern those who violated the law and empowered with authority to arrest and bring them to justice. Thus he was equipped with all the training and tools he needed to fulfill his commission; however, the officer seemed to be paralyzed or asleep on his feet while the criminals wreaked havoc about him.

I heard the Lord say, "You, My people, are like this officer. You possess jurisdiction - the power of governing - your body, soul, spirit, and all that lies within the realm of your responsibility.
You know My Word and by it can discern between good and evil, truth and error. The Holy Spirit Himself dwells in you, and you are empowered with My authority. Your commission is to exercise it over every work of darkness that seeks to invade your jurisdiction.

"And yet the enemy has convinced many of you that you do not have the ability to identify, arrest, and execute My judgment against him - and thus make him stop. This lie has emasculated your spiritual power and annihilated your threat against him.  "I am awakening afresh those who have been paralyzed and calling you forth to remember your spiritual identity. Do whatever it takes to convince yourself of the reality of your delegated authority. Learn it, practice it, and exercise it to remove the enemy from your areas of responsibility. This personal revival will act as a trigger that will generate the breakthrough you have desired and needed to defeat the enemy's attacks
against you. That is your commission; do the work!"

Luke 9:1-2  When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases,  and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

John 5:30 

I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I
do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

 

 

The Rain Cleanse

 

 

It is the time of the latter and former rain.  The first anointing and the last anointing of the season are to mix themselves together and come upon you as raindrops from the realm of My kingdom.  As they come down upon you they shall invigorate, renew and supercharge you into a place
of well being. 

Allow the rain to come.  Ask for that rain for it is the time of it's giving and allow it to wash from you the defilement of the world and the devil.  Allow it to wash from you your discouragements and disappointments and take them down the river of no return.  Allow Me to come on your behalf right now and to show you a new day and to reveal a new path into My ways.. 

Come, I say, and allow Me to do in you that work; the work of My presence and glory.  Come and present yourselves to Me for the times of refreshing that come from My presence.  I am about to release the power of a prophetic word that will shake My kingdom. 

 I am about to release apostolic power in such dominion that the enemy will have no place in you, around you or upon you.  This is your destiny, says the Lord God.  That destiny has been written so blow the trumpet in Zion and assemble the people and call them forth into victory.  Today is the day of victory.

 

You can feel me when you look up

 

 

 

 

Look up, says the Lord.  Again, I say, look up!  You have been looking too close to yourself and your own concerns so that you have not discerned what I am doing.  You must see and know what I'm doing as well as what the enemy's plans are against you.  This is a time when I will again bring you to new heights spiritually so that you can see and discern with greater clarity. 

 I am also releasing an anointing that will increase your ingenuity, the power of your creative imagination.  Position yourself to make the most of this next move.

 

Psalms 5:3 My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up.

We will never know the Time

 

 

Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son
of man cometh.
Matthew 25:13

This verse concludes the parable of the ten virgins, where five had oil in their lamps and were ready to go out, and five were foolish and missed the marriage. In the seven churches Jesus addressed in Revelation 2 and 3, there were people in every church who had received eternal life, whose names were written in the book of life. Satan had infiltrated six of those churches, and to those Jesus said: “To him that overcometh those issues....” The overcomer was found ready.

This verse contains the point of the parable: watch therefore. In other
words, be ready, because you don’t know the time when the Son of Man will come.
Being ready means to be faithful. It means to be true.

To be ready, you can’t lose your first love. You can’t be a compromiser. You can’t deny Jesus. You can’t allow false doctrine. You can’t get caught up in all the pleasures of this world. You have to overcome those problems, act on the Word, and keep a proper focus.

Prayer
for Today

Father,
I want to be ready! I want to be true! I want to be totally sold out to the purposes of your kingdom. I will stay true through your grace and your power! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

 

Fragant Incense

 

 

 

 “Let  integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on Thee.” Ps 25:21

For the  third time in this psalm we have the word wait. As before in verse 5, “On Thee  do I wait all the day”, so here, too, the believing supplicant appeals to God  to remember that he is waiting on Him, looking for an answer. It is a great  thing for a soul not only to wait upon God, but to be filled with such a  consciousness that its whole spirit and position is that of a waiting one, that  it can, in childlike confidence, say, Lord! Thou knowest, I wait on Thee. It  will prove a mighty plea in prayer, giving ever-increasing boldness of expectation  to claim the promise, “They that wait on Me shall not be ashamed”!

The prayer  in connection with which the plea is put forth here is one of great importance  in the spiritual life. If we draw nigh to God, it must be with a true heart.  There must be perfect integrity, whole-heartedness, in our dealing with God. As  we read in the next Psalm (26:1, 11). “Judge me, O Lord, for I have walked in  mine integrity”, “As for me, I walk in my integrity”, there must be perfect  uprightness or single-heartedness before God, as it is written, “His  righteousness is for the upright in heart”.

The soul  must know that it allows nothing sinful, nothing doubtful; if it is indeed to  meet the Holy One, and receive His full blessing, it must be with a heart  wholly and singly given up to His will. The whole spirit that animates us in  the waiting must be, “Let integrity and uprightness” - Thou seest that I desire  to come so to Thee, Thou knowest I am looking to Thee to work them perfectly in  me; - let them “preserve me, for I wait on Thee.”

And if at  our first attempt truly to live the life of fully and always waiting on God, we  begin to discover how much that perfect integrity is wanting, this will just be  one of the blessings which the waiting was meant to work. A soul cannot seek  close fellowship with God, or attain the abiding consciousness of waiting on  Him all the day, without a very honest and entire surrender to all His will.

“For I wait  on Thee”: it is not only in connection with the prayer of our text but with  every prayer that this plea may be used. To use it often will be a great  blessing to ourselves. Let us therefore study the words well until we know all  their bearings. It must be clear to us what we are waiting for. There may be  very different things. It may be waiting for God in our times of prayer to take  his place as God, and to work in us the sense of HIS holy presence and  nearness. It may be a special petition, to which we are expecting an answer. It  may be our whole inner life, in which we are on the lookout for God’s putting  forth of His power. It may be the whole state of His Church and saints, or some  part of His work, for which our eyes are ever toward Him. It is good that we  sometimes count up to ourselves exactly what the things are we are waiting for,  and as we say definitely of each of them, “On Thee do I wait”, we shall be  emboldened to claim the answer, “For on Thee do I wait.”

It must  also be clear to us, on Whom we are waiting. Not an idol, a God of whom we have  made an image by our conceptions of what He is. No, but the living God, such as  He really is in His great glory, His infinite holiness, His power, wisdom, and  goodness, in His love and nearness. It is the presence of a beloved or a  dreaded master that wakens up the whole attention of the servant who waits on  him. It is the presence of God, as He can in Christ by His Holy Spirit make  Himself known, and keep the soul under its covering and shadow, that will waken  and strengthen the true waiting spirit. Let us be still and wait and worship  till we know how near He is, and then say, “On Thee do I wait”.

And then,  let it be very clear, too, that we are waiting. Let that become so much our  consciousness that the utterance comes spontaneously, “On Thee I do wait all  the day; I wait on Thee”. This will indeed imply sacrifice and separation, a  soul entirely given up to God as its all, its only joy. This waiting on God has  hardly yet been acknowledged as the only true Christianity. And yet, if it be  true that God alone is goodness and joy and love; if it be true that our  highest blessedness is in having as much of God as we can; if it be true that  Christ has redeemed us wholly for God, and made a life of continual abiding in  His presence possible, nothing less ought to satisfy than to be ever breathing  this blessed atmosphere, “I wait on Thee”.

“My soul, wait thou only on God!”       

Get In Your Prayer Closet

 

 

 

 Whatever  happened to the prayer closet?  If you’ve  never heard of one, it’s simply a private place to spend time with the  Lord.  It can literally be a closet, a  private room, or even a chair in the corner of your bedroom. Mine is a stuffed chair in my home  office. It’s a place to get alone with  the Lord in prayer.

Scripture records the Lord Jesus getting away for solitary  prayer, “Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an  isolated place to pray” (Mark 1:35 NLT). This is so important that Jesus tells us, “But thou, when thou prayest,  enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father  which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee  openly” (Matthew 6:6 KJV). 

Then three verses  later He teaches us how to pray in our prayer closet, “After this manner  therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth,  as it is in heaven. Give us this day our  daily bread. And forgive us our debts,  as we forgive our debtors. And lead us  not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and  the power, and the glory, forever. Amen” (Matthew 6:9-13 KJV). 

We call this the  Lord’s Prayer, which describes a daily intimate personal relationship with our  Father. As you enter your prayer closet,  seek the Lord and allow Him to speak to your heart. This will become a habit that you’ll love,  and your relationship with God will become personal and powerful. This will quickly become the best part of  your day. 

Now don’t just go  into your prayer closet and ask for this and that. Many of us have made our prayer closet a  supply closet. We only go in there for  things. We don’t go in there for a  relationship with God.  Instead of  seeking Him, we seek things! We have  built shelves in our prayer closets, making it difficult to get inside. So we simply reach in and get what we  want. It’s time that we believers take  the shelving out of our supply closets and make them our prayer closets  again.  

We should make it a  place where we go in, put our body down and fellowship in the Spirit with the  Lord. In the prayer closet we should  give ourselves to Him and learn to enjoy the presence of the Lord. This is what He wants. This pleases our Father.  “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and  his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew  6:33 KJV).  When we seek His presence,  He sees our need and gives us His presents. 

Our Father knows  what we need before we even ask, even if we don’t ask.  But what does He need?  Us!   Don’t miss out on the best part of spiritual life, which is being with  the Lord.  So make a little time, move  those shelves, and get in the closet!

Coming out of Darkness

 

 

 

You are about to emerge from a place of dark seclusion.  As much as you have tried to not be hidden or private, I have used this time to bring a much needed healing.  That place of silence has been necessary to your spiritual, emotional, mental and physical well-being. 

Prepare yourself, however, to be brought forth into the light of a higher place where you will be able to understand the revelation of your seclusion, says the Lord. 

Isaiah 55:12 "For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."

 

 

Don't be all over the place

 

 

Narrow your focus, beloved.  Refuse to allow your attention to be scattered in all directions.  And, do not allow your focus to be on your trouble or current dilemma.  This is a time to look squarely into My face, deliver your prayer with earnest faith, and trust Me to answer, says the Lord.  Release yourself from all anxiety and worry. 

John 6:20 But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."

What are Your Intentions

 

 

 

“What do you want with us, Jesus from Nazareth?” (Mark 1:24a)

Heads turned as the man’s cries pierced the subdued atmosphere in the synagogue. One look and the worshipers knew that this tortured soul suffered from demon possession. “Oh, no! What do you want with us, Jesus from Nazareth?” the demon screamed. “Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” (Mark 1:24, God’s Word translation)

Many of the people had witnessed or heard of exorcisms involving incantations, strange rituals, or props. But Jesus spoke only a few simple words: “Keep quiet, and come out of him!” His word was enough to silence the demon. The evil spirit threw the man down on the floor in convulsions and left his body with a shriek.

Only a few minutes earlier, Jesus had amazed the people in the synagogue with the way he taught with such authority; now they were stunned by his power over demonic spirits.

“What kind of command is this?” they asked each other. “With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits, and they come out.” (Luke 4:36)

During his time on earth, Jesus spoke and taught about God with wisdom and authority. He demonstrated power over the weather, evil spirits, diseases and infirmities of all kinds, and even death. Yet most people refused to do what every demon Jesus ever encountered did—acknowledge him as the Holy One, the Son of God. Although demonic spirits strive to carry out the wishes of Satan, they instantly obeyed any command spoken by Jesus.

Today, many Christians call Jesus “Lord” but refuse to submit to his authority in their daily life. Jesus taught that verbal expressions mean nothing if we don’t also obey him. “Why do you call me Lord but don’t do what I tell you?” he asked (Luke 6:46). Being a follower of Christ means so much more than saying the right words or singing the right choruses; it demands a life fully committed to obeying God’s Word and submitting to Jesus as our Master.

James made a convincing case that faith is more than mere intellectual assent. “You believe that there is one God,” he wrote. “That's fine! The demons also believe that, and they tremble with fear.” (James 2:19) His letter explains that true faith will always result in a life marked by godly living and good deeds.

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he commissioned his followers to make disciples on the basis of the authority given him by God the Father. As we obey that command, our life becomes infused with his authority as we tell others about God, teach from the Scriptures, confront evil in the world, and bring healing to wounded people. If we are fully submitted to Jesus’ lordship over us, then people will see his authority through us as well.

[Jesus said]  “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18)

Ask yourself: Does my life reflect Jesus’ authority over me and through me?

Can God change your life?

God has made it possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in your own life. 

Choose to Forgive

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

Proverbs 17:1--9        "He who covers over an offense promotes love ..." (v. 9)

Jesus gives us stern and uncompromising warnings about forgiveness. But if forgiveness is so important and yet so difficult, how do we go about it? We must do several things. First, we must not try to minimize or dismiss the offense as if it never happened. If it hurts, then we must face it and feel it. A common misconception that keeps people from forgiving is that they think in order to forgive they must come to the place where they look upon the things done to them as being really not that bad.

That is excusing, not forgiving. C. S. Lewis says: "Real forgiveness means looking steadily at the sin, the sin that is left over without any excuse after all allowances have been made, and seeing it in all its horror, dirt, meanness and malice, and nevertheless being wholly reconciled to the man who has done it.

Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, You looked into the eyes of those who hammered You to a cross and cried: "Father, forgive them." Help me do the same when I am confronted with lesser injury or hurt. For Your own dear Name's sake. Amen.

 

 

 

Where Are you God

When we are going through challenging times, it's normal for us to ask, "God, where are you?" We want an immediate response to questions that sometimes have no ready answers. We question God's timing and want to know the outcome of the situation prior to its resolution. But have you ever wondered what it's like for God when we distance ourselves from Him?

"But the LORD God called to the man, 'Where are you?'" Genesis 3:9 (NIV)

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they experienced fear for the first time. Suddenly, they understood the consequences of sin—separation from God. Prior to sin, they eagerly awaited God and enjoyed fellowship with Him in the beautiful, cool, lush garden that was their home. After disobeying, they feared God's reaction and hid from their Creator. Even before God asked, "Where are you?" He knew His relationship with Adam and Eve had changed.

Many days, God asks me the same question, "Where are you?" Chores capture my attention. Deadlines loom. The Internet, social networking, phone conversations, or TV watching eat up valuable hours with little return. And God waits patiently, knocking on my heart's door, asking where I am and why I haven't spent time with Him.

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." Revelation 3:20 (NIV)

Where are you? A good question. Where am I in my spiritual walk? Where am I in my prayer life? Where am I in Bible study? Where I am in telling others about God? Sometimes I am hiding because I've allowed unconfessed sin to erect a colossal barrier. Other days, I am simply lazy and undisciplined, navigating life in my own terms, seeking wisdom elsewhere, and fearing things that may never happen. Yet God waits patiently, missing special times of connection with me.

Sometimes we forget that God created us specifically for the purpose of having fellowship with Him. The word picture in Revelation 3:20 of Jesus sitting at the dinner table sharing a meal with us provides a reminder of the type of warm fellowship afforded us, if we are willing. But most often we ignore the offer of intimate friendship. God is standing by waiting to impart wisdom, encourage us, comfort, and help us with problems and struggles. He misses us when we remain distant. But instead of seeking Him and looking forward to time with Him, we hide behind duties, obligations, events, activities, relationships, or self-created busyness that we consider more important or necessary. We fall into bed at night exhausted, and God is still waiting, sad that we have ignored him yet another day, quietly saying, "Here I am! Where are you?"

 

 

When We Need a New Perspective

 

 

You, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh,
but through love serve one another.
Galatians 5:13

As we grow in the liberty God gives us, we also find freedom to stop thinking about ourselves all the time. When we are in the flesh, we dwell on what we need and want and must have in order to be happy. But freedom from self-focus liberates us to serve one another. God says we must think of others first—and most importantly our significant other—and we must serve him. That doesn’t mean becoming a slave who is taken for granted, mistreated, not allowed freedom, and not given value and equality as a person. Serving one another is an attitude of the heart that comes from seeing our lives from God’s perspective.

If either you or your husband  or wife needs a new perspective in order to see things God’s way, then that is something worth praying about. Ask God to give both of you new insight and the ability to see everything—especially your lives together—from His perspective.

Ask God to show you how to serve each other in a way that blesses and strengthens you both. Serving is something you give in a marriage, not something that is demanded from you. If it is demanded from you, that’s slavery. Even God doesn’t demand that we serve Him. He wants us to offer ourselves to Him. The same is true in a marriage. Willingly serving each other is a setup for God’s greatest blessing in your lives. And it is probably the hardest thing to do consistently well. That’s why you must pray for a new perspective to happen in each of your hearts.

My Prayer to God

Lord, I thank You for the liberty we have in You. Thank You for how You have set my husband and me free from our past and ourselves. Continue to liberate us. Help us to be rid of any wrong thinking and blindness. Help us to see things from Your perspective—especially the way we treat each other. Keep us from becoming selfish in the freedom we have in You.

I know You are continually setting us free to better serve You and others, and especially to serve each other. Help us to do that well. Give us a new perspective in our hearts and minds, because our natural tendency is to be self-focused and self-centered to the point that we neglect each other. Teach us how to bless each other in the way we act and speak. The proper attitude of heart and mind can only fully come from You. Fill us both with Your love, peace, humility, and mercy. Enable us to always act and react out of those good qualities. Lift us above our private concerns, and help us not to keep score over what one of us owes the other. Help each of us to make a greater effort—beyond what we have done in the past—to give of ourselves to each other. Give us Your perspective on our marriage relationship, and enable us to understand what we need to do to make it great.

In Jesus’ name I pray.

 

 

 

Roadblocks

 

 

 God will sometimes position roadblocks in front of you  that call for your immediate decision to stop or go in another direction.

Some  of the paths God will clearly mark out for you to follow, and others you'll  have to choose direction according to what the Holy Spirit says.

I’ve heard of people at railroad crossings who saw the red  lights flashing, bells ringing, the train approaching, and still they attempted  to race across the tracks. Those fortunate enough to survive being slammed into  and pushed hundreds of feet thought they could outrun the train.

The same is  true of people who drive around roadblocks set up during flooding. These people  see the water running over the bridge, but the water appears low enough to go  across safely. Regrettably, halfway across, the vehicle they’re in stalls and  they have to be pulled out by a rescue team. Or worse, the driver gets washed  away.

How many times have you and I been so headstrong and plowed  ahead ignoring all the visible signs to stop? If you disobey the Spirit’s  leading, the odds of ending in failure are greater than the odds of ending in  success. When things aren’t working according to your plans, you must believe  God has put the roadblock up for your own protection.

My pastor, Rick Godwin, says, “When you come to a  roadblock take the detour. A detour could be an interstate highway to your  dream. It’s not the end of the road; it’s a bend in the road.”

God desired for the children of Israel to leave Egypt and  return home to the Promise Land. After four hundred years of captivity, the  time came when Pharaoh let God’s people leave Egypt. Instead of God taking  Israel the shortest way possible, He took them through the wilderness before reaching  the Promised Land (See Exodus 13:17-18).

Maybe the road of life you’re traveling seems off track  from your desired destination. It may even look like you are going in the wrong  direction. But, do not be concerned when God takes you on His detours because  you will always arrive at the correct location.

In another Biblical example, Paul and Silas were two  men in the New Testament who traveled around preaching the gospel. Both of  these men held true to the path of righteousness and went wherever the Lord  guided them. On two occasions in Acts 16, the Holy Spirit blocked them from  going where they had planned.

Acts 16:6-10 tells us,

“They went to Phrygia, and  then on through the region of Galatia. Their plan was to turn west into Asia  province, but the Holy Spirit blocked that route. So they went to Mysia and  tried to go north to Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus wouldn’t let them go  there either. Proceeding on through Mysia, they went down to the seaport Troas.  That night Paul had a dream: A Macedonian stood on the far shore and called  across the sea, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us!’ The dream gave  Paul his map. We went to work at once getting things ready to cross over to  Macedonia. All the pieces had come together. We knew now for sure that God had  called us to preach the good news to the Europeans." (MSG)

If Paul would have gone the way he and Silas were  planning, God knows what could’ve happened. Wisely, they chose to heed the  inner guidance of the Holy Spirit and because of their obedience, God revealed  to Paul the correct path for them to follow. Paul knew the importance of making  time to seek God in prayer. I’m certain that he called out to the Lord and  asked Him for confirmation on the next move to make.

Proverbs 16:9 says,

“The mind of a man plans his way, but  the Lord shows him what to do." (NLV)

It’s easy to become irritated with God when you hit a  roadblock. But, that isn’t fair because God only wants to keep you on the right  path. He is not there to hinder you; He is there to assist you in knowing what  avenue to take. So, the next time you’re faced with a roadblock, turn to your  personal tour guide, God, and He will direct you on the rest of your journey.

Waiting on God

 

 

 “Let  integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on Thee.” Ps 25:21

For the  third time in this psalm we have the word wait. As before in verse 5, “On Thee  do I wait all the day”, so here, too, the believing supplicant appeals to God  to remember that he is waiting on Him, looking for an answer. It is a great  thing for a soul not only to wait upon God, but to be filled with such a  consciousness that its whole spirit and position is that of a waiting one, that  it can, in childlike confidence, say, Lord! Thou knowest, I wait on Thee. It  will prove a mighty plea in prayer, giving ever-increasing boldness of expectation  to claim the promise, “They that wait on Me shall not be ashamed”!

The prayer  in connection with which the plea is put forth here is one of great importance  in the spiritual life. If we draw nigh to God, it must be with a true heart.  There must be perfect integrity, whole-heartedness, in our dealing with God. As  we read in the next Psalm (26:1, 11). “Judge me, O Lord, for I have walked in  mine integrity”, “As for me, I walk in my integrity”, there must be perfect  uprightness or single-heartedness before God, as it is written, “His  righteousness is for the upright in heart”.

The soul  must know that it allows nothing sinful, nothing doubtful; if it is indeed to  meet the Holy One, and receive His full blessing, it must be with a heart  wholly and singly given up to His will. The whole spirit that animates us in  the waiting must be, “Let integrity and uprightness” - Thou seest that I desire  to come so to Thee, Thou knowest I am looking to Thee to work them perfectly in  me; - let them “preserve me, for I wait on Thee.”

And if at  our first attempt truly to live the life of fully and always waiting on God, we  begin to discover how much that perfect integrity is wanting, this will just be  one of the blessings which the waiting was meant to work. A soul cannot seek  close fellowship with God, or attain the abiding consciousness of waiting on  Him all the day, without a very honest and entire surrender to all His will.

“For I wait  on Thee”: it is not only in connection with the prayer of our text but with  every prayer that this plea may be used. To use it often will be a great  blessing to ourselves. Let us therefore study the words well until we know all  their bearings. It must be clear to us what we are waiting for. There may be  very different things. It may be waiting for God in our times of prayer to take  his place as God, and to work in us the sense of HIS holy presence and  nearness. It may be a special petition, to which we are expecting an answer. It  may be our whole inner life, in which we are on the lookout for God’s putting  forth of His power. It may be the whole state of His Church and saints, or some  part of His work, for which our eyes are ever toward Him. It is good that we  sometimes count up to ourselves exactly what the things are we are waiting for,  and as we say definitely of each of them, “On Thee do I wait”, we shall be  emboldened to claim the answer, “For on Thee do I wait.”

It must  also be clear to us, on Whom we are waiting. Not an idol, a God of whom we have  made an image by our conceptions of what He is. No, but the living God, such as  He really is in His great glory, His infinite holiness, His power, wisdom, and  goodness, in His love and nearness. It is the presence of a beloved or a  dreaded master that wakens up the whole attention of the servant who waits on  him. It is the presence of God, as He can in Christ by His Holy Spirit make  Himself known, and keep the soul under its covering and shadow, that will waken  and strengthen the true waiting spirit. Let us be still and wait and worship  till we know how near He is, and then say, “On Thee do I wait”.

And then,  let it be very clear, too, that we are waiting. Let that become so much our  consciousness that the utterance comes spontaneously, “On Thee I do wait all  the day; I wait on Thee”. This will indeed imply sacrifice and separation, a  soul entirely given up to God as its all, its only joy. This waiting on God has  hardly yet been acknowledged as the only true Christianity. And yet, if it be  true that God alone is goodness and joy and love; if it be true that our  highest blessedness is in having as much of God as we can; if it be true that  Christ has redeemed us wholly for God, and made a life of continual abiding in  His presence possible, nothing less ought to satisfy than to be ever breathing  this blessed atmosphere, “I wait on Thee”.

“My soul, wait thou only on God!”       

 

 

Trust me to do what I say

 

 

 

 

Trust Me to lift you up when you're down.  Believe that I am vitally interested in your life, and I see those things which concern you.  I am with you to help you get up and proceed on the path of life--eternal life and eternal joy.  It is My will to establish you in peace and strength.  Receive My help and rise up to a new level of confidence and faiththat I will not leave you or forsake you.  You are precious to Me, says the Lord.  Be established in that truth.   Deuteronomy 31:8 "And the LORD, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed."

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