THE HOLY SPIRIT REVEALS THE FATHER AND HIS DESIRES

 “Oh, that My people would listen to Me…” –Psalm 81:13

 

Most people want to be understood. We may have many acquaintances, but we need to feel “known” by those we love most. This also applies to how God views our relationship with Him. He knows our every thought. God can count the number of hairs on our head. We also should be learning His ways because it is a two-way relationship.  We should know how our Father thinks, what motivates Him and what is His plan and purpose.

 

Although we desire to know the Lord’s mind, He makes it quite clear that this is impossible. He tells us quite plainly that, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9),

This is why God gives us His Spirit. The Holy Spirit can teach us and reveal what we otherwise could not understand.  To have a deep personal relationship with God, growing in spiritual understanding is necessary.  We must know His ways before we can walk in them.

 

The Apostle John recorded one of Jesus’ teaching on how we can get to know God in John 16: 15, “All things that the Father has are Mine.  Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.”  In other words, He was saying that the Holy Spirit will reveal the Father and His desires to you. 

 

Allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you into knowing God.  He will always tell you the truth and will not lie.  God does not lie and He wants people to listen to Him.  Have you been listening to Him, or to what other people are telling you about God?  We are to be humble in our hearts and learn of Him.  We can do that through reading the Bible, prayer, mediation, and being around people who truly know God. 

 

Prayer—Father I thank You that You want me to know You just as much as You know me.  Help me Lord, to not know You intellectually, but through your Spirit, and experientially in Jesus’ Name . Amen.

 

ALIGN YOUR DESIRE WITH GOD’S DESIRE

“He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them.”—Proverbs 145:19

 

Everyone has desires.  Throughout the world people want something.  From birth, we begin to have desires.  Desire is the most basic longing or drive in the human nature.  When babies are hungry, thirsty, tired, or experience discomfort they cry.  Through crying they are able to express their desires or need to be satisfied. 

 

Desire means to have a craving for, a longing, yearning, to want, to covet something with intense longing.    The following scriptures give some insight into desire. “Whatsoever things you desire when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them” (Mark 11:24).  “The desire of the righteousness shall be granted” (Proverbs 10:24).  “The desire of the slothful kills him…” (Proverbs 21:25).

Having desires is good. Goals drive us and set the direction for our life. But we want our objectives to match the ones God has for us. Longings contrary to His purposes have the power to corrupt the body, mind, or spirit. They can also cause some believers to fall into temptation.

How can we be sure our desires are right? A godly ambition is usually specific and fixed. It will stand up to evaluation through prayer and Bible study.  In contrast, a wrong desire fails to meet these criteria. For instance, some people may have only a vague sense of what they want from life.  Or their yearning changes easily as circumstances shift or time passes.  Most dangerous is that goal which is pursued despite its incompatibility with a righteous lifestyle.  In such cases, the believer has neglected to consider two vital questions:

1.   Does God want this for me?
2.   Can I follow Christ and this objective at the same time?

Miriam Hellman writes in her book, The Art of Receiving Understanding the Wish to be Satisfied, that “When the [human] ego is involved, our desires are filled solely with self-interest, … whereas the desire of the heart that is centered in God for our source will fulfill all true and proper goals.”

Many of the things we desire aren’t specifically addressed in Scripture as “thou shalt” or “thou shalt not.” That is why the Lord gives us access to the Holy Spirit’s wisdom and discernment. We must prayerfully evaluate our longings. This will ensure we are within God’s will and pursuing His purpose for our life.

 

If your desire and God’s desire align, your desire is then pure, focused, and in your best interest.  Remember, God cannot fulfill your desires until you release them to Him, and that they are added to us from the kingdom of God. 

 

Prayer—Father I repent of any ungodly desires, and I ask You to help me align my desires with Your desires, in Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

 

SPEAK WISELY

“A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth, and the recompense of a man’s hands will be rendered to him.”—Proverbs 12:14

 

Have you ever wondered why some people get so excited about the Word of God?  There is a reason why it is the best selling book of all time.  There has never been another collection of writings like the Bible and there never will be.  It is the Book of books—truth worth living by and dying for.

 

No other writing contains the mind of God and reveals the true path to salvation.  There are many other books that claim there are the many ways to salvation, but only the Bible tells us that there is only one way—Jesus.  The Bible’s doctrines are holy, and its precepts are binding.  This sacred Book provides light to guide us, food to nourish, comfort to cheer our hearts, and an anchor in the times of a storm.  It has been called the traveler’s map; the pilgrim’s walking staff, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s charter. 

 

So that people can know the Lord, Bible translators living all over the world in distant village’s labor to translate at least one book of the gospel into obscure languages.  Countless pastors stand in pulpits all over the world to proclaim the life—changing message of the Scripture. 

 

Millions of lives are being transformed daily by its timeless truth.  There is no single promise in God’s Word that He has ever failed to keep.  Scripture encourages’ us in times of adversity.  It gives us strength when we feel weak. This is the Book that we can turn to again and again and be reminded that our sins have been forgiven—and that no matter what happens; we have a loving Father, a helper in the Holy Spirit, and a Savior in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

 

Celebrate the living Word of God by turning to it regularly, humbling yourself and being eager to learn. 

 

Prayer—Father I thank You for Your Word.  Help me to remember that Your Word is a living thing that will affect my life, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

TURN TO THE BOOK—THE LIVING WORD OF GOD

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”—Hebrews 4:12

 

Have you ever wondered why some people get so excited about the Word of God?  There is a reason why it is the best selling book of all time.  There has never been another collection of writings like the Bible and there never will be.  It is the Book of books—truth worth living by and dying for.

 

No other writing contains the mind of God and reveals the true path to salvation.  There are many other books that claim there are the many ways to salvation, but only the Bible tells us that there is only one way—Jesus.  The Bible’s doctrines are holy, and its precepts are binding.  This sacred Book provides light to guide us, food to nourish, comfort to cheer our hearts, and an anchor in the times of a storm.  It has been called the traveler’s map; the pilgrim’s walking staff, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s charter. 

So that people can know the Lord, Bible translators living all over the world in distant village’s labor to translate at least one book of the gospel into obscure languages.  Countless pastors stand in pulpits all over the world to proclaim the life—changing message of the Scripture. 

 

Millions of lives are being transformed daily by its timeless truth.  There is no single promise in God’s Word that He has ever failed to keep.  Scripture encourages’ us in times of adversity.  It gives us strength when we feel weak. This is the Book that we can turn to again and again and be reminded that our sins have been forgiven—and that no matter what happens; we have a loving Father, a helper in the Holy Spirit, and a Savior in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

 

Celebrate the living Word of God by turning to it regularly, humbling yourself and being eager to learn. 

 

Prayer—Father I thank You for Your Word.  Help me to remember that Your Word is a living thing that will affect my life, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

GOD IS BIGGER THAN WHAT YOU HAVE COME FROM

“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins" —Isaiah 43:25

Is your past holding you back from moving forward?   Perhaps friends and family constantly remind you of the way that you use to live, or remind you of old habits.  Sometimes we even hold our past against ourselves.  I want to encourage you today that God is bigger than what you have come from, and never allow negative voices to define who you are.  Once you have confessed your sins to God, they are all forgiven and forgotten.  He does not even bring the past up.  And neither should you.  

The Bible gives us numerous accounts of people who did not allow their past to limit their future, and became product members in society.  The Apostle Paul is an outstanding example of someone whose past did not hold them back from accomplishing great things in the kingdom of God.  He was a murder and a blasphemer who honestly thought that he was doing God a service by killing the early Christians?   God did not hold his past against him, but contrary to how society or culture would think, his sins were washed away when he received salvation, and he went on to come the author of over two-thirds of the new testament besides influencing most of the Christians doctrines that we now enjoy.  Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest  and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.  As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.  Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”   And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”  Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.  It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”  So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”  Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”  And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”  Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.   Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. (Acts 9:1-5, 17, 20).

 

A woman was caught in the act of adultery, but Jesus simply told her to go and sin no more (John 8:11).  Mary Magdalene, a woman that had seven devils cast out of here, past did not hold her back from being a follower and supporter of Jesus’ ministry (Mark 16:9).  Remember the Apostle Peter, he denied Jesus three times, but his past did not forbid him from being mightily used by God and to preach the first sermon after the Day of Pentecost.  

 

 

I encourage you today not to focus on your past history, or even what you have done yesterday, or even five minutes ago—God is bigger than where you have come from, and he is waiting for you to simply put your faith and trust in Him—He will make you what you aught to be.

Prayer—Heavenly Father, I thank You that You are not holding anything against me.  You are a God of love and You love me.  Forgive me for holding these things against myself_______________________, and help me to understand that Your love for me will see me through and that I am not limited by my past or what people may think about me.  You have taken the limits off of me so that I can soar with You today, in Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

A SOUND CONSCIENCE SOUNDS THE ALARM

“Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith.”—1 Timothy 1:5

 

Perhaps you have asked someone a question and their response was, “Let your conscience be your guide.”  Although in the English language this is a well-known expression, it is not necessarily good advice.  The reason why is because your “moral compass” is only as reliable as the principles with which you have programmed it.  If you store up proper biblical instruction and training, it will be dependable to help safeguard you through life.  But using false ideologies from popular culture to program your conscience will set you up for moral failure.

 

God has given each person a conscience as a gift intended to be a tool of the Holy Spirit who is our true Guide.  And as such, it is designed to protect you from going astray.  You can trust it only when the following seven statements are true of you.

 

1.      Jesus Christ is your Savior and Lord.

2.      The Bible is the basis for your conduct.

3.      You have a strong desire to obey God.

4.      You make decisions prayerfully.

5.      Your conscience sounds the alarm when you consider a wrong direction in thought or action.

6.      You feel guilty when you disobey.

7.      You feel compelled to repent of your disobedience.

 

A trustworthy conscience reacts immediately to disobedience.  There is no making excuses and no waffling over whether or not something may have been wrong.

 

To develop a reliable conscience, read and apply scripture so that God’s principles will override any prior bad programming.  Then, under the Holy Spirit’s guidance, it will sound protective alerts and be a effective tool for leading you.

 

Prayer—Father I thank You that You have given me a conscience to help lead me.  I ask You to help train my conscience so that it becomes refined instrument for the Holy Spirits use, to help lead and guide me, in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

LOVE THE GREATEST WEAPON

“That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.”—Ephesians 3:16

 

To see what God’s character is like, we must look at the life of Christ.  Everything that God is, He is in His Son, Jesus Christ.  When you see Jesus, you see the Father (“I and My Father are one” John 10:30).  When Christ enters a life, He brings His life.  His life is the very soil in which we take root and blossom, the ground in which our lives are founded.

 

 It is the duty of spiritual leaders to not only teach God’s character and nature, but pray for their people.  The Apostle Paul prayed that Christ might enter through the open door of faith, to dwell in hearts, and to imprint His nature upon minds, will and emotions (Ephesians 3:16).  Apostle Paul prayed that his fellow believers might know the strength of the Spirit's power in the inner man (Colossians 1:9-14).  

 

 Acts 27:17 describes how a small boat was secured in a storm to the larger ship during a storm.  The storm-tossed ship which was strengthened inside by bracings and undergirded outside by cables.  When the storms of life come against you, draw strength from the knowledge that you are held secure in the Father’s loving arms.  God’s character is love (I John 4:8).  Love is the greatest strength and weapon that the Christian possess.  Allow God’s character of love to strengthen you and to empower you today.

 

Prayer—Father I come to you honoring You for who You are, and for the indwelling of Your character in me.  May I never forget that it is Your strength of love that redeemed humankind, and that Your love through me will change my world, in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

 

GOING FORWARD A MATTER OF CHOICE

“The righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.”  Job 17:9 NLT

God has been telling people to go forward for a long time.  He told Adam and Eve to go forward, have dominion and replenish the earth (Genesis 1: 27-28).  Noah walked with God, and God told him to build an ark.  “Thus Noah did, according to all that God commanded him, so he did” (Genesis 6:22).  Abram was instructed by God to go forward and to leave his county (Genesis 12: 1-4).  Has the Lord been telling you to go forward?

 

Going forward will impact lives that may be more far reaching than you have ever dreamed.  A friend’s husband died five years ago; she had the choice of keeping their small business operating, or closing it.  Although she had helped run the business, her husband was the dynamic of its operation.  After prayer and much soul searching, she decided to keep the business operating.  She told me that the main reason she decided to keep going forward was because 18 families depended on the income from the business.  Not only has she kept the business operating, but she has been able to give raises and bonuses to all of her employees.      

 

Because Joshua, Moses’ assistant, went forward the Israeli people were able to cross over the Jordan River and to enter the Promised Land.  He said, “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses” (Joshua 1:3).

 

You have a choice to stay where you are or go forward.  Naaman, a commander of the army of the king of Syria, followed the instructions of Elisha, the prophet, and was healed of leprosy (2 Kings 5:1-14).  I want to encourage you to choose to go forward with whatever the Lord has put in your heart to do.  Although it may seem impossible, or it may seem out-of-the ordinary, all things are possible with God.

 

 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV)

Don’t be afraid to keep moving on,
For what was before, now has gone,
God wants to accomplish so much more,
But we need to move forward in the Lord.
© By M.S. Lowndes, Based on Isaiah 43:18-19

 

Prayer—Father I ask You to help me to keep going forward, in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

GOD HAS A PLAN OF RESCUE

“Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You.  Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name, my soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.”—Psalm 63: 3-5

 

Jericho was completely shut off from the children of Israel.  No one could go in or out of the city.  Rahab, the harlot, and her family were shut-up within this city.  The army of Israel was on the outside of the walls.  The same people whom Rahab had helped were now encamped against her city. 

 

Today you may be facing a similar situation as Rahab, and feel completely shut off from any help or solution to a problem.   Perhaps you have rescued some of God’s children, and you yourself, now need to be rescued.  I want to encourage you today that just as God had a plan for rescuing Rahab and her family; He has a plan to rescue you.  He is saying to you today: in the day of trouble I will come to you I will rescue you.  I will never leave you.  I will never forsake you.     

 

The very plan that God gave to Joshua to take the city of Jericho was the plan that rescued Rahab.   Because God honors His Word above His Name, He will honor His Word that He has given to you.  The plan that God gave to Joshua and the army of Israel was to march around the city once a day for six days not saying a word.  Seven priests were to carry seven rams’ horns before the ark; however the seventh day the army was to march around the city seven times and then the priest were to blow the ram’s horn.  When the people of Israel heard the sound of the trumpet they were to shout with a great shout.  The army of Israel and the priest obeyed the plan of the Lord.  On the seventh day they went around the city seven times, and when the people heard the blast of the ram’s horn a loud shout went up and the walls of the city fell down.  Rahab and her family were the only people in the city whose lives were spared that day because they put their faith in a delivering God (Joshua 6).

 

The word “shout” as used in this scripture means to shout for joy, according to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.   Praise according to Webster’s Third New International Dictionary means, “The act of glorifying or extolling God.”  Praise means speaking well of, extolling, or magnifying the virtues of someone.  Praise comes from a close relationship with God.  Praise must always be vocal.  It is not silent.  Thanksgiving occurs when we whisper a prayer of thanks to God.  But, praise occurs when we tell someone else about God’s goodness.

 

One of the words used for praise in the book of the Psalms is shabach.  In Psalm 63:3-4 David says, “Because thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee [shabach].  Thus will I bless thee while I live.”   David was saying that he would give a loud shout for joy unto the Lord.  There is a time when it is appropriate to give a loud shout of praise unto the Lord.  This is the kind of praise that STOPS the Devil and advances the plans of God.

 

Put your faith in God’s delivering plan; begin to shout the praises of God, and see the Devil’s plan stopped and God’s plan advance.

 

Prayer—Father I thank you that you have given me a weapon of praise to use to stop the Devil and advance your plan, in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

PETITIONING GOD TURNS DISCOURAGEMENT

“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God for I shall yet praise Him. The help of my countenance and my God.”—Psalm 42:11

 

Discouragement can rob peace, joy, and contentment.  I have known people who appeared to be in an impossible situation.  Some time later, however, they were in a much better place, either in terms of their circumstances or their emotions.  The reason?  They never gave up.  Instead of sulking in self-pity, they chose to believe God, step out in faith, and climb out of the emotional pit.

 

Nehemiah is a good example.  He had every reason to feel defeated, because his people were in trouble.  After receiving news that the city wall had been destroyed, this man of God acknowledged profound disappointment and grieved.  Though pain flooded his soul, he did not allow himself to stay in that low place.  Instead, Nehemiah cried out to God seeking direction.

 

Sadness in the presence of royalty was a punishable death.  But the Lord answered Nehemiah’s prayer with amazing power, prompting the king to notice his servant’s sad countenance and then to ask what he could do to help.  This miracle led to the rebuilding of the wall and the redemption of God’s people.

 

“And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxexes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. Therefore the kings said to me, ‘Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.’ So I became dreadfully afraid, and said to the king, ‘May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?’ Then the king said to me, ‘What do you request?’ So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, ‘If it pleases the king, and if you servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.’ Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him). ‘How long will your journey be? And when will you return?’ So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. Furthermore I said to the king, ‘If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the River that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.’ And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me” (Nehemiah 2:1-8).

 

The Lord can take impossible situation—no matter what it is—and move in ways mightier than you can imagine.

 

Do you live in eager expectation of what the Lord will do?  Or have you chosen to linger in the depths of despair?  Like Nehemiah, turn your disappointment into a petition for God’s help.  He can restore your hope and prevent negative emotions from gaining a stranglehold on your life.

 

Prayer—Father I repent for allowing negative emotions cutting me off from your best for me, and I ask You to restore hope in my life, in Jesus Name. Amen.

RECEIVE GOD’S NEW THING BY REFOCUSING

“Do not consider the things of old, nor consider the thing of old, behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth: shall you not know it?  I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”—Isaiah 43:18-19

The Book of Ruth is a portrayal of a woman’s love, devotion and redemption that occurred during a time of extreme difficulty in the land.  Because of a famine, Elimelech, his wife, Namoi, and his two sons migrated from their homeland to the country of Moab.  While in the land, his sons married pagan women, Ruth and Orpah.  During their stay in the land of the Moabites, all of the men died.  When Naomi decided to return to her homeland, she told her daughters-in-law to return to their families.  Although both Orpah and Ruth loved their mother-in-law very much, only Ruth decided to remain with her.  Upon Naomi’s return to Bethlehem, the whole city was very excited to see her.  Because of the death of her husband and two sons, Naomi complained to the people that she thought that she had been treated unfairly by God.  Through a series of events God did a new thing in Naomi’s life, as well as, Ruth’s.  God gives Ruth a new husband, Boaz, a son, Obed, and a privileged position in the lineage of David and Christ (The Book of Ruth).     

 

Instead of focusing on yesterday’s problems, Ruth chose to focus on her today.  “Do not…” in our reference scripture is a direct command telling us not to remember the things of yesterday.   Do not remember the problems, the failures, the fears, the concerns, the disappointments, or the success.  Focus on today.  Many people that I minister to are held in bondage to the torments of the past, whatever it may be (losses of things, limits, abuses or anything that leaves a deep emotional wound).    Focusing on the former things keep people tied emotionally to their past.  Soul ties to the past can be broken; however, a new focus must be maintained to remain free.

 

Today make a decision to release those thoughts that have plagued you and that have tried to define who you are.  Let your decision release the label(s) that continually harass you and that shut you off from the fullness of joy, faith and excitement about your today.  God says that He is releasing a new thing in your life.  He is making a road just for you.  The GREAT I AM has promised to make a way for you and that rivers will flow in the desert of your life.  Take it now.

 

Prayer—Father I purpose in my heart not to think of my past failures, mistakes or even success, but today I choose to receive the new thing you are doing in my life.  Thank you for making the desert places in my life, to be flooded with your river, in Jesus Name. Amen.

EMBRACE THE “SEASON” YOU ARE IN

“Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.”—Psalm 62:8

 

Almighty God formed you.  He knows your talents and weaknesses, as well as every detail of your situation and potential results of any decision you might make.

 

Your Creator knows what is best for you life.  His plan for you, which is motivated by wisdom and love, is executed with perfect timing.  This last part can be hard for us to accept, especially when it involves waiting.

 

But patience is often part of the plan.  In some seasons of life, God teaches us to trust and to yield our longings for immediate gratification.  We demonstrate surrender and humility before Him when we submit to his timetable.

 

Of course, there is another alternative.  God gave us the free will to choose His plan or step away from it.  When life does not follow the desired path, we can try to make things happen in our own power.  But this never works out as we hope.  In fact, it always leads to disappointment and difficulty, causing us to miss God’s best for our lives.  Though this choice is tempting at uncomfortable times, the results are undesirable.

 

Scripture contains rich promises that we can claim thoughout life—and God always keeps His Word.  As His followers, we are to believe with faith, anticipate with hope, and wait quietly with patience, “Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer” (Romans 12:12).  In the meantime, we listen and obey.

 

Embrace whatever “season” God has you in right now.  If it’s a time of waiting, choose to learn patience, trusting that His plan for your life is beautiful.  Walking in His will requires us to remain sensitive to His voice.  Our loving Heavenly Father protects us from making mistakes when we readily listen to Him.

 

Prayer—Father I thank You for the “season” that I am in.  Help me to understand it so that I can patiently trust You and walk in Your ways, in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

 

GOD’S TIMING IS PERFECT

“Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say on the Lord!”—Psalm 27:14

 

The culture in which many of us live in is fast-paced and we are accustomed to quick results.  Waiting appears to be an activity of past generations.

 

It is no surprise, then, that we have a hard time if God does not answer a prayer right away.  But when we refuse to be patient, our only option is to step out of His plan.  In Genesis 16: 1-6, the Scriptures tell how Abram and Sarai (later Abraham and Sarah) took matters into their own hands because they did not like the Lord’s timetable.

 

Ten years had passed since God promised them a son, and Sarai was aging.  So, she and Abram decided to let her servant Hagar bear a child for them.  Sarah eventually did give birth in her old age, but that lack of patience led to great strife—for their family and of us today.  Much of the tension in the Middle East can be traced to two people groups: the descendants of Hagar and of Sarah.

 

Why would a couple choose a path of self-sufficiency?  First, Sarai’s intense desire clouded her thinking.  She desperately wanted to provide her husband with a son—which was a basis of women’s worth in that culture.  Next, she succumbed to wrong thinking.  After years of childlessness and longing, she began to think that perhaps the Lord needed human help.  Finally, she influenced Abram to believe this faulty reasoning, and both gave in to impatience.

 

These traps still pose danger today.  We are not immune to strong desire, human reasoning, or the influence of others.  Impatient by nature, we could easily justify taking action in our own strength.  The best advice is to listen, obey, and wait.  God’s timing is perfect and we do not want to miss His best.  If you have been impatient waiting upon God’s timing and have chosen a path of self-sufficiency, ask Him to forgive you and to restore your timing. He will renew your strength and you will see the promise fulfilled.

 

Prayer—Father I ask You to forgive me of being impatient and not waiting upon your timing.  I have taken matters into my own hands and tried to work Your will out for myself, instead of waiting upon You.  Help me Holy Spirit and restore me into Your perfect timing, in Jesus Name. Amen.

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES

“But I say to you who hear; love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.”—Luke 6:27

 

People argue that the command given by Jesus to “love your enemies” is an extremely difficult command to follow.  They say that it is not practical to follow, and it just isn’t possible to put into practice. Theologians have debated that Jesus did not mean for ordinary people to practice this concept of loving your enemies; rather, that it is just and ideal.  However, in today’s society this command is an absolute necessity for the survival of our civilization.  The world is at unrest and is increasingly filled with anger, hatred and malice.  So, the question is asked, “How do you love your enemies and defeat the system of hatred?”

 

You are able to love because God’s redemptive love is deep within your very being.  Through hearing, understanding and embracing the fact that every individual is created in God’s image and that Jesus paid the same price for them as He did for you.  This love is cultivated by meditating on scriptures that teach of love; such as, I Corinthians 13, and by loving people because God loves them.  You do not repay evil for evil, but you “love your enemies,” and you demonstrate this love every opportunity that you can.  And finally, you “love your enemies,” because love has within itself redemptive power.  Hating your enemy has no way to redeem or to transform them; in fact, hating tears down and it is destructive.  But, if you love your enemies you will discover that love is creative and it builds up.  So, love your enemies.

 

Prayer—Lord, forgive me for hating my enemies, and help me to minister Your love to my hurting world by doing acts of kindness, in Jesus Name.  Amen.

 

THE LORD DELIGHTS TO HEAR YOUR VOICE

“…but the prayer of the upright is His delight.”—Proverbs 15:8

 

The Lord longs to hear your voice.  The Song of Solomon describes the relationship of the Lord Jesus Christ with the Church, and the relationship of a husband and wife.  He says in Solomon 2:14, “…Let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely.”  In the Garden of Eden, the Lord came looking for Adam and Even in the cool of the evening.  Although it is not specifically said, most scholars agree that this seemed to be the habit of the Lord—coming to fellowship and talk to them.  God has not changed.  He is still the same, yesterday, today and forever and he invites us to come into His presence to fellowship with Him.

 

 In Hebrews 4:16 God is saying, come boldly to the throne of grace, into the His very presence so that mercy and grace can be found in time of need.  Psalm 105:1 & 2 are a reminder to us to make a joyful noise unto the Lord, and to come before His presence with singing.-put the scripture here

 

In the purity of the worship of God your eyes become focused upon Jesus, and you abandon your focus upon self, to see Him lifted up.  You join your voice with the psalmist in saying to God, “How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You.  All the earth shall worship You and sing praises to You.  They shall sing praises to Your name” (Psalm 68:3-4).  God delights in hearing your voice.

 

Prayer—Lord, all that is within me praises You today.  I celebrate You, for your goodness and loving kindness endures forever, in Jesus Name.  Amen.

TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE BY HEARING

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”—Romans 12:2

 

Blind Bartimaeus is a good example of a person who transformed his life by hearing.  A beggar by profession he sat by the road begging for assistance.  When he heard about Jesus, he was spurred into action.  He heard how people were healed, delivered and made whole.  He wanted his life to be different and must have been excited to hear that Jesus was coming down the very road where he sat. Upon being taken to Jesus, he threw aside his identity as a beggar (his garment that identified him as a beggar) and came to Jesus.  Jesus asked, “What do you want?” Bartimaeus responded, “My sight.”  Jesus told him then that his faith had made him well and Bartimaeus’s sight was instantly healed (Mark 10:46 -52). 

 

Paul wrote in Romans 10:17, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  When Bartimaeus heard about Jesus the healer, he received faith so that he could be healed.  Because faith came to Bartimaeus by hearing about Jesus and His ministry, he was able to throw aside old ideas, prejudices and wrong thinking so that his life was transformed.

 

Transform your life by spending time with the Lord every day and allowing your faith to grow.  Give time to hearing Him speak to you through reading and meditating the Scriptures. Allow your thoughts to be transformed into His thoughts; so that the image that is seen in the Word of God, is reflected in you.

 

 Prayer—As I renew my mind in You, thank You Lord for transforming me by hearing You in Your Word so that I am transformed into your image and likeness, in Jesus Name. Amen.

DIVINE REVELATION KEEPS US FROM THE INFLUENCE OF OTHER

“And I [Paul] went up by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles…”—Galatians 2:2

 

Today’s scripture tells us that the Apostle Paul went to Jerusalem about seventeen years after his conversion and for the purpose of  telling  the church what he had been preaching among the Gentiles.  Read Galatians chapter 1 and you will discover that Paul was a highly educated and zealous man who worked fervently persecuting the Church before his conversion.  After his conversion, Paul writes, “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mothers womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus” (vs. 15-17).  Paul points out that he was not influenced by others in what he should do after his conversion, but he walked in the revelation that he had.

 

John chapter 7 gives an account of when Jesus’ brothers did not believe that He was the Messiah, and how they tried to influence Him so that they would have positions of honor. 

 

“After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. His brothers therefore said to Him ‘Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.’ For even His brothers did not believe in Him. The Jesus said to them, ‘My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil. You go up to the feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come’” (vs. 1-9).

 

The Feast of Tabernacles was held the 15-22 of September and this Feast was about seven months before His crucifixion.  This was a very solemn time for all the Jewish males and called for their personal attendance.  Jesus’ brothers (some of His kindred) tried to influence Jesus to go to Jerusalem so that more people could see His miracles.  This sounds like reasonable advice at first glance—more people get exposed to His ministry; however, reading a little further you discover that his brothers did not believe that He was the Messiah.  A Prophet—Yes but not the Messiah.  Perhaps they were thinking that they would be able to share in the “lime-light” if He was exposed to more people.  But, what we do know is that Jesus told them to go along with the other people; he was not going to Jerusalem at that time.  Closely examine the Scriptures and you will see that Jesus knew by revelation not to follow along with the rest of the people who were going.  Perhaps His going with them would have stirred up the people with animosity before it was prophetically time for His crucifixion, we do not know for sure.  But we do know that Jesus always walked in revelation of His timing and did not follow along with the crowd, and you can to. 

 

Jesus was not moved by ideas of grandeur and influenced by the needs of others.  He humbly stayed submitted to the Father and never did anything but what He heard the Father say and do.  We can walk in that same revelation by staying humble, walking in love and being submitted to the Father.

 

Prayer—Father I thank You for Your revelation.  I purpose not to walk ahead of my appointed times by being influenced by family and others in Jesus Name. Amen. 

 

 

 

 

 

HEARING GOD THROUGH SIGNS AND WONDERS

“…Jesus of Nazareth, a Man, attested by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs which God did through Him in your midst as you yourselves also know-.” –Acts 2:22

 

God has always used Signs and Wonders to communicate with people.   A Sign and a Wonder is the power of God’s intervention in the natural realm that occurs beyond a person’s natural comprehension.  God’s signs and wonders are hard for a person to believe.  Perhaps you have heard of the expression, “unless you would have been there; you wouldn’t have believed it.” That’s what is meant to express that it is hard for a person to believe a Sign and Wonder unless they see one. 

It is a Sign and a Wonder every time Jesus appears to someone after He has risen from the dead (I Corinthians 15:5 – 8).  The appearance of Jesus to people is not the only Sign and Wonder that has been recorded.  The dead have been raised, the sick healed, limbs restored….you can add your own Signs and Wonders to the list.   The Signs and Wonders that I have heard God speak to me through are; bodily limbs grown out, the lame walked, the dead brought back to life and many more.

 

You should be aware that God may choose to speak to you through a supernatural and direct sign; however, it is best not to focus in seeking a Sign or Wonder, but to focus on God Himself and strengthening you relationship with Him.

 

Prayer—Lord, help me to be aware that you are speaking to me through Your Signs and Wonders, and not to take it for granted that You are speaking to me, in Jesus Name.  Amen.

 

 

GLEAN IN YOUR OWN FIELD

“Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days.”—Proverbs 19:20

 

There are times that you will hear God speaking to you through your spiritual leaders and fellow believers at your local church.  In the mobile communication of the world today, it is easy to dismiss your local church as a place to hear God speaking to you.  For many people, the local church is a place to serve God; but, they get so busy serving God that they forget that this is the one of the places where God has chosen for them to hear His voice. 

 

At the flick of the wrist, you can go from source-to-source searching for a “fresh” word from God, or, in many countries of the world, you can search out the next “big” conference, the next speaker, etc., as a way to hear God.  However, God has placed in the church, in our field, spiritual leaders (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers) to glean from.  They equip and edify the body of Christ.    

 

The book of Ruth demonstrates to us how an ordinary person heard God through the instructions of her family member.  Ruth was instructed by her mother-in-law to glean in a field that belonged to a fellow member of their family, Boaz.  Ruth’s obedience to glean in her family member’s field brought deliverance to her situation and established the royal bloodline through which Jesus was born.

 

Prayer—Lord, today I purpose in my heart to hear You speaking to me from those You have placed in my life.  Help me not be so busy serving that I forget to hear and follow Your instructions to me, in Jesus Name.  Amen.

 

HEAR THE PROPHETIC VOICE IN A CRISIS

“Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of your life will be many.”  – Proverbs 4:10

The Bible tells us of a woman in 2 Kings 4:1 – 7 who was in a crisis situation. She was a widow who couldn’t pay her debts and her sons were about to be taken away.  In the midst of her crisis, the prophetic word came for her deliverance. 

 

Elisha asked the woman what was in her house that could be used as a seed for the answer to her crisis.  She replied that she had a jar of oil.  Elisha instructed the woman to borrow as many vessels as she could from her neighbors, and to take her sons into the house, shut the door and fill all of the jars.  Her container of oil flowed to fill all the jars, and ceased flowing when the last jar was filled.  The abundance of oil that God supplied met her need in the paying of her debts.

 

The prophetic voice in her crisis situation told her to shut the door to her home.  We can only speculate as to why the prophet told her to shut the door.  But, it is possible that she was to shut the door to distractions and possible intrusions that could have gotten her to abandon the instructions given by the prophet.  To hear the voice of God in a crisis situation deliberately purpose in your heart to shut out the world’s noise and confusion.

 

Prayer—Lord, I purpose in my heart to shut out the outside influences in my life; so that, I can hear Your instructions clearly and plainly, in Jesus Name.  Amen.