Dec16

............	A Word In Due Season Dec 2016 12/01/16 BEAUTIFUL FEET Scripture: Romans 10:15 "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" The Apostle Paul declared that the feet of those who spread the gospel and bring good tidings were beautiful. He also mentioned the feet when he listed the spiritual armor in Ephesians 6:15 and instructed us not to go into any kind of spiritual battle without having the shoes of the gospel of peace on our feet. Notice that he included both feet. He recognized the importance of walking in total peace in every situation, for you cannot minister peace to others if you do not have peace within yourself. Have you ever tried to bring peace into a situation when you, yourself, were in a panic and those whom you were attempting to calm down told you that you were the one who was making them nervous? I have. Jesus came to this earth to do great battle against the devil and to destroy the works of evil. Yet in this mighty battle, He was called the Prince of Peace and ministered peace everywhere that He walked. Even at His birth the angels recognized His true mission and sang out the declaration, "Peace on Earth and good will to men." Jesus brought light and gave life by dispelling darkness and overcoming death. He spoke peace and calmed the raging storms. Jesus exchanged the spirit of peace for the torment that was in the mind of the man who was filled with demons. He also imparted peace into the hearts of the other believers who followed Him. Jesus walked in the shoes of this gospel of peace all the way to the cross of Calvary and made these shoes available to us as we believe. He said, "My peace I give you" (John 14:27). It is not the same kind of peace that the world gives, but a supernatural peace that passes all understanding and keeps you from being afraid in a troubled world. You can recognize feet that are clad with peace because they do not walk hesitantly or with a spiritual limp. They walk with a determined purpose to fulfill the will of God and are continually pressing towards the mark of the high calling of God. Beautiful spiritual feet are the ones that walk up to you and always have a good report regardless of how dark the situation may seem. They do not bring evil reports or bear tales of gossip and are never swift to run to evil. Instead, they are clad with peace and bring a word in due season to your soul that is fitting for the moment. Beautiful feet support you and stand beside you in adversity and do not kick you when you are down. They are quick to run to your aid with provisions when they see that you have a need. Beautiful feet stand in agreement with you and do not shuffle around in condemnation when you go to the Father in prayer. They dance to the rhythm of the same song and are never found to be out of step. They encourage you to walk with them down the paths of righteousness and do not try to lead you astray. They never leave you, but walk beside you through valleys and stick with you even in the shadows of death. Beautiful spiritual feet are indeed very desirable, but require attention just like our natural feet. Let us take time to sit in the presence of Jesus and allow Him to wash our feet with His Word until they become beautifully shod with the gospel of peace. Then, as we possess His peace, let us set about to share His glad tidings of good things. +++ 12/2/16 BE HOLY Scripture: Ephesians 1:4 " ... be holy and without blame before Him in love." Paul spoke to ordinary Christians at Ephesus and told them to be holy and without blame. These same words are meant for us today, but this instruction seems almost impossible to accomplish. Our carnal mind cannot comprehend the concept that we can be holy. Yet God never gives us an assignment that we cannot handle and He confirmed His desire in Leviticus 19:2 saying, "You shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy." God wants His children to be just like Him, and because He spoke these words to us, there must be a way to attain this place of holiness in our lives. But how can we possibly fulfill these words with all of the daily challenges that we face? The word "be" means to exist, to live, to remain, or to continue. It is not something that happens just one time but is a continuation. How can we exist, live, or continue to be holy as God is holy? It is simple, for being holy is like living life. Life happens one breath at a time, one heartbeat followed by the next heartbeat. From the time we are born until the time we die, we are one breath away from death and one heartbeat away from eternity. Yet even though we are that close to death, we say that we are living and that we have life. The same is true with holiness. God tells us to be holy, but regardless of how hard we try, we will always be one thought, one attitude, or one action away from relinquishing our state of holiness. We can only live as God gives us breath to live and we can only be holy as He empowers us to live in holiness and as He continues to forgive us when we fail. Being holy is a constant and continual moment by moment journey. There is a story of a father who tied a bag of candy to the ceiling. His young son desperately tried to reach it, but when he discovered that he could not reach the candy, he began to jump for it. When that failed, he decided to stand on a chair but he was still too short and the candy remained out of his reach. Everything he attempted failed. The son wanted the candy with all of his heart, but regardless of all of his efforts, he finally realized that it was impossible for him to reach the bag at the top of the ceiling and he gave up. When he gave up, his father took him in his arms and lifted him up so that he could grab the bag of candy. What was too difficult for the boy to do by himself was easy with his father's help. God wants us to know that being holy may seem impossible for us, but when He sees our desperate desire and struggle to be holy like Him, He will take us in His loving arms and lift us up so that we can accomplish His will. We must include God in our quest for holiness, for He understands all of our weaknesses. When things get too hard, we must simply surrender to the Lord, pray, and ask for His help. Like breathing one breath of air at a time, He will help us to live, moment by moment, in holiness. +++ 12/5/16 WHAT DOES LOVE LOOK LIKE? Scripture: Hebrews 6:10 "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love God does not overlook any of the deeds or labors of love that you show when you minister in His name. He sees each time that you meet the needs of others and He promises not to forget about it. His Word says that when you give to the poor, you lend to the Lord and He will repay. It also says that whatever you give will be given back to you in greater measure. God is righteous and there is no way that you can out give the Lord, for He pays good interest rates on what your lend to Him and He rewards your works. Love is not a big red heart-shaped box full of chocolate candy, a dozen red roses, or a special card with cupids. Neither is love a mushy feeling or goose bumps. These are all neat expressions of love but true love has actions. Love sets its own desires aside to take care of the needs of others. It does not look inward but forgets about its own discomfort. We see this unselfish love manifested in the love that a parent has for their children or in the love that a child has for an elderly parent. We see it when a married couple live out the words of their wedding vows, "to love in sickness as well as in health". We also see it when the saints minister to the needs of the other saints, when pastors sacrifice their own agendas for their sheep, or when a missionary leaves all he has to go minister in a foreign field. Love always can be seen by its actions and endures all things, without fail. Consider these simple but profound words that describe the appearance of real love and then seek to fulfill this image. "Love has hands to help others, Feet to hasten to the poor and needy, Eyes to see misery and want, Ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like." - Augustine +++ 12/6/16 WAGES OF SIN Scripture: Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Satan is very clever. He offers you the pleasures of sin for a season, but fails to mention the consequences that will result when the sin has completed its course. James 1:15 says, "When lust is conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death." The sequence is very simple; lust leads to sin, which leads to death. From the beginning in the Garden of Eden until now, Satan roams about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. His purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy you and your relationship with God. In all these years, he has not changed his tactics. Satan still challenges God's Word in the same manner that he did with Adam and Eve, saying, "Surely you won't die. Eat the fruit. It is good and it will make you wise." He appeals to your lust, draws you into sin, and then mocks you when you fall into his trap. Satan's words and his offers of relief are very tempting. However, he never tells you the terrible side effects of his product. He draws you into unforgiveness but never explains that an unforgiving spirit opens the door for torments in your own life and that to be forgiven, you must forgive. He does not explain that substituting an immoral lifestyle for your loneliness will keep you from inheriting the kingdom of God, which is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. He does not tell you that a greedy selfish spirit will keep the windows of God's blessings closed to you. And worst of all, the devil tries to cover your eyes with scales so that you cannot see that rejecting Jesus as Lord and Savior will lead to an eternal death and separation from God. Satan's fruit and the temporary relief that he offers is no different than some of the products on our market today. For instance, a magazine advertisement for the medical relief of stiff joints and common arthritis pain lists several side effects that may occur if you use the product such as respiratory infection and inflammation, headache, dizziness, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, heartburn, swelling of legs and feet, back pain, tiredness, urinary tract infection, serious stomach problems, and even intestinal bleeding which could cause death. This leaves one to wonder which is worse: to have joints that are stiff or to be dead and stiff? When you are tempted to sin, look at God's Word, study the side effects or the end results of your actions, and consider if yielding to the temptation is really worth it, for Satan's wages are high priced. He gives you death in exchange for a short season of pleasure. God's wages, however, are priceless. God not only gives you life and life more abundantly, He also gives you eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. +++ 12/7/16 FASHIONED BY GOD Scripture: Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the belly, I knew you." What an awesome thought this is, that you were in the mind of God before you were ever conceived. Before the almighty God ever began to form you in your mother's womb, He envisioned your being. When you were born you were no accident or surprise to God, for He had already made plans for you and designed purposes for your life. When He formed you, He made you into the person that He, Himself, wanted you to be. All of your thoughts of self-worth should be wrapped up in the knowledge that you are who you are by God's design. Every beautiful diamond started as a piece of coal from the Earth. Every smooth lustrous pearl began with an insignificant piece of sand or other foreign matter that was lodged in the shell of an oyster. Every precious gem had to be cut from a rugged rock and polished into perfection. Every beautiful pot was first a lump of clay that was filled with rocks, hard clumps, and impurities. Every precious gold and silver ornament or vessel came from the Earth and had to be discovered and then refined by fire. Each of these beautiful things had a glorious future, but each had to be worked with until the finished product was completed. Your life is no less significant than the most beautiful diamond, lustrous pearl, precious gem, or beautiful vessel of gold or silver. God alone is able to create these beautiful things. Even though you too were made from the dust of the ground like Adam and Eve, you were created and formed by God, Himself. The creation of your total being is a miracle of God. Your voice and your fingerprints are like no other. Your thoughts are totally individual. You are a special being handcrafted and fashioned by God and He values you and your life. You are important to Him and He is concerned about all of your needs. Even though He takes special interests in the flowers of the field and the birds of the air, you are more valuable to Him than any of these creations. When situations fail and relationships cease, leaving you with thoughts of self-worthlessness, allow God's powerful Words to defeat those thoughts. You will always have value and be worthy in God’s eyes, for He declared that He knew you before He formed you. +++ 12/8/16 IN THE MIDST OF TROUBLE Scripture: Psalms 138:7-8 "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, ... the Lord will perfect that which concerns me." Do you have concerns today for which you have no solutions? Are you right in the middle of a troubled situation and it seems that you are being tossed about in a terrible storm? David was in a dilemma such as this, but he was able to retain his confidence in God. Right in the midst of his turmoil, David declared that God would revive him and raise him up. He trusted God to stretch out His mighty hand, fight for him, and make everything perfect. David knew that God cared for him so he humbled himself before God and cast all of his cares upon Him. The middle of trouble is a frightening and crucial place, but it is also the place where God manifests His strength and power. It is a place where Jesus suddenly steps up and calms everything with one command, "Peace be still." Like David, Jesus' disciples found themselves in the midst of trouble when their ship encountered a storm. What were the disciples' thoughts when the storm first began? Jesus did not seem to care at all. He rested as the storm began to approach, and then slept soundly as the storm grew worse. Jesus was not trying to help them maintain the ship in the natural or deal with it in the spiritual. While the prince of the air was trying to destroy the ship, the Prince of Peace, Jesus, was at rest and slept peacefully. Fearful and frustrated, His disciples asked Jesus, "Don't You even care that we are about to perish?" Fear and frustration may cause you to feel the same way as the disciples felt. It may seem that God is not interested at all in your circumstances as they progressively get worse, but He truly is concerned. There is no situation in your life that escapes His notice and He promises to perfect everything that concerns you. The Lord is able to take everything that is happening in your life and make it work together for good. There is not one concern that you may have that is too big for Jesus to handle or too small for Him to care about. He is able to fix every problem in more ways than you could ever dream or imagine. He has ways and solutions that are higher than your ways and His thoughts are higher than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:9). Before you even ask, He has the answer for your problem. When life demands that you walk through trouble, cast your cares upon the Lord and trust Him to make perfect those things that concern you. +++ 12/9/16 KNOWING HIS CALLING Scripture: Ephesians 1:18 "The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling." God is working in your life to bring about His plans, and He is working in a far greater way in the spiritual than you can see in the natural. From the moment God created you, He placed within you gifts and abilities so that He could use you to fulfill His desires and accomplish His purposes. Within you lies the potential to be His hands, His feet, His ears, and His voice in the earth. Upon you rests the responsibility to share God's heart with a hurting world. Colossians 1:27 sums it up with these words, "Christ in you, the hope of glory." You are God's hope as you walk through this spiritually dark world carrying His light in your life. You must be careful not to hide that light under a bushel, but let it shine for the entire world to see. Just as Paul prayed for the church's eyes to be opened so that they could know the hope of God's calling for their life, God wants your eyes opened. He wants you to catch His vision, for without a vision your gifts and callings will never come to fruition. He wants to open your mind and fill it with His knowledge and His wisdom. God wants to unlock your soul and spirit so that He can empower you with His Holy Spirit. He has good plans for your life, but the Holy Spirit cannot do it all. You must do your part by submitting to Him and making every effort to stir up the gifts that reside within you. Only then can God resurrect those talents that have lain silently dormant for all these years. You may have doubts and fears that God has passed you by and that your time is over, but Romans 11:29 tells us that "the gifts and the calling of God are without repentance." God never changes His mind; we just grow complacent and give up. What gifts has God endowed to you? What desires has He placed in your heart concerning His kingdom? If there is a desire within you to do something special for God, then there is a place and a time for it to happen. God will not put something into your heart that He does not equip you to do. Look at the birds. God gave them the ability to fly and a sense of desire to go south in the winter. He would not have stirred them to go south unless there was a south that was waiting for them. Yes, it may be frightening for them to leave their safe homes and head for the unknown places that are hundreds of miles away. Yes, they have to work hard and fly long hours to get there and may face storms and dangers along the way. It is true that there may be struggles and they may grow weary and become discouraged. But as they fly one mile at a time and face each day as it comes, they will eventually complete their journey. Just like the birds, God has created a special purpose for your life and He wants to bring you into that new place. It will be a process of time and it will take effort but the energy you spend will be well worth the journey. So begin to allow the Lord to flood your heart with His light so that you can see and know what is the hope of His calling. +++ 12/12/16 REGARDLESS OF YOUR FAULTS Scripture: John 4:26 (Amplified) "Jesus said unto her, "I Who am speaking with you am He." In this scripture setting, Jesus revealed Himself to the woman at the well. This woman had been married five times and was now living with a man that was not her husband. Many of us would have passed her by as a hopeless case. We would have judged her with our own self righteous standards and wondered if she were even deserving of God's amazing grace because it seemed that she could never get her life right. She had failed so many times that it would have seem useless to us to put our trust in her one more time. We would want to write her off as a loss. We would also fail to consider that areas of our own lives were actually in just as much disarray in the eyes of our holy God as her life was to us. It is interesting to watch Jesus as He ministered to the people because His thoughts and actions are so contrary to religious thinking. He passed up the clergy and made His way to meet with the publicans and sinners and to minister to the demon possessed. He also invited the tax collectors and dishonest men into His closest circle of associates. He even spoke kind words of forgiveness to the prostitutes. Now Jesus, who was a Jew, was speaking to this Samaritan woman who was living in open sin. Time and time again, she had sought for love with the wrong people, but Jesus was able to look beyond her faults and see her need. When Jesus revealed to her that He knew of her marital status, she recognized that He was a prophet and she began to expose her inner most desires. Her need was to love and be loved. She wanted to love and worship God and she wanted to do it right. She questioned Jesus about the proper place to worship God, on the mountain or in Jerusalem. Isn't the love of God wonderful? Jesus was weary from His journey, but He sat on the well and waited for this woman to come draw water. She did not come to the well with the other women but came alone because of her immoral lifestyle and she probably was not accepted in the formal places of worship either. Yet, her heart was crying out for God and she was watching and waiting for the Messiah to come. Jesus sought this woman out and met her at her point of need. He reached out to her with kindness and forgiveness and told her that those who worship God must worship Him in spirit and in truth. Like this woman at the well, Jesus is never beyond your reach. Regardless of where you are right now or your mistakes in life, Jesus wants to meet you at your point of need. He knows where you are and He places Himself in the center of your territory. When your heart begins to worship Him, He will find you and make Himself known and available to you. He will minister to you personally, one on one, and give you Living Water to quench your thirsty soul. +++ 12/13/16 STILL SMALL VOICE Scripture: I Kings 19:4 "It is enough: now, O Lord, take my life." Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal and fire from heaven came down, consuming the sacrifice that he had placed on his altar. When the fire consumed the sacrifice, the people repented and turned to God. Elijah then commanded that the prophets of Baal be killed. After this, he prayed for rain, which came in abundance even though there had been many years of drought. Elijah experienced great victories because he was a man who had power with the Lord. Yet, even though Elijah was a mighty prophet of God, he was still subject to the same passions that we have. James 5:17 says, "He was a human being with a nature such as we have -- with feeling, affections, and a constitution as ourselves." After Elijah had displayed such great courage and zeal, he ran for his life from Jezebel, who was threatening to kill him in retaliation for the slain prophets. Elijah ran until he reached a place of such weariness and discouragement about his own situation that he requested to die. He said, "O Lord, it is enough, take away my life." Maybe you haven't come to this point of utter discouragement or ever felt that life itself was a burden and not worth living. Maybe you've never had to run in fear that your life would be taken. Yet, at times we all face situations when we say, "I've had enough. I just cannot take any more. I cannot go on." In the midst of these wearisome and stressful situations, if we would just stop and listen for the voice of God, we would hear Him speak to us as He did to Elijah, "What are you doing? Stand up. I want to talk to you" (I Kings 19:9). As Elijah began to listen for God upon the mountain, he had to wait through many distractions. God's voice did not come in the great and mighty wind, the earthquake, or the fire. God spoke to Elijah in the sound of a gentle stillness. God also wants to speak to you in this same still small voice. He wants to calm every fear and encourage you in your season of distress. Don't be distracted by all the noise about you but wait upon the Lord and listen for His faintest whisper. Psalms 46:10 says, "Be still and know that I am God." Stillness is very powerful. When you are still, you cease from yourself and do not give in to the voices of the strong winds, earthquakes, and fires. It will be in the stillness of His presence that you will come to know God. And it will be in the quietness of His presence that your answers will come and that your strength will be renewed. +++ 12/14/16 PURPOSE OF PRAYER Scripture: James 4:3 (Amplified) " You fail to receive because you ask for the wrong purpose." We have all wondered why some of our prayers are answered and why some of them are not. There are many guidelines in the scriptures concerning prayer and receiving answers, but James states that one of the reasons that we do not get the things that we ask for is because our prayers are centered around our own lust. He declared that we are not able to obtain the contentment and happiness that we seek because of our own evil and selfish motives. James' words of judgment are hard and painful, but we must acknowledge that it is very easy for us to fall into this kind of selfish trap. Even two of the disciples of Jesus prayed a prayer that was motivated by their own anger. They had walked with Jesus daily and knew that He operated in unconditional love and compassion. They saw Him continually heal the sick and raise the dead and also witnessed the forgiveness that He extended to the most vile people. Yet, the disciples were so personally offended that the Samaritans did not receive Jesus that they wanted to call down fire from Heaven. The disciples entreated Jesus to allow them to do this so that their entire village would be destroyed. They wanted fire to consume the people that Jesus came to give His own life for. Jesus rebuked these disciples with the words. "You don't know what manner of spirit you are of" (Luke 9:54-56). Jesus told them that He did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. The Lord watches over all and is concerned about every need that we have, from the smallest to the greatest. Yet we must understand that He is also concerned about the needs of others. He is righteous and it would be against His holy character to answer our request at the expense of someone else. God’s mercy and grace for all mankind far exceeds His need to answer our lustful request. What is God supposed to do when the fans of both ball teams are praying to win? What should God do when we pray a prayer that will be harmful to someone else in His kingdom? What if one of your own children asked you to destroy their brother or sister because of a disagreement or an offense that had occurred between them? What if they ask for something that was against your will because you knew that it would be harmful for them? Regardless of how much you loved your child, you would not give them what they wanted, for this is not the way of love or a request that merits an answer. God feels the same towards us. If we want our prayers answered, we must delight ourselves in the Lord and pray in accordance to His holy will. It is only as our petitions are right and our motives are pure that we will receive the answers that we desire from Him. +++ 12/15/16 DIVINE APPOINTMENT Scripture: Luke 7:13 "And when the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said unto her, Weep not." A woman and many of the people from a town called Nain were in a procession following the casket of the woman's only son. She had lost her husband to death and now was also having to give up her son. She was grief stricken and distressed, for her world seemingly had come to an end and there was no hope. As she approached the gates of the city, she never dreamed that she was on the verge of a divine appointment with the Almighty God, and that very shortly she would encounter a miracle at His hand. At the same time, Jesus, along with His disciples and many other people, approached the gates of the city from the outside. This entourage was probably still happy and excited about the miracle that Jesus had performed the day before when He spoke just a word and the centurion's servant was healed. Now at the gates of the city of Nain, two worlds were about to collide. God in Heaven had set the stage for a divine appointment. A procession of resurrection life led by Jesus Christ was destined to meet with the procession of death led by the young man in the casket. Light was going to collide with darkness. Comfort was going to replace sorrow and grief. Joy was going to dispel sadness, and laughter was destined to drive away all the tears. When Jesus saw the woman, He had compassion upon her. He spoke light to her darkness of grief and said, "Weep not." Then Life touched death, and Jesus raised the widow's son from the dead. You may have come to a time, like the widow, that you are facing what seems to be the end. It's a sad time as special relationships come to an end, dreams fall apart, your health and finances fail, or death takes your loved one from you. It is a time of discouragement and despair as you mourn the death of what could have been. However, do not lose faith as you seemingly exit your hopes and dreams. Jesus is on the other side of the gate, and all of Hell trembles because He is on His way to deliver you. When your life is threatened in any area, He comes to your rescue. Jesus will resurrect your dead situation and restore your relationships. He will comfort you in your grief, and in the midst of your sorrow He will give you hope. He will resurrect your dreams and restore all that is lost. It only takes one divine moment as His anointed hands touch your impossible situation. In Jeremiah 29:11 God says, "For I know the thoughts and the plans that I have for you. They are plans for good and not evil, to give you a future and a hope." Take courage and look to the future with hope, for God has planned a divine appointment for you. +++ 12/16/16 From: Mary Padgett Ministries, Inc. A Word In Due Season HANDLING CONFLICTS Scripture: Psalms 144:1 "Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teaches my hands to war, and my fingers to fight." The scriptures declare that David was a man after God's own heart. He was a man who not only loved God, but who was also able to express his love with beautiful words that have lasted for thousands of years. In fact, the twenty-third psalm, which speaks of the Lord and paints a picture of a gentle and loving shepherd, seems to grow with us through the years and has a greater impact on our souls each time we read it. Throughout the psalms, we can see David's tenderness, compassion, and trust. The evidence of the depth of his love is mingled in the words that pour forth from his heart. Yet, even though David was capable of much love and passion, he was also a mighty warrior. David blessed the Lord for teaching him how to fight, for he was engaged in many types of battles. In verse two David said that there were times that the Lord was his fortress, which is a military stronghold where he could retreat from battle and be safe from the enemy that was on the other side of the walls. During other battles, God became David's strong tower and lifted him high above the dangerous situations. There were times when the Lord was a shield about David and protected him as he went into the raging battles. The Lord also made David a victor and helped him conquer his enemies. All in all, God was David's strength and David was thankful that he had been taught how to fight and that he could have a calm assurance that God was with him in every battle. It would be great if we could go throughout life without conflicts and challenges to face. Life would be so much simpler if there were no battles to fight or wars to wage. Yet the Lord, Himself, told us that in this life there would be much tribulation. There would be conflicts with enemies and also issues with those whom we loved. For that reason, when we face a battle of any kind, we must first seek God and ask Him what weapons we should use and how we should fight the particular battle that is at hand. David fought some battles through physical combat, but God often told him to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. Once David used a simple stone to conquer the giant, but in other battles he used mighty weapons of war. In other battles, Joshua's army shouted the walls of their enemy down. Gideon's pathetically small army broke their lanterns and shouted, "The sword of the Lord and Gideon." And Jehoshaphat confused the enemy and won the battle by sending a praise team before his army. In our personal battles, Jesus instructed us to turn the other cheek to those who do us wrong. What kind of weapons are these? A stone, a shout, a broken lantern, praise, simply standing still, or turning our cheek! Yet, God knows the mind and the ways of our enemies and God's ways are never like our ways. He will surprise us every time. In every situation, we must remember that the Lord is our strength and that the battle always belongs to Him. If we want to win in life, we must trust the Lord to teach our hands to war. +++ 12/19/16 DON'T ABANDON YOUR DESTINY Scripture: Matthew 1:20 " ... Fear not to take unto thee Mary as thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." Mary and Joseph were espoused to be married. 'Espoused' among the Hebrews was the legal part of the marriage, meaning that the legal documents had been completed and signed, and that the marriage date had been set. Even though Mary and Joseph had not come together as man and wife, this legal binding could only be broken by a bill of divorcement. In the midst of the season of their espousal, Joseph learned that Mary was with child. His first thoughts were to put her away privately so as not to expose her to public shame. While he thought upon these things, the angel of the Lord spoke to him. The angel told Joseph not to fear to take Mary as his wife because the child in Mary's womb had been conceived of the Holy Spirit. Without fully realizing what was happening in his life, Joseph was in the perfect will of God. God had chosen Joseph to be the husband of Mary and to act as the natural father who was to care for the Messiah child, Jesus. For the next few years, Joseph was to protect and provide for the beloved Son of God. Joseph was also destined to be the instrument that God would use to fulfill many of the prophecies of old as he followed the leading of the Lord and obeyed the visitations of the angels. But now because of the purpose of God and the divine conception of the Holy Ghost, Joseph was facing public shame and misunderstanding. In the midst of this conflict, Joseph almost abandoned his destiny by putting Mary away privately, but God faithfully intervened and kept him on course. Like Joseph's walk with the Lord, God leads us in our natural paths to fulfill His supernatural purposes. Often we have no idea that God has set before us divine appointments. We just proceed in the natural toward our goals and plans, thinking that we are only pursuing our dreams and visions, In reality God has caused us to conceive those desires by planting them in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. God then opens and closes doors by His wisdom and leads us unknowingly down His paths that He has designed. Suddenly, the season comes for His perfect plan to be accomplished in our life and great conflicts may accompany it. We may face many challenges, yet we must never give in to fear or abandon the destiny that God has for us. We must continue to hold on to the things that have been conceived in our hearts by the Holy Spirit and allow God to complete His work and His plan. When we allow God to work in our lives, we will stand in wonder as we find ourselves in the right place at the right time, accomplishing something for His kingdom that we never thought possible. +++ 12/20/16 NO ROOM Scripture: Luke 2:7 "There was no room for them in the inn." Joseph and Mary did not just happen to be in Bethlehem at the time that Jesus was born. Instead, it was planned and ordained by God, as He fulfilled the prophecy that was spoken in Micah 5:2, which declared that the Messiah would come from the City of David, Bethlehem of Judea. To make sure that Mary and Joseph were in the right place at the right time to fulfill this prophecy, God caused Caesar Augustus to make a decree that required all of the people to go to their own country to be taxed. God does not do things randomly. He has purpose for all things and it seems to be very fitting for Joseph and Mary to be found in Bethlehem when it was the time for Jesus to be born because the name Bethlehem means "house of bread." God was making provision for all mankind, for Jesus is the Bread of God (John 6:33). He is also called the Bread of Life (John 6:35) and the Living Bread (John 6:51). Yet when Joseph and Mary arrived at this special place that God had ordained, there was no room for them. Jesus was the King of Kings but instead of being birthed in His own castle, He was born in a borrowed stable where animals were kept. Instead of having a royal bed, His mother gave birth to the Son of God on the ground amongst the animal's straw. Instead of having royal subjects to assist her, Mary and Joseph, alone, took care of the Anointed Christ. Instead of being given royal robes, the Messiah was wrapped in swaddling clothes. And instead of being laid in a beautiful crib, the Savior of the world was laid in a manger where the animals were fed. It is no wonder that as all mankind neglected the birth of His Son, that God, Himself, showed up to honor Jesus and to celebrate this wonderful event. God created a great star to light up the sky and then He instructed the angels to sing as the glory of God shone all around them. They pronounced, "Peace on Earth and good will towards men" and sang, "Good tidings of great joy." God brought the shepherd's of the field to worship the Christ Child and moved upon the kings and wise men of the East to bring gifts that were fit for this King of King and Lord of Lords. As we think about this story, we must examine our own lives. Jesus stands at the door of our heart every day and knocks. Will we tell the Lord of Lords that there is no room today because our schedule is full or will we invite Him to come in so that we can commune with Him? Will we give Him the lesser place in our lives or will we treat Him as King and allow Him to be the ruler of our heart? Will we allow other idols to dominate our lives or will we worship and bow before His throne? Will we be reluctant to share our means with Him or will we give the best gifts that we have to offer? These are all personal questions that each of us must answer. The Lord is seeking for an open heart. Do not allow the moment to pass. Do not allow your heart to be so full of the world that you have no room for Him. Instead, give Jesus the best chamber of your heart. +++ 12/21/16 THE LIGHT OF LIFE Scripture: John 8:12 "I am the light of the world: he that follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." People are attracted to light whether it be the natural light of the sun, moon, and stars or the man made lights of a city at night. At Christmas we enjoy the special lights of the season that celebrate the birth of Jesus and on Independence Day we watch in awe as we experience the lights of the fireworks. On cold nights we relax by the flickering lights of the fireplace and on special occasions we light candles to enhance the atmosphere. And of course, our daily lives depend upon light. We must have light whether we need it in the fields to grow crops or to be able to function in the workplace. Light creates life, and without light, there is no life. From the beginning, the presence of Jesus brought light, for when the angels announced His birth, the heavens were filled with light and the glory of God. The wise men were also guided by a radiant light that led them to the Savior. When Jesus came, He came as the Light to a spiritually darkened world, and His Light brought life to men as He revealed God to their souls. People marveled at this light which came from God as He healed the sick and cast out evil spirits. They were amazed when He raised the dead and performed signs and wonders. John 12:36-37 says that Jesus instructed the people to "believe in the light so that they could become children of light." Yet, many who saw the miracles did not believe on Him. They preferred to stay in darkness. What a sad report; many saw, but did not choose to believe. The most important thing that you will ever do with your life is to believe in Jesus. It is only then that light will come into your soul. When you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and receive Him into your heart, Colossians 1:12-13 says He delivers you out of the kingdom of darkness and brings you into His kingdom, making you partakers of His light. As you come out of darkness and partake of His light, you then also become responsible to be a light to the world. You are to bear witness of the Light, that all men might believe (John 1:8). Bearing witness of the Light means that you walk in fellowship with Him (I John 1:7). You walk in light and truth, leaving the deeds of darkness behind. Jesus said, "I am the Light and if you stay close to me and follow me, you will be able to walk in My light." +++ 12/22/16 HIS NAME Scripture: Isaiah 9:6 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." These prophetic words were about Jesus, the Messiah, who was to come and be the Sovereign Lord of all mankind. Isaiah saw that Jesus' life would encompass several characteristics and that His Name would be called accordingly. He would be called Wonderful, meaning that from the very beginning, His life would be surrounded by wonders. Jesus would be supernaturally conceived of a virgin and live a sinless life on this earth. Jesus would perform signs and wonders in His ministry; heal the sick, restore sight to the blind, and cause the deaf to hear. He would also make the lame to walk and would have the power to cast out evil spirits. Jesus would speak life into the dead and He, Himself, would experience resurrection. His entire life would be a total wonder. Jesus was also destined to be a supernatural Counselor and would bring Words of eternal life to the multitudes. His Words would be filled with wisdom and authority, as He would only speak the Words that the Father gave Him to speak. Even the doctors in the temple were astonished at Jesus' understanding of the scriptures and the answers that He provided for them when He was just twelve years old. As the Mighty God, the Spirit of the Lord would be upon Him anointing Him to do the work that He was sent to do. The enemy would not be able to prevail against Jesus, as He would conquer evil and take the keys of death, Hell, and the grave from Satan. Jesus would show Himself as the everlasting Father, loving and caring for the needs of the people. And He would be the Prince of Peace who would rule in the hearts of men, bringing them out of their tormenting bondage. Jesus is a wonderful person who has been given a Name that is above every name. He is all that you need, whether it is a Mighty God to perform a miracle for you or just a friend or Counselor to talk with. He said that He would never leave you or forsake you, and He is there to care for you and meet your daily needs like a loving friend or Father. Jesus will guide you through the storms, comfort you, and give you light when things begin to overwhelm you. He will take every burden from your heart and bear it upon His own shoulders. Jesus is your Prince of Peace, your Everlasting Father, your Counselor, your Mighty God, and as trust in Him, He will show Himself as Wonderful in every aspect of your life. +++ 12/23/16 NO NEED FOR FEAR Scripture: Luke 2:9-10 (NIV) "An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.'" The shepherds were in the fields keeping watch over their flock of sheep and minding their own business when the angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to them. As the glory of the Lord shone around them in the darkness of the night, the shepherds were terrified. But the angel immediately told them not to fear and began to tell them the good news of the Savior's birth. Many times, in the scriptures, we have accounts where people experienced fear when God sent a message to them through an angel. When the angel, Gabriel, approached the Virgin Mary, he said, "Do not fear." The angel also told Joseph, the man whom Mary was going to wed, not to fear. The same words were spoken to Zacharias, who was to be the father of John the Baptist. As we look at these lives, we wonder why these glorious events evoked so much fear. And yet, we must admit that when God gets involved in our own lives we too have fear because we have created boundaries by our senses. We are afraid that God will put us into the unknown and unfamiliar. We fear that we will not be in control of our own lives or that He may tell us to do something that we do not want to do, maybe even call us as a missionary to a foreign land. Yet, the only way to exercise faith and trust is by going through the unfamiliar and the unknown. When God calls, He does not show us a complete blueprint of the future or guarantee our security. His voice just moves us into the unknown. It is darkness to our natural senses, but a glorious light to our spirit because God always gives peace to the one to whom He speaks. Others may question our decisions, but God says, "The way that you will know this is from Me is that I will give you perfect peace. There is no need for you to fear." God speaks to individuals, not to groups. Even if He is directing or leading a group, each heart will hear His voice personally. Each shepherd witnessed the glory of the Lord and heard the angel speak. God spoke peace to each one individually. Have you ever had to instruct your own child to do something new or foreign? The first words out of your mouth were probably, "Don't be afraid." Your words and the security of your intimate relationship that you had developed with your child created peace in their heart. We must have the same emotional bond with Jesus and know that God is a God of His Word. We must trust them and surrender our lives to their bidding. When they speak, it will be good news, so there will be no need to fear. +++ 12/26/16 ONE SOLITARY LIFE Scriptures: Luke 2:10 - 11 & 1:31 - 33 "Fear not: I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. Thou shall call His name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest ... And He shall reign forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end." "He was born in an obscure village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. He then became an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a house. He didn't go to college. He had no credentials but Himself. While He was still a young man, the tide of public opinion turned against Him and His friends ran away. He went through a trial that was a mockery. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth, and that was His coat. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave. Twenty centuries have come and gone, and today He is the central figure of the human race. All the armies that have ever marched, All the navies that have ever sailed, All the parliaments that have ever sat, And all the kings that have ever reigned have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that ..." ONE SOLITARY LIFE ... Copied - From Unknown Author May you be blessed as you celebrate the Birth of this One Solitary Life. +++ 12/27/16 FOLLOWING GOD'S PLAN Scripture: Proverbs 16:9 "A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure." We cannot envision the destiny that God has planned for us or compare our plans for the future with the Lord's plan for our life because His plans are much higher than ours. His plan is as far away as the heavens are from the earth. We know the Word tells us that He wants to give us a future and a hope, but that future is often hidden from our eyes. Yet, this ignorance concerning our destiny does not mean that we do not have one. God is continually working behind the scenes in our life and He will reveal His plan to us at the appropriate time if we stay in unity with Him. His strategy to fulfill His plan is very simple. Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27). To fulfill God's plan, all we need to do is to hear His voice and then follow where He leads. We do not have to know the plan from A to Z. All we need to do is just take one step at a time, and each step of obedience will give light to the next. The shepherd knows so much more than the sheep. He may be forced to lead his flock from the open green pastures and cool waters to a safer place because he knows that a storm is coming or impending danger is near. Even though the sheep are being led away from the water and provision, they never question their shepherd; they just follow with a trusting heart. They hear his voice and they follow. Like the shepherd, many times God leaves us with no choices. He just orchestrates our life as He did Joseph's. God's sovereign hand was leading Joseph from the pit to the prison, and then from the prison to the palace. At the time, it probably did not seem like a very good plan to Joseph because the end was very obscure. All he could do in the midst of his adversity was hold on to his dream. Joseph had his own thoughts about how his dream would come to pass but his plan, which included his family bowing before him, was all about self-ego. God, however, had a greater plan and sovereignly directed Joseph's steps in order to bring deliverance to a multitude of people. Do you sense a divine dissatisfaction in your spirit concerning your destiny and God's plan for your life? Possibly, you are not satisfied with where you are now and know that there is a greater call on your life. You must surrender the plans you are making in your own mind, and yield to God. Everything may seem obscure right now and nothing may make sense. But if you will take one day at a time, listen to God's voice, and follow Him, He will cause you to be in the right place at the right time and bring you into contact with the right people. The Lord will direct your steps and make each step sure. +++ 12/28/16 IN THE IMAGE OF THE CREATOR Scripture: Genesis 5:1 & 3 "When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God ... When Adam was 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness." Adam was created in the likeness of God and clothed in His glory, but Adam rebelled against God's Word and partook of the forbidden fruit in the garden. When he committed this act against God, the image of his innocence was destroyed and his nakedness was exposed. From that point on, he and all his descendants that came after him would carry a sinful nature. Even though they would be created in the image of God, they would have to strive to take on His character. Romans 5:19 says, "For by one man's (Adam) disobedience, many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one (Jesus) shall many be made righteous." It was because of Adam's sin that we inherited the nature to sin. This sinful nature makes it very easy to do wrong and a struggle to do right. Even Paul said, "The things I want to do, I do not, and the things I don't want to do, I do" (Romans 7:19). Adam's sin brought us into condemnation and set our souls upon lust and self-fulfillment, but Jesus died on the cross for us so that we could be cleansed from sin. His sacrifice and His blood brought us into justification. Jesus places within us His very nature, and it is only through Him that we can walk in righteousness and live in the image of our Creator. Yet, living in the image and the likeness of our creator instead of the image of Adam is a daily process that requires a conscious effort on our part. We have to "put off the old self" that is corrupted by our desires and we have to form new attitudes so that we can "put on the new self" that is created to be like God (Ephesians 4:22-24). When we are born again, our new man waits to be instructed through the Word of God, for it cannot change on its own. We can only change as our minds are renewed in the knowledge of our Creator. Even nature itself teaches us that things left to themselves will not prosper. They must be maintained on a daily basis. A house that is left to itself without maintenance will soon deteriorate. A yard or garden that is not kept will become overrun with weeds and vines in just a short time. Children who are not cared for will become dysfunctional and if not corrected, they will become undisciplined. Friendships and marriages that are not nurtured will soon grow apart. So it is in the spiritual realm. II Peter 1:4 says that God gave us "great and precious promises that we might be partakers of the divine nature." Yet, to partake of His divine nature, we must maintain ourselves spiritually. As we yield ourselves to the gentle molding hands of the Creator through prayer, communion with Him, and study of His Word, changes will take place in our lives and we will be transformed into His image. +++ 12/29/16 DAYSPRING Scripture: Luke 1:78 "Through the tender mercy of our God; ... the Dayspring from high has visited us." The term "dayspring" means "the springing up of light." It is the dawning of the morning as the sun rises to give light to a darkened earth. This glorious light at dawn brings with it a freshness of new life and all of nature rejoices. The birds sing and the roosters crow, welcoming the sun and the birth of a new day. The dawning of the sun's light causes hope for all of the earth as it brings forth the promise of growth. We seldom give thanks to our Father God for the wonders of this phenomenon or the breathtaking beauty of the sunrise. Instead, we most often take it for granted and assume that it will be provided for us, each and every day. Yet, it only takes a few days of dreary weather to cause us to once again appreciate the sun at dawn. Can you imagine life without the sun? Luke said that Jesus is our Dayspring from on high. When Jesus visited us, He brought us life and translated us out of the kingdom of darkness into His marvelous light. John 1:4 says, "In Him was Life and that Life was the Light to men." He was sent to this earth like the rising of the sun because of the great love and the mercy of our Father God. Jesus is the dawn that shines eternal light into the darkest places of our lives and causes all evil to flee. The night cannot overtake the day once the sun has risen, for physical darkness cannot absorb physical light. In fact, the greater the darkness, the greater the light seems to shine. Light a candle in a dark room and then watch the darkness put it out. It simply cannot because the darkness cannot conquer the light. It is an impossible challenge. Likewise, spiritual darkness can never overtake the light of Jesus in our lives. The kingdom of darkness and evil cannot overcome, put out, or absorb His eternal light and life once the Dayspring has come to live within us. Verse seventy-nine tells us that Jesus will "shine and give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to direct and guide our feet in a straight line into the way of peace." We were sitting in Satan's kingdom of darkness waiting to die an eternal death until Jesus rose like the dawning of the day. Jesus’ birth was a glorious sunrise. He became our Dayspring as He began to shine His light into our path and guide us into peace and eternal life. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12)." Jesus is the "true light that lights every man" (John 1:9). We are forever blessed because Jesus, the Dayspring from on high, has visited us. +++ 12/30/16 INCREASE AND BLESSINGS Scripture: Deuteronomy 1:11 (NIV) "May the Lord, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times and bless you as He has promised!" Moses spoke these words over the children of Israel as he encouraged them to go in and possess the land that God had promised to them. God had such good plans for them and wanted to give them a thousand times more than what they had. It was God's intent to give them a land that flowed with milk and honey. This Promised Land was theirs for the taking, but they refused to believe His Words, and because they limited God through their unbelief, they never entered into His promise. Except for Joshua and Caleb and the younger generation, they all died in the wilderness of defeat. God still wants His children blessed beyond measure. This does not necessarily mean that we will have everything that we want or that we will all be rich and famous, for prosperity and fame does not guarantee blessings. Blessings go beyond the material and capture the true riches of life, which is happiness, joy, and peace. Robert Louis Stevenson said: "The best things are nearest; Breath in your nostrils, Light in your eyes, Flowers at your feet, Duties at your hand, The path of God just before you." As you journey through this next year, I pray God's blessings upon you in a new and fresh way. I pray that you will recognize that blessings come from God's hands and that you will realize that life's greatest blessings are the simple things of life. True blessings and prosperity have nothing to do with the stuff that you can gather around yourself. Instead, true blessings is life, itself, and the relationships that you are able to establish with God and others. May the Lord increase you a thousand times and bless you as He has promised! May you truly have a Blessed and Prosperous New Year! +++ Copyright © 2016 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights Reserved www.widsonline.com			..............................