| ............ | A Word In Due Season Oct 2017 10/2/17 PEACE IN THE STORM Scripture: Mark 4:40 "Why are you fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" Jesus told His disciples to go to the other side of the lake. However, He did not tell them about the storms that they would encounter while trying to get to the other side. Neither did He mention the difficulty they would have in obeying His command or trying fulfill His will. Have you ever followed the leading of the Holy Spirit and found yourself in a seemingly bad situation? You know that you are in the will of God, yet you find yourself in a great storm, your boat is filling up with water, your life is in jeopardy, and although you know Jesus is there with you, it seems that He is asleep. These times become very frustrating because we cannot understand what is happening or why God does not intervene immediately and take care of the whole situation. We allow our emotions to take control and we react to our situations like the disciples did. They asked Jesus, "Do you not care?" Their very words showed their feelings of rejection. Have you ever felt that God did not even care about you or your situation? You see God answering other people's prayers and working on their behalf, but He is strangely silent concerning you. There seems to be no answers or help for you as you stand alone in your dilemma. In Psalm 42:3 the psalmist said, "My tears have been my meal day and night, while they continually say unto me, 'Where is your God?'" Even his tears were questioning his circumstances. The disciples were feeling the same way about Jesus. They were afraid that He was going to let them perish in the storm. They forgot that His words to them were, "Let us go to the other side." The Lord’s intention was to get to the other side of the lake safely. The storm in the middle of the lake was just a test of their faith. Yet, the disciples allowed their emotions, their feeling of rejection, and their fear to destroy their faith. In Luke's account of this story, Jesus says, "Where is your faith?" He asks us the same question. We must decide, "Is our faith in God, or in what our emotions dictate to us?" Jesus did two things in this adverse situation. He rebuked the wind, then spoke to the sea and said, "Peace be still." He showed us by example that when the storms of life come against us, we are to rebuke the spirit that is the root cause of the situation, and then speak peace to the physical circumstances. We are to place our faith in God and continue in His will despite the contrary winds and adversities that are coming against us. We must believe that if the Lord told us to go to the other side, He will make a way for us to get there. If He told us to do something, He will help us do it. It is very easy to trust God when the sun is shinning, but real faith causes you to have peace even in the midst of the raging storm. +++ 10/3/17 WHEN GOD PASSES BY Scripture: I Kings 19:11 " ... the Lord passed by ..." Elijah had served the Lord with great zeal but he came to the place where he felt that he was all alone and that he was the only prophet left in Israel. He was in despair and even wanted God to take his life from him (Vs. 4). God told Elijah to go stand on the mountain and that He would speak to him there. God then allowed Elijah to experience a great and strong wind, an earthquake, and a fire. Elijah listened intently for the Lord. Yet, God's voice was not heard in any of these mighty occurrences. When God finally approached Elijah, He came as a still small voice. There was quietness and the sound of a gentle whisper when God spoke to him. After Elijah's long season of discouragement, God commissioned him again for the ministry. Have you ever felt ignored in life or ministry? The doors have not opened for you and rejection has met you at every corner just to mock you. You cannot seem to find direction and may have even struggled with your own identity. That old question plagues your mind, "Who am I, and where am I going?" Could it be that you are listening to all of the outside extreme forces such as the great and strong wind, the earthquake, and the fire? While all the time God wants you to ignore the distractions so that He can speak to you in a quiet whisper. He has declared that He has a good plan for your life (Jeremiah 9:11). Your life is not an accident. God ordained your life before you were ever born and He placed you in situations so that He could train you for His purposes. The Lord longs to share His plan with you and give you direction for your life so that you can complete that plan. You must be willing to listen to Him. God is always faithful and He understands your weaknesses. He knows when your spirit is broken and realizes when you cannot go any further without His intervention. Like Elijah's desperate moment, God sees you in the valleys of despair and in the depths of hopelessness. Yet, He is never far from you. He walks right into the midst of the storm to rescue you because He loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. He will touch your present life and give you a vision and hope for the future. If you want your life to change so that you can be all that God wants you to be, take note when He passes by and listen very carefully for His gentle whisper. +++ 10/4/17 SECRETS OF THE HEART Scripture: Psalms 44:21 "For He knows the secrets of the heart." God knows the secrets of our heart and He understands our daily struggles. He knows that we share the same feelings that the Apostle Paul had. Paul said that the things that he did not want to do, he did, and the things that he wanted to do, he did not do. It was a constant battle between Paul's spiritual desires and his carnal nature and fleshly lust. There were times when Paul was frustrated and disappointed in his own self because he just could not get things together and do right. Yet, God graciously used Paul in a mighty way despite his various weaknesses. Paul made several missionary journeys and brought many to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. He also wrote about three fourths of the New Testament to encourage and strengthen the saints for centuries to come. The Apostle Paul was just one man but where would we be today, almost two thousand years later, without his powerful witness? How could we make it without his instructions for daily living and godly righteousness? I am glad that Paul did not allow the devil to condemn him to the point that he felt unworthy to complete God's call on his life. Even though Paul felt that he was the chief of sinners (I Timothy 1:5), he allowed no one to judge him or to hinder God's purposes for his life. He left all criticism in the hands of God and was confident that the Lord who had begun a good work in his life would finish what He had started (Philippians 1:6). Paul allowed God's call on his life to overshadow all of his human weakness and failures. You may be struggling in your life today with your own desires and temptations of the flesh. The enemy would like for you to believe that you stand alone in your battle, but you must understand that is simply not the case. We all have struggles, for the devil goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. We must be vigilant because he never gives up on trying to deceive us and when we do fall prey to his devices, he is very quick to condemn. I finally had to come to the conclusion that I was not perfect and life was not perfect. There was failure written all over the path that I had taken, yet, God understood my weaknesses and loved me anyway. God knows all of the secrets of our hearts and we must believe that His mercy and grace is greater than the work of the devil and our own fleshly failures. I encourage you to rest in this thought and not to allow your secret weaknesses to keep you from reaching your God ordained destiny. +++ 10/5/17 WALKING IN GOD'S LIGHT Scripture: Isaiah 50:11 "Walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that you have kindled ... (and) you shall lay down in sorrow." God gives us a solemn warning against trying to walk in our own light because our light is incapable of dispelling the darkness of evil. Yet, when we are walking in a dark place, it's very tempting to try to solve our problems by ourselves instead of putting our trust in God and allowing Him to shed light on our situation. We become impatient and kindle our own fire to create our own light. We make decisions based on our feelings and often disregard the will of God for our lives. We turn a deaf ear to His voice because God's instructions make no sense at all to our natural mind because His ways are never like our ways. Although we know that God's thoughts and plans are higher and far greater than we can comprehend with our finite mind, our darkness still drives us to seek a light of some sort and find deliverance somewhere. Premature deliverance, however, frustrates God's work of grace and diminishes the beauty of the work He is trying to accomplish in our lives. We are like the caterpillar, which must wait for the timing of God. The caterpillar must patiently endure the darkness of the cocoon until its appointed time comes for it to reach for the light and become a butterfly. Its premature deliverance will destroy the grandeur of its destiny, and its lack of patience will thwart its intended purpose and disable it from being able to fly in majestic beauty. Jesus said, "The man that walks in darkness doesn't know where he is going" (John 12:35). A man in darkness just stumbles about, feeling his way around. It's a frightening place, but Jesus encourages us by telling us that if we follow Him, we will not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life (John 8:12). In this story, Jesus revealed Himself as The Light to the woman who was found living in the darkness of adultery. As The Light, Jesus did not condemn her but showed her the truth and gave her the light to walk in. He said, "Go and sin no more." His light was designed not only to dispel all the darkness of evil that threatened her but also to give her a new life. Jesus is the light of life. God intends for us to walk in His light, for only His light can conquer darkness. We must wait for His light to dawn just as we do the rising of the sun, for our own light apart from God will only bring sorrow. Be assured that God is sovereign and His timing cannot be hastened. It is better to walk in the darkness with God than to walk alone in our own light. +++ 10/06/17 HEART OF REPENTANCE Scripture: Luke 15:22 "The father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet." The story of the prodigal son is one of the greatest stories of forgiveness and repentance. We know that forgiveness was always in the heart of the father because he watched intently, day after day, for his son to return. I feel certain that this loving father forgave his son at the onset of his son's rebellion when he asked to receive an early inheritance. I believe the father forgave his son when his son left home and foolishly squandered all of his father's hard earned money on riotous living. I think the father looked beyond the financial loss because his main concern was for his son's soul, personal safety, and also that their relationship be restored. Yet even with his heart of love and forgiveness, the father could not bring his son back home where he belonged. He had to wait for his son to make that decision in his own heart and repent. While the father waited, he probably imagined what he would do when his son returned. In time, his hopes were fulfilled. The father saw his son coming from a long way off and ran to meet him. He embraced his son with a heart of compassion and restored him to his position in the family. He also gave his son the best robe that he had and put a ring on his finger. He prepared a great celebration feast for him and commanded everyone to rejoice with him because his son had come back to him. Asking for God's forgiveness and returning to Him with a heart of repentance are two totally different things. Both demand a sorrowful heart, but repentance goes beyond the confession of sin that is made in order to receive forgiveness. Our guilt and shame will cause us to ask God for forgiveness, but often we fall right back into the old sin that we have been forgiven of many times. How many times have we lost our temper and asked God to forgive us, only to lose it again? We allow ungodly words or gossip to pass from our lips and we ask God to forgive us, but we continue to speak inappropriately. We give in to compromising situations and we ask God to forgive us, but when temptations come we fall back into the same trap. The list goes on and on. Yes, we are sorry, and yes, we want forgiveness. Yet, repentance requires more than a confession that is motivated by guilt. Instead, it is a strong determination never to repeat the sin again. It is leaving ungodly things behind and returning to God our Father with a whole heart. God has promised that if we confess our sins that He would be faithful to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness Yet, He is watching for much more. He waits for our hearts to approach Him in true repentance. When we are in sin we cannot focus our eyes upon God because our backs are to Him. However, when we repent we turn towards Him with a vow in our heart to leave the sin behind. We do not try to drag our sin into God's presence, make excuses for it, or hide it somewhere with the intent of going back to it. We are completely finished with it and we seek to do the Lord's will and to fulfill His desires. When our Heavenly Father sees our true heart of repentance, His mercy and grace welcome us back to the place where we belong. +++ 10/9/17 CHOOSING YOUR BATTLES Scripture: Proverbs 26:17 "He that passes by and meddles with strife that does not belong to him, is like one that takes a dog by the ears." King Solomon spoke very wisely concerning the business of choosing battles. He warned about getting involved in situations that do not belong to us and described these actions as meddling. For sure, there are many challenges in life and battles will come to the best of us, but Solomon said that if we are not careful in our choices, we will end up being like someone who grabs a dog by the ears. In other words, when we meddle in the wrong battles, they will bite back. Solomon's words remind us that even if our intentions are to help we may be misunderstood and unappreciated. When conflicts present themselves, regardless of whether it is a huge conflict or small skirmish, our first strategy should be to go to God for counsel. God is awesome and His knowledge and ways are much higher than ours. He showed us His wisdom and His mighty power in the battles that were fought in the scriptures. David was a small shepherd boy, but he went to battle against Goliath, the giant warrior. David chose this battle because Goliath was mocking God and defying the armies of Israel. When David's own brothers questioned him about his choice to fight, David answered them with these words, "Is there not a cause?" (I Samuel 17:29). David not only chose to defend the cause of God, but ran towards the battle that was set before him and he defeated the giant. There were other times when God specifically instructed men not to go against their enemy in battle. When the enemy came against Jehoshaphat, he sought the Lord, and the Lord told him that he did not need to fight the battle because the battle belonged to the Lord. God told Jehoshaphat to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. The Lord had a unique plan and instructed him to send worshippers into the battle instead of warriors. When the people began to sing and to praise the Lord, God sent an ambush against the enemy and the enemy destroyed themselves (II Chronicles 20:22). There are battles that we are destined to fight and many times we are called to fight them alone. Like David's situation, the cause may be greater than our own small world, but we can be assured that if God sends us into the battle, He will be our shield and defense. There will be other challenges that we are to simply praise our way through as God fights for us. God may say, "Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord" or "pursue the enemy and take back your territory." Our battles may be conflicts in relationships, financial hardships, problems with our children, health issues, or spiritual matters. Regardless of the challenge, the battle belongs to the Lord, for the Apostle Paul said that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces. We must understand that the devil is not an easy foe to reckon with, but God in His mercy has provided us with His own mighty armor and spiritual weapons. God did not tell David, who was known for his wonderful praise and worship, to go out singing before the giant and neither did He tell Jehoshaphat to go against the enemy with a few stones and a sling. God chose the battle plan. Like these mighty warriors, our battles will be won while we are on our knees in prayer. As we wait on the Lord, He will instruct us and give us mighty counsel. So let us get God involved when we are choosing our battles and make a determination that we will not meddle or grab just any dog by the ears. +++ 10/10/17 TALKING TO GOD Scripture: Acts 4:24 & 31 "... they lifted up their voice to God ... and when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together ... " We make prayer very complicated at times, when in reality it is simple communication with someone who loves and cares about our needs and desires. Communion with God is better than talking to our best friend about our problems and heartaches because God understands and He never judges. Besides that, He always has the right answer to every question. We never have to be fearful about going to Him because He told us that we could come boldly before His throne of grace in the time of our need. Even when we fall down, make a mistake, or sin, God said that He would be faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He is a loving and faithful God, yet many times we fail to exercise our privilege to talk with Him. Instead, we run to everyone else for help when trouble comes and our world is falling apart. In this scripture setting, the religious leaders, or the Sadducees, were persecuting the church of God because the believers were preaching in the Name of Jesus and teaching about His resurrection. Supernatural power always brings persecution. So in the midst of the persecution, the disciples went to God in prayer and reminded God of who He was. They said, "Lord, You are the God which made Heaven, Earth, the sea, and all that is in them." The disciples believed that God was still in control and that there was nothing too hard for Him. They reminded God of what He had said through David, His servant. "The heathen rage and imagine vain things." This was the same situation the church was in. The religious leaders were raging against them because they were doing great things for God. The disciples asked God to look at their problem and grant them boldness to speak His Word. They not only asked God for boldness to speak, but also to confirm His Word with signs and wonders in the Name of Jesus. Their mighty prayer caused the place where they were assembled to be shaken by the power of God, and God granted their request. God wants you to know that when you pray, you are talking to the same God that the disciples talked to. He is a God of the 'Now.' He wants to help you, comfort you, and meet your needs. If you can just see this truth, it will make you free. It will give you confidence in your spirit to approach God and ask for the help that you need regardless of your situation. God gave you permission to do this and even invited you to do it. In Jeremiah 33:3 He said, "Call unto Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things that you have not known or recognized before." Trust God with all of your problems and lift up your voice to Him. Talk is cheap, but talking to God is priceless, for He listens and He will respond. +++ 10/11/17 FAVOR AND PROSPERITY Scripture: Genesis 39:3 "And the Lord was with Joseph and he was a prosperous man." Life was not always easy or fair for Joseph. Many times he had to go back to square one and start over again. Yet regardless of where Joseph found himself, those about him recognized that the Lord was with him, and he always found grace and favor in their sight. Joseph prospered even though he faced many negative circumstances on his journey from the pit to the palace. He probably experienced discouragement, but he never gave up or quit because he had tremendous faith in God. There was a quiet sense of destiny in Joseph's heart because God had given him great dreams. However, God tested the motives of Joseph's heart before allowing those dreams to come to pass. He trained Joseph for this very special place by putting him into various and adverse situations. God then observed Joseph's responses to those conflicts. Psalms 105:19 tells us that "Until the time that God's Word came to pass in Joseph's life, the Word of the Lord tried him." When Joseph went through these trials and tests, he chose to let these hard places push him towards God, not away from God. He refused to allow bitterness, anger, and resentment to rule his life. Instead, Joseph maintained a good attitude, lived a lifestyle of forgiveness, and worked hard. He understood the process, or the exchange of life. The exchange of life means that what you put into life is what you will get out of it. Even though he was imprisoned and tested for about sixteen years, Joseph wasted nothing. He worked hard and made the most of each moment, and even in prison, favor and prosperity came to him. You too can translate your dreams into reality, although they may seem vague right now. You may feel that time and opportunity have passed you by. Like Joseph, your life may not have been easy and you may have been treated unfairly. You may have been rejected by your family or emotionally imprisoned without cause. Now, you must choose whether to stay in this pit or proceed towards the palace. You are the only one who can make the exchange of life for yourself. You must believe that this is your time for favor and prosperity. Whichever path you choose, you will reap what you sow. To reach the destiny that God has for you, you must believe and continue to sow in faith. Through it all, you must trust God to cause all things to work together for good. Like Joseph, you must do all that your hands find to do and then do it as unto the Lord. In time, God will cause His Word to come to pass in your life and you will reap favor and prosperity. +++ 10/12/17 HIS SHOES OF PEACE Scripture: Ephesians 6:15 "And your feet shod with the gospel of peace." One of the most important choices of our day is to select the appropriate shoes to wear. We have various selections, from work shoes to dress shoes. Paul told us to put on the whole armor of God, and in that armor he included the shoes of the gospel of the preparation of peace. The shoes were just as important as the breastplate, helmet, shield, or any other piece of the armor, for no soldier goes into battle barefooted. Without proper shoes or boots, a soldier cannot march very long or be able to do battle against the enemy. So it is in the spiritual. You cannot last long in the battles of life unless your feet are protected with God's supernatural peace. As the day begins, you must make time to fill your heart with God and His Word because His Word is the gospel of peace. As you linger in God’s presence and mediate upon His Word, He pours Himself into your soul. He instills strength and gives you faith for the journey of the day that is set before you. God makes you equal to every task, and through Him you find that you are able to do all things because His strength is abiding in you. The silent company of His Spirit engulfs your being as you walk peacefully through the turbulence of life's situations. You become a witness to others as they sense this supernatural manifestation of God's peace in your life. You are an example of the Kingdom of God on this earth, which is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost (Romans 14:17). Paul said, "Look carefully how you walk! Live purposefully, worthily, and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise - sensible, intelligent people" (Ephesians 5:15 Amp). It is not sensible or wise to live outside the realm of peace, for it will inflict havoc in your body, soul, and spirit just as marching barefoot will cause problems with your feet and other parts of your body. You must be wise and purposefully put on the shoes of peace that God has provided through His Son, Jesus. In John 14:27 (Amp) Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; My Own peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be trouble, neither let it be afraid - stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful, intimidated, cowardly, and unsettled." Every moment of this day, make a personal determination that you will walk in the shoes that God has provided so that you can experience His supernatural peace that passes all understanding. +++ 10/13/17 UNDERSTANDING THE SCRIPTURES Scripture: Luke 24:45 "Then He (Jesus) opened their minds to understand the scriptures." It is most important when we read or study the scriptures that we allow the Holy Spirit to teach us and help us understand what God is saying because only the Holy Spirit can give us revelation. God's Word is spirit and life and can only be understood when the eyes of our understanding are opened supernaturally. Without spiritual revelation we will have "eyes that see not and ears that hear not" as spoken of in Romans 11:8. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we are able to hear with a heart of understanding. Psalms 119 is entirely focused on the Word of God and the psalmist's desire to understand it. Nearly every verse is directed to God as the psalmist talks very plainly to God about His Word. The psalmist recognized his responsibilities to God's Word, and then made commitments concerning it. His great plea was that he might understand and have insight into the precepts and commandments of God. He totally depended upon God for help. Look at just a few things in Psalms 119 that the psalmist said to God concerning His Word. "Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things out of Your Law." - Vs.18 "Hide not Your commandments from me." - Vs.19 "Quicken me according to Your Word." - Vs.25 "Teach me Your statutes." - Vs. 26 "Make me to understand the way of Your precepts." - Vs.27 "Strengthen me according to Your Word." - Vs.28 "Give me understanding." - Vs.34 "Incline my heart unto Your testimonies." - Vs.36 "Establish Your Word in me." - Vs.38 If you have a sincere desire to understand God's Word, refer to this psalm when you begin to read and study the scriptures. Read the words of this psalm aloud as a prayer to God like the psalmist did, and ask God to open your understanding of the scriptures. You will see a difference in your study as God's Spirit enlightens you and gives you fresh revelation. +++ 10/16/17 BE STRONG AND OF GOOD COURAGE Scripture: Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord your God, He goes with you; He will not fail you, nor forsake you." Moses tried very hard to lead the Israelites into the place that God had for them, but many of them missed out on the promises of God because of a spirit of discouragement. This discouragement came from within the group as they began to talk about the obstacles that would stand in their way. The discouraging voices said that the cities that they were to face were very great and had mighty walls. These same voices also spoke of the people who were greater and taller than themselves, in fact their enemies were giants. As God's people heard these words, their souls became very discouraged and they spoke against God and Moses (Numbers 21:4-5). Those who had no faith also deprived their brothers of their confidence and hope. Their negative words drained their spirits and caused their hearts to melt. There will be those in your life whose words will deprive you of your confidence and hope. Very often discouragement will come from those closest to you. They may even do this in good will, thinking that they are giving you good counsel. In their own hearts they may have your best interest in mind. Yet if you listen and give heed to their disapproval and objections, their words will drain your spirit and destroy your dreams. Their words will prevent you from completing God's will and deprive you from His blessings. When hindering words from any source come to you, you must make a decision to either operate in the positive (courage), or operate in the negative (discouragement). There is no neutral ground. It is either faith or fear. Not only must you disallow discouraging words to affect you, you must be very careful with your own words when you find yourself in the midst of a challenging situation. For if you are not careful, you will be the one to speak words that would discourage someone else's faith and deprive them of their blessing. Our courage rests in our faith and our hope in a faithful God enables us to face danger and hardships with confidence. Faith and hope cause us to be brave and resolute regardless of our circumstances and the fears that seek to hinder us. God said that He is the one who goes with us and He has promised never to fail or forsake us. We need no other words to keep our minds and hearts in peace. We do not have to struggle with fear because God is in control. We only need to rest in God's promise and "Be" strong and "Be" of good courage. +++ 10/17/17 SACRIFICE OF PRAISE Scripture: Hebrews 13:15 "Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His Name." Our praise and thanksgiving becomes a sweet incense to the Lord just like the sacrifices that were placed on the altar in the Old Testament. Many times our praise and thanksgiving is a true sacrifice from our heart because it can be difficult to praise God in the midst of trouble, heartache, and hard times. Yet, the sweet aroma of worship and adoration that we give to God in the times of adversity and pain reaches to His very throne and touches His heart. The Lord notices the scent very quickly and then seeks to discover the one who is giving praise to Him. It is a natural curiosity just like we would have if we heard that someone had said something kind about us. We would want to know immediately what was said and who said it. We may even want it repeated to us several times. I picked some roses from my yard and enjoyed their beautiful velvet petals of various colors. I left the room for a while and when I returned, the whole room was full of the fragrance of those roses. It is true that they were born and nurtured among the thorns and there were still thorns attached to their stems. Yet, they did not complain about where they had been or the thorns that remained. They just graced the room with their beauty and filled the atmosphere around them with a wonderful fragrance. I was the only one around so it seemed that their beauty and fragrance was intended just for me to enjoy. I thought this must be how God feels when we offer up our praise and thanksgiving to Him because He is the only who can hear our heart. He must turn our direction and look at us when He passes by just as I stopped to admire the roses. He must stop and take in the sweet fragrance when He hears our praise to Him. For sure, God hears us when we cry and He listens when we express our pain because He loves us. He will not turn away from us when we are in hard times, but if our words are putrid because our hearts are filled with anger, our aroma cannot be pleasing to Him. He will turn away just as we would turn away from a foul odor. God is not attracted to us when we are murmuring and complaining or verbalizing our doubt and unbelief. Regardless of the thorns that we have experienced in the past or the thorns that are currently pricking our sides, we are to bless the Lord at all times and His praise is to continually be in our mouths. Psalms 74:21 says, "Let the poor and needy praise Thy Name." Even when we have a lack or need, we must offer up a sacrifice of praise to God. Our praise will manifest our trust in God. Our worship will change the atmosphere and create a wonderful fragrance. That fragrance will cause the Lord to turn our direction and He will then take notice of our needs and reward our trust. +++ 10/18/17 GOD'S WILL Scripture: Psalms 143:8 "... Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk." This Psalm was written by King David, a man who sought God with all of His soul and loved God with all of his heart. God, Himself, gave testimony concerning David's affection for Him and also expressed His confidence in him. In Acts 13:22, God said, "I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, which shall fulfill all My will." David's full surrender was a delight to the heart of God and God knew that He could trust him. God placed His confidence in David and raised him up to be king over Israel. Even though David loved God and his heart was right with God, He continually asked for God's guidance and direction. He said, "Cause me to know the way that I should go." But he did not stop there. He not only wanted to know the will of God, but also said in verse ten, "Teach me to do Thy will." Doing God's will is totally different than knowing God's will. Many times we stand at a crossroad knowing the right path, but instead we choose the wrong path. Our heart is willing, but our flesh remains weak. God's will may overwhelm us at times because our finite mind cannot seem to get it all into perspective. We try to figure out God's plan on our own instead of relying upon the Holy Spirit who is our "Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, and Strengthener" (John 15:26 Amplified). David sought the Lord's will in every area of His life. Sometimes, God told Him to go out and do battle. Other times, God told him to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. Whatever God said, David did. We may have great affection for the Lord, but we cannot presume to know God's thoughts without seeking Him because His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways are much higher than our ways. Like David, we must ask God to cause us to know His will. When God shares this vital information with us, we then must ask Him to teach us how to fulfill it. God, Himself, is all that we need in order to complete His will. +++ 10/19/17 DOUBLE PORTION II Kings 2:9 "Elijah said to Elisha, Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken away from you? And Elisha said ... Let a double portion of your spirit be upon me." Elijah was a prophet and a miracle worker. He had done mighty things in the midst of the people and was now preparing to leave this earth. In just a few hours, a chariot of fire and a whirlwind was going to usher him into Heaven. Before he left, he offered to grant the desire of Elisha, a man who had been chosen by God to replace Elijah as prophet. Elisha had faithfully followed Elijah and had humbly ministered to his needs. Elisha was a man who hungered for the power of God, and he desired not only the spirit which was upon Elijah, but also a double portion of that same spirit. When the servant, Elisha, made his request to the prophet, Elijah, for a double portion of the Spirit, Elijah said, "You have asked for a hard thing, but if you see me when I am taken up, it shall be granted to you ... but if you do not see me, it shall not be so." When the time came for Elijah to be taken, Elisha acted in determination to receive the promised gift. He kept his eyes on Elijah in the midst of the splendor of the whirlwind and chariot. He did not allow himself to be distracted by the event and when Elijah went up, Elisha saw it. Elijah's mantle fell from the heavens, and when Elisha took it up, the spirit of Elijah rested upon him. Elisha had courage and boldness to make an awesome request for what his heart desired, which was a double portion of the Spirit of God! What if we were to make this same request? It would be awesome, for sure, to do the miracles that Elijah and Elisha did, but to ask for that kind of power may seem too enormous for us at this time in our lives. However, instead of asking for a double portion of the miracle gifts of the Spirit, what if we started by asking for a double portion of the fruit of the Spirit, which is listed in Galatians 5:22-23. Can you imagine the effects of having a double anointing of the fruit of God's Holy Spirit in our lives? We would begin to manifest twice as much love in the midst of hateful and bitter situations. We would have twice as much peace when confronted with the storms of life and a double amount of patience and self-control in the midst of conflict. We would be bubbling over with joy, and kindness and goodness would continually be flowing from us to others. Supernatural faith would prevail in every situation. God has called us to be able ministers to a hurting world. What better way to fulfill His calling than to boldly ask Him for a double anointing of His Spirit in our lives? +++ 10/20/17 FULLNESS OF GOD Scripture: Ephesians 3:19 "That you might be filled with the fullness of God." It is an awesome revelation when we come to understand that we are vessels whom God has chosen to live in. He could have chosen anything on Earth to abide in, but He chose mankind and made us temples of His Holy Spirit. Yet, we forget sometimes that the Holy Spirit is living inside of us. We listen to abrasive music and language that the Holy Spirit would rather not hear, and look at things that He would rather not see. We are insensitive to His presence as we do things that He would rather not do and we take Him places that He prefers not to go. We can sense His grieving deep within our being. Yet, we fail to walk in the straight and narrow and we totally quench His promptings. The Apostle Paul encouraged us to be filled throughout our being with the fullness of God. When we are filled to this measure with the presence of God, there is no room for other things that will quench His Spirit and grieve His heart. In I Corinthians 5:6, Paul said, "A little leaven will leaven the whole lump of dough." He was telling us that if we allow the devil the smallest space in our heart, he will move in and fill it with every evil thing that he can. The space we yield to the devil becomes like an empty and unused room in our house, which little by little, gathers all sorts of junk. Finally, the area becomes so crammed with clutter that it cannot be used. We shut the door, try to ignore it, and hope to hide it from others. The Scriptures say that the Holy Spirit uses whom He wills. He knows whether or not He has filled every room of our heart. Sometimes, He finds that there is just too much self, and other times He finds unconfessed sin. Luke chapter four tells us that Jesus, being full of the Holy Ghost, was led into a season of temptation in the wilderness and was tested to see if He would give in and satisfy His own desires. Jesus did not give any space of His heart to the devil. He stayed full of the Holy Ghost. And when the season of temptation was complete, He came forth in the power of the Spirit. His ministry was launched as His fame spread throughout the region. What would have happened if He had given the devil just a small portion of His heart? Christ came to settle down, abide, and make His permanent home in your heart. He does not want a roommate. He wants you for His total possession so that He can work on the inside of you at His will. When you surrender your all to Him, He will thoroughly fill your being according to His design so that He can carry out His purposes and do supernatural things in your life. May you grasp the meaning of Paul's words, "Be filled with the fullness of God. That is, may you experience His divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself!" +++ 10/23/17 SHAKE IT OFF Scripture: Acts 28:3 & 5 "As Paul gathered an armful of sticks to lay on the fire, a poisonous snake fastened itself onto his hand ... But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed." I recently killed a poisonous snake in my yard and when I chopped its head off, the body and tail continued to move. This reminded me of an article that I had read in a magazine. It said that 85% of the snake related incidents that are treated at the hospital are from exposure to snakes that had already been killed. Although the snakes themselves were dead, the poison in their fangs was still very much alive and potent. Like the snake that attached itself to Paul, there are harmful spiritual things that will seek to attach themselves to us. We will have many experiences in our lives and face many disappointments that can poison our souls and spirits if we allow them. The poison may come through abuse, divorce, grief because of the death of a loved one, lost relationships, or unfair financial situations. In our minds, we may think that we have destroyed the things that would harm us. We put the memories in the past, shut the door, and do not visit those rooms. We make every effort to forgive and let go. Yet in the farthest reaches of our being, there lingers a hurt, a grief, and a shame that will not allow us to move beyond that point into a place of absolute and total freedom. It is like a dead snake whose poison is still potent. From time to time, it shoots out its venom of pain and bitterness and disallows our heart to trust others or believe for a better future. In so doing, many times we stifle God's plan for our life. God's desire is that we shake off the past hurts and disappointments. He wants us to go on with life, unharmed as Paul did, and live life at its fullest. The Lord does not want us to handle the memories that are alive with venom, lest it poison and destroy our souls. He does not want us to pine away our life in sorrow and grief because He has a better plan. God sent His only begotten son, Jesus, so that we could have an abundant life. He anointed Jesus to give us beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3). However, to receive the abundant life that Jesus provides, we must choose to shake off anything that would poison us. We must choose to come out of the ashes of mourning and heaviness. Then we must receive His beauty and His joy and put on His garment of praise. +++ 10/24/17 THE POWER OF TWO Scripture: Deuteronomy 32:30 "How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight?" God ordained a strength and a power to be manifested when two people join together in unity. This stands true for husbands and wives, parents and children, friends, warriors, and even nations. Ecclesiastes 4:9 tells us that "Two are better than one; because they have a better reward for their labor." Two can lift a larger load and carry a heavier burden when they join their strength together. Just think about how difficult it is to move a piece of furniture by yourself and how much easier it is when someone helps to share the load. Also when there are problems to be solved, the old saying stands true that "Two heads are better than one." And Solomon told us that two are better than one because if one falls, the other can lift the fallen partner up. And if they become cold, the two can give warmth to each other. Unity ushers in the presence of the Lord, for Jesus has promised that when two come together in His Name that He would be there in their midst. Unity brings answers to prayers, for Jesus also said that if two will agree as touching anything on earth that it will be done of the Father which is in Heaven (Matthew 18:19-20). Jesus divided His own twelve disciples and sent them out in twos and later sent another seventy followers out, two by two. Unity produced supernatural power, for both of these groups preformed great miracles and witnessed deliverance amongst the people. Multiplication also happens when there is unity. When God created Adam, it was good, but Adam could not multiply in the earth as a single unit because multiplication can only come when there is more than one. One multiplied against any number does not increase that number. Adam needed a mate so God created Eve. God blessed Adam and Eve, told them to multiply, and gave them dominion in the Earth. Their union brought dominion and multiplication. Is it any wonder that Satan hates for men to be in unity with each other? Is it a mystery why he wants to destroy marriages, separate parents from their children, break up friendships, or cause confusion in relationships? Satan works against unity in any form because he knows that it will deplete his strength and ability. He is fearful of the dominion that will result when men join together in one accord so he sows discord. He creates misunderstanding and offense. He plants seeds of distrust so as to divide. He rejoices in broken relationships. He has even tried to annul the unity in the church of the Living God, but his goal was not accomplished. Regardless of our differences or denominations, we have remained One Body in Christ. Let us determine today to be discerning of the enemy's tactics. The devil's intentions are never good. He roams about as roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. His purpose is steal, kill, and destroy. Over and over we have seen in the scriptures that there is a power of two, for where there is unity, there is dominion, power, progress, added strength, and multiplication. For that reason, we must protect all of our relationships. We must count them as sacred gifts and make every effort to keep them intact. In Moses' writing, he told us that if one can chase a thousand, then two can put ten thousand to flight. Let us join together in the power of two so that we can put ten thousand enemies to flight. +++ 10/25/17 FATHER OF GLORY Scripture: Psalm 19:1 "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows and proclaims His handiwork." You only have to look at a majestic sunset to appreciate the splendor and glory of God. God is the greatest artist of all. I saw one of His masterpieces as it spanned the entire sky. In the east were clouds of pinks and grays that were indescribable. In the west, the sun was setting behind clouds of gold, silver, and purple. This was a magnificent creation, and yet, as great as it was, it was destined never to be duplicated. All of heaven was declaring the glory of God in those brief moments as God revealed Himself in nature. However, to experience this glory, you would have had to seen it personally. I could try to paint a picture with words, take a photo, or even put the scene on canvas in oils for you. Yet regardless of my detailed description or attempt to duplicate it, your appreciation would be limited because of your lack of experience of this glorious moment. How often do we miss God's glory in nature by not being in the right place at the right time in order to see it? Likewise, how often do we miss God's glory in the spiritual because we are not spiritually discerning? Paul expressed his concern for the church's inability to experience the glory of God because their eyes were not open to God's calling in their life (Ephesians 1:17-18). As Paul prayed for the church, he addressed his prayer to the Father of Glory, the God of the Lord Jesus Christ. His first request was that the church would have a spirit of wisdom and revelation so that the eyes of their understanding would be opened. The Amplified Bible says that he prayed that God would give them "insights into mysteries and secrets by having their eyes of their heart flooded with light." Paul was calling out to the Father of Glory. A father is one that creates or originates something and then remains responsible for it. God was the Creator and the Father of the glory of the sunset that I witnessed. He was solely responsible for its majestic beauty, and just as He manifests His glory in that sunset, He desires to manifest His glory in your life. What an awesome thought! In Colossians 1:27 Paul says, "Christ in you, the hope of glory." God's hope of being able to declare His glory to this lost and needy generation will only be revealed when His presence and anointing is abiding in you. You are His hope and He wants to manifest Himself in your life. Yet just as the heavens and the earth are not able to produce their own glory, neither can you. You must trust God to paint your life as He sees fit and use the colors that He chooses. As you do, the Spirit of Christ will live big within you and your life will declare God's glory and it will proclaim His handiwork. +++ 10/26/17 SOWING AND REAPING Scripture: Galatians 6:7 "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he reap." In both the natural and the spiritual realm, the principle of sowing and reaping is very simple and there are at least three basic laws that are in operation. First, you reap what you sow. If you put a bean seed in the ground, you will reap beans. If you plant potatoes, you will harvest potatoes. You cannot plant peas and expect to reap corn. It just does not work that way. God established this law in the beginning when He said, "Let it bring forth after its kind." You will always reap whatever you sow. Second, you reap more than you sow. Sowing operates exponentially. God did not tell the seed to double, He told it to multiply and bring forth. It only takes one small kernel of corn the size of the end of your smallest finger to produce an eight-foot stalk with twelve to fifteen ears of corn on each stalk. Each ear of corn contains hundreds of kernels, which have the same ability to reproduce themselves after their own kind. Finally, the third law of sowing and reaping is that you sow now and then you reap later. There is a long season or period of time between sowing and reaping. During this silent time, it appears that nothing is happening with your seed. You must extend your faith for the harvest because you cannot see the changes that are occurring below the surface. Yet as the seed dies in the obscure darkness, it begins to produce life again, which will eventually lead to fruition. George Washington Carver said: "How far you go in life depends on your being Tender with the young, Compassionate with the aged, Sympathetic with the striving, And tolerant of the weak and the strong Because someday you will have been all of these." Mr. Carver was in essence saying, "Be careful how you live your life." Job 4:8 says that if you sow wickedness, you will reap the same. Hosea 10:2 also says if you sow righteousness, you will reap mercy. Like the natural seeds, God also established boundaries in the spiritual. You will never reap mercy if you sow wickedness. You may get by with something for a while, not realizing that you are in a time of silent grace. God is very patient and will wait for your response of repentance. However, do not be deceived. There will always be seedtime and harvest, and your season to reap will eventually come. Sin has consequences and righteousness has rewards. So be very careful of the seeds that you sow, for in time they will produce fruit after their own kind. +++ 10/27/17 THINGS THAT IMPRESS GOD Scripture: Isaiah 58:8 (Living Bible) "If you do these things, God will shed His own glorious light upon you." The people of God were trying to do all the right things to gain favor with God and to get their own needs met, but they were receiving no results. In verse three, they cried out to God and said, "We have fasted before you. Why aren't you impressed? Why don't you see our sacrifices? Why don't you hear our prayers? We have done much penance, and You haven't even noticed it!" Have you ever come to this point of frustration with God? You fast and pray for a certain situation, but it seems that nothing changes. God spoke very plainly in this chapter and said that He was not as interested in religious acts and sacrifices as He was in our practical ministry to others. Like a natural father, what really makes our heavenly Father happy is what we do for His children. In verse six, God says, "Consider the type of fast that I have chosen ... I want you to stop oppressing people and treat them fairly. Share your food with the hungry, clothe the naked, and shelter those who are helpless, poor, and destitute by bringing them into your own homes." True ministry in the eyes of God is as follows: "Find a Hurt and Heal it. Find a Need and Meet it. Find a Void and Fill it. Find a Problem and Solve it." By Rev. John Osteen This is true religion that is undefiled before God and if you do these things, God said that He would shed His own glorious light upon you. He will heal you and your righteousness will go before you. When you pray, He will quickly reply and say, "Yes, I am here." In other words, God makes a promise that if you will be there for others, He will be there for you. God's fast is for you to forget about your own needs for a season and think about others. As you minister to others, God will anoint you and grant you the grace to be bigger than you are. And He will also shed His glorious light upon your own needs. +++ 10/30/17 POWER OF THE SPIRIT Scripture: Luke 4:14 "And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit ... " The battle you face today is not an uncommon battle. It has been faced many times before by many people, but if you can learn to rely on the Word of God, which is the Sword of the Spirit, the victory will be yours. Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Ghost for the expressed purpose of testing the Word of God that was inside of Him. With all three conflicts, He responded with a scripture and three simple words, "It is written." He did not try to reason with the enemy, nor prove Himself right. He relied on the truth of God, and the truth prevailed. The thirteenth verse says that the devil ended his temptation and departed for a season. You do not have to be super spiritual or smart to confront the devil. All you have to do is "submit yourself to God" then "resist the devil and he will flee" (James 4:7). When you resist the devil with a portion of God's Word, you shine light on his deception, and the truth of God dispels the darkness of all of his lies. Notice, however, that the devil only left Jesus for a season. The devil does not give up easily or stay away for very long. We are in constant warfare with him. Ephesians 6:13 tells us to put on the whole armor of God so that we can stand against the enemy. Then having done all that we can do, stand. The Greek translation of these words is "having done all, stand and get ready for the next battle." Satan attacks us internally through our minds and emotions and externally through circumstances, relationships, and health. His sole purpose is to undermine God's will for our lives as he comes to "steal, kill, and destroy" (John 10:10). But Jesus came so that we could have an abundant life. He defeated the devil and returned in the power of the Spirit, and then empowered us to do the same. Jesus gave us the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven and told us that we could bind on Earth whatever was bound in Heaven and loose on Earth that which was loosed in Heaven. God's Word determines what is bound in Heaven and determines what is loosed in Heaven (Matthew 16:19). If you want to be victorious in your time of testing, make sure you are using the Word of God, for His Word is the only sword that will destroy the enemy. You will only return in the power of the Spirit when you boldly come into a face-to-face conflict with the devil and overcome him with the written Word of God. +++ 10/31/17 ENLARGE YOUR VISION Scripture: Isaiah 54:2-3 "Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of your habitations: spare not, lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes; For you shall break forth on the right hand and on the left ..." After God spoke these words to the Israelites, He followed up by telling them not to fear or be confounded with respect to what was about to happen in their lives. He wanted to assure them that He was right in their midst and that He was working His plan. All that was required of them was that they were to enlarge and stretch themselves to the full so that they may be able to receive His salvation and blessings. Many times God wants to do something new and different in our lives, but when He speaks a promise to us, fear and doubt also chime in and mingle themselves with the words that He has spoken. Fear and doubt begin to voice all of the reasons why God's plan cannot happen. Their arguments are strong. Fear and doubt tell us that we need to stay on familiar ground and that we must not get ourselves into something that is too big for us to handle. They discourage us from stepping out in faith and furnish us with excuses to keep us from walking through the doors that God is opening for us. They paint a dismal picture and challenge every ounce of faith that God has birthed within our spirits. All the while, God continues to speak His fresh and new Word to us, "Enlarge, stretch forth, spare not, lengthen, and strengthen yourself, for I am getting ready to use you. Don't fear or be confounded, you are going to break forth on the right hand and on the left hand." What a mighty promise this is, but it comes with much responsibility. It is never in God's plan that we become stagnant in our relationship with Him or our ministry to others. As He instructed the Israelites to make their tents larger, God instructs us to get ready for His plan and purpose to be fulfilled in our lives. He desires to grow our faith and take us from glory to glory, but we must do our part. We must discard the negative words of the devil and stretch our faith to come into agreement with God's promise. We must make ourselves vulnerable in every way and allow His Holy Spirit to empower and strengthen us for the task that is ahead. If we want to break forth into the new dimensions that God has prepared for us, we must take the initiative to enlarge the borders of our thinking to see His vision. +++ 11/2/17 FEAR VS. GODLY FEAR Scripture: Psalms 27:1 "... whom shall I fear? ... of whom shall I be afraid?" Fear is a strong emotion and is also a great influence in our lives. Our fears may be justified or just imagined, yet, when we are experiencing fear of any kind, it is very real. A simple symptom in our lives can cause fear even though the symptom may not be an indication of the true facts. Fear will tell us that our children are on the road to failure or that we may face the dreaded layoff that is rumored in the office, but these words may not be true. Fear tells us that we are on the edge of financial ruin because of what our investment records dictate, but it disregards the truth that God is our financial source. We may fear that we have a deadly disease because the pains in our body are speaking so loudly to us that we are unable to consider the voice of God, our Healer. Fear is fear and it comes to us in all stages of life and we will be forced to deal with it. The question that we face is the same as David posed, "Whom shall I fear? Of whom shall I be afraid?" We have a choice, for there are two entirely different kinds of fear that are presented to us. One is a fear that is to be shunned because it gives in to the torments of the devil and the other is a fear that we should embrace because it wraps itself around the awesomeness of a holy God. Unholy fear is provoked by the evil that surrounds us, but reverential fear is cultivated by receiving a revelation of the wonder of God. There is a fear that brings bondage and hinders our good decisions but there is also a fear that brings wisdom and causes us to act in freedom and discretion. There is a fear that is clouded by darkness and there is a fear that illuminates our spirits with eternal light. The fear that is healthy and holy is the reverential fear of the Lord. It is not a tormenting fear, but a fear that causes us to worship the Lord in the beauty of His holiness. This fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. It is to be embraced because the more we reverently fear God the more likely we are to obey His commandments. When we obey God, we gain confidence because we know that our hearts are right before Him. This strong confidence creates a place of refuge for us (Proverbs 14:26). It hides us in the presence of the Lord and regenerates our spiritual strength, which gives us boldness to stand in the midst of adversity and false fear. We must always remember that fear has two positions. There is a battle that rages within us and we must personally decide whether we will take flight and run from evil or bow and give reverence to the Lord who is greater than any evil that pursues us. It is fear verses Godly fear and our decision will govern our destiny. +++ Copyright © 2017 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights Reserved www.widsonline.com |
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