| ............ | A Word In Due Season JULY 2018 7/2/18 SPECIFIC PRAYERS Scripture: Mark 10:51 "Jesus said, What do you want Me to do for you?" A blind man named Bartimaeus sat by the roadside begging. Undoubtedly, he had heard about a man named Jesus who was going about healing the sick and performing mighty miracles. When he heard that this same Jesus was near, he began to cry out for mercy. Those about him tried to quiet him, but their opposition only caused him to cry louder. His voice of faith stopped Jesus in His journey. Jesus stood still and commanded Bartimaeus to come to Him. In faith that he would be healed, Bartimaeus cast aside his beggar's garment. This garment had provided him provision and security for most of his life. By this act, he was demonstrating his trust in Jesus and his faith for his own personal miracle. Jesus asked Bartimaeus, "What do you want Me to do for you?" Jesus could see that Bartimaeus was blind, but He was not necessarily moved by the blind man's need to see. Jesus was moved by Bartimaeus' faith and his fervent cries. He wanted Bartimaeus to state his need. This blind beggar could have been short minded and asked for a few coins or a morsel of bread to sustain him for another day. He very well could have taken a lesser blessing, but his faith was great. In the presence of Jesus, he could have asked for anything, but Bartimaeus did not need the Red Sea to part before him. He did not need manna to rain down from heaven or water to come out of a rock. He did not need to be rescued from a lion's den or a fiery furnace. He simply needed to see, so he asked Jesus to restore his sight. Jesus answered his prayer and said, "Go your way, your faith has made you whole." What are your needs today? God wants the cries of your heart to arrest His attention and your voice of faith to stop Him and cause Him to stand still. He wants your heart to draw upon His love and compassion so that He can meet your need. Like Bartimaeus, God wants to see you leave all of your earthly security behind as you totally lean upon Him. James 4:2-3 says, "You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss or with the wrong motives." God is waiting for you to express your needs and desires to Him in specific terms. He wants to fill every need that is not amiss or out of the scope of His intended provision for you. Like the blind man, you may not need the same miracles that Moses, Daniel, or the three Hebrew children experienced, but your needs and desires are important to Jesus and nothing is impossible with Him. He says, "I see your heart, I know your pain, and I hear your cries. What is it that you want Me to do for you?" +++ 7/3/18 THE ANOINTING Scripture: I John 2:27 "The anointing, which you have received of Him, abides in you." The anointing of the Holy Spirit is not just a feeling that we experience. Instead, it is a supernatural force that abides within us, which can break the yoke of bondage and set the captives free. It is like a mighty rushing river that flows from our inner being (John 7:38-39) and empowers us to do the work of God, which we could not do otherwise. Even Jesus had to depend upon the anointing of the Holy Spirit to complete His work, for He declared that He could do nothing of Himself, but only what the Father showed Him. When God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit, Jesus went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil (Acts 10:38). Notice that He went about doing good deeds and delivering those who were oppressed. God is love and He intends for the anointing in our lives to be used to fulfill His desires and complete His purposes. The anointing is never meant to be a show of personal power or to do evil. Consider the event with Jesus' disciples, James and John. They wanted to use the power of God to command fire to come down from Heaven and consume those who did not agree with them (Luke 9:54). Jesus told them that they did not understand which spirit was operating within them, for the Spirit of God seeks only to minister and give life, not destroy and bring death. Yet, this is what happens when we allow our carnal mind to be in control. We, too, can easily lend ourselves to the wrong influence just like the disciples who personally walked this earth with Jesus. It seems that Jesus’s disciples would have been beyond error, but the truth is that we all have weaknesses within our soul. According to God's Word, the Holy Spirit is always present within us. The Holy Spirit is there to strengthen and direct us although we may not sense His presence. In the natural, we have muscles that are never used until the need arises. We do not necessarily feel them or notice them. Yet, our muscles make themselves available and show their strength when they are needed to move, lift, or push a heavy object. The anointing is like a spiritual muscle that is waiting to be used. When a need presents itself, the anointing of the Holy Spirit will rise within us to meet the challenge because He is abiding within us. The anointing will cause us to find the boldness to do things or say things that we normally would be too shy to do or too timid to say. We may surprise ourselves at times by praying for someone or witnessing to them because the Holy Spirit suddenly moves within us. There are many needs around us and we need to become more aware of the anointing that is within us. Like Paul told Timothy, we need to stir up this precious gift. We must be conscious that the anointing that is within us is there for a purpose. We must be ready at God's command to allow His Spirit to flow through us so that we can do good deeds, minister to the oppressed, and complete the Lord's work for His glory. +++ 7/4/18 BLESSED NATION Scripture: Psalms 33:12 "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." The fifty-six men who signed our Declaration of Independence, which was approved on July 4, 1776, committed an act of treason against the British Crown. As they signed this incredible Declaration, they mutually pledged to each other their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. Of those who signed, two became Presidents of the United States, three became Vice Presidents, and several others became either State Governors or U. S. Senators. However, there were many signers who suffered greatly. Four died of wounds from the war and five were imprisoned. Several lost their wives and children as their homes were attacked. The oldest signer of the Declaration was 70 year old Benjamin Franklin, whose faith was strong in God. Speaking of God, He said: "Have we now forgotten this powerful Friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance? I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth -- that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that 'except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.' I firmly believe this." Benjamin Franklin was convinced that all was vain unless the Lord was God and Builder of this nation. The freedom we enjoy has been purchased with tears and blood. We have reaped the noble sacrifice of these brave men, and every American life has been touched by the document they signed. Because of their sacrifice, we have experienced a "Blessed nation whose God is the Lord ... And we are STILL one nation, under God. +++ 7/5/18 WHEN GOD REDECORATES Scripture: Isaiah 43:19 "I will make a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert." When we think of changing things or redecorating, our plans are not nearly as grand as those of God. His thoughts are much higher than our thoughts and His vision is much greater than ours. Most of us would never think of the possibility to make a path through the wilderness or believe that a stream could be made to flow in the midst of the desert as the prophet declared. We do not think on those terms because our thoughts are limited to our own finite abilities and personal resources, but God's wisdom, knowledge, and ability is infinite. He is not limited in any way because He is the Creator and He controls all of the resources that are needed to accomplish His desires. When God finishes redecorating the Earth, the wilderness and desert do not function or look the same as they did in the past, for God prospers everything that He touches and gives it all purpose. The wilderness becomes a convenient pathway and the desert becomes a profitable place of refreshing water, growth, and vegetation. Like the natural wilderness and desert, there are seasons in our lives when we experience barren and dry places. We may have had big dreams, a huge desire to accomplish something particular, and a determination to finish our goals. But then life happens and all is disrupted. None of the plans that we made have come to pass and discouragement has begun to settle in. It is during this season that the Lord is very near to our hurting soul. In the wilderness of discouragement, the Lord speaks and says, "I am your way." And in the dry and barren seasons, the Lord encourages us with His Word and lets us know that He will never forsake us. He is going to cause a stream to spring forth out of the desert of our soul. This is His grand promise to us and it is imperative during this time that we trust His Word, His integrity, and His faithfulness, for God is about to do a new thing. When God begins to change things in our lives, He does everything new. He causes things to be just the opposite of what they were before He got involved. It is as though He is redecorating our lives. He takes out the old and brings in the new at His discretion. He turns our darkness into light and paints our life with new colors. He turns our mourning into joy and gladness and gives us a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. He restores our soul and gives us beauty for the ashes of our life. With the stripes that Jesus received on His back, we do not have to endure sickness and disease without hope because He provides healing for our bodies. With the crown of thorns that pierced His brow, we no longer have to remain in torment and confusion, for He offers us peace of mind. Jesus suffered all so that we could live in abundance. He sacrificed everything so that streams could flow in the deserts of our life and so that He could make a plain pathway when we passed through the wilderness. He makes all things new and is a God of provision for every area of our life. The Holy Spirit is hovering over you right now just as He did in the beginning of time when God turned the emptiness and void into a beautiful world with just His Words and His voice. God wants to do a new thing in your life and is working to remove the old empty places so that He can restore and make all things new. Where you can only see the wilderness of your situation, God has a vision for a glorious pathway. And where you can only see the dry barren desert, He has plans for a spring that will flow through the center of your life that will refresh and restore your spirit. Keep in mind that God is unlimited and makes all things beautiful in His time. So give all of your concerns to the Lord and allow Him to change and redecorate your life as only He knows how to do. +++ 7/6/18 WITNESSES AND INSPIRATIONS Scripture: Hebrews 12:1 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, let us run with patience the race that is set before us." Challenges greet us at every turn in life and many things seek to weigh us down. We may have thought that life's race would be easier than it is. Yet even when we are being obedient to God's voice and know that we are in His will, it is still hard to understand the hurdles that stand in our way and the many pitfalls that are there to surprise us. Condemnation tells us that we must be doing something wrong and temptation speaks to our soul to give up and drop out of the race. Discouragement says, "It is hopeless. You will never make it." Then physical weariness takes us to the very edge. The Apostle Paul knew that we would face these struggles and told us that in the midst of temptation, there are other voices that we can turn to. He spoke of a great cloud of witnesses that surround each and every one of us to give us encouragement, correction, and inspiration for enduring faith. These witnesses that surround us have passed this way before. Their stories and examples throughout the scriptures show us the way through the wilderness, give light in our darkness, and direction for our path. When we are weak, we can view their lives and draw strength. The witness of Joseph tells us to hold onto our dreams, for they will come to pass at the appointed time. The witness of Noah says, "Obey God's voice even if it seems ridiculous, for you will never regret it." The witness of David says, "Fight for your cause and do not be afraid of the giants in your life." The witness of Moses says, "God will meet every need, even if He has to rain it down from Heaven." The witness of Daniel lets us know that God can shut the mouths of hungry lions. The witness of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is there to encourage us when we are in the hopeless furnaces of life. Their witness speaks to us that, "The Lord will walk with us through the fire and that we will come out not even smelling like smoke." And finally the greatest witness and inspiration of all is that Jesus gives us hope of resurrection and a new and eternal life. These are just a few of the witnesses that surround you. It does not matter if you are going through a flood or in a fiery furnace; God's witnesses have been there. God has a perfect Word for every dilemma and a voice for every cause. His witnesses are cheering from the sidelines and speaking encouragement to your soul and spirit. Read their accounts in God's Word and listen to their voices, for they are the witnesses of renewed strength for today and a vision of a better tomorrow. Their testimonies of deliverance will help you lay aside the weights that are hindering you, and their accounts of victory will be an inspiration that will help you stand in the midst of your adversities. +++ 7/9/18 GOD IS ALWAYS GOD Scripture: Isaiah 40:28 "Have you not known? Have you not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth faints not, neither is weary? There is no searching His understanding." The other day when I wrote a personal note to a friend I meant to say, "God is always good." Instead of using those words, however, I misspelled good and wrote, "God is always God." When I noticed my error, I thought about the powerful statement these four words made, for truly God is always God and He never changes (Malachi 3:6). He is sovereign and will forever be the Supreme Being in all of our lives. God is the Creator, the Lord, and the Maker of Heaven and Earth. There is no variableness or shadow of turning with Him (James 1:17). He is the same today as He was yesterday and He will be the same tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8). Isaiah also declared that there is no searching of God's understanding. I agree with these words, for I have found that the more I learn about God, the more I realize just how little I really know. For me, the knowledge of the Lord is like looking at a vehicle and then taking it all apart. I can discover all of the individual parts, but after examining them, I would have no idea how they all fit back together again or how they actually work. I have known God since I was small child and I have walked and communed with Him on a daily bases for many decades. I have learned something new about Him every day, but I have come to the conclusion that God and His ways are far beyond my comprehension. Like the prophet Isaiah said, "There is no searching God's understanding." God understands our lives better than we do. He created us in our mother's womb and caused us to come forth, and He has ordained a plan for our destiny. He is the Everlasting God and He never faints or grows weary in the process of being who He is. Friends and family may fail you, but you can always depend upon God. He outlasts every challenge and comes through victorious in every battle. He knows your way from the beginning to the end. He holds all of the pieces of your life in His hands and knows exactly where every piece is supposed to fit. You are the joy of God's heart and His main interest. His love for you will never fail. When you come to understand God in this manner, it will be easier for you to trust your life to Him. As you learn to lean upon God, allow these two thoughts to minister faith and assurance to you, "God is always good ... and God is always God." +++ 7/10/18 SUFFERING FOR A SEASON Scripture: I Peter 5:10 "But the God of all grace, Who has called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered awhile, make you perfect, established, strengthen, and settle you." Our Heavenly Father is the God of all grace. There is nothing too big for Him to handle and no situation that outweighs His measure of grace. There is no mountain too high, no valley too low, and no river too deep that will cause His grace to fail. God's grace is and always will be sufficient for every need. However, grace is only needed when there is a lack. The scripture above tells us that God has called us unto His eternal glory, but His glory will only come to us as we pass through the process of suffering. We all want to experience God's glory but we do not relish the thought of suffering to get there. Like a piece of clay that must suffer through the process of being shaped into something useful, it is through suffering that God is able to mold us into the vessels that He wants us to be. Peter said that the God of all grace deals with us until we are perfect or mature and complete in every way. God does not leave the clay unfinished. He completes our beings through fiery trials and adverse situations. He also uses our seasons of suffering to establish us or make us resolute and steadfast in our direction, for when we suffer through various situations, we come out vowing never to be in those places again. Through suffering, we are also strengthened in power as our thoughts toward God are confirmed in spiritual knowledge. Seasons of suffering also settle our hearts and make sure our foundation. You may wonder why God is so slow in turning your situation around. The previous scriptures tell you what you should do during your season of suffering. First, you must "humble yourself under the mighty hand of God" (I Peter 5 verse 6). By demoting yourself, you allow God to rule and have dominion over you. As you completely yield yourself to Him, He is able to finish His work within you. Second, you are to "cast all of your cares upon Him" (Vs. 7). He knows that you are in a tough place, but as you learn to let Him take all of your anxieties, worries, and concerns, it releases you from the power of the evil one. You must also "be sober and vigilant" (Vs. 8). Watching for the snares of the devil will keep you well-balanced and temperate. Caution must be exercised at all times because the devil will try to use your suffering situation to destroy your faith. Finally, you must realized that you are not alone and that suffering should not be considered something strange for those in the Kingdom of God. "The same afflictions are happening with your brothers throughout the world" (Vs.9). You have an adversary that is going about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He is a desperate foe, but you can take refuge in the knowledge that God is the God of all grace, favor, and blessing. So be encourage to know that God has called you into His eternal glory and He is in control. He has designed your destiny and made sure that your suffering will only be for a season. +++ 7/11/18 THE POWER OF THE KEYS Scripture: Matthew 16:19 "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven ..." Peter shared a tremendous revelation that Jesus was Christ, the Son of the Living God. As Christ, Jesus would be the Anointed One who would fulfill all of the prophetic scriptures pertaining to the Messiah. Isaiah had prophesied that the Messiah would preach good tidings to the poor, bind up the broken hearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, and appoint joy to the mournful. Other prophets had declared that the Messiah would heal the sick, cause the lame to walk, the blind to see, and bring salvation through His death on the cross. The Messiah was destined to do the works that God had ordained for Him and He would not return void to the Father. Jesus called the revelation that Peter had "The Rock", or foundation, upon which the Lord's church would be built. Jesus declared that the gates of Hell would not be able to prevail against this revelation. He also declared that He would give Peter the keys of the Kingdom. These keys would have the authority to bind and to loose (lock and unlock) whatever had been bound or loosed in Heaven by Jesus' mission here on Earth. These keys would not be available just for Peter, but for all believers. Jesus said that even you and I would be able to do the works that He did, and even greater, because He had to go back to the Father (John 14:12). As we experience the kingdom ourselves and realize who Jesus is and what His Word says, we come to understand how to use the keys of the Kingdom. You cannot tell someone about a place that you have never visited or describe the beauty that you have never seen. So it is that you cannot really explain the joys of the Kingdom until you have experienced them yourself. Once you have experienced the things of the Lord, the gates of Hell cannot prevail nor take away what God has given. These keys are just like any natural key. They may seem very small, but they hold enormous authority and demand great responsibility. A small two-inch key is able to control a seven-foot door and guard an entire house. One of the most precious things that we give our children as they mature is the key to our house or car. Jesus trusted us enough to give us the keys of His Kingdom. What an awesome responsibility we have. These spiritual keys, like natural keys, work regardless of our feelings. In the natural we have no power or ability within ourselves to open any locked door without a key, and it is the same in the spirit. We cannot unlock things in the spiritual realm without using spiritual keys. Success is in the key itself, as it alone possesses the ability and power to unlock the door. Romans 14:17 gives us a definition of the Kingdom of God, saying that it is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Hell cannot prevail against this Kingdom with unrighteousness, confusion, and sadness. We have the authority to overcome the kingdom of darkness because we have a revelation of who Christ is, and He has given us the keys of the Kingdom. Some of these keys are His Word, His Blood, and His Name. Through these keys we can receive cleansing, redemption, healing, and help in every area of our lives. However, having the keys and using the keys are two different matters. It is only as we cooperate with God and depend upon Him and His power that we can accomplish His will on Earth. He waits for us to simply use the key that He has provided. +++ 7/12/18 LITTLE IN YOUR OWN EYES Scripture: Proverbs 16:33 "The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom: and before honor is humility." In I Samuel chapter fifteen, the prophet Samuel came to anoint Saul to be the king over Israel. Later when Samuel met with Saul, he discovered that Saul had not followed the specific instructions that Samuel had given him earlier. The prophet Samuel had told Saul to destroy the enemy and everything that they had. Instead of obeying these words, Saul spared the king, the best of the flocks, and all that was good. Verse thirteen says that when Samuel met Saul, Saul lied and said, "I have performed the commandment of the Lord," but Samuel could hear the noises of the sheep and the oxen in the background. When Samuel confronted Saul concerning the matter, Saul blamed the people for his own disobedience. He said that he had spared the livestock because the people wanted to use them for sacrifices. Yet as noble as this excuse sounded, it was in direct opposition to God's instructions. Saul's actions indicated that he did not reverently fear the Lord. And by refusing God's wisdom and instructions, he allowed pride to reign in his heart. God's knowledge of the situation was much higher than Saul's. God knew that the enemy would eventually come back and destroy His people if they were not totally annihilated. Samuel told Saul, "It is better to obey God than to make sacrifices to Him." Because of Saul's disobedience, God repented for choosing him to be king over Israel. God emphasized His feelings in verse seventeen when He asked Saul, "When you were little in your own sight, were you not made the head of all the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed you to be king over Israel?" In the beginning, Saul's humility had exalted him, but now rebellion and pride had displaced humility in his heart and caused the kingdom to be taken from him. God speaks to us and says, "Before honor is humility." God desires that we reverently fear Him and that we humble ourselves under His hands and be obedient to His will. He is not pleased when we disobey Him, and then try to cover it up with offerings and sacrifices as Saul did. God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. He honors those who yield to His wisdom and walk in humility. I Peter 5:5-6 tells us to be completely "clothed in humility." We must make a conscious effort to clothe ourselves in humility and become little in our own eyes. When God sees our heart wrapped in sincere humility, He makes a way to exalt us in His due time. +++ 7/13/18 WALK IN THE LIGHT Scripture: I John 1:7 "Walk in the light, as He is in the light." The pathway of life has many challenges, yet we are given a specific instruction to walk in the light. That light is the presence of the Lord, Himself. His examples and Words shine light upon our pathway and teach us right from wrong so there is no reason for us to walk in the darkness of deception. God's light is like the spotlight on the stage of life and it limits us to the truth of His Word. When we step out of the light, we step out of truth and remove ourselves from God's covering. We can go in any direction in life, but just like being in a spotlight, we are only one step away from the darkness. It is imperative that we walk with God as He leads and directs us, one step at a time, so that we can continue in the light. The darkness holds no positive promise for us and we are not to explore its path, for its shadows only bring death and defeat. So why do we even consider venturing into spiritual darkness? The Word of God tells us that we are drawn away by our own lust. The devil approaches us in the same manner as he did when he enticed Eve in the Garden of Eden. He tells us that the forbidden fruit is good to eat and that it will bring enlightenment to our souls. He causes us to believe that there is happiness outside of the light. When we are bored, the devil tells us that we can do the same things that the world does and escape correction. He distracts us from the truth of God's Word, which tells us that if we knowingly do something wrong it is sin. He does not remind us that sin has consequences. If we see something we need, he tells us that we should take it and assures us that it is okay to step outside of the light of integrity just this one time. If we are lonely, he tells us that God will understand if we can seek fulfillment in the darkness of an immoral relationship. When we become angry, he tells us that we have the right to express our uncontrolled temper. We must understand that the devil's temptations are ever present and when we give in to his devises, we step out of God's light and into the darkness of evil. Envision a circle of light, which contains love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (Galatians 5:22-23). These are the things that God's light produces. Then, think about the darkness that surrounds that circle of light. The darkness is filled with those things that are opposite of the light. There is hate, sadness, confusion, anxiety, impatience, harshness, evil works, doubt, haughtiness, and intemperance. The circle of light is warm and inviting and there is peace because you are able to see what is happening around you and you know where you going. The darkness that surrounds the circle of light is cold and lonely. It is a frightening place because when you walk in the darkness you are lost and alone. You run into things and you lose your direction. Our walk in life is a personal choice. Each of us must decide for ourselves whether we will walk in the light or in the darkness. It is not a one-time decision or even a daily decision. Instead, it is a decision that is designed for every moment of the day. The choices of life present themselves continually and each step is a part of a subtle process. There is no mystery. It is simply walking with God, moment by moment, step by step, and staying in the light of His presence because He is the light. +++ 7/16/18 CONTINUE TO MINISTER Scripture: Mark 6:6 "And Jesus marveled because of their unbelief. And He went round about the villages, teaching." Jesus had traveled the countryside, healing the sick, delivering the oppressed from evil spirits, and performing other miracles for the multitudes. His fame had spread throughout the entire region. When Jesus returned to His own country, He went to the synagogue and began to teach the people. The people who heard Jesus speak were astonished at His wisdom and wondered where He had received it. They had also heard about all of the miracles that He had preformed and marveled at the mighty works that He had done. Yet, they were offended at Jesus because they knew Him as the natural son of Mary and a simple carpenter named Joseph. Their limited faith would not allow them to believe that He was the Son of God. Because they did not honor Jesus or have faith in Him, He could not do any mighty works in their midst. Jesus, the miracle worker, was only able to heal a few sick people by laying His hands on them (Mark 6:5). To me, being able to heal a few sick people is still a mighty miracle that is beyond human ability. Yet, Jesus could have done so much more in their midst if they had just given Him honor and believed in Him. Jesus marveled at the people's unbelief, but He understood that a prophet was without honor in his own country, amongst his own kin, and in his own house (Verse 4). Jesus did not allow this setback to stop His mission, but continued to go throughout the villages and teach. He could have become discouraged and thought that His season to minister was over. Jesus could have believed that God, the Father, had lifted the anointing from His life and that He no longer had power to do miracles. Many things could have raced through His mind in this disappointing hour, but Jesus did not give in to those thoughts or allow the people's lack of faith to control His own destiny. He just kept doing the will of the Father. I believe that the Holy Spirit shared this story with us as an example to keep us from being discouraged. If the lack of faith on people's part could affect Jesus' ministry, it can surely affect ours. There will be seasons in all of our lives when we are limited by the faith of others. We can share the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ with others, but we cannot force faith into their hearts. We can witness to them about healing, but we cannot make them believe. We can show them the way to deliverance from their addictions, but we cannot lay down their bad habits for them. We can teach them how to believe God for their provisions, but we cannot receive their blessings for them. We are just as limited as Jesus was when He ministered. The people that we minister to must exert their own faith in order to receive. Like the crowds who listened to Jesus, they may not want to receive our words of hope. They may refuse to acknowledge the anointing on our lives and recognize us as just a family member or a common acquaintance. We must not get discouraged when we have done all that we could do, and said all that we could say, and there has been no positive response. We must understand that we are not responsible for the spiritual heartbeat of others. We are only responsible to obey God. When everything seems to have failed and we see unbelief all around us, we must do as Jesus did and that is to continue to minister as God has called us to do. +++ 7/17/18 WHERE ART THOU? Scripture: Genesis 3:9 "The Lord God called unto Adam, and said to him, Where art thou?" When God first created Adam and Eve, He created them in His own image. They were surrounded with His glory and never took notice that they were naked. When they sinned it destroyed the glory that surrounded them and revealed their nakedness. When they saw themselves exposed, fear infiltrated their hearts and the guilt and shame that overpowered them caused them to run and hide from God. God searched the garden diligently and His voice called to them like a loving Father searching for His lost children. After a long conversation with them about the sin that they had committed, God again clothed Adam and Eve, but this time it was with coats from the skins of animals. God then forced them to leave the Garden of Eden. God's voice is still sounding in the world today. Have you noticed how loud God's voice seems when you have disobeyed Him in some area of your life? You may pray a hundred prayers and wonder if God has heard you. But the minute you use those same lips to say something that is not good, you feel God's Spirit of conviction and hear His voice of correction speaking to you. It's like thunder in your ears. You stand there stripped in His presence, and like Adam and Eve, you want to hide. However, you soon learn that you cannot hide from God, for He knows the garden too well. His eyes run to and fro until He locates you. He brings you to a place that you must acknowledge where you are and what you have done. Because God is full of mercy, He offers you repentance, and because of His faithfulness and grace, He forgives. God's grace and mercy is never a license to sin. When the woman who was caught in the act of adultery was brought to Jesus, He not only said, "I forgive you," He also confronted her sin and said, "Go, and sin no more." God's forgiveness always demands change within our heart and in our actions. It would be great if we obeyed God's every command and never sinned, but God knows that we are frail humanity and that this is never going to happen. Jesus was the only one who has ever lived on this earth without sin. He alone is holy and fully moral. Jesus understands our temptations, and as the Good Shepherd, He will leave the ninety-nine good sheep and search for the one that has strayed out of the sheepfold. If you have failed in some point and are hiding under a shroud of guilt and shame, allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the secrets of your heart to your loving Father. God is calling your name and asking, "Where are you?" He is diligently searching for you because He wants to forgive you, restore you, and clothe you in His righteousness. +++ 7/18/18 THE PLACE OF REST Scripture: Hebrews 3:10-11 "They always go astray in their hearts, and have not known My ways. In My anger I swore, 'They shall not enter My rest.'" God promised the Israelites a good and prosperous land that flowed with milk and honey. He never said that this place would come easy or that there would be no battles. This prosperous land that God was offering them would have to be possessed by their faith. It was a sure gift, yet they never entered the Promised Land. The results of their defeat were not because the battles were too great, but because their faith was too small. They mixed God's Word with murmuring, complaining, and unbelief instead of mixing it with faith and obedience. Faith is not something that you struggle with or work up in the natural. It comes by supernatural impartation by the Holy Spirit as God speaks to your spirit. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. However, many times you may have to face your own limitations and be real with God. Like the man in Mark 9:24 who requested prayer and deliverance for his demon possessed son, you may have to tell God, "I believe, but please help my unbelief." God is understanding and He will always be faithful to meet you at your personal point of faith. All of God's promises to us rest in our faith and obedience to His Word. He shows us the concept of faith in a natural seed. You must let go completely when you plant a seed into the ground, leaving it there to rest for a long and dark season. You cannot dig it up and analyze it every day to see if anything is happening. You have to cease from your own efforts, rest, and trust God to finish the work. You cannot bring life to the seed. Only a miracle can regenerate that seed and cause it to grow. Your only responsibility is to plant the seed in faith and wait expectantly for the harvest. God will work underneath the surface and in the darkness of the situation to bring life to the seemingly dead and hopeless seed. So it is with true faith. When true faith is planted in God, it will cease from anxiety and will enter a place of rest until God brings forth fruit and life. +++ 7/18/18 PROMOTION COMES FROM GOD Scripture: Psalms 75:6-7 "For promotion comes neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: He puts down one and lifts up another." God holds our lives in His sovereign hands, and regardless of our abilities and talents, we can go no further than what He allows. Even our boastings will not promote us, but will only make us look foolish to those who are listening. Verse four of this chapter says, "I said to the arrogant and boastful, don't deal arrogantly - don't boast; and to the wicked, don't lift up the horn of personal aggrandizement" (Amplified Bible). In today's language we would say, "Don't blow your own horn." Proverbs 27:2 says, "Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips." God has good plans and purposes for your life, but He takes you through many tests and makes sure that you are seasoned and mature before He releases you into those places of responsibility. Often those tests become very discouraging and it may seem that God will never show up. God kept Moses on the backside of the desert for forty years and caused Joseph to pass through the pit and prison for about 16 years before promoting him. When the fullness of God's time finally came for these men, He appeared to Moses in a burning bush and promoted Joseph to second in the kingdom in just one day. Even Jesus, Himself, had to wait until He was thirty years old before His promotion and fame came. Then suddenly after His water baptism and His temptation in the wilderness, "Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit unto Galilee: and there went out a fame of Him through the entire region" (Luke 4:14). The people marveled and spoke, "Is this not Joseph's son?" They could not believe that this simple carpenter's son was doing these mighty works. God almighty had promoted Him. God desires to promote you, but He has a principle that He operates by. If you know anything about God's principles, you know they always seem to be opposite of our natural thinking. For instance, if you want to receive - you must give; if you want revenge - you are to do something good for your oppressor; if someone steals from you - you are to give them something more. Now God says if you want to be promoted, humble yourself and He will exalt you (I Peter 5:6). This principle is found again in Matthew 23:12 (Amplified), "Whoever exalts himself with haughtiness and empty pride shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself - who has a modest opinion of himself and behaves accordingly - shall be raised to honor." So remember that your promotion will not come from the east, west, or south. Trust in God, for He is your judge and your promotion will come from His hands. +++ 7/20/18 PRAYER HAS A VOICE Scripture: Luke 11:2 "And He said unto them, When you pray, say .... " When Jesus was teaching His disciples to pray, the first thing that He instructed them to do was to audibly say the words of their prayer to God. God is omniscient and He know the thoughts of our mind and the meditations of our hearts. He understands our motives and intentions better than we do. He also sees our pain and disappointments and listens to the cries of our heart even though we do not give them sound. Yet, even though the Lord can see what is going on internally within us, He shares with us a very important principle of prayer, which is that He wants us to give voice to our prayers. Jesus told us that our Father God knows what things we have need of before we ask for them, but He does not say that we are not supposed to ask (Matthew 6:8). In fact, following the statement that God knows what we have need of, Jesus taught us that we still need to make our needs known and that our request should be prayers that can be heard. James 4:2 says, "You have not because you ask not." And then in John 16:24, Jesus said, "Up until now, you have asked nothing in My Name: ask, and you shall receive so that your joy may be full." Even when the blind man was crying out to Jesus, Jesus asked him what he wanted. It seemed that the blind man's need was very evident to everyone near, but Jesus wanted him to declare his specific request. Asking for a need to be met not only causes you to acknowledge your need of the Lord's provision, it also allows Him to determine where your faith is. When Jesus heard the blind man say that he wanted Jesus to restore his sight, Jesus knew the blind man believed in Him and also that he believed Jesus could do that mighty work. He told the blind man, "Go your way, your faith has made you whole." Today, I want you to think about the things that you want God to do for you or someone else in your life; recent things or things that you have held in your heart for many years. They may be things that you think you do not deserve or things that seem too impossible for even God to do. Then I want you to make those needs known to God and ask Him to grant your requests in the Name of Jesus. I want you to remind God of the scriptures above and release your faith in Him to accomplish what He has promised to you. Allow your spoken words to declare your faith in God and your belief in what He can do for you. Remember you have not because you ask not. Prayer has a voice and you need to speak your words aloud to God. As you do, I believe that God will listen and that He will answer as Jesus said so that your joy may be full and complete. +++ 7/23/18 TRUSTING GOD INSTEAD OF SELF Scripture: II Corinthians 1:9 (Amplified) "Indeed, we felt within ourselves that we had received the very sentence of death; but that was to keep us from trusting and depending on ourselves instead of on God who raises the dead." The Apostle Paul had experienced a lot of trouble when he was in Asia. Paul was strong in the Lord. Yet when he spoke of this season that he had spent in Asia, he said that he was so utterly and unbearably weighed down and crushed that he despaired even of life itself. There was so much affliction and oppressing distress that He felt like he had received a sentence of death. There seemed to be no hope, but God rescued Paul from these perilous situations. And because God had come through for him in the past, Paul had confidence that God would deliver him again. In the midst of all the turmoil and confusion that he experienced, Paul received a revelation. The revelation was that God used the hardships, dangers, and difficult places to teach Paul that he could not trust nor depend upon himself. God showed Paul that He alone was Paul's source and his deliverer. This was a hard realization for Paul because he was used to being in control and making things happen. Yet, Paul was able to use these experiences to share the grace and peace that he received from the Lord during this season. He told the saints that because he was comforted during these hard and perilous times, he now found that he was equipped to comfort others with the same comfort that he had received. Because he had suffered, he now had the grace to console and encourage the suffering. There are times when we just cannot figure out what is happening in our life. We try to believe and make our confessions positive but it seems that God is miles away. We want to get things in focus, but regardless of our efforts, our life remains out of control. We are pressed beyond measure on every side and have no answers for life's questions. We are used to trusting in our own abilities and depending upon our own resources to bring us through. Yet, we find that nothing works. Where do we go and what do we do? Did you know that nothing surprises God? He is aware of every situation in your life. You may be out of control, but you are the only one who is out of control. God is still on the throne and is fully aware of your situation. He holds you in the palm of His hands. God wants you to do all that you can do, but He first wants you to trust Him to perfect and complete those things that concern you. He wants you to depend upon Him to deliver you. He will do exceedingly beyond anything that you can ask or think; for He is a God who never never never fails. +++ 7/24/18 PLEASANT WORDS Scripture: Proverbs 16:24 "Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and health to the bones." Solomon, a man of great wisdom, wrote this proverb concerning the words of our mouth. He said that words spoken to us not only affect our soul, which is our mind, will, and emotions, but also affect our health. Pleasant words feed and nourish us, but words of strife and bitterness break our spirit and work havoc in our body. Proverbs 17:22 says, "A merry heart does good like a medicine; but a broken spirit dries the bones." We are healthier when we are happy, and we are happier when we hear encouraging words. Words are important and they do affect us, for Solomon said that pleasant words are health to our bones. Sweet words strengthen us and help us to stand emotionally like our healthy bones support us physically. If pleasant words bring good health, we can assume that unpleasant words could possibly bring poor health. Proverbs 18:21 tells us that "There is life and death in the power of the tongue ... and we will eat the fruit of it." Words that come to us either feed us the fruit of life or the fruit of death. You may start your day feeling emotionally and physically great, but after an encounter with an irate individual you may find yourself mentally and emotionally stressed. Continual stress of this type will cause physical distress. Likewise, the words that we speak can minister emotional well being and lead to health in the lives of others, or they can render stress and death. We need to think about our words. Before speaking, ask yourself if your words are pleasant and sweet. Are they ministering health and life? David asked God to help him in this area. He said in Psalms 19:14, "Let the words of my mouth ... be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength, and my Redeemer." James said that we could not bless and praise God while we are speaking curses to men. He asked the question in James 3:11, "Does a fountain send forth from the same opening fresh water and bitter?" Let us take his words to heart and strive to keep our fountains clean and our words pleasant and sweet so that they will minister health and life to others. +++ 7/25/18 PRAYER MOVES GOD Scripture: Genesis 19:29 (Living Bible) "So God heeded Abraham's plea and kept Lot safe, removing him from the maelstrom of death that engulfed the cities." We serve an awesome God who, even though He holds all power and authority in His hands, He still listens to our voices and responds to our intercessions. It is an incredible thought that we can change the heart of the Almighty God by our simple words. In the eighteenth chapter of Genesis, Abraham conversed with God concerning the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah who were utterly evil. God was planning to destroy the entire city, but Abraham pleaded with God not to destroy the godly with the wicked. He even challenged God by saying, "Far be it from You to do such a thing - to kill the righteous with the wicked." Abraham then reminded God that as the Judge of all the earth, He must remain fair and do right. When God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, He remembered Abraham's words and yielded to his intercessions. God spared the lives of Lot and Lot's daughters by sending them out of the city. Abraham's intercession was simple but effective. He simply reminded God of who God was and then asked Him to regard the righteous that were in the wicked city. There are many people in our lives who need our prayers. For one reason or another, they are in the wrong place at the wrong time. They are walking in darkness and do not even realize that they are being deceived. Even though we feel that they are on the edge of impending danger, there is nothing that we can say in the natural to change their minds. Our counsel is of no effect and our only recourse is to follow Abraham's example and intercede for them. Our prayers may be their only hope. Who knows, but that God would heed our prayers and keep them safe by removing them from their present danger. Ezekiel 22:30 tells us that God seeks for a man to make up the hedge and stand in the gap for the land. We have a responsibility and God is depending upon us to pray and intercede for His people and the unsaved world. God heeded Abraham's plea and He has made a promise to do the same for you. It has been said that "God moves the mountains, but prayer moves God." +++ 7/26/18 DISCIPLES OF LOVE Scripture: John 13:35 "By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love one to another." God has a purpose for your life. You may not see it clearly at this time or even be aware that He is using you in your daily routine. Never the less, God is doing an awesome work through your life. He is showing forth His love through you and using you as a minister of reconciliation (II Corinthians 5:18). Whether your good deeds are great or small, you are announcing to the world the message of God's grace and reconciling others to Him. That message is validated by the love that is manifested in your life and the world will know that you are His disciple because of the love of God that is in your heart. People are not interested in religion. They are looking for relationships. As they watch your life, they recognize your devotion to God and are able to truthfully discern if the love that you are manifesting for God and towards them is real. The Apostle Peter instructed us to make sure that we have an "unfeigned love of the brethren." This means that our love cannot be false. He said, "See that you love one another with a pure heart fervently" (I Peter 1:22). Love has no value if it is not true and real. God wants to raise up committed believers who will be servants of God's love. You cannot earn any place or position with God because His place comes by His grace. He chooses and establishes His vessels when He feels that He can trust them to show forth His love in all situations. That is not always an easy task. It means turning the other cheek and many times taking the blame. Jesus showed His love for mankind and His commitment to God the Father by pouring out His life on the cross even though He had no faults. He then gave us a commandment to love as He loved. Like Jesus, we are to pour out our lives for others so that they may see our good works and glorify the Father who is in Heaven. When our love towards the world is manifested in this manner, we become a strong witness and others recognize and acknowledge that we truly are disciples of Jesus. +++ 7/27/18 TREASURES OF THE DARKNESS Scripture: Isaiah 45:3 "I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, which call you by your name am the God of Israel." Dark places can be frightening. I can walk the streets of my neighborhood in the midday sun without any anxiety, but if I were to travel these same streets in the darkness of midnight I would be attacked with the torments of fear. I have experienced this without even leaving my yard as I simply took the trash out to the curb after dark. There was no apparent danger or evil lurking in the shadows but because I did not have clear vision in the darkness that surrounded me, fear flooded my soul. My mind could not handle the uncertainty of the situation. We would like to be in the light at all times regarding our spiritual life as well as our natural life. Yet, there are times that we must walk in physical darkness and there will also be times when it seems there is a veil over our spiritual life. We have no idea what is happening and it is as though we are walking alone on a dark street at midnight with no certain direction. All we can see are the shadows that are mocking us. It can be fearful to face financial difficulty and not know if you are going to have enough funds to meet your needs. It can be more frightening when your medical report comes back with negative information and you have to trust God with your very life. It seems that we cannot stop fear and perplexity from attacking our minds when our children stray from the narrow path of God's plan. Yet, the Lord never forsakes us and He gives us hope in all of the dark and lonely places that me must pass through. God promised to give us treasures in the darkness and hidden riches of the secret places so that we would know that He is God and that He has called us by our name. Some of the most precious times that we will ever spend with the Lord will be when we are passing through the dark places. We may have read a scripture a thousand times, but it will come alive when we are in the secret place of the Most High. It will give us hope when we are hiding under the shelter of His wings. His Word will give us light that cannot be quenched by the darkness. It will give revelation and shine like the natural lights of the heavens. God's Word is always there but it is often hidden like the stars in the midday sun. The stars are always out and the moon is always shinning, but their light is hidden in the daylight. It takes the darkness of the night to reveal their enormous glory. In the light, we can only see what is near, but in the darkness, we can see the lights of the galaxies that are millions of miles away from us. In our darkness, God is magnified and He gives us enormous vision. If you are experiencing a dark season, do not be afraid. My darkest moments have birthed the greatest light into my soul. The hardest seasons that I walked through have produced the greatest faith that cannot be taken from me. I encourage you to embrace the darkness that surrounds you with anticipation and search for God's light. Ask Him to show you the treasures that are in the darkness that you are experiencing and seek out the hidden riches of the secret places. God will illuminate His Word and speak a personal word to your heart and soul. When He does, you will never be the same for that Word will produce light to your soul and create life in your spirit. You will have no doubt that God is God and that He knows you by name. +++ 7/30/18 JESUS HAS BEEN THERE Scripture: Hebrews 4:15 "For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to understand and sympathize with our weaknesses ..." Jesus was with God in the beginning of time, but came to this earth so that He could redeem mankind. When He came to Earth, He came in the likeness of man. As the Son of man, He embraced all that we would have to experience as human beings. He allowed himself to be acquainted with physical, emotional, and spiritual pain. Jesus suffered and wept with friends when His own friend, Lazarus, died. He felt the rejection of His own mother and brothers who thought that He was mad. He experienced frustration with the religious hypocrites and He became angry with those who were abusing the temple of God. He suffered disappointment with those who had been part of His ministry team for three years when they all left Him in His own time of need. Judas betrayed Him and then Peter, one of His closest friends, cursed and denied their friendship. Jesus wearied Himself with doing the work of the ministry so much that He was able to sleep in the midst of a great storm. He also suffered the abuse of a mocked trial, great physical torture, and endured the pain of the crucifixion. He then died in shame, feeling totally abandoned by His Father God. Jesus subjected Himself to all of this so that He could know and be touched with our feelings. Jesus experienced more than we have ever dreamed of experiencing. Even though He was the Son of God, He was also the Son of Man. We tend to think that Jesus had it easier than us because He was God in the flesh. Yet, Hebrews 5:7 tells us that in the days of His flesh, Jesus offered up very definite and special petitions to God and that His prayers were filled with strong cries and tears. He wanted God to deliver Him from the coming death and asked that the cup pass from Him. The last part of this verse in the Amplified Bible says "He shrank from the horror of separation from the bright presence of the Father." And because of His cries, "He was heard in that He feared." It is hard to imagine these words, "Jesus feared." But we know that He prayed with such anxiety in the garden of Gethsemane that He sweat great drops of blood. He went through this agony for you and for me. Jesus has already been down every path of pain and sorrow that you will ever travel. Jesus knows exactly where you are and He wants you to know that He understands your heartaches. He is touched by your feelings and all that you are experiencing at this moment. Just lean upon Him. Jesus understands because He has been there. +++ 7/31/18 ESTABLISHED IN YOUR FAITH Scripture: II Chronicles 20:20 "... Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established." A great multitude came to do battle against Jehoshaphat and his people. When Jehoshaphat heard that his enemy was coming against him, fear came upon him because he knew that he had no might to stand against these armies. He had no idea how to fix this situation, so his fear drove him to fast and seek the Lord. As Jehoshaphat talked with the Lord, he reminded God that God was the ruler of Heaven and all of the kingdoms of the nations. He told the Lord, "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You" (Verse 12). Jehoshaphat spoke to the Lord in simple words, and the Lord gave him a simple plan. God told him not to fear and not to fight. God was going to fight the battle for him. All Jehoshaphat and his army had to do was to stand still. Jehoshaphat challenged the people to believe in the Lord and told them that their faith would establish their victory and give them success. God gave them His Word, "The battle is not yours, but Mine. You do not need to fight. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. Go out tomorrow against them, for the Lord is with you." Can you imagine the thoughts that ran through their minds when they heard these words? "Go out against your enemy tomorrow, but do not fight them. Just stand still." God had an enormous plan that He was working. He told Jehoshaphat not to fight but to appoint singers to go before the army. They went out singing, "Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures for ever." As the singers began to sing and praise the Lord, the Lord set up an ambush against their enemy. Then in the midst of the confusion, their enemy began to fight amongst themselves and destroyed each other. God's plan worked. In the midst of any kind of battle, it takes great faith to stand still, hold your peace, and sing songs of praise. Jesus challenged us when He said, "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for those who use and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). He also said, "If they slap you on the cheek, turn the other cheek to them. And if they take away your coat, give them your cloak also." These solutions do not seem very fair to our natural mind. Our tendency is to do battle and fight back, but God's ways are always higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. So do not fear when the enemy attacks. Instead, trust God and praise Him in the midst of your situation. When you put your faith in the Lord, God will fight for you and you shall be established. +++ Copyright © 2018 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights Reserved www.widsonline.com |
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