| ............ | A Word In Due Season JAN 2019 1/1/19 NEW YEARS BLESSING Scripture: Numbers 6:24-26 "The Lord bless you .... " There are people in many nations who receive A Word In Due Season each day. I thank all of you for your personal responses and for trusting us with your prayer request. I wish that I could offer each of you a gift during this season when people exchange gifts with their friends, but that is nearly impossible. So I am coming to you as always with a Word In Due Season. As we begin a New Year, I am speaking a blessing over your personal life that is found in God's Word. Since I do not have each of your names, I ask you to put your personal name in this blessing each time it says "You." I also encourage you to print this blessing and then put it in several places as a reminder that a blessing has been and will be spoken over you throughout the year. You can put a copy of this blessing in your wallet, on your desk or your mirror, or use it as book mark in your Bible. But wherever you choose to place it, please make sure to speak these words aloud several times a day. “The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”’ Numbers 6:24-26 When you speak these Words, which are God’s Words, you are speaking God's blessing over your life and God declared that His Word would never return unto Him void. He said that His Words would accomplish what He sent them forth to do. God's Word is powerful and His voice is creative. When God spoke in the past, the light appeared and His creations came into existence. Everything happened as a result of His spoken Word. Now the angels hearken to the voice of His Word (Psalms 103:20). They are diligent to listen and when they hear God's Word being spoken, they make haste to fulfill it. You have a part in the angel's assignment and a responsibility for your own destiny. You activate the Word of God by your declaration of it. The Lord loves you and He honors His Word, so speak it continually and His blessings will come upon you and you will find peace. +++ 1/2/19 NEVER EARLY - NEVER LATE Scripture: Psalms 31:15 "My times are in Your hand." David trusted and relied upon the Lord, for he had seen God come through for him many times in his life. He knew very well what it meant to put all of his confidence in God and allow Him to guide His footsteps. There were times when God allowed David to kill a bear or a lion and to fight the giant. There were times that God spoke to David to go into battle and to chase down his enemy and recover his family and goods that the enemy had taken. But there were also other times that God told David not to fight but to just stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. On all of these occasions, David was confident that his life was in God's hands and also in God's timing whether he was engaged in battle or allowing God to fight the battle for him. How assuring it is when we discover that our times are in God's hands. I was in a big hurry as I drove down the street one day and I could see that the traffic light ahead was red. I anxiously sighed a big sigh and wished for the light to turn green before I got there, which it did. But because the traffic was proceeding very slowly, enough time expired for the light to turn back to red before I reached it. As I began to fret again about the light, I thought, "Why am I worrying about the light when I am not even there yet?" I did not need the light to be green until it was my turn to go through the intersection. I came to the conclusion that I should just be patient and proceed forward in joy. Like David, I needed to put my times into God's hands and trust that the light would be green when it was time for me to go through. We are like this many times in life's situations. When God begins to stir our spirit in preparation for change in our life, we become anxious. We want to know that the road ahead is clear of obstacles and we want to see the green light. Yet often the light may change to red on the pathway to our future. The door to our destiny may be closed for a moment while God prepares our heart and keeps us until His perfect timing is ready. His delay causes us to fret, but in reality, we are not even near the intersection of our dreams. We have a long way to go, for God is still maturing us and equipping us for the task ahead. We want to take immediate action, but God does not want us running the shoulder of the road so that we can pass all of the cars that are ahead of us. Hastiness will only create a bad situation. God wants us to trust Him and to understand that He is never early and He is never late. The Lord is always right on time and you can be sure that your times are in His hands. Be encouraged. God will open the door to your destiny in His timing and turn the light green at the appropriate time. +++ 1/3/19 THE ACCESS NAME Scripture: Romans 5:2 "By Whom (Jesus) we have access by faith." Jesus told us exactly how to talk to the Father and how to receive answers. One of the principles of prayer that He gave to us is so simple but often missed. In John 16:23 Jesus said, "You shall ask Me nothing. Truly, truly, I say unto you, Whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in My Name, He will give it to you." Jesus gave us His Name and that Name allows us access to God the Father. There is no other name. In today's modern world, we understand access codes and what they will allow us to do or not do. As we attempt to use the computer, access our bank accounts and credit cards, or draw funds from the ATM machines, we realize the importance of being totally accurate. One incorrect digit or dot will hinder our access to what rightfully belongs to us. Using the Name of Jesus to access the Father is comparable to these codes. We must approach God accurately and on the basis of who Jesus is and what He has done. Jesus told us that we would experience problems if we did not make our petitions in the correct way. There is great comfort in talking to Jesus, fellowshipping with Him, singing about Him, and enjoying communion with the Holy Spirit. We may even call out the Name of Jesus when we need deliverance from our distress. But Jesus made it very plain that we should ask nothing of Him, but that we were to ask the Father in Jesus' Name. The Father is the one who grants our petitions, and we need to gain access to His throne of grace in order to get our needs met. Our prayers and requests need to be spoken directly to God the Father in the Name of Jesus. Peter and John soon put these words to the test in the third chapter of Acts when the lame man was healed in the Name of Jesus. Peter told the crowd of people who looked on in amazement and wonder, "Why look on us as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?" Peter said, "It was Jesus' Name and through faith in His Name that caused this man to walk." Like the situation with Peter and John, Jesus gives us His Name and expects us to access our Heavenly Father in faith. When we go to the Father in Jesus' Name, God listens and responds. He will faithfully grant our petitions when our petitions represent who Jesus is and what His will is for our lives. +++ 1/4/19 GOD OF A SECOND CHANCE Scripture: Isaiah 11:11 "The Lord shall set His hand again the second time." In context, this scripture refers to the regathering of the Jewish people. Yet, there are examples of this second chance concept working in the lives of some of the most profound men in the scriptures and God also does the same thing for us. He is a wonderful God and remains faithful in the midst of our failures and offers us another chance. He is our Father and is waiting for us with open arms like the father of the prodigal son. It does not matter what we have done, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). Many times God used men who needed a second chance. We see Moses slaying an Egyptian, but God still used Moses to become a great leader that brought deliverance to a multitude of people who were in bondage. Then we see King David in Psalms 51 repenting of murder, lying, and adultery, but God still had a glorious plan for David's life. As David asked for forgiveness, God purged him, created a new heart within him, and also restored the joy of his salvation. David did not have to settle for just forgiveness. God restored the entire relationship between them. God is no respecter of persons. Regardless of what has transpired in your life, He will do the same thing for you. We see Paul in the book of Acts persecuting and killing the Christians. He thought he was doing God's work, but he was deceived. After he experienced Jesus, he expressed his feelings of unworthiness. He said, "I am the least worthy of all the apostles, and am not deserving to be called an apostle, because I once wronged, pursued, and molested the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am: and His grace bestowed on me is not in vain" (I Cor. 15:9-10). Paul was determined that the grace that God extended to him would not be wasted. Even though Paul had oppressed the church with cruelty and violence, he sought for forgiveness. And even though he felt unworthy, he made a decision that he would fulfill the call of God on his life to be an apostle. We also see Peter denying Christ three times in Mark 14:68. Yet, later in the book of Acts, God anointed Peter as he stood before the multitudes and preached about this same Jesus that he had once denied. As he preached, thousands were added to the church that day. Where would we be if these men had not found the forgiveness and grace they needed? Their work would have stopped at the point of their failure. The prodigal son would have never returned to restore joy to his grieving and hurting father. The same forgiveness and grace these men experienced is available to us today. God's heart aches and His Spirit grieves until we return to the point of His grace. God is full of mercy and He desires to restore our lives and our relationship with Him because He is the God of a second chance. +++ 1/7/19 DEDICATED TO GOD'S WILL Scripture: John 6:38 "For I came down from Heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him that sent Me." Can you imagine choosing to leave Heaven so that you could come to Earth? Yet, Jesus made this choice so that He might fulfill the will and purposes of God. Jesus left His awesome home in Heaven and totally surrendered Himself to the cross so that He could redeem mankind. He stated very plainly that He did not come to do His own will but that He was yielding Himself to His Father's will. He laid down His life, emptied Himself of who He was, and allowed God to direct His life. I recently read that to make an inner contact with others, you must "look them in the eye and point your heart towards their heart." This is also true in our contact with God. Although we cannot see Him physically, our spiritual eyes must be turned towards Him and our hearts must be in tuned with His heart. True connection with God will only be experienced when we make a conscious effort to look into the eyes of His heart and to seek to know His deepest desires. Only as we yield ourselves to Him can He write the chapters of our lives and fulfill His own will and purpose that He has destined for us. Doing God's will is not always so easy. For some who want to go, He says, "Stay" and for those who want to stay, He says, "Go". Sometimes it becomes tedious to stay in the field where you have been placed. It may be difficult to bloom where you have been planted and also hard to brighten the corner where you are. The old clichés sound good, but as far as you are concerned, they do not seem to fit because you cannot see any progress. I recently planted a luscious green plant in the sun. It looked beautiful for a few days in its new spot, but soon withered because it was created for the shade. Some of us are made for the blazing experiences of the sun while others can only endure the shade. Only God knows what is best for our lives and He simply wants us to move when the cloud moves and stay when the cloud stays. Yet, how often do we strive with our Maker? We are like the grass that refuses to grow in the yard and yet seeks out a place in the flowerbed. Remember that God knows us much better than we know ourselves and that He knows exactly where we fit. We must lay our plans at His feet and allow Him to direct our lives. Only as we dedicate ourselves to God's will, will we truly flourish and find our destined place in His kingdom. +++ 1/8/19 CELEBRATION OF HIS GLORY II Samuel 6:12 & 14 "David went and brought up the Ark of God ... into the city of David with gladness ... And David danced before the Lord with all his might." King David had no inhibitions when it came to worshiping the Lord, for he was a man after God's own heart. David did drastic things when the Ark of the Covenant, which represented the presence of God, came into his city. He humbled himself, took off his royal garments, and danced before the Lord and the people with all of his might. When David's wife, Michal, saw him leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart. She mocked and shamed him because he had taken off his royal robes and uncovered himself before the people. David responded by saying, "God chose me, appointed me, and I will play before the Lord." God did not take Michal's criticism and judgment lightly. Verse twenty-three says that until the day of Michal's death she had no child. We live in a new day and a different time. We are stepping into the Kingdom's finest hour and God is preparing us to go to the next level. There is a subtle rumble in the spirit and we are about to experience God's awesome power in a way that we have never seen it before. Just as the Ark of the Covenant was brought into David's city long ago, God is making His presence known in the earth today. Those who recognize His presence rejoice with gladness and their celebrations arrest the heart of God, for He takes pleasure in the praises of His people. Our praise announces our faith that we believe that God’s presence is in our midst and our worship declares that our emphasis is upon Him and Him alone. I recently heard it said that, "We are the only containers whose contents are bigger than ourselves." Think about it. An all powerful, all knowing, ever present great and mighty God lives within us. His great and glorious presence causes us to resound with joy and celebration, for our limited finite being cannot hold Him in. God is much bigger than we are. We must humble ourselves and be as free and uninhibited as David was in his worship. David was so happy that he could not contain himself. We too must learn to lay aside our traditions and the things that would hinder us from worshiping God in Spirit and in truth. God has chosen us and appointed us for such a time as this. We must not make excuses or be intimidated. God is showing us His glory so let us continue to celebrate before Him. +++ 1/9/18 RESCUED FROM BONDAGE Scripture: Deuteronomy 26:7-8 "And when we cried unto the Lord God of our fathers, the Lord heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labor and our oppression: And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand ... " These words are the testimony of Moses concerning the Egyptian bondage that God's people were in. They had suffered so many things for such a long length of time and Moses described their circumstances as affliction, labor, and oppression. They worked hard but not for their own benefit. They suffered much abuse and their lives were a cheap commodity in the hands of the Egyptians. When God looked upon them and saw all that they were enduring physically, mentally, and emotionally, His heart was touched and He made a way for their deliverance. God sent Moses to lead them out of Egypt and anointed him to do mighty signs and wonders in their midst. It was a mighty exodus and God was glorified in the process. The fame of that miraculous event is still spoken of today. We face many types of bondage and even though we are not making bricks like the slaves in Egypt, we can identify with Moses' description of affliction, labor, and oppression. We may suffer the afflictions of addictions or various medical situations. We may have to endure strenuous labor on a daily basis and yet never have enough to get beyond the realm of financial lack. We may be plagued with problems in our relationships at home or on the job, which causes us undue oppression. It may seem that there is one crisis right after another and we cannot get ahead in any area of our life. When we are going through difficulties of this sort, we may think that we are standing alone in our situation and that no one understands or really cares. Yet, we must remember that even though our words may fall on the deaf ears of those around us that God in Heaven still hears every word that we pray. When our closest friends are blind to our needs, God sees them clearly. When no one understands how we feel, God sees the pain in our heart and He hurts with us. He is our loving Father and when we cry out to Him, He hears our voices and it moves Him to do something about our situation. When we receive prayer requests through this ministry, I am extremely touched by the needs. I pray over each request and then acknowledge it with a word of encouragement. I know that I could never lift the heavy burdens, do enough to satisfy the hurts, or say enough to erase the pain. My words are so inadequate because the Lord Jesus is the only one who is capable of bringing deliverance in people's lives. Yet, I know that if I am deeply touched by your needs that the Lord is certainly touched when you call out to Him. He has far more compassion than I do and is not distracted by His own life or needs, as I tend to be. Jesus is your high priest and He knows every feeling that you will ever have (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus suffered pain, rejection, and was tempted in all points that you will be tempted in so that He could understand your needs. He knows you better than anyone else does and is waiting for you to call out to Him in your afflictions, labor, and oppression. When you call out to Him, He will be there to rescue you with His mighty hand. +++ 1/10/19 GOD'S FORGIVENESS Scripture: Psalms 103:12 "As far as the East is from the West, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." David was a man who loved God with all of his heart and wrote these enormous words concerning forgiveness. He learned about God's forgiveness and experienced it first hand. In a season of passion, David committed adultery with Bathsheba, and in his efforts to hide his sin, he caused her husband to be killed in battle. Yet when David repented of his terrible sins before God, he received forgiveness and restoration. Notice that David did not say that God would remove our transgressions as far as the North is from the South, but as far as the East is from the West. If you were to start out at some point in the United States, such as California, and travel East, as you circled the globe and came back to your starting point, you would still be going East. As long as you moved forward you would never be going West. This is not true of traveling North and South. If you travel North, when you reach the North Pole and start down, you will be traveling South. When David said that God removes our sins as far as the East is from the West, he was declaring that there is no end to God's forgiveness. God's forgiveness is forever and eternal. Not only is God forgiving, but He is also merciful. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor does He reward us according to our iniquities (verse 10). God does not give us the punishment we deserve. Isn't that a relief? The Lord extends His patience and waits for us to repent and when we do He is quick to forgive. In another Psalm David says, "Iniquities and much varied guilt prevail against me; yet as for our transgressions, You forgive and purge them away. You make atonement for them and cover them out of Your sight" (Psalms 65:3). There is not one sin that God is incapable of taking care of or one stain that He cannot remove. All we have to do is confess them. He promises to be faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). When God forgives, He completes the work and His act of forgiveness removes our sins as far as the East is from the West. +++ 1/14/19 GOD'S HIGHER THOUGHTS AND WAYS Scripture: Isaiah 55:9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts higher than your thoughts." Long ago, the knowledge of this scripture went beyond being mere words to me and became a reality in my heart. I finally figured out that God was much wiser than I was and that His ways were much higher than my own. I realized that God had accomplished something that I could not begin to do. He was the One who formed me in my mother's womb and breathed life into my being when I had no ability to begin life or find breath. He knew me before I was ever born and knows when my days will come to an end, which is a mystery to me even today. He knows more about me than I could ever know about myself, for He has even numbered the hairs that are upon my head, which I am unable to count. He knows my true thoughts, but I can easily be self-deceived because it is said that we are all wrong about something, we just do not know what that something is. My way is to dwell upon taking care of my own needs, but God's higher way is for me to forget about myself and consider what I can do for someone else. My thoughts of love are to love and be loved by my family and friends who are close to me, but God's thoughts of love include the world and are divine and much higher. God’s love caused Him to give His most priceless gift, the life of His Son, for the entire world. My thoughts are restless, but God's higher thoughts are for me to rest in His presence, knowing that all things will work together for my good. My way is to rush ahead and try to solve the problem, but God's higher way is for me to wait patiently for His direction in the matter. He may say, "Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord" or He may say, "Pursue the enemy." My thoughts tend to harbor and entertain doubt, but God's higher thoughts dwell on faith. My ways are to murmur and complain, but God's higher ways are for me to rejoice in adversity. My thoughts and ways are anxious, but His higher thoughts and ways are calm and peaceful. I encourage you to abandon yourself to God in such a way that you lay aside your own thoughts and ways so that you can yield yourself unreservedly to His wisdom and His will. You may not understand everything that is going on in your life, but if you want to experience God's higher way, you must "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and not lean upon your own understanding. In all of your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6). God wants to personally direct your life. When you allow Him this privilege, you will experience His higher ways and reap the benefits of His higher thoughts. +++ 1/15/19 DELIVERANCE FROM ALL TROUBLE Scripture: Psalms 34:6 "This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles." When David wrote this psalm of thanksgiving, he had just gone through a very tough situation. Saul was trying to take David's life so David fled in fear to seek refuge in the Philistine territory. Yet, in this place of refuge, the servants of King Achish recognized David and he soon realized that he was in another place of jeopardy. His new fears forced him to change his behavior, and he acted like a madman in an effort to save his own life. King David scratched on the doors of the gate and let his spittle flow down his beard. Putting on an act such as this must have been very hard for a man who was a mighty warrior and had slain thousands in battle. However, this humiliating act convinced King Achish that this man was indeed mad. King Achish did not recognize David and allowed him to leave. It is no wonder that David wrote, "This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him from all his troubles” because these words came straight from his heart. David gave thanks to the Lord and also called upon God's people to join him in praise for his mighty deliverance. He said, "I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. I sought the Lord and He heard me and delivered me from all of my fears. O, taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusts in Him." Like David, you have a great God and Father who wants to help you and is right now listening for you to make your needs known to Him. He watches you and sees the frustration and the confusion of your situation. He sympathizes as you struggle, trying to work out your solutions. And He wants you to know that He is well able to help you. The Lord says, "Seek Me and I will deliver you from your fears." All you have to do is trust Him, and if you do, you will see that He is good and that His mercy endures forever. Even in your most difficult situation the Lord will never leave you nor forsake you, for He is near to those who are of a broken spirit and a contrite heart. Paul gives us simple advice. He says, "Don't worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank Him for His answers" (Philippians 4:6). David said, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but God delivers them out of them all." In other words, in every situation, whether big or small, cry out to God because He is listening. He will solve all of your problems and deliver you out of all of your troubles. +++ 1/16/19 THE GREATER SHADOW Scripture: Acts 5:15 (NLT) "Sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter's shadow might fall across some of them as he went by." The other day I took a walk in the late afternoon. The sun was beginning to set behind me so my shadow stretched out about fifteen feet before me. As I walked, I caught up with another couple who were walking in front of me. They knew that I was coming close behind them because they could see my shadow on the pavement between them. Yet, it seemed that they took little notice of my shadow because even though my shadow had invaded their territory, it had no life or power within it to alter their lives in any way. It could not hear the conversation between the two of them or verbally communicate with them. And even though my shadow was in their path, it could not cause them to stumble. My shadow could only announce that someone was very near. This was not the case when the Apostle Peter's shadow passed by on the streets of Jerusalem. The people had great hope in Peter's shadow to the extent that the sick people gathered in the streets just to experience his shadow passing over them. Yet, please understand that it was not Peter's shadow that brought healing and miracles. Instead, it was the anointing of the Holy Spirit that was upon Him as a person. Peter had been with Jesus and because of that intimate communion with Him, supernatural power continued to linger in Peter's life. It was Peter's relationship with the Lord that caused the gifts of healing and deliverance to overflow from his life into the lives of those who believed and had faith to receive. If you have a desperate need today, you cannot lay upon the streets of Jerusalem in hopes that Peter's shadow will pass over you and cause healing to come to your body or cause your other needs to be met. Those days are over, but there is a greater shadow that is offered to you. It is an everlasting shadow that is found in the presence of the Lord. Psalms 91:1 tells us that if we dwell in the secret place of the Most High that we will abide under the shadow of the Almighty. The secret place that you need to search for is simply the Lord's presence, for His presence is your greatest security. It is your healing place and haven of peace. It is under God’s shadow that you will experience His love and care in a unique way. As you hide yourself in His presence He will be your refuge and will keep you safe from all harm. +++ 1/17/19 CONSCIENCE TOWARDS GOD Scripture: Genesis 2:17 (Living Bible) "God gave man this warning, "You may eat any fruit in the garden except fruit from the Tree of Conscience - for its fruit will open your eyes to make you aware of right and wrong, good and bad." Our conscience is that part of our inner being that distinguishes between right and wrong, urges us to do the right thing, and then judges us if we fail to follow its prompting. Our conscience can be at different levels depending upon our relationship with God. For instance, the New Testament speaks of a 'good conscience' (I Timothy 1:5), a 'pure conscience' (I Timothy 3:9), a 'seared conscience' (I Timothy 4:2), an 'evil conscience' (Hebrews 10:22), and a 'conscience towards God' (I Peter 2:19). We are all born with this inner knowing called our conscience. It is like a traffic light that tells us when we need to stop, be cautious, or proceed forward. When we are reborn, our conscience takes on another dimension. It bears witness with the Holy Spirit (Romans 9:1). When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He told them not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. When they disobeyed, they took upon themselves and all of mankind the responsibility of discerning between good and evil, right and wrong. Like Adam and Eve, we also fail to heed this inner voice and find ourselves in a real dilemma. Then when we disregard our conscience over a period of time, it becomes seared. It is as though our spirits have been branded with a hot iron. We find ourselves no longer sensitive to certain issues or to the leading of the Holy Spirit. It is the same principle as drinking a hot drink until there is no more feeling on the tongue. The first experience is painful, but gradually the heat cannot even be felt. How does the conscience get to this state? Nature teaches us that everything that is left to itself comes to destruction. It deteriorates on its own. The garden that is left untended is overgrown with weeds. The child that is never disciplined becomes rough and troublesome. The body that is not forced to exercise and take proper nourishment weakens. Likewise, the conscience, or the inner being, that is not renewed with the Word of God eventually conforms to the world's standards. Romans 12:2 warns us, "Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." We must allow God's Word to transform us into His image. As we do, our conscience will be turned towards God and we will follow after that which is good, acceptable, and in the perfect will of God. +++ 1/18/19 GOD RESPONDS Scripture: John 16:24 "Until now you have not asked for anything in My Name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete." God loves communion and wants interaction with His people. He could move us around and do as He pleases just as a chess player does with a pawn on a chessboard, but God has entrusted to us our own will. He would like for our wills to be submitted to Him, but He does not force it upon us. He has graciously granted us freedom to do as we please. When we exercise our will and express our choice in words and actions, He responds. Jesus told His followers, "Until now you have not asked for anything in My Name." He wanted them to express their need to Him and ask for their provisions. If you are in situations today and wondering why your needs are not met, could Jesus respond to you with the same words, "So far, you have not asked for anything in My Name"? We often have thoughts concerning our needs but do not verbalize them into prayer because we may think that our needs are too big or too small. Many blessings are missed simply because we fail to ask. We just wait for God to read our minds and so nothing happens. Consider a few of the promises of a response from God that are expressed in these scriptures: Matt. 21:22 - "Whatsoever you shall ask in prayer believing, you shall receive." James 1:5 - "If you need wisdom, ask God ... and He will give it to you." James 4:8 - "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." James 5:14 - "Is there any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him ... and the prayer of faith shall save the sick" Luke 11:9 - "Ask, and it shall be given to you; Seek, and you shall find; Knock, and it shall be opened to you." If you need or desire anything, whether it be wisdom, healing, or finances, don't just think about it or talk to others about it, but express your need to the Lord. He is listening and your words of prayer will evoke a response on God's part. And as Jesus said, “When you ask and receive, then your joy will be complete.” +++ 1/21/18 Scripture: I Timothy 6:12 "Fight the good fight of faith." Faith has many challenges. The storms will get rough, the mountains will be too hard to climb, the rivers too deep to cross, the valleys too dark and lonely, and the battle too long and weary. This is the reason the Apostle Paul told Timothy to "fight the good fight of faith." Faith itself is a battle and is only won through great effort. When God speaks a Word of faith into your heart, the devil comes immediately to steal that Word through offense, persecutions, and the cares of this life (Mark 4:15-19). To receive God's promise, you must hold on to God's Word and endure to the end. You must fight the good fight of faith. A good fight is one where you know that you are going to win. You have a secret plan, a hidden weapon, or you hold the high card in your hand and you know that you can draw on that strength when the demand comes. After Paul told Timothy to fight the good fight of faith, he instructed him to, "Lay hold on eternal life." The good fight of faith cannot even begin until Jesus is professed as Lord and trust is placed in Him and His completed work at Calvary. Having faith in ourselves and who we are, our financial security, our education, and our relationships will fail at some point, for there is no supernatural substance in them. Having the assurance that we belong to God and that we have obtained eternal life through the blood of Jesus is our hidden strength. With this revelation in our hearts, even the gates of Hell can not prevail against us. As you face today and the following days, remember that there will always be battles. The Apostle Paul had battles and he told Timothy that he too would have battles. Serving Jesus does not exempt you from problems. In fact, many times it qualifies you to go to the front lines of the battle. Your faith will be challenged in all areas, but understand that your faith does not have the responsibility to prove the devil wrong. Faith is designed to enforce what God has already accomplished. You hold the keys to God's kingdom. Jesus said, "Whatever you loose on Earth will be loosed in Heaven and whatever you bind on Earth will be bound in Heaven" (Matthew 16:19). You do not have to debate with evil. Instead, just resist it and declare the written Word of God as Jesus did. Jesus said, "It is written" and then quoted the Word of God when He was tempted with evil. Do not struggle. The battle is not yours. Let the devil debate with Almighty God and His Word. You will discover that the devil will flee at God's Word, for he knows that he is already defeated. God and His Word always prevail. This is the good fight of faith. +++ 1/22/19 EXPECT TO BE RESCUED Scripture: Psalms 27:13-14 (Living Bible) "I am expecting the Lord to rescue me again, ... Don't be impatient. Wait on the Lord, and He will come and save you! Be brave, stout hearted, and courageous. Yes, wait and He will help you." We see many instances in God's Word where God delivered those who waited upon Him and trusted in Him. Our circumstances may look bleak at times, but they probably do not measure up to a fiery furnace or a lion's den. Our giants may look big but are usually not as fierce as David's Goliath. And consider Moses' mother who had to put her infant son to float in a simple basket on the river. All she could do was patiently wait and trust in God's goodness because her only hope in saving her son was to release him to God. The psalmist said he was expecting God to rescue him again. This was neither the first time, nor the last time, that he would trust God for deliverance. We often think that if we can just make it through the current ordeal and challenge that we are facing, things will get better and we can live happily ever after. But like the psalmist, we usually find that something else follows that takes even greater faith. In Ephesians chapter six, Paul said, "Put on the whole armor of God and having done all, stand." The word 'stand' in this passage translates into "stand and get ready for the next battle." Life is not easy and never will be because we have a vicious enemy who roams about looking for those whom he can destroy. Yet, for every challenge there is a victory that can be had if we trust in the Lord for deliverance. The psalmist said, "I'm expecting the Lord to rescue me again, so I'm just going to wait until He comes." Waiting takes patience and courage. When a natural disaster strikes, such as a flood, you often see people stranded in their homes waiting for someone to come and rescue them. They never give up hope because they know that there are those who are aware of their situation and who care about what happens to them. Like the psalmist waiting on God, whatever your circumstance, do not give up on God. Expect to be rescued! God is coming to your aid and will save you. The first three verses of this Psalm in the Living Bible say, "The Lord is my light and my salvation; He protects me from danger - whom shall I fear? When evil men come to destroy me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army marches against me, my heart will not fear! I am confident that God will save me." +++ 1/23/19 BUTTER AND HONEY Scripture: Isaiah 7:15 "Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse evil, and choose good." When I grew up, I was poor but did not know it because my family had as much and maybe a little more than most families in my town. We had a house that my dad had built and daily food, but I was much older before I realized that we did not have the best of foods. When lunchtime came, we were given a choice between a mayonnaise or a mustard sandwich. We did not know that there was supposed to be meat, tomatoes, and lettuce with it. We thanked God, blessed the food, and enjoyed what we had. If you offered me only bread with mayonnaise or mustard today, I would look in wonder at the meager provision because I have tasted and learned that there is so much more to a sandwich. Yet, had I never experienced a complete sandwich, I would not have learned that something was missing. It is the same as drinking a regular soda or a diet drink. We know the difference because we have tasted the real thing. The prophet Isaiah spoke in a spiritual sense about those who have eaten butter and honey. He said that because they have tasted the real thing, they have gained discernment and know to refuse evil and choose good. We often wonder why some of the people we know choose to live the way they do, for they seem to enjoy their lifestyles of sinful pleasures. Yet, we know that their choices do not measure up to the true joy that is found in serving and worshipping Jesus. Those who choose evil may find pleasure for a moment, but it will be followed by pain, discouragement, guilt, and shame. Jeremiah 15:16 says, "Your Words were found, and I ate them, Your Words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart." Our spiritual taste becomes refined as we feast on God's Word and fellowship in His presence. Once we have tasted of the friendship of God and eaten of His Word, we know that there is nothing to compare with His glories. His love and His Word become as the butter to our spirits and the honey to our soul that Isaiah spoke of. Then our choices become very simple, for we are keen to distinguish between good and evil. There is no contest within our souls in choosing God's will rather than our own desires. We can easily discern between black and white, darkness and light, or right and wrong. Even the subtle tactics of the devil become evident to our spiritual eyes because we have tasted of the goodness of God. There is a popular slogan today, "You are what you eat." Think about it, for so it is with spiritual food. You will only know to refuse evil and choose good when you have chosen the right spiritual diet. +++ 1/24/19 GIVING Scripture: Luke 6:38 "Give, and it shall be given unto you..." There is an inspiring story about giving that I would like to share with you. A woman moved back to the farm where she had been raised as a child. She soon noticed some special plants blooming in the flower garden, which her mother had planted years ago. The plants were a sweet reminder of the times that she and her mother had shared together so she weeded the garden and gave the plants special care. Then one day an elderly neighbor passed by and noticed her garden and the rare plants. The woman could see the desire in her neighbor's eyes, but was reluctant to part with her few precious plants that had belonged to her own mother. However, she finally dug up a few of them and gave them to her grateful neighbor to enjoy. A few years later, the woman who had shared her plants with her neighbor lost her own few remaining plants during a bitterly cold winter, and not even the slightest seedling survived. She desperately searched the garden but none of the special plants remained. A few weeks later, in the Spring, her elderly neighbor called her on the phone, as the woman's neighbor had heard that her plants were all lost. The elderly neighbor told her that her own plants had made it through the winter and were doing fine. Later that afternoon she brought some of the plants to the original owner. It was more seedlings than the woman had originally given to her neighbor years before. This story teaches that sharing does not mean losing. Jesus shared with us this same principle of giving. He said, "Give, and it shall be given back to you." In fact, He said that you would receive more than you originally gave. He also said that it would return to you pressed down, shaken together, and running over, for you can never out give God. The more you give, the more you receive. Like these precious plants, it may not come back immediately, but it will come back and at the right time. Ecclesiastes 11:1 says, "Cast your bread upon the waters: for you will find it after many days." It has been stated that your gifts may leave your hands, but they never leave your life. Some way and somehow God will cause them to return to you. +++ 1/25/19 THE GOOD SHEPHERD Scripture: John 10:14 "I am the Good Shepherd, and I know My sheep, and My sheep know Me." Jesus speaks much about Himself as being the Good Shepherd and His believers as being the sheep of His pasture. He talks about leading His sheep and caring for them in every way possible. Jesus declares that He knows His sheep so personally that He calls them each by name and He is committed to protecting them whatever the cost. He even said that the Good Shepherd would give His own life for His sheep. These words are comforting to us because in the beginning of this discourse Jesus gave a stern warning about the deception that is in the world. He made it very clear that there is a spirit of evil that will try to show itself as our shepherd. These false shepherds will even try to speak like the true Shepherd speaks by using the Good Shepherd's own words. They can quote scripture just as Satan did when he deceived Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden and when he attempted to deceive Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. That is the reason you must listen for the voice of the Good Shepherd. Words from others may be an attempt to deceive. The false shepherds are thieves that are out to steal, kill, and destroy (Vs. 10). They will bind up the sheep so that they cannot go in and out to find pasture because they do not want the sheep to feed on God's truth. The Word says that they will pretend to love the sheep, but in instead, they are simply hirelings who are there for what the sheep can give back to them. They are only interested in the sheep's wool and flesh and will flee at the first sign of danger. The Good Shepherd, on the other hand, will lay down His life for the sheep. His sheep will know Him, recognize His voice, and will follow Him. Jesus is the Good Shepherd and He came to give to you, not take from you. There will be many voices telling you many things in this life, but do not be confused or deceived. Listen for the voice of the Good Shepherd and ask the Lord to help you hear Him plainly. His voice will always lead you into truth and peace. Be cautious if you hear another voice that you do not know or recognize. If it sounds strange and does not bear witness to the Holy Spirit within you remember that you have the right to flee from it (Vs. 5). Jesus knows His sheep and His sheep know Him. He will never make His voice strange to His sheep because He is the Good Shepherd. +++ 1/28/19 THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS Scripture: Zechariah 4:10 "For who has despised the day of small things?" As of this month, we have just completed twenty years in publishing our devotional, A Word In Due Season. As we reflect on the past, we stand in awe at what the Lord has accomplished through the simple words of this ministry. During these twenty years, we have received many testimonies, prayer request, and inquiries concerning scripture, doctrine, and the plan of salvation. Your responses have been a blessing to us. And like the words of the prophet, we can certainly testify that our beginning was truly a day of small things. When we sent our first e-devotional on January 2, 1999, we had a list of six people, which included my son and his wife, my friend and her husband, and my niece and her husband. Within a week, however, these six began to forward the devotionals to others, and within a short amount of time, this ministry grew into an international ministry and opened doors for us on the foreign mission fields. We have no idea how many people are being reached through our daily email devotional, our website, or through the other websites that post our devotionals. We do know from the responses that we have received that we are reaching over forty-five nations around the world. I wanted to share this with you as an individual because God can use you in the same way. I had never thought about doing an internet devotional, and when my oldest son first suggested it, I completely ignored the prospects. I did not have a computer and I knew nothing about them, and to be honest, I did not even know what email was. When we began this ministry, I had to use my younger son's computer and was so intimidated by it that he had to turn it on and off for me. He would allow me to write my message for the day, and then he would send it out and turn the computer off. I cannot imagine being that helpless now. It is embarrassing to even admit this to you, but I do it with the purpose of letting you know that God can take the smallest gift that we bring to Him and turn it into a bountiful blessing for His people. The Lord is not limited by our lack. I have truly experienced the words that Paul wrote in I Corinthians 1:26-27 which says, "God does not choose the wise, the mighty, or the noble, but He chooses the foolish and the weak..." God did not call me because I was able, but He enabled me because He called me. As you continue in this new year set before you, I encourage you to look for new ways that God can use you. God’s call and assignment may seem overwhelming as it did for me. A Word In Due Season is all original material unless we acknowledge that it is a quote. After the first ten days, I had written everything that I knew and I thought, "What do I do now?" I had nothing left to say, but God is awesome and has been faithful to give us a Word In Due Season for these twenty full years. I want to thank you for allowing us to minister to you and want you to know that your prayers for this ministry have been a blessing. Please allow God to work in your life and do not shrink back from anything that He has asked you to do. If God calls you to do something new and unfamiliar, He will send a mentor your way. Like my example, there will be someone there to turn the computer on and off or do whatever is necessary to help you complete God's call. Your simple obedience is the key to your ministry to others and your ministry to others will be a ministry to the Lord. Jesus said, "Whatever you do for the least of the brethren, you do for Me." So never despise the day of small things and small beginnings. Be faithful in that which is small and God will make you ruler over much (Luke 19:17). +++ 1/29/18 COME LEARN OF ME Scripture: Matthew 11:28-29 "Come unto me .... Learn of Me." Jesus gives us two wonderful invitations. He invites us into His presence by saying, "Come unto Me," and He also invites us to "Learn of Him." He offers us His personal fellowship and His personal mentorship. These two invitations that He offers are actually one package, for you cannot have one without the other. You cannot really learn about who Jesus is without coming to Him and experiencing Him as a person, and you cannot come into His presence without learning from Him and about His principles. When we come to Jesus to learn of Him, He does not offer us a second hand education. He said that the Holy Spirit will teach us all things (John 14:26). The knowledge that you acquire in His presence is spiritual revelation like it was with Peter when he declared that Jesus was the Son of the Living God. Peter did not surmise the person of Jesus through reading about Him in a book or hearing others talk about Him. He had come unto Jesus and he had learned of Him. Peter knew in his own heart who Jesus was because he had been with Jesus and had experienced a spiritual transference of wisdom and understanding. Jesus explained that flesh and blood had not revealed this knowledge to Peter, but that the revelation of Jesus' deity had been supernaturally imparted by the Father in Heaven (Matthew 16:17). These two invitations ‘to come’ and ‘to learn’ were given particularly to those who were weary and carrying heavy burdens. Yet, invitations are simply that. No one will force you to come regardless of how tired and weary you may be and no one will force you to learn. It is up to you to accept the Lord's invitation and make time in your own personal schedule to follow through. Communion with Jesus offers us an awesome avenue of exchange. He promises that if we would take time to come into His presence and learn of Him that He would give us rest in our souls in exchange for the things that were making us weary. He declared that His yoke would be easy and that His burden would be light. Isaiah 40:31 tells us that if we wait upon the Lord, our strength will be renewed and we will mount up with wings as eagles. We shall run and not be weary, and we shall walk and not faint. It is important that you take a few minutes every morning to come into the Lord's presence and learn of Him before you start your day. As you develop a relationship with Jesus and learn of Him, you will come to understand that you can only do what He tells you to do and say what He tells you to say. That knowledge will impart incredible strength into your soul because it will release you from false responsibility and free you from stress. Your decisions will become easier and more accurate because you are leaning upon the Holy Spirit of Wisdom and Truth. Your path will become clearer because your life will be less cluttered by the things that surround you. When you sow this seed of time for your day, you will find yourself saying “No” to a multitude of distractions because you will be focused on God's goals and desires for your life. His plan and His purpose is the most important agenda for your life so take time to come and learn of Him and allow His strength to carry you through the day. +++ 1/30/19 YOUR FRUIT IN YOUR SEASON Scripture: Psalms 1:3 "He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season." The first verses of this psalm explain the process and conditions of blessings and spiritual fruit. They declare that you cannot expect blessings or fruit in your life if you walk with the ungodly, stand in the place where sinners congregate, or sit with those who are scornful. Exposing yourself to these conditions will cause you to wither and dry up within. It is like planting a perfectly good plant in the dry and barren desert, where it’s total surroundings produce death. All of us have experienced these places of entrapment at some point in our life, and before we could flee the situation, the circumstances and the people involved seemed to draw our very life from us. There was nothing edifying or encouraging in their scornful words or misconduct, and in most instances, we were shamed by their actions. The psalmist said that those who meditate upon God's Words will bring forth "his fruit in his season." He stated it as a matter of fact. God has planned for every life to bring forth fruit and has ordained its particular season. Yet if you want to produce the fruit that the Lord has ordained for your life, there are conditions that must be met. You must delight yourself in His law and meditate upon His Words day and night. This means 24-7, you are to think on God' Words; in light and in darkness; in good times and in bad times; when you are rich and when you are poor; when you have energy and when you are weak; when you have friends that surround and support you and when you are all alone; when you are encouraged and when you are discouraged; when you are in health and when infirmity is attacking your body; when you are experiencing victory and when you are facing defeat; and when everyone loves you and when everyone rejects you. At all times and in all situations continue to meditate on God’s Words. Delighting yourself in God's Word and meditating upon what He has said is the only environment that will keep you fresh and green because this continual nourishment from His Word gives life to you. His Word keeps you on track in the good times and strengthens and encourages you in the bad times. When you meditate upon what He has said, God establishes your spirit in His concepts and thoughts. When He establishes you, you become like a tree that is planted by the rivers of water. You cannot be moved from your zone and you will never wither or shrink in adversity. Your roots run deep and because you are strong within, you are able to stand in the seasons of drought and famine and still bring forth fruit. +++ 1/31/19 GARMENT OF PRAISE Scripture: Isaiah 61:3 "... garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness." God has a remedy for the oppression and depression that you or maybe someone that you care for may be facing. He has anointed Jesus to minister to the meek, the brokenhearted, and the captives that are bound in physical and spiritual prisons. Jesus came to comfort all that mourn in Zion, which represents the church. He appoints unto us three things in a great exchange. He takes the ashes and our ruined lives and gives us beauty. He gives us oil or the anointing of joy in our lives in place of mourning, and He also gives us a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Jesus turns everything that has damaged and hurt us into something beautiful. He takes "all things and works them together for good to those that love Him and are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). Notice that He called 'heaviness' a spirit. There is no force that can battle an evil spirit but the Spirit of the Living God. God's Word tells us exactly what we are to do when this spirit of mourning and heaviness comes against us. God provides the "oil of joy and the garment of praise" for us, but they are like items that are only issued to us. Once they have been appointed, they need to be received and put on. They are like unused clothing in our closet until we apply them to our lives. We must put forth an effort and begin to sing and praise God from a thankful heart. Only then will the Spirit of God drive out the evil that is oppressing us and trying to force us into depression. Isaiah 51:11 says, "The redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head; they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away." This is a pattern for deliverance. When we begin to sing and rejoice, the anointing of joy begins to flow from God, and the sorrow and mourning that is attempting to plague our lives has to flee. Isaiah 52:1 says, "Awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments," ... and verse 9 says, "Break forth into joy, sing together." We must take the initiative to awake and put on this beautiful garment of praise that has been provided for us. We must take heed to God's Word. When oppression and depression present themselves, we must exchange them for songs of praise and then watch sorrow and mourning flee away as we break forth into a spirit of joy. +++ Copyright © 2019 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights Reserved www.widsonline.com |
.............................. | ||