| ............ | A Word In Due Season Dec 2023 12/1/23 WINGS AS EAGLES Scripture: Isaiah 40:31 "They that wait upon the Lord … shall mount up with wings as eagles." Who would not like to take advantage of this promise, for the eagle is so majestic in flight? It is the king of all the birds and is set apart from all others because of its beauty and dignity. Yet, who of us is willing to make the sufficient sacrifice that will enable us to obtain this grand experience? This promise is made only to those who will take the time to wait upon God. Waiting can either be the idea of lingering in God's presence, serving Him in obedience, or being submissive to His perfect timing. Either way, "to wait" demands putting aside all natural desires and instincts to seek first the Kingdom of God and His perfect will. The condition of the wings is important to the eagle. The eagle must take the time to prepare its feathers to be able to mount up and soar through the heavens. This is a process in which the eagle isolates itself from every distraction and spends at least an hour each day preening its feathers. The preening process is very precise, time consuming, and tedious. The eagle passes each feather, one-by-one, through its beak and exhales air. This cleans and seals the individual hairs of the feathers together. In this process, the feathers are treated with a chemical that is secreted by the eagle’s preening gland. This preparation is done at the beginning of each day. Only through the patience of this process can the eagle's feathers be strengthened enough to endure the abuse from the winds and weather. Through preening the wings become sturdy enough for the eagle to take flight and capture its prey. The eagle does not beat its wings in the air as the other birds do. It learns to master the winds through submission. It does not lean on its own strength but gives itself totally to the force of the wind that is beneath its wings. Even though the eagle has made every preparation for flight, it never moves in presumption. It waits patiently for the wind because it recognizes that the wind is its power. Like the eagle, our strength also rests in the power of the winds of the Holy Spirit, and our times must be left in God's hands. All we can do is wait in His presence and prepare ourselves for the day by examining and spiritually cleansing our lives. As we do, God will seal His strength into our very being and make us ready to endure the challenge of the battles and abuses that are set before us. As we wait upon the Lord, He will make known His purposes and give clear directions. Because we have been strengthened in the Lord's presence, we will not grow weary or faint because we are not beating our wings in fury and depending on our own strength. Instead, as we wait, we will catch the winds of God’s Spirit, and we will mount up with wings as the eagles. +++ 12/4/23 LIGHT TRESPASS Scripture: II Corinthians 4:4 "... the god of this world (Satan) has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, Who is the image of God, should shine unto them." In many cities and some rural areas there are so many lights that the stars in the heavens are hidden. Although you can usually see the moon, you must travel several miles to find a place that is dark enough to give you a clear view of the stars. Many times, these true and supernatural lights of God's creation are impossible to be seen because they are dimmed by the artificial lights of man's making. The technical term for this occurrence is "light trespass." God's handiwork and beauty are overshadowed by the progress of time. This overabundance of artificial illumination trespasses upon the territories of God’s heaven and hides the glory of His perfect lights. Regardless of this interference, God's wonders are still there in the heavens and His glory has not declined in the least. If we can get past the artificial, we find that the moon is still glowing, and the stars are still shining. Every light that God created from the foundations of the world is still illuminated by His power. They are still functioning according to His plan and purposes even though their beauty is challenged and endangered by the trespass of foreign light that dims their view. In the spiritual realm we face a similar situation. The god of this world attempts to blind our eyes so that we cannot see the true light of the glorious gospel of Christ. Satan, himself, appears as an angel of light and treads upon God's territory as he trespasses in the hearts of men. He shines his light as brightly as he can to outshine the beauty of the True Light that gives life to man. Satan's artificial light conflicts with the real and the supernatural as he offers things that appeal to the carnal man. To dim the eternal glories of the true riches that are in Christ Jesus, he offers temporal moments of pleasures. He dims our vision of the Kingdom of God by enticing us to exchange it for the kingdoms of this present world. He offers immediate satisfaction and entices us not to wait for God's best. Satan, a master of deceit, will show us the forbidden fruit of his knowledge so that we will not believe and receive the light of God's wisdom, which comes down from above. Satan entices our hearts to be so overcrowded with the things of this world that we forget the light of God's Word, which is designed to be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. He tempts us to get involved in doing good things so that we do not have time to follow God's perfect will for our lives. The Light of the Lord Jesus shines brightly, but we must not allow anything to obscure our view of Him; not our fame or fortune, fulfillment of our own desires, or the brightness of any temptation that the devil offers to us. Neither can we allow our failures and disappointments to overshadow the light of God's mercy, grace, and faithfulness to forgive. We cannot allow our minds to be blinded by the god of this world, who seeks to trespass against the light of the glorious gospel of Christ. Instead, we must make every effort to find God's light at all costs. We must turn our eyes towards Jesus, who is the image of the true and living God, and focus upon the light of His love, His joy, and His peace. +++ 12/5/23 FINDING LIFE Scripture: Matthew 16:25 "For whosever will save his life shall lost it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it." Many times, we search for contentment, but we never find it because we are waiting for something grand to happen in our lives. Our attention is drawn to the material, and we think that possessions, status, and fame will be the things that will satisfy our souls. We climb the ladder of achievement every day, but we never reach the top. We run the race, but we never get to the finish line, and we travel the road, but we never arrive at our destination. We seek diligently, but we never find the true treasures. We have life, but we never really live. Jesus shared a way for us to experience the fullness of life. He said if we would lose our life for His sake, we would find it. Jesus also told us to deny ourselves, take our cross, and follow Him. It is only as we lay aside our own natural desires that we can focus on the spiritual. When we view things from the perspective of the cross, we see that our lives have a greater purpose than just our own desires. As God shows us the true purpose for our lives, the revelation motivates and energizes us. Our priorities are no longer swayed by the distractions that surround us. Our integrity is no longer challenged by the temptations that seek to destroy us, and the enticing detours are no longer able to divert us. Like Paul, we are able to press towards the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14). And like Jesus, we are able to endure the cross and run the race with patience because of the prize that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1). If we really want to live, we must take Jesus at His Word, believe in Him, and Trust Him. Me must lay our lives at the foot of the cross and allow God to show us what He has planned for us. God said that He has good plans for us, which include a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). God’s ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. The life that God has planned for us is greater than any plan that we could ever imagine. We must give our lives to God and allow Him to live through us. As we lose ourselves in Him and sacrifice the lower life, we will find the higher purpose and gain the greater life. +++ 12/6/23 GOD ANSWERS PRAYER Scripture: Psalms 143:7 (Message Bible) "Hurry with Your answer, God! I'm nearly at the end of my rope. King David asked the Lord to come speedily to his rescue because his enemies were pursuing him. They were attempting to crush his life into the ground. All the turmoil that was happening around David caused him to be in a state of deep depression. Because of the darkness that surrounded him, David felt that if God did not come to his aid quickly, he would go down to the pit, which meant that he would just give up, die, and go to his grave. David was at the end of his rope, and he was desperate. He needed an answer from God, and he needed it right away. We have heard the expression, “When you get to the end of the rope, just tie a knot and hang on.” That expression gives the impression that the knot is supposed to be a source of deliverance for us. Yet, hanging on to a knot in midair for a long season is a difficult task. We must understand that the knot at the end of the rope is not our salvation. The truth is that we cannot bear our burdens alone. It is good to do all that we can do to survive, but we can hold on for just so long before our own strength begins to fail. If we are going to tie a knot at the end of the rope, we are going to need God to strengthen us physically, mentally, and emotionally. That is the only way we can hold on until His supernatural deliverance comes. While David was in his perplexing situation, he told the Lord, "I remember Your glorious miracles that You did in the past and I reach out for You" (Verse six). God had always delivered David, so he decided to let go of everything and trust in God. Like David, we may be at the end of our rope because of the circumstances that surround us. We may not know whether to let go or hang on, but we do know that things cannot continue as they are. We need God to hurry and come speedily to our rescue with His answer because we recognize that time is running out. We must speak to God very plainly as David did and tell Him that we are at the end and that we need Him to come through for us one more time and to come quickly. God understands exactly where we are, for He sees our needs, and He has answers. So set us set out gaze upon the Lord and stretch forth our arms to Him. As we let Him know that we are trusting in Him rather than the knot at the end of the rope, He will reach out to us. +++ 12/7/23 SEED AND BREAD Scripture: Isaiah 55:10-11 "As the rain and snow comes down from the heavens ... and waters the Earth, and makes it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater: So shall My Word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." God does not speak random words. Each Word that He speaks is full of power and brings a life changing result. When He said, "Let there be light," there was light. When He spoke the sun, moon, and stars into existence, they appeared. God has not changed in His methods and His Words are still creative. He has a unique purpose for each and every Word that He speaks to us. His Word is like the rain and snow that comes down from the heavens, which water the earth. It brings life and causes our faith to grow just like the rain causes the things on the Earth to grow. Neither the rain, nor God's Word, ever returns to Him with void written on them. They are both accountable to God and accomplish the work that He designed for them to do. When God sends forth His Word, the Prophet Isaiah said it produces two effects: seed to the one who sows the Word and bread to the eater, or the one who receives the Word. As we hear the Word of God, those two things should happen in our lives. First, His Word should strengthen, grow, and nourish us within our spirits like natural bread does for our bodies. His Word should sustain us in our daily life by giving us direction, correction, hope, and encouragement. That is the reason it is so important to feed on God's Word daily, for we need continual spiritual nourishment. Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of the Father" (Luke 4:4). God's Word that comes down from Heaven is our spiritual bread and gives spiritual life. Second, God's Word should also be seed that we sow, or words that we can share with others to strengthen, encourage, and nourish their spirits in their daily life. Jesus intended for us to pass along God's Word to others as He told us to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel" (Mark 16:15). We are to sow the Word and bring the same direction, correction, hope, and encouragement that we have received from the Word. Each time we hear a good sermon or read a scripture we should share those thoughts with someone else along the way who might need a word of encouragement. God rarely speaks audibly to mankind, but He allows us to be the voice of His Word in this Earth. With each opportunity that is presented, we must receive God's Word as our own bread and then sow it as seed into the lives of others. In doing so, we will be doubly blessed. +++ 12/8/23 NO DISTRACTIONS Scripture: Hebrews 2:9 "But we see Jesus." "When Leonardo da Vinci had painted his immortal 'Last Supper,' he asked a friend for an evaluation. The friend heaped superlatives on the masterpiece, and especially praised the wine cup by the Lord's hand. At that point, Leonardo blotted out the cup. He was to have said, 'Nothing should distract one's attention from the Lord.'" ... From More Stories For The Heart - Author Unknown This story makes me wonder what we see when we look at Jesus? Do we see the glory of His presence, or do we get distracted by the material things that will benefit us if we serve Him? Do we look at Jesus as being our Lord and our first love, or do we envision the honor of our own reputations because we are serving Him? Do we give others more honor and adoration than we do to God's beloved Son? Do we tend to view our spiritual leaders almost equal to our Lord and Savior? It is easy to get distracted from the real picture and see the cup rather than the Savior. Even the Apostle Peter fell into this trap when Jesus was transfigured before his eyes. He watched as Jesus' appearance was transformed before him. Jesus' clothes began to shine, glistening like the snow, and then the Prophet Elijah and Moses appeared with Him. Peter got caught up in the moment, and focusing on the spectacular, he suggested that three memorials be built: one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. At that moment of distraction, the three were equal in Peter's eyes. Yet when it came to an end, Jesus was the only one who was remaining, and God's voice spoke with validation concerning Jesus, "This is My only begotten Son" (Mark 9:2-8). These words remind us that we are never to build memorials in our spirits that will distract us from the only begotten Son of God. Jesus should always be our main interest, and the One that we focus our attention upon regardless of what else or who else shows up in the scene. Other ministries and the spectacular may try to lure and distract us like the cup at the Lord's hand in the painting. Even our own talents, work, and ministries may turn into masterpieces that are admired by the world. But like Leonardo da Vinci's response, we too must blot out any beauty and glory that seeks to supersede and overshadow the glory of the Lord Jesus. We should not allow anything to draw our attention away from Him. Regardless of what is happening around us, whether good or bad, we should declare, "We see Jesus." The lyrics of an old song remind us of this thought; "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face And the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace." +++ 12/11/23 LEARN OF ME Scripture: Matthew 11:28-29 "Come unto Me ... take My yoke … learn of Me … find rest." Jesus speaks to those of us who are weary and heavy laden and tells us that all we need to do is to come to Him and He will show us how to achieve rest in our labor. This means mental and emotional rest as well as physical rest. The Lord does not want us to be stressed in any area, so He invites us to take His yoke upon ourselves so that we can enjoy life and find rest for our souls. He said, "Learn of Me." This was His great remedy for our fatigue, our stress, and ridding ourselves of heavy burdens. Jesus is our wonderful counselor, but how could His few words, "Learn of Me," solve our many problems? We must look at the examples of His life and listen to the words that He speaks. Jesus declared that He was meek and lowly. Being meek does not mean to be weak. It means that He kept His emotions intact and disciplined Himself to be gentle. Jesus did not rant about everything that went wrong in His life or allow the petty accusations of the religious leaders to wear on His emotions. He kept His mind focused on His mission and went about doing good and serving others. He also remained lowly or humbly submitted to God the Father. Jesus never tried to prove that He was the Son of God even when He was tempted and challenged by the devil. Jesus simply stood steadfast in the knowledge of who God said that He was and did not put Himself in a bind by acting presumptuously. Instead, He only did what the Father showed Him and that released Him from much pressure and responsibility. Jesus was simply obedient to God’s voice and left the results to Him. Jesus studied the scriptures from an early age so that He could understand the will of God and be able to come against the strategies of the devil. He was challenged with feeding the multitudes, but He never got under the burden that Martha did who found herself anxious about serving her guest. Like Mary, Jesus had chosen the good part and had spent much time sitting in the presence of His Father. When it came time to feed the thousands, Jesus trusted the same God who had provided manna every day for forty years in the wilderness for Moses and the millions of Israelites. Jesus did not get anxious when it became necessary to confront the demon possessed man because He had prepared Himself by prayer and fasting long before the incident occurred. Jesus also showed us some natural things that will ease our burdens and renew our strength. He took time to be alone so that He could rest physically and regenerate His own spirit, and He encouraged His Disciples to do the same. If Jesus needed physical and mental rest, we surely do. We cannot wait until we have time, we must take time to follow His example. Jesus could perform miracles, but He did not try to do all the work of the ministry by Himself. Instead, Jesus surrounded Himself with twelve Disciples and allowed them to help Him carry His load. Jesus was truly unique. We must become meek and lowly in heart as Jesus was and learn all that we can from Him. As we "Come unto Him, take His yoke, and learn of Him, we will find rest for our souls," and we will escape the weariness and anxiety that life creates. +++ 12/12/23 RESPONDING TO COUNSEL Scripture: Proverbs 19:20 (Amplified) "Hear counsel, receive instruction and accept correction, that you may be wise in the time to come." How often do we seem unwise at the end of a situation because we have failed to do the three things listed above; hear counsel, receive instruction, and accept correction? We have always heard the expression, "Two heads are better than one." This is also true from God's viewpoint, as He never intended for us to stand alone and figure out how to solve our own problems. Throughout His Word, He encourages us to seek counsel with each other and look at our situations from different perspectives. In Isaiah 9:6, God promised us a Wonderful Counselor in the person of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul told us that God's written Word would give us counsel. He said, "All scripture is given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness" (II Timothy 3:16). When we fail to seek and receive counsel from Jesus, the Word, or others, we set ourselves up for failure. Proverbs 11:14 declares, "Where no wise guidance is, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety." Another proverb tells us that purposes and plans are brought to an end when there is no counsel, but with many counselors, plans are established. Direction is gained and plans become established as we share with others and as we make ourselves accountable to those with whom we have involved in our lives and decisions. Yet obtaining good and wise results does not end with just hearing wise counsel. We must also "receive instruction." Counsel will tell us where we are missing it, but instruction will tell us how to fix it. We must not only listen but also receive what is being said. Several times Jesus made a comment about those whom He ministered to, stating that they had eyes but did not see and ears but did not hear. They were seeing and hearing but not receiving any of His teachings into their heart. Wisdom takes us a step further. Hearing counsel and receiving instruction come to an end if we do not accept the correction and make the changes that are suggested or offered. For instance, if a mechanic tells us that the transmission in our car is bad, we may hear every detail of his wise counsel. We may even agree that we need to repair or replace the transmission. However, if we do not make the corrections that are necessary, the transmission in our car will continue to work improperly. Solomon said if we accept correction, we will be wise at the end of the matter. Wisdom demands change when corrections are needed, so we must listen to our Wonderful Counselor and respond to His instructions. In so doing we will be wise in the time to come. +++ 12/13/23 OPENING OUR HEART'S DOOR Scripture: Revelation 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him ..." When we read this scripture, we often think of the picture of Jesus standing and knocking at a door that has no doorknob on the outside. The scene represents the door of our heart, which can only be opened from the inside. It leaves the impression that we must open the door if we want Jesus to come into our lives. We often think of this picture just in terms of our initial salvation and fail to realize that Jesus stands at the door of our heart daily wanting to commune with us on a personal level. This passage of scripture in Revelation addressed not just the lost, but those in the church who had become spiritually lukewarm and arrogant. They said, "I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing." They thought that they had it all together, but the scriptures tell us that God saw them as wretched, poor, blind, and naked. So, He personally stood at their door and tried to get their attention. He wanted to come into their lives and make them into overcomers (verse 21). God told them that He would come in if they would respond to Him in two ways; by hearing His voice, and by opening the door to Him. God makes those same promises to us because He desires to experience an intimate relationship with us. He knocks on our heart's door to summon us to prayer and the study of His Word, but many times we do not respond for various reasons. We may be so far away spiritually that we do not hear Him, or we may be too distracted with the cares of this life to respond to His invitation. It may be that we are depending upon others to hear His voice for us. Then again, we may hear the Lord's voice, but feel we are just too busy to answer. The bottom line is that we will never be overcomers in this life if we are not attentive to God's voice or if we refuse to open the door and allow Him into our lives. He makes His invitation very plain. He says, "I am standing at the door of your heart, and I am knocking. Do you hear me? Will you open the door? Can we commune with one another?" If we are willing and desire intimacy with the Lord, we must wait for Him just as we would wait for a special friend that we are expecting to visit with us. We must Listen for the Lord’s voice and respond to His knock at our heart's door. When Jesus knocks, we must remember that we are the only one who can open the door because the latch is on our side. +++ 12/14/23 AS YOUR SOUL PROSPERS Scripture: III John 2 "Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers." We often think of prosperity in terms of money and material things, but true prosperity is a concept that includes success in every area of life. The spirit of prosperity does not depend upon what we have or what we do not have. There are many people who are wealthy and have an abundance of material possessions but are lacking prosperity because their lives are empty and unfulfilled. They are never satisfied and often complain about what they do have. They are always reaching for more to satisfy their lust, and as a result they have little time to think of the needs of others. Yet, there are others who have little as far as worldly goods are concerned but possess great prosperity in their hearts. They are happy and satisfied, and their greatest fulfillment is to share what they have with someone who needs it more than they do. They feel blessed just to be a blessing, even though it may leave them without. Two of God's greatest wishes is that we prosper and that we be in good health. However, our health, our material prosperity, and our personal success is linked to the prosperity of our soul. Matthew 6:33 confirms this thought by saying, "Seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." When we seek God, He blesses our life in a supernatural way. Abraham left everything to follow God, and God blessed him and made him rich. God offered King Solomon anything that he wanted, but Solomon did not ask for riches or fame for himself. Instead, he asked for wisdom to lead God's people, and God not only imparted wisdom to Solomon, but gave him wealth and fame beyond measure. Isaac obeyed God and stayed in the land where God had placed him, and God made him to prosper in the time of famine. God even caused everything that Joseph did to prosper when he was a slave and serving in the prison. These men prospered because their souls prospered. They followed and sought after God's best and trusted His sovereign plan. If we desire to experience true prosperity in our lives, we must allow our soul to prosper. We must take time to wait upon God so that we can draw strength from His presence. We must study His Word and listen to His voice as He speaks words of wisdom to us. We must seek to accomplish God's will by obeying His commands and following where He leads. We must want what God wants and follow where He leads. We must obey His voice and do what He tells us to do. As we commit our lives, to Him and trust in His sovereign plan, our soul will prosper, and all that God has ordained for our life will come to pass. +++ 12/15/23 STABLE FEET Scripture: Habakkuk 3:19 "The Lord God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me walk upon my high places." Habakkuk who was a prophet of the Lord was in fear when he saw the Chaldeans coming to invade the land. He said, "My whole inner self (or everything within me) trembled and my lips quivered at the sound." There was nothing he could do to prevent the situation as he waited quietly for the day of trouble and distress to come against his people. Yet, in the middle of this turmoil and the uncertainty, Habakkuk put his trust in God and continued to praise Him. He made a bold declaration that God's strength would help him, and God’s people, get through the hard and uncertain times that they were facing. He said, "I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. If the fig tree does not blossom and bring fruit; if the product of the olive fails; if the fields yield no food; if there are no flocks; and if there are no cattle in the stalls, I will still rejoice." He decided ahead of time to praise God regardless of what the future held for him and his people. He was determined not to let the circumstances separate him from God. As he depended upon God for strength and help, he held three secrets in his heart that caused him to be able to continue in praise to God in spite of impending danger. 1) The Lord would be his strength. 2) God would make his feet to be stable. 3) God had a personal plan for him and would help him walk in it. Habakkuk knew that the eternal supernatural God that he served was bigger than any natural circumstance that he would face. Even though Habakkuk's own natural resources were failing, he knew that God would sustain him so he placed his confidence in the God who was his source and strength. Like Habakkuk, we can also have this same assurance. Regardless of the trouble or distress that we are facing, we must stop relying on our own strength and lean upon God. As we begin to depend upon God, He will make our feet like the feet of the deer, strong and sure. As we develop our faith by hearing His Word, He will give us the ability to climb our mountain of adversity without fear. We must acknowledge God as our source of strength and praise Him regardless of how bad our circumstances look. As we do, He will then lead us to the places that He has prepared for us and enable us to conquer each cliff, one step at a time. We can be sure that the same God who made Habakkuk's feet stable and allowed him to walk in high places is the same God that is there for us. +++ 12/18/23 AS YOUR SOUL PROSPERS Scripture: III John 2 "Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers." We often think of prosperity in terms of money and material things, but true prosperity is a concept that includes success in every area of life. The spirit of prosperity does not depend upon what we have or what we do not have. There are many people who are wealthy and have an abundance of material possessions but are lacking prosperity because their lives are empty and unfulfilled. They are never satisfied and often complain about what they do have. They are always reaching for more to satisfy their lust, and as a result they have little time to think of the needs of others. Yet, there are others who have little as far as worldly goods are concerned but possess great prosperity in their hearts. They are happy and satisfied, and their greatest fulfillment is to share what they have with someone who needs it more than they do. They feel blessed just to be a blessing, even though it may leave them without. Two of God's greatest wishes is that we prosper and that we be in good health. However, our health, our material prosperity, and our personal success is linked to the prosperity of our soul. Matthew 6:33 confirms this thought by saying, "Seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." When we seek God, He blesses our life in a supernatural way. Abraham left everything to follow God, and God blessed him and made him rich. God offered King Solomon anything that he wanted, but Solomon did not ask for riches or fame for himself. Instead, he asked for wisdom to lead God's people, and God not only imparted wisdom to Solomon, but gave him wealth and fame beyond measure. Isaac obeyed God and stayed in the land where God had placed him, and God made him to prosper in the time of famine. God even caused everything that Joseph did to prosper when he was a slave and serving in the prison. These men prospered because their souls prospered. They followed and sought after God's best and trusted His sovereign plan. If we desire to experience true prosperity in our lives, we must allow our soul to prosper. We must take time to wait upon God so that we can draw strength from His presence. We must study His Word and listen to His voice as He speaks words of wisdom to us. We must seek to accomplish God's will by obeying His commands and following where He leads. We must want what God wants and follow where He leads. We must obey His voice and do what He tells us to do. As we commit our lives, to Him and trust in His sovereign plan, our soul will prosper, and all that God has ordained for our life will come to pass. +++ 12/19/23 A GOD BEYOND MEASURE Scripture: Isaiah 7:14 "Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." For many it is difficult to grasp the concept that Mary, the mother of Jesus, could conceive and give birth to a child and still remain a virgin in the process. Yet this Immaculate Conception did occur as the Holy Spirit came upon Mary and the power of the Highest overshadowed her (Luke 1:35). This union with the Holy Spirit that she experienced was a fulfillment of a long-awaited prophecy of the Prophet Isaiah. Mary’s obedience to God and her submission to His plan allowed His Word to come to pass in the flesh and enabled Jesus to dwell among us as Emmanuel, God with us. Mary was chosen by God to fulfill this special purpose, but there was much shame and degradation that came along with this privileged assignment and wonderful experience. Many could not believe that her purity was intact because the conception went beyond the laws nature. Yet, why is it so difficult to believe that the same God who created man from the dust of the ground could not plant a seed of conception within the womb of a virgin woman? Why is it so hard to believe that the Holy Spirit, who is beyond measure, could not overshadow Mary and impart life as He did when He breathed life into the nostrils of Adam, causing him to become a living soul? God is a God beyond measure and nothing is too difficult for Him. All of life is His creation. Even in the natural when a biological seed is planted, it only comes alive when God breathes life into it. Like the Immaculate Conception with Mary, there are many things in our day-to-day lives that we do not understand. We must take them by faith because God's ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. How could we not believe that God could heal our bodies when He, Himself, formed us from the dust of the earth? How could we not trust the Lord who created the Earth to also be able to sustain us and provide our personal needs for nourishment? How could we not know that the One who created the entire universe by His Word of power would still be sovereign today and in control of our lives? How could we not believe that the Lord who filled our hearts with the ability to love and feel emotions would also mend our broken spirits and bring restoration to our hearts? How could we not believe that our Heavenly Father who sent His only Son to die for us would also forgive us of all our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness? As we think about the glorious experience that the Virgin Mary had and how wonderful the Lord is, we too must yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to personally overshadow us. He is Emmanuel, God with us. When we open our heart to Him, we will find that He is waiting to minister to us. As He breathes upon us, we will experience new life and hope and know that He is a God beyond measure. +++ 12/20/23 FAITH TO CONCEIVE Scripture: Luke 1:31 The angel said to Mary, "Thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call His Name JESUS.” There can be no birth without conception. This is a natural fact and also a spiritual truth. Even the Holy Christ Child was conceived by Mary. She conceived, and then she brought forth. It was an unusual conception in that it happened as the Holy Spirit came upon Mary and the power of the Highest overshadowed her (Luke 1:35), but still there was conception. This supernatural occurrence was a picture of what happens in our spirits when God wants us to give birth to His purposes in our lives. First, His Holy Spirit comes upon us, inspiring us with a vision, a hope, a healing, or a dream. After our spirits conceive His thoughts, we then must nurture those thoughts or seeds with faith. Finally, we bring forth or give birth to the vision by the power of God. God’s plan is incredible as the supernatural comes about in such a simple way. Like the conception of a natural child that comes through love making, conception of the spiritual also comes through loving and worshipping God. We see so many examples in the scriptures of people who received a natural blessing when they worshipped God in their spirits. The leper worshipped Jesus and was healed (Matthew 8:2). The ruler worshipped and his daughter was raised from the dead (Matthew 9:18-26). Again, a young girl was delivered of a devil when her mother worshipped Jesus (Matthew 15:22), and a man possessed with many devils was also delivered and made whole when he worshipped the Lord (Mark 5:1-13). God cannot birth healing or any other blessing in our lives until we have first conceived His seed in our spirit. We prosper and have health in the natural as our soul prospers in the spiritual (III John 2). It is simple - whatever we need, or desire must happen first in our heart. Our heart is like a natural womb where the seed is conceived. Proverbs 23:7 says, "As you think in your heart, so are you." Intimacy with God changes us. When we worship God in the middle of our need and hopeless situation, the Holy Spirit overshadows us. True love and worship will open our heart to conceive the supernatural and then faith will bring about its birth. We must surrender to God's will and exercise our faith to conceive His promise. As we do, God will plant His vision of victory deep inside of us and give us strength to deliver in due season. +++ 12/21/23 FAITH'S RESPONSE Scripture: Luke 1:45 "Blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord." Gabriel, a special messenger angel, was sent by God to speak good tidings to two individuals. As Gabriel delivered his message, he received two opposite responses to the words that he spoke. One response was filled with faith while the other was clouded with doubt. When Gabriel told the priest, Zechariah, that he would become the father of John the Baptist, Zechariah responded by saying, "How shall I know this?" He wanted solid proof, but by questioning the validity of the message and the validity of the messenger (verse 18). Zechariah's doubt provoked the angel and Gabriel told him, "You shall be dumb, and not be able to speak until the day that these things shall be performed, because you did not believe my words." Gabriel's second visit was to a young virgin named Mary, who was destined to become the mother of Jesus. Questions also arose in Mary's mind. However, her questions were not the result of unbelief, but rather dealt with the information that she might have needed to fulfill the promise. In Luke 1:34 she said, "How shall this be, since I don't know a man?" She was possibly wondering if this great miracle would happen through natural means, so she informed the angel that she was a virgin. Gabriel answered her question with these words, "The Holy Ghost shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God." When she realized that it would come about supernaturally, she began to rejoice in faith saying, "Be it unto me according to your word." Mary was blessed because she believed. How often do we hear from God and go through great struggles with the words that He has revealed to us? Like Zechariah, we often ask, "How do I know this promise is true?" rather than saying, like Mary, "How shall this be or how shall this happen?" When God speaks, He does not want us to question His Word, but He does want us to ask for His direction to bring about that Word. Most of the time there are necessary steps in the natural that must be taken for God's Words to come to pass so God wants to reveal His plans to us. For instance, when God speaks to a minister to build a new church, faith arises in the minister's heart. He grasps the vision, but physical actions must be taken on his part for the Word of faith to come to pass. Regardless of whether God plans to do a natural or a supernatural work through us, He still desires a faith response to His initial Word. Our attitude should be like Mary's, "I believe You, God. How is this going to happen and what do you want me to do so that there will be a performance of those things which you have spoken to me?" +++ 12/22/23 CHRISTMAS Scripture: Luke 2:10 "And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tiding of great joy, which shall be to all people." One night the shepherds were going about their normal duties. It may have seemed that it was going to be a typical night as they watched over their sheep in the fields. Little did they know they were destined for a divine and supernatural appointment with the angels of the Lord. Nor did they comprehend that centuries later this encounter would be re-enacted as one of the most prominent events in history. Images of angels and lowly shepherds would stand alongside the nativity scenes, and pictures of shepherds would also appear on thousands of Christmas cards. The angels did not go to the religious leaders of the synagogue, the Sadducees, or the Pharisees. They also did not go to the wealthy or the prominent. Instead, God chose to send them to the lowly shepherds whose testimony would be one of the confirmations that Jesus Christ, the Messiah, had been born. Can you imagine the surprise it was to the shepherds when the glory of the Lord shone about them, and the angels began to speak to them? The shepherds' first reaction was fear, but the angels reassured them that they were bringing good news, and these good tidings of great joy were for all people. Christmas means "Christ for the masses," for God never excludes anyone from salvation. His Word says that whosoever will, may come. It also declares that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). Christ Jesus gave His life on the cross for the masses of the world. He died for the pure and the prostitute, for the rich and the poor, and for the educated and the unlearned. He died for those who habitually obey the laws of the land and for the lawless. He died for the saint and the sinner, for the kind and the unkind, the good and the bad, and the beautiful and the unlovely. Jesus died for you and me. Jesus died between two men. One man received Him and the other rejected Him. We have the same choice, for Jesus does not force anyone into His Kingdom. He gave us an invitation, but we must respond. We can choose to believe the good tidings of great joy, or we can reject God’s message. We can receive the good news of His salvation, healing, peace, and love, or we can allow it to pass us by. The good tidings of the Lord’s mercy, grace, longsuffering, and forgiveness are available to us and will bring us great joy, but we must receive them. God has offered us much in His Word, so we must give serious thought to our lives, especially during this special season. We must reflect on the angel's message of good tidings of great joy and be assured that Christ came for the masses, which includes us. +++ 12/25/23 ONE SOLITARY LIFE\ Scriptures: Luke 2:10-11 & 1:31-33 "Fear not: I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord… Thou shall call His name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest ... And He shall reign forever; and of His Kingdom there shall be no end." "He was born in an obscure village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. He then became an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a house. He didn't go to college. He had no credentials but Himself. While He was still a young man, the tide of public opinion turned against Him and His friends ran away. He went through a trial that was a mockery. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth, and that was His coat. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave. Twenty centuries have come and gone, and today He is the central figure of the human race. All the armies that have ever marched, All the navies that have ever sailed, All the parliaments that have ever sat, And all the kings that have ever reigned have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that ..." ONE SOLITARY LIFE ... Copied - From Unknown Author May you be blessed as you celebrate the Birth of this One Solitary Life. +++ 12/26/23 QUICKENED BY THE WORD Scripture: Psalm 119:49-50 "Remember the Word unto Your servant, upon which You have caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction: for Your Word has quickened me." Seasons of affliction and distress come to all of us, but our victory during these times of trial and testing depends upon our response. The harder the test, the easier it is to give up and accept the defeat of the devil. However, the right response to times of affliction is found in this psalm. The psalmist responded by continuing to believe the Word of God that had been quickened, or made alive, in his heart and he allowed that Word to be his comfort. He did not become embittered by his circumstances or curse God. He simply reminded God of His Word and trusted God to honor it. Many times, during our affliction, we try to hold on to a Word from God that has not been made alive to us. We have heard someone else quote it and have seen them receive their answer, so we assume that it will work for us. We act in superficial faith, believing in the same results. Acting on someone else's miracle is not faith. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Romans 10:17). Faith comes when we hear God speak His Word to us. When He speaks, His Words are full of power and the miracle comes because the Holy Spirit brings life to that Word or scripture. Even Jesus said that He could nothing unless the Father showed Him (John 5:19). Notice that God caused the psalmist to hope in His Word. Because God spoke the Word that had been given, it was a comfort to the psalmist. God had breathed upon His Word and infused it with power, causing it to come alive within the psalmist's spirit. God was the source of the psalmist's hope. When we need a scripture to come alive in our heart that will bring comfort, we must remember that it is only a prayer away. The psalmist showed us how he was quickened by the Word. He prayed in Psalm 119:107, "I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O Lord, according to Your Word." He purposely asked God to quicken His Word that would bring him life. There are scriptures that are written to meet every need that we may have and bring deliverance for every bondage that is holding us captive. We must search the scriptures and find those that pertain to our situation, and then remind God of what He said. We must meditate on those scriptures and read them aloud. As we do, we must ask God to quicken us with those Words. We must repeat them until our spirit is made alive by those Words from God. This process is like striking a match repeatedly until it finally ignites. Faith will come, but it will come by hearing. When the Word of God ignites within our spirit, faith will arise to bring comfort in the time of affliction because when Jesus speaks, "His Words are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63). +++ 12/27/23 JESUS IS THE WORD Scripture: John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." "Word" in this scripture refers to Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, the Messiah, and the Savior of the world. This scripture could have read, "In the beginning was Jesus, and Jesus was with God, and Jesus was God." Verse fourteen tells us that the Word (Jesus) was made flesh and dwelt among us so that we could behold the glory of the only begotten of the Father. Everything about Jesus is glorious, for in Him is life and His life is the light of men. Darkness cannot overcome His light and death cannot swallow up His life that He gives to us. We think about an eternal future where time will never end, and we desire and trust that we will spend our eternity in Heaven with Jesus. Much is said about this beautiful place. There is talk about mansions, streets of gold, gates of pearl, and worshipping God for all eternity. Yet nothing much is said about the eternal past, for we have no information about the beginning of God or where He came from or the beginning of time. We do know that the Apostle John said that the Word, Jesus, was there in the very beginning. He was with God when God formed the world and He also had a part in our creation, for God said, "Let us make man in Our own image." They worked together, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to make each one of us into a special individual design. The written Word and the Word (Jesus), who became flesh, are both eternal living organisms and both speak to our hearts in different ways. The Light of His Word reveals the Life that is in Christ Jesus and the Life of Jesus imparts His Light into our spirits. When we hear or read the written Word, Jesus imparts revelation into our spirit. The written Word confirms the words that we receive when Jesus speaks to our heart by the Spirit. They never contradict each other, and we are never left undone about what God is speaking to our hearts. In the past, Moses gave the law, which were commandments that were written in stone. Today the Word of Light and Life is written, “not in tables of stone, but in the tables of our hearts” (II Corinthians 3:3). God's Word becomes a part of us and is the grace and truth that we are to live by. Think about this awesome revelation that the Apostle John shared. Jesus was with God and He is God. Now, as we receive Jesus into our hearts, this same Light and Life dwells within us. +++ 12/28/23 Copyright © 2023 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights Reserved www.widsonline.com |
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