FORWARD FREELY. This devotional is updated each week, each year. The freshest content is near the top of each week's devotional. Content from previous years for any given week is included below the fresh content. NOTE: If you have the option to do so, please add us to your 'buddy', 'accepted', 'approved' or 'trusted sender' list to ensure you continue to receive our messages. Thanks. This Week's Memory Verse is Isaiah 5:20 KJV: "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"
Week 26
Eagles only enjoy the company of other eagles. They never run with the pigeons or turkeys. They're never caught hanging out with chickens or flitting with the sparrows.
If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus, not some obscure scripture passage that might be accidentally taken out of context.
Hebrews 1:2a, 3a,b CSB - "...He has spoke to us by His Son...He is the radiance of His glory, the exact expression of His nature..."
God the Father is EXACTLY like Jesus.
If you want to know the Father's nature, His disposition towards anything happening in your life, simply look at Jesus' disposition in the Gospels, and... Voila! You instantly know how the Father feels about it too! Whatever Jesus did about it, the Father will do about it!
The President of the United States of America recently proclaimed the month of June 2009 to be "LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) Pride Month." And more recently he has hosted an event at the White House to commemorate the travesty. O how far the United States has fallen in just the last 25 years! It's hard to believe it has come down to this. The founding fathers would blush in embarassment and humiliation! Presidents should not so blatantly sin against our nation like this.
So June 2009 is "United States S.odom and G.omorrah Pride Month!" God forbid! In prayer I cancel such utter nonsense, in Jesus' name! Ignorant and unsaved men may celebrate such foolishness, but God won't place His stamp of approval on it, no, not ever! About the only thing good that could possibly come of such a "S&G Pride Month" and such an event at the White House is more judgment from God. Judgment from God is dished out only after leaders and people are given a season to repent. But if they refuse to repent after that season is up, then God is forced to let judgment come. Sometimes leaders, peoples, and nations, if they insist, have to learn things the hard way.
Proverbs 28:2 NLT - When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily. But with wise and knowledgeable leaders, there is stability.
2 Peter 2:8 MSG - Surrounded by moral rot day after day after day, that righteous man was in constant torment.
It's NOT a sin to be black, white, red, yellow, male, or female, young or old; but it IS a sin to be homosexual. Homosexuality can be forgiven, of course. And homosexuality can be overcome too, no doubt about it. And God doesn't hate homosexuals, but God hates this sin that is destroying men and women and our culture. And God is appalled that it is being used as a front to silence the Gospel and undermine traditional family values. The gay agenda is bent on normalizing their lifestyle and desensitizing all America towards all sin. If we can be hoodwinked over homosexuality, we can be deceived by anything and everything. One deception leads to another, especially one of this magnitude. I really don't care what anyone else says, God is explicit on the matter! The Bible, God's infallible Word, is copiously replete with scripture after scripture that condemns such sin as an abomination to God. And for militant gays to parade their movement as "civil rights" is the travesty of all travesties. Martin Luther King would speak sharply against such nonsense!
Isaiah 5:20 KJV - Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Think about the PREMISE of the gay agenda for just a moment. It assumes something! The sodomites ASSUME that all children are already sexually active and therefore, all children ought to be indoctrinated in the practice of sodomy in order to get in touch with their sexuality, even at the innocent age of kindergarten. THIS IS CHILD EXPLOITATION ON THE GRANDEST SCALE!
In any society, the issues of gay marriage, gay parenting, gay adoption, and gay rights sicken the very heart of God.
It is funny how the gay movement, Hollywood, the media, the ACLU, and the far left have successfully painted the picture of all Christians as being "hate-mongers" and "Bible-thumpers." Yet I have not found ONE, no not ONE Christian who hates homosexuals. All the Christians I know love the sinner, but hate the sin, because "THEY WAS ONE AND IS ONE THEMSELVES!"
John The Baptist got himself in hot water for confronting the government of his time with the sin of adultery. He spoke up against Herod and Herodias' illicit marriage and was beheaded for his so-called "hate-speech." All the while John had Herod's best interest at heart, and also genuinely cared about maintaining some semblance of divine order in his culture and society. I propose to you that John the Baptist was walking in love when he rebuked Herod. Love is not winking at sin. Love is caring enough to try to help people out of their sins. Ignoring truth is not love. Telling the truth is part of love. To God and to John the Baptist it was extremely important that the leader of the land possessed morality himself and set the proper example for his nation. John knew the power of example and how much power it had over people... for evil or for good.
Luke 10:12 - But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.
Luke 17:29 KJV - But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
2 Peter 2:6 KJV - And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly.
Jude 1:7 KJV - Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
Sin needs to be sharply DENOUNCED. But first our own must be RENOUNCED.
When you need a miracle, most of the time God will tell you to DO SOMETHING in order to RECEIVE SOMETHING ELSE.
God will often tell us to do something simple in order to receive something extraordinary.
Luke 5:4-6 KJV - Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
God may instruct us to do something little to receive something big.
Whatever He tells you to do, do it, because God is setting you up for a miracle.
John 2:5 KJV - His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
Whatever He tells you to do, do it, because doing so positions you for God's supernatural intervention.
Mike Murdock - When you let go of what is in your hand, God will let go of what is in His.
John 6:9 KJV - There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?
Obedience always schedules a miracle onto your calendar.
Obedience can instantly change the determined outcome of your situation.
Obedience is the only seed God requires of you.
Obedience, nothing more and nothing less, is all that God requires.
Obedience floods the Father's heart with sheer delight.
If God is asking you to do something, He has a blessing in mind for you.
Obedience is what guarantees the desired outcome!
God cannot do without an obedient worshipper.
Men only fail for lack of two things: Lack of Knowledge -or- Lack of Obedience.
There is a God Part and a Man Part to every transaction between Heaven and Earth.
God has always had designs on you!
Someone has wisely noted, "Our giftings can take us further than our character can sustain us."
The 9 Fruits of the Spirit + The 9 Gifts of the Spirit = Balance.
It is important that our CHARACTER grow concurrently with our CHARISMA.
If our CHARISMA exceeds our CHARACTER we will FALL. On the other hand, if our CHARACTER exceeds our CHARISMA we will FAIL. But there is no reason to FALL personally, and no reason to FAIL ministerially... for both CHARACTER and CHARISMA, integrity and giftings, are ours for the asking and developing.
His ATTRIBUTES IN US must be as strong as His ACTS THROUGH US.
Mercy and justice are not antithetical, rather they are complimentary.
Think about it for a moment: There can be no mercy except there be justice. Mercy would not be mercy except it issue from the heart of one who is just.
Mercy automatically means that there exists justice.
Who does one beg mercy from? One who also holds the scales of justice.
Mercy is only as strong as justice is clearly understood.
God's Justice drives us to His mercy. Then His Mercy makes us a Just People.
The same coin that has a front also has a back. But both sides represent the same coin, and represent equal value.
My aunt's murderer is JUSTLY imprisoned. However, I have MERCY on him and have forgiven him. MERCY for eternity's sake + JUSTICE for society's sake.
As I look at many Christians today, I see them in birth pangs, in painful labor, waiting for the birth of something, but not knowing exactly what it is. I believe the body of Christ is pregnant and nearing the birth of a fresh move of God across the land. For many of us, our futures are directly tied to this next move of God. It's as if our divine destinies have been put on hold until this next wave of the Spirit hits. If we don't see the delivery of this baby soon, we feel like we are going to explode! But the Good News is that, in church history, there's never been a move of God without there first being deep yearnings, moanings, longings, cravings, desires, and labor pains. When we go through a dry period it makes us long for the rain that much more. And when the rain finally comes, it makes us appreciate it more too.
For the maturing Christian there is a process of both death and life happening inside him at all times.
If you feel the Lord is leading you to die to some things, be sure you replace those things with more life by feeding extra on the Word of God.
Recently I've been pruned by the Lord and this has been a rather painful process for me. But I have also noticed that at the same time as this death process is working in me, there is life working in me too. My appetite for God's Word has increased and I have noticed that my mind is quickly and easily able to memorize long passages of scripture. As my flesh has been dying, my spirit has been simultaneously renewed. I have yet to see all the fruit of this season in my life, but I know that for there to be an increase of Him in my life, there must first be a decrease of me.
2 Corinthians 4:12KJV - So then death worketh in us, but life in you.
Galatians 2:20 KJV - I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Galatians 5:24 KJV - And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
We are to live both the crucified life and the resurrected life.
Spiritually speaking, I am both dead AND alive!
You're looking at a dead man!
And you're looking at a resurrected man!
Pump the Word of God into your heart and mind!
Overdose on God's Word!
Renew your mind with God's Word.
Wash yourself with God's Word.
Bathe yourself in God's Word.
Immerse yourself in God's Word!
Job 23:12 KJV - I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.
Memorize the scriptures.
Confess the scriptures aloud.
Your spirit lives on God's Word. Feed it!
The Word is already anointed. Put more of it inside you and you will automatically become more anointed!
Word in - Wisdom out!
If God speaks something, there is no devil in hell or man on earth that can stop it from coming to pass!
If you want more of the Lord, give more of Him away.
O God, that weeping in the presence of the Lord would return to the body of Christ. O God, that sobbing over the condition of lost souls would return to the church. O God, that such sensitivity to the Spirit of God return to our hearts that tears would flow at the slightest touch of Your presence.
O God, that a flood of dreams, visions, trances, and revelations from Your throne would return to the body of Christ.
Supernatural dreams, visions, trances, and revelations from God are milestone visitations from the Lord that change people, change churches, and change nations!
Job 33:14-18 NLT - "For God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it. He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds. He whispers in their ears and terrifies them with warnings. He makes them turn from doing wrong; he keeps them from pride. He protects them from the grave, from crossing over the river of death."
Supernatural dreams, visions, trances, and revelations from God are recorded throughout the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, and were important events that changed the course of history. These occurrences continued throughout the Book of Acts and should happen often today as church history is still being written.
Acts 2:17 KJV - "And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams."
Dreams, visions and trances from God guided Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Abimilech, Laban, Pharaoh, Solomon, David, Daniel, Ezekiel, Joseph of old, Joseph the husband of Mary, Peter, Paul, Cornelius, and scores of others in the Bible. And God is NOT dead! He is the same today as yesterday. He still guides through dreams, visions, trances and revelations. Supernatural visitations should be the norm among God's people, not the exception.
God expects us to have the sense to know the difference between silly dreams and a dream that comes from Him. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to determine the difference between a God-granted dream and the typical silly stuff that happens while we sleep. One kind of dream is just fluff, the other stands out. One kind may bring fear (see Ps 73:20), the other peace. One kind is confusing, the other crystal clear. One kind hard to remember, the other memorable. One kind silly, the other profound. One kind may be fleshly, the other draws you closer to the Lord.
Most dreams should be dismissed, ignored, forgotten or rebuked. Job 20:8 KJV - "He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found: yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night."
But some dreams should be celebrated, obeyed, and remembered for one's entire lifetime. Matthew 2:13 KJV - "And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him." Matthew 2:19 KJV - "But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt..."
It was a dream that saved Jesus from being murdered as an infant. It was a trance given to Peter that opened the door of salvation to the Gentile world. It was a dream and its interpretation given to Joseph that saved all Israel from starving to death of famine. It was a vision that announced to Mary her virgin conception. It was a dream that changed a spoiled Jacob into a spiritual man. It was a dream that prevented Abimilech from accidentally committing adultery with Abraham's wife Sarah. It was a visitation from God that made Moses the deliverer of Israel. Indeed in many cases it was supernatural dreams, visions, trances, and visitations that determined eternal outcomes of epic proportions. So it was then; so it is today!
We should be both TENDER and TOUGH. Tender on people. Tough on the devil, and tough on our own flesh.
Faithful church attendance is proof positive that YOU CARE about God, your family, and your own soul. Frequent absence is proof that you don't!
Be like God... BE A PERSON OF EXCELLENCE in every way! Scripture Clips: "the honour of his excellent majesty... Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power... how excellent is thy name in all the earth!... the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent... How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God!... Thou art more glorious and excellent... reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil... praise him according to his excellent greatness... I will speak of excellent things... The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour... Excellent speech... a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit... written to thee excellent things... he hath done excellent things... excellent in working... excellent ornaments... excellent majesty was added unto me... an excellent spirit... excellent wisdom is found in thee... preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him... most excellent Theophilus... the things that are more excellent... a more excellent way... a more excellent name... a more excellent ministry... a more excellent sacrifice... a voice to him from the excellent glory..."
A Spirit of Excellence will place you in high demand.
A Spirit of Excellence will bring you into favor with God and people.
Pursue excellence! Demand it of yourself and duplicate it in others.
Excellence attracts prosperity!
Excellence makes you feel good about yourself!
A trait of excellence is accuracy.
A trait of excellence is the habit of always finishing.
A trait of excellence is going the extra mile just to keep your word, even if it means more work and time than you originally planned.
A trait of excellence is attention to detail.
A trait of excellence is paying attention to all the different aspects of your life and keeping them in balance. (i.g. faith, family and finances)
A trait of excellence is giving special attention to your character development through your Bible reading, prayer life and church attendance.
Are you hanging out with Winners or Losers? Believers or Sinners? Champions or Cry-Babies? The Pure or the Impure? Goal-Setters or Time-Wasters? The Moral or the Immoral? The Christlike or Cussers? Planners or the Short-sighted? Those who bring the best out of you or those who bring the worst out of you? With Pace-setters or Excuse-makers.
Does the following statement contain a hidden meaning? "BE CAREFUL WITH WHOM YOU HANG!"
The TITHE is an awesome thing! At once it locates my own heart and then, in turn, propagates God's heart... to humanity!
The TITHE is a Statement Of Faith!
My TITHE is a Bold Statement! My TITHE says something! My TITHE is speaking! It is making an announcement over a loudspeaker! Yes, My TITHE is shouting to heaven, to earth, and to hell!
My TITHE is a photograph of my heart!
My TITHE is a FORCE... an ENERGY... with INVINCIBLE POWER to change things!
My TITHE is both a LOCATOR and a POINTER!
My TITHE is a LINE DRAWN IN THE SAND!
Nothing so impacts eternity as the TITHE!
How many millions of souls have perished and are now burning in eternity because many Christians failed to see the worth of TITHING?
Some Good Questions: Did the last hour on my clock count for Christ? Did I redeem that time or waste it? Did I squeeze everything out of that hour that God had for me? Did that hour accomplish anything eternal for my Lord Jesus? Did I squander the last hour or did I seize it for God? I believe we will each have to give an account to God in eternity, not only for every idle word spoken as Jesus mentioned, but for every idle hour wasted. Ephesians 5:16 - Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Colossians 4:5 - Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Ecclesiastes 3:11 - God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.
Who has your children for the better part of the day? Who has the most influence over your children? What are your children being taught and by whom? As parents, we are responsible before the Lord to ensure that the children He has entrusted to our care, are schooled in the proper environment. For them to grow in the womb, they had to be surrounded by the right elements in the safety of that womb and supplied the correct nutrients from the proper source. Now for them to mature in character and knowledge outside the womb, they again must be placed in a Christ-centered atmosphere and supplied correct academia that is only based on truth and facts, not theories and manmade philosophy.
Make it your goal to so passionately love and serve your wife, that in doing so, you become more and more like Christ Himself.
Strife is your enemy; resist the temptation to always have to be right!
Fear is your enemy; categorically refuse to give in to it!
Unbelief is your enemy; make up your mind to starve it to death by exercising your faith in God's Word.
IT WILL COME TO PASS! Don't give up on the Answer to your prayer! The Guarantee of your Answer is Himself seated at the right hand of the Father.
IT WILL HAPPEN! Don't give up on your Dream! The Down Payment to your Destiny is Himself indwelling you.
Week 26 is a significant week in all our lives. The end of this week marks the halfway point of the year. Lets give the Lord Jesus thanks for all the blessings and victories of the first half of the year by recounting them aloud in His presence. And lets also decide not to drag any excess baggage and failures from our past into the rest of the year, by telling the Lord in each case that we are giving the past to Him so that He can cast it into His sea of forgetfulness. Lets go into the rest of the year with a fresh start, a clean slate, our hearts in anticipation of favorable changes.
I am no good to my children unless I am good to my wife. I am no good for my church unless I am good for my family.
Like a string the Holy Spirit PULLS you gently. The enemy, however, would PUSH you roughly. The Spirit of God CARESSES & CARRIES you. The enemy would COERCE you. The Flesh PUSHES - The Spirit PULLS. The Flesh COERCES - The Spirit CARRIES. The Flesh ELBOWS - Spirit LEADS. The Flesh DRIVES - The Spirit DRAWS. The Flesh SHOVES - The Spirit SUGGESTS. The Flesh HURRIES - The Spirit RELAXES. Flesh OVERPOWERS - Spirit EMPOWERS.
The Dependable Tither soon finds God a Reliable Provider.
So you're a Christian, you say? Do you care enough about other people becoming Christians to finance the Gospel with your tithes and offerings? Don't even TELL ME about being a Christian unless you SHOW SO by your obedience to God to tithe, and to bring offerings over and above the tenth. Don't tell me you are grateful for your salvation, while you have the audacity to rob God. Your inaction, in this case, is speaking louder than your words.
The ACID TEST of your WORSHIP is your WALLET! Is your Money where your Mouth is?
God will NEVER tell you to do something that will end in hurting you! God will never command you to do something from His Word that is lifeless and dead. God has no hidden agendas. He has no disposition to hurt you. If God tells you to do something from His Word or by His Spirit's voice, He is setting you up for a blessing. Your obedience will strategically position you to receive something special from Him. God NEVER commands something that will DECREASE you. If He demands something of you, He knows that your obedience to it will inevitably INCREASE you in a thousand ways.
In America we have it so "made in the shade" that we can easily lose our HUNGER & THIRST for the Lord. There are so many Plan B's and Plan C's presented to us that we can be slowly seduced into a false state of security, not depending entirely on God's Plan A. BUT GOD RESPONDS ONLY TO HUNGER & THIRST. Without spiritual hunger and thirst there is not much space in our hearts for Him to fill. As American Christians we must constantly be on guard against slowly becoming Laodicean Christians like those in Rev 3:14-22 who had lost their sense of desperation and need for the Lord's presence. Indeed we are needy, but do we know it? Are we desperate for Him? Do we still pant for Him like a deer pants for the water brooks? If not, we can change: Rev 3:14-22 - And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Matthew 5:6 - "...they which do hunger and thirst... shall be filled."
Your children need massive doses of praise from you EACH DAY.
Your spouse needs the "touch" of your hands EVERY DAY.
Your spouse and each of your children need to hear you say, "I Love You!" EVERY DAY on an individual basis.
Your spouse needs your constant reaffirmation of their worth.
Mike Murdock says: "You need your spouse! You need your pastor! You need your children! You need your boss. You need your parents! You need the significant others of your life!" So in humility before God recognize your success in life is due in large part to the significant others He has placed in your life. Discern their worth and thank God for each of them aloud.
It takes some Internal Metal to win an Eternal Medal!
Jesus is our Calm, our Balm, and our Alm! (Our Peace, our Healer, and our Provider, see 3 John 2)
Do what Adam failed to do. Tell the devil to get off your territory! The Bible says that God had given mankind authority over "every creeping thing." In Christ that authority has been restored to us. The devil is a "creep" so rebuke him sharply in the name of Jesus and give him no place, no permission, no activity in your life.
A married couple should have a date once a week and a romantic getaway weekend no less than once every three months.
Petition is simple requests made to God in prayer. Supplication, as defined in the Book of Hebrews, is prayer made to God with strong crying and tears. There are times and situations that require supplication as opposed to petition, in order that you get a full release of your emotions to God. Supplication is sometimes required for a breakthrough; bringing the confident assurance to your heart that it craves.
Supplicate or Suffocate! It's your choice! In a season of intense struggle you have a choice. Supplicate in prayer with strong crying and tears until you receive a breakthrough in your heart -or- just stay and Suffocate in your emotions and drown in your mind.
To Serve or To Be Seen; that is the question! Which is your motive?
Right now your TITHE is plowing the ground of your children's and grandchildren's futures.
Your TITHE is your INVESTMENT into the next half of your life.
Your TITHE is going into your future where it is opening doors that would otherwise never be open for you!
Your TITHE is scheduling miracles onto your calendar!
Surprise blessings are being scheduled for you each time you write your TITHE check!
