Devotions - Prayer
Psalms 139:
1 O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
7 I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
16 You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Ruth Bell Graham once said, “A great marriage is the union of two forgivers.”
When you forgive your spouse, you are ultimately saying to them, “I choose to give up the right to punish you for how you have hurt me.”
When we forgive another person, it doesn’t mean we forget. And it doesn’t brush it away and pretend that it didn’t happen.
Forgiveness says, “I refuse to dwell on my anger and hurt.” It is an essential step to healing and restoring oneness.
Christ’s death on the cross—His forgiveness—restored our relationship to God. Trust that God can use your forgiveness to restore your relationship and change you both for the better.
Here are 4 steps that will help you express and experience forgiveness:
- Do it privately: Go to God in prayer and say, “God, I forgive _________ for hurting me. I choose to give up the right to punish __________.”
- Do it publicly and specifically: Go to the person and be specific, “I forgive you for ________.”
- Do it graciously: Keep the bigger goal in mind, which is restoring your relationship and rebuilding trust. That means giving up your right to punish!
- Do it generously: Acknowledge your own failings to maintain balance; not one of us is perfect! And once you’ve forgiven, refuse to bring up the matter again in a hurtful way.
Forgiveness gives us the opportunity to re-establish our relationship and make things right with our spouse or a family member.
It removes the issue that creates isolation in a relationship and empowers us to grow in oneness.
10 Keys to Forgiveness:(Emmett I. Aldrich)
1) Let Go of the Anger
2) Don’t be Stubborn
3) Stop Thinking of yourself as a Victim
4) Focus on the Future
5) Re-Learn to Trust
6) Be Reasonable in your expectations of Others
7) Expect that it will take time to Forgive
8) Examine your Heart
9) Let Forgiveness become an Everyday Practice
10) Ask God for Guidance
Lord, Help me see and experience forgiveness in my life, knowing You are the God of restoration. Help me be patient, knowing Your timing is Perfect!
Help us dear God to put aside resentment, hurt, hostility and bitterness so that we may have reconciliation with those who have offended us, and whom we have offended. Amen
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by Os Hillman
“Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight” (Isaiah 5:21).
Many of us have been trained to make decisions and respond to problems in a horizontal way instead of vertical.
- Operating from a horizontal basis means we try to fix the problem through our own self-efforts by bringing greater pressure upon it through our reasoning or our natural skills.
- Operating from a vertical position means we are seeking God for the answer and waiting for him to impact the problem.
Perhaps it is a spouse who fails to put their clothes away, or a boss who is overly critical, or an employee that you clash with. When we operate horizontally we attempt to shame or coerce the other to change their ways.
God knows the solution to the problem before it ever exists. Our responsibility is to ask God for help to solve the problem and to rely on Him for the outcome.
The minute we take on the responsibility, God quietly stands by to let us experience failure until we decide to seek Him for the answer.
One of the best examples of the contrast between a vertical and horizontal dimension in scripture is that of King Saul and David (see 1 Samuel 25). King Saul thought the way to preserve his kingdom was to kill David. While in pursuit of him there were several occasions when David had the opportunity to kill Saul, but David chose to wait upon God’s timing and await his own deliverance because he understood authority. David had such respect for those who had been put in authority by God over him that he would not take matters into his own hands.
Saul represents the exact opposite of this principle. He thought David was the problem and sought to get rid of him through force. As a result, he lost his kingdom because he chose to rule horizontally instead of vertically under God’s rule in his life.
No matter what problem you face today, stay vertical with God! Amen
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Psalm 119:92–93 If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have renewed my life.
One thing is certain in this world, we’re not going to escape affliction forever. At some time or other, each of us is going to know the meaning of that word affliction. In the New Testament the apostles told the new Christian congregation that we must, through much tribulation (or affliction) enter into the Kingdom of God.
So don’t try to find a way through life that bypasses affliction, because if you do find it, it won’t take you to heaven.
But in your affliction, you need an anchor. And that’s what the psalmist says in those words that I read: If God’s law had not been his delight he would have perished in his affliction.
When the pressures, the waves and the billows swept over him, when it seemed that his tiny little vessel was going to be carried away on those monstrous billows, he had an anchor. It was God’s law and that kept him.
And so he says, with gratitude, looking back on that experience, “I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have renewed my life.”
As we turn to God’s law in the midst of our affliction we receive from it life, new life, life that wells up in spite of all the opposition and the pressures against us.
Out of God’s law and God’s Word there comes a life that is a stronger and more powerful than all the forces that oppose us.
Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Matthew 6:33 Seek the Kingdom of God, above all else and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
We need to put God first in our lives to fill our thoughts with His desires to take His character(Beatitudes) for our pattern, and to serve and obey Him in everything having Jesus first place in every area of our life.
In Matthew 6:34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Amen
Read More“God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him”(Romans 8:29 MSG).
You are wonderfully complex (Psalm 139:14). To fulfill God’s purpose for you, you have to look at every dimension of your life and understand the factors that influence your identity.
The Bible says we are created in the image of God. No other animal was created in the image of God! Dogs have instinct but don’t know the difference between right and wrong. Elephants have no moral compass. But you get to choose to do right or wrong.
The freedom to choose is man’s greatest blessing and also his greatest curse, because we make stupid choices all the time that harm us and everyone around us.
The wild card can change the suit and number of the other cards you are dealt.
- You didn’t choose your chemistry, but you can choose what you do with your body.
- You didn’t choose your connections, but you can make new relationships and mend or nurture the ones you already have.
- You can choose how you respond to your circumstances, and you can choose to stop believing the harmful things people say to you.
Your identity is shaped by your choices. What choices will you make today that will positively affect the rest of your life?
Lord, thank you for your Holy Spirit and your word to teach me all the promises you have for me. Help me more each day to see “how You see me”, not what the world says. Amen
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Whenever it is that the Word of GOD comes with correction, showing us our errors, it’s often because the Lord expects conformity to His standards and not our own.
When the warning comes we shouldn’t stiffen the neck, but be smart & line up.
**First comes the warning, then comes the judgment. Wondering now where it is the nations stand…
In this generation so many sins are being considered acceptable because no one wants to be the Amos.
We must realize that what is wrong is wrong, and stand up for what’s right, no matter what society says.
It is sooo easy to look over our own hearts and point fingers at our country, but yet we can’t even recognize the deep sin we are engaged in.
Living comfortable, secure lifestyles cripples our ability to serve God.
God will judge the sin of pride.
* God does not go back on his promises.
* Pride says I do not need God. It’s all about me.
****When you look in the mirror in the morning, do you see a self- centered person or a Christ- centered person?
Read: Amos 7:10-18
Observations:
1. Amos calls down judgment on the people living at ease in Jerusalem and Judaea.
2. Amos prophesied on Gods people.
3. They loved in territorial ignorance.
• Why? Why is Amos referring to these cities?
• Because all of them were successful but yet they were nothing without God.
We don’t mind people who correct others as long as they are not correcting us.
*Simple people like Amos are called to do God’s work – he was just a small town shepherd.
Help us be REAL, O Lord! You desire Truth in the innermost parts. Restore us O Lord! LORD – make us like Amos. One small minor prophet book in the Bible positioned to teach us big things – amen
Philippians 2:5 states our ideal position:
“Your attitude should be the same as Christ Jesus”.
Our one motive should be to follow Him and become more like Him. That’s the motive that should supersede and reign over any others. How do we practically live that out?
I think the clue is in the following verses.
“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” (Philippians 2:6-7).
Our focus has to be on becoming nothing. Nothing is not our status or worth. We are always holy and dearly loved children of the King.
Nothing is to be our chosen position as a servant.
How does this look in everyday life? Jesus is our perfect example. He is everything: the Lord of lords and the King of kings. He is so incredibly powerful and important that Colossians 1:16 says “all things were created by him and for him” .
Despite His exalted position, Jesus showed the purity of His motives toward us by giving up all He had.
As I’ve thought about how to imitate Jesus in my motives, I ask myself two questions when making choices:
• Does this put me or others first?
• Is this a choice to be more or to be nothing? Am I Bankrupt to self?
These two questions expose any twisted motives and bring me back to my chosen position of nothing. Day by day, my motives are refined. I keep thinking of the Eternal Perspective vs here on earth. It’s a painful process sometimes, but it’s a good process that ultimately produces pure motives with divine outcomes.
While the Beatitudes of Jesus (Matthew 5) provide a way of life that promises salvation, they also provide peace in the midst of our trials and tribulations on this earth.
*Jesus teaching is of Transformation of the INNER Person.
*Only God’s Divine Love can give us the identity and purpose we need to live life to the fullest.
Lord God, You are the only One with uncontaminated motives. I confess mine are often mixed with pride, emotion, or personal opinion. Please purify my heart. Forgive me and help me move forward with a pure heart. Amen
Read MoreThis is a word about affliction and the purpose of affliction.
• Why affliction comes in our lives.
• How we should respond to affliction.
After all, there’s nobody who won’t encounter affliction(suffering, burden, problem, pain, hardship, trouble, misery) at some time or another in his life. Listen to what the psalmist says about affliction and what he learned from it:
Psalm 119:67, 71, 75—Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word. It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees. I know, O Lord, that your laws are righteous and in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
You see, the psalmist didn’t view affliction as a disaster. He saw it as a kind of corrective medicine. It was something that he needed to adjust his life. He says, “Before I was afflicted I went astray and I paid for it, but now,” he said, “I obey Your word. I’ve learned my lesson. It pays to obey.”
And then he says at the end, “O Lord . . . in faithfulness you have afflicted me.” You didn’t do it because You were cruel or because You were angry with me. You did it to straighten me out, to bring me back from my own evil way into Your way, to find the way of peace.
Are you in the midst of affliction? Don’t fight. Don’t argue with God. Ask Him the reason. God is afflicting you in His faithfulness. He has a reason. He’s trying to turn you back from something, to bring you out of the wrong and bring you into the right – a life of obedience to His statutes.
If you have any affliction or know someone in it: Take time to read the verses below on what the Bible says about affliction. You will be blessed.
Bible Verses: John 9:1-3, John 11:3-4, John 21:18-19, Psalm 34:19, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Deuteronomy 4:30-31, Hosea 5:14-15, Job 36:8-9, Psalm 32:5, Proverbs 17:3, Deuteronomy 8:2, 1 Peter 1:7, Revelation 2:10, (2 Corinthians 12:7-Acts 12:23), James 1:3, (1 Peter 2:20-Hebrews 10:26), John 15:2, Hebrews 12:10-11, Philippians 1:12, 2 Timothy 2:9-10, 2 Timothy 4:16-17
HEBREWS 5:8 AND HOSEA 4:6
Lord, thank you for the Bible, your truth to freedom of affliction. Amen
Read MoreIt’s not easy to be the parent. It seems less and less popular to tell kids no.
I needed to know what Proverbs 22:6 teaches,
“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”
As parents, we need to set Biblical Boundaries.
*Teach them what the 10 Commandments mean and how they relate to boundaries. If we follow the Commandments by staying within it’s boundaries–our lives will go well. Going Outside the Commandments we will have major problems.
*Teach our kids the difference between realistic and unrealistic expectations. Not cater to their every whim.
*Draw lines between what’s appropriate and inappropriate for language, entertainment, internet, cell phones, games and the length of a hemline.
**Model manners. And what it looks like to seek a life of godliness, not just religious activity.
*Teach them the importance of Purity–Holiness (See 1 Thess. 4)
*Teach them the Character of Jesus (Matthew 5:1-12)
Glory knows I’ve been so imperfect with all this.
But holding the line on being the parent, even when done imperfectly, is good. And will be worth it.
Even in those seasons where you feel as if they’re doing everything the opposite of what you’ve taught them. All that parenting is in them. And the fruit of that will emerge one day.
Yes, be the parent. Teach biblical truths. Stand strong in saying no even when it’s not the popular choice.
*Recognize that a desire to please often prevents us from saying no.
*Remember, there are only 2 clear responses. Yes. No. Any other answer is an excuse to avoid commitment, or a wall to hide behind.
*You have a right to say no! Sometimes no is necessary to maintain respect.
*Keep your answer short. There is no need to justify your answer. Lengthy responses may result in your putting the same answer of for a future date and can even compromise your credibility.
That’s what our kids need so desperately.
And be encouraged, friend … you’re doing better than you think you are.
The Key is to TEACH our children the how and why to have a personal relationship with Jesus. Teach them the Eternal Perspective vs the temporal one here on this earth. Eternity is a long long time and my prayer is that each family member will know that they are going to Heaven. That is my life’s desire-People KNOWING JESUS AS LORD AND SAVIOR!
Dear Lord, You know better than all of us that parenting is hard. Help me to see each day as a teaching opportunity to raise up a child and/or grandchild who loves You and sees that they need a Persoanl Relationship with You. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
Read MoreHave you ever had a spiritual mountaintop experience with Christ?
I hope you have. We need glimpses of Christ in all his glory to fill us with faith and boldness.
And yet, as wonderful as mountaintop experiences are, you and I are called to more!
In [Mark 9:2] Jesus has taken disciples Peter, James, and John up on what we call the Mount of Transfiguration, because it was there that they saw Jesus transfigured in all of his resplendent glory.
The disciples could see everything that Christ was on the inside demonstrated on the outside.
*For that dazzling moment his inherent, incarnate glory was revealed.
Now having seen Christ’s glory, Peter wanted to stay right there on the mountain.
Jesus had been talking about dying for the sins of mankind. So Peter said, “Lord, let’s just stay here. Let’s build a church and we’ll stay here and worship.”
Well, Peter is like many believers today, but that’s not what God had in mind.
We must translate our faith from the mountaintop to the valley!
God doesn’t intend for us just to buy ascension robes and wait on a roof somewhere for Jesus to return.
You and I are called to a mission! (Matthew 28:19-20) Not just to bask in his glory on the mountaintop, but to share his message with a lost and dying world.
Sometimes failure is what is needed in order to move us to the next level of faith with God. see James 1.
However, we must be willing to fail and let God rescue us.
The Lord delights in this process. His motive for His children is always love. It is always to bring us to a new level of trust and dependence on Him.
This is a time when you can establish or re-establish good personal boundaries so that you neither take advantage of someone else, nor allow others to take advantage of you. This process is vital in obtaining and maintaining good relationships.
And, relationships with one another is only secondary to your intimate, personal relationship with the Lord. Set your priorities in order.
Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Dear Lord, forgive me for all of the times I’ve stayed on the mountain top way to long and compared myself to others. I know that You have hand-picked all of my qualities and You know what I’m suppose to do. Help me to see these things as beautiful reminders of Your great love in creating me as Your son. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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As Christians, the Bible tells us we are to give an answer to every man who asks us:
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense/answer to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).
That phrase “give an answer/defense” is from the Greek word apologia, from which we get our English word apologetics–It means a legal defense, as in a court of law.
But we are to keep in mind that as we make our case in the courtroom of public opinion with those we are speaking with, we are not there as prosecuting attorneys, but as witnesses.
**And witnesses simply testify to what they have seen.
In 2 Timothy 2:24–25 we are reminded that “a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition.”
Chapters 1 through 6 of the book of Acts describe one of the most glorious works of God in history.
It is an amazing sequence of action-filled events: powerful preaching, mass conversions, miraculous healings.
All were the fulfillment of a divine promise foretold by Jesus.
Before Jesus resurrection, Christ instructed the disciples to wait in Jerusalem to receive the “promise of the Father.”
“I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49, ESV).
We should want the Holy Spirit to fill our sanctuaries, to bring joy and comfort to God’s people.
***But when God’s glory comes, it will not be for our benefit alone.
Jesus did not say, “When you receive power from on high, you shall be My churchgoers, My Bible studiers, My prayer meeting attenders.”
Jesus said, “You will be My witnesses to the ends of the earth.”
God’s power is meant to go beyond the walls of the church to the very farthest reaches of the world. That is what we see unfolding in the book of Acts.
*When Peter got up to preach to the crowd that had gathered, three
thousand were saved.
*Later, as Peter and John testified throughout Jerusalem, signs and wonders followed in miraculous healings and deliverances.
Yet that was only the beginning! If the work of the Spirit had stopped in Acts 6, all the power of God would have remained in the hands of twelve apostles.
Acts 2:21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
Instead, a big shift took place. God said, “My Spirit will no longer
move through just a select few. I am going to empower every man, woman and child who calls on My name.”
AMEN
Read More We need to be willing to walk God’s Way of Agape, even if our circumstances never change.
* “Though the fig tree should not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines…Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.”
Habakkuk 3:17-18
It is important that we understand the motive out of which our obedience
springs, because if the spring is not pure, everything that flows out of it
will be polluted.
The sad truth is that many Christians in these last days obey God only because they are afraid of going to hell.
* They fear their Father’s wrath and their obedience to Him is “legal” only.
*They have no genuine desire to please Him.
Hebrews 5: 8 Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.
* If we persevere in this pain, daily and even hourly submitting ourselves to God obedience is born. Obedience is needed to live a clean and righteous life before God. No one will be perfect. But we must each run the race that is set before us without stopping.
Jesus did everything out of love and a desire to bring pleasure to His heavenly Father:
“Then Jesus said to them, When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him” (John 8:28-29).
*This was the rock, the foundation upon which Jesus built His life of obedience.
*It was the spring, the motive, out of which the flow of His obedience came. It is to be our rock, as well.
“For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38).
Jesus shut Himself up in prayer on the mountaintops, in quiet places, often all
night long in fellowship with His Father. Jesus one great prayer was, “Father, what do You want? What will bring You pleasure? What can I do to fulfill the desire of Your heart?”
That is the attitude of a person who has the Spirit of Christ and that should be our attitude—that we might be one who builds on the rock.
* The foundational motive of all our obedience must be: “I do all things because I want to please my Lord; I want to bring Him great pleasure!”
“In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians. Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his fathers” (2 Chron 16:12-14).
What we learn from Asa is that whenever we place our trust and obedience in the Lord, God becomes our source for security and prosperity. However, when we move away from trusting God, that security is removed and we fail to receive those things God intended us to have.
We can’t give away what we don’t possess. We need to personally know the love of Christ in an experiential way before we try to share it with others. Let Him love you, and let His love flow through you to others. The world is hungry for love, real love.
Lord, Fill my cup of love to over-filling with Your Love– so I have some love to give to others. Amen
Read More If we are not loving with God’s Love, we are spiritually dead.
“He that loveth not…abideth in death.”1 John 3:14
The Bible without the Spirit leads to a dead, institutional Christianity. The Spirit without the Bible leads to groundless devotion. We need both the Spirit and the Word to effectively Adventure through the Bible.
God has made available to us the riches of this Bible — His Word — which reveals to us the riches of His kingdom and of our eternal life in Christ.
God longs for us to know Him, and has revealed Himself in His Son. He has redeemed us through the blood His resurrected Son shed on the Cross, and has called us into a Spiritual relationship with Him.
Into our soul and our life He pours all the riches of heaven — “good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over,” as Luke 6:38 tells us. But we must get to know Him as He reaches out to us through the pages of Scripture, led by His Holy Spirit. We cannot imagine a greater adventure!
A Few Results of the Resurrection!!!
* A savior who can never die again.
“For we know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again.” Romans 6:9.
*Repentance.
“The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel.” Acts 5:31.
*New birth.
“By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 1 Peter 1:3.
*Forgiveness of sin.
“If Christ has not been raised, your hope is futile and you are still in your sins.” 1 Corinthians 15:17.
*The Holy Spirit.
“This Jesus God raised up, and of that we are all witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which you see and hear.” Acts 2:32–33.
* No condemnation for the believers.
” So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1.
“Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus who died, yes, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God.” Romans 8:34.
*The Lord’s personal fellowship and protection.
“Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” Matthew 28:20.
*Proof of coming judgment.
“God has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all men by raising him from the dead.” Acts 17:31.
*Salvation from the future wrath of God.
“We wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” 1 Thessalonians 1:10; Romans 5:10.
*Our own resurrection from the dead.
“We know that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.” 2 Corinthians 4:14; Romans 6:4; 8:11; 1 Corinthians 6:14; 15:20
Re-establish your spiritual focus. I am alive, says the Lord, and My kingdom is already established. It is finished. It is real, and the way has been provided
for you to be one with Me in the invisible realm of the Spirit. Come and commune with Me in the secret place. Rise above your worldly concerns and let us have sweet fellowship together. Don’t delay. Come now that your joy may be full.
John 15:9-11 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”
Jesus tells us that when we are living in Him and following His commands we will have great joy.
* Christians should be the happiest people on earth, we have Christ and all His promises and on our very worst day we get to meet Him face to face.
God thank you for Your resurrection, Our own resurrection from the dead and Your promises and love— give me strength to find joy in all things, in Jesus name, Amen
Read MoreWhat is Vision? It is discovery of your God ordained assignment on earth.
The book of Daniel mentions several benefits for those who have a repentant
heart.
Indeed, for all who acknowledge their sin, God does the miraculous.
Col 2:2 – My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, CHRIST.
One such benefit is a New and Clearer Vision of Jesus. Read what happened after Daniel’s repentance prayer in Daniel 9-10
“Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in
linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: His body also was like
the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the
voice of his words like the voice of a multitude. And I Daniel alone saw the
vision . . .” (Daniel 10:5-7).
Who do you think Daniel saw in this vision?
It was Jesus!
What a wonderful benefit the Holy Spirit opened to Daniel when he confessed his sin. He was given a clear vision of Christ in all His glory!
*The strength that God demands us comes from understanding that god loves us. We are highly esteemed by the creator of the universe, and his desires for us are much better than anything we can imagine!
* The whole Bible is meant to magnify and glorify the Christ, not just the Gospels. This means that digging deeper into the Word of God will yield great riches and treasures for us.
Please understand that Daniel was not praying for this vision. All he was doing was repenting—confessing and mourning over sin.
* Jesus took it upon Himself to come to Daniel in this revelation—He initiated it.
You see, when we repent and make all things right with God and others, we do not have to seek a revelation. Jesus will manifest Himself to us.
* Our REPENTANCE prepares for His COMING.
* REPENTANCE means to CHANGE our thinking.
* REPENTANCE brings FORGIVENESS.
* The SPIRIT moves into those who REPENT and BELIEVE in Jesus.
Daniel had friends who were also godly, because he walked only among the
righteous. Yet Scripture tells us none of them saw the vision Daniel received:
“The men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon
them, so that they fled to hide themselves. Therefore I was left alone” (Daniel 10: 7-8).
A truly repentant heart never has to hide from the Lord because there is no
longer any fear of judgment.
If you acknowledge your sins with godly sorrow and make restitution, you can look confidently into the Master’s face.
You do not have to shake with fear when you hear the thundering word of reproof because you will see Christ in His glory.
*Everyone born of God is born to fulfill a particular purpose on earth.
*God is a God of Plans, Purpose and Divine objectivity.
What is Vision?
** It is discovery of your God ordained assignment on earth.
* There is no assignment that is inferior to the other. You are not everybody, you are somebody very special.
How to prove your Vision?
1. The Word.
2. Peace.
3. Discover the content of the vision.
4. Learn the timing of the vision.
Father God, as I begin a journey toward a closer relationship with you, I thank you for reminding me that You have already paved the way. You’ve been patiently waiting for me to humble myself & have heard the prayer of my heart. I’m ready, Lord, to listen & obey. Help me see the vision more clearly each day that You have laid before me to give You Glory, Honor and Praise. Amen.
Read More God’s Love has two distinct sides to it. One is a long-suffering, merciful love, and the other a firm and disciplinary love.
* “For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines…” Hebrews 12:6
*Are you being God led or do you keep going and going?
*Who is driving your bus?
*Are we giving God our all?
*Are we really being faithful to God?
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
Most Christians don’t listen to God. They go to Him only to talk!
* Yet the Scriptures reveal that any person who was ever used of God learned to remain in His presence until hearing from Him through His Word.
Scripture makes it clear that the Lord wants to talk to every one of us:
“Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.” (Isaiah 30:21).
*Reading this passage meant so much to me! God is telling us to get rid of our frustrations and get with Him. We ought to rely on Him because He knows the end result and what will happens for us in our lives.
I read of a little girl suffering from leukemia who was struggling with the
thought of dying. One morning when her mother came into her room, the girl was all aglow and happy. “What has happened to you?” her mother asked.
The little girl answered, “An angel came to me and said I was going on a trip.
God came and took my hand and walked with me through a beautiful garden. He told me, ‘You’re coming here tomorrow to be with Me.'”
*God spoke to that little child and took all the pain and fear from her heart.
*When she left to be with Him the next day, she had total peace.
When you are intimate with Jesus, do you receive direction from Him? Does He tell you what to do and when and how to do it?
Some Christians don’t believe God does this but Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice . . . and they follow me”
(John 10:27).
In your trial, get alone with Jesus and cry, “Lord, You’re the only One who can
help me. Only You know the way through this trial, so I’m going to stay here till You tell me what to do.”
This is the kind of praying that is pleasing to God. It means stopping
everything, all activity. Only then will you hear Him speak clearly to your
heart: “You must make things right with this person” Or, “Just stand still
till next week. Don’t get in a hurry. Sit in My presence and trust Me.” He will
give you clear directions.
Hebrew 5: 8 Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.
Whenever God brings you through a time of great adversity, you can expect to come out of that experience with great possessions, if you have been faithful through the trial.
* This is a universal truth. Wisdom comes from obedience, not knowledge.
When we have been tested and proven, the reality of our faith results in possessions from God that we would never receive if we had not gone through those trials.
*God kept the people ofIsrael enslaved 400 years, but when the time came to free them from the bondage of slavery, they came out with great possessions.
*These physical possessions symbolize the spiritual possessions we receive when we come out of being enslaved to those things that have hindered us all our lives.
* These possessions are to be shared with others so that they also can know how they might become free. (2 Corinthians 1:4-5)
What has God freed you from that allows you to share your possessions with others?
Share what God has done in your life with someone you know. It may be the possession they need most in their life. (Your Testimony Revelation 12:11)
God has big plans and he knows what’s coming. Why is it hard to follow Jesus when we don’t know what’s coming next? Cause those later steps could be really scary an if you saw it now you wouldn’t be ready.
Like in Hebrews 12: 1-3 “Fix your eyes on Jesus.” God will give us direction as we take the next step.
If we are going his way we won’t mess it up. He isn’t waiting for you to mess up, he is rooting for you.
* So what’s God’s will for your life?
I don’t know but we do know that he will show you compassion and he is ready to help you, root for you, and whether you go left or right he will say this is the way walk it!
*What does God want for you? Take the next step! And after that take the next step!
Proverbs 5:22 An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him.
*We are one decision away from death. We must exercise self control and keep the Faith and Move Forward and take the next step, then the next etc.
*How amazing it is to have the Holy Spirit guiding our every step….. whether to the left or to the right!
If we are mindful to listen to the whisper of the Holy Spirit…….. our steps will be ordered!
My dearest Lord, thank you for letting me know you are here… don’t hide from me , don’t hide your will and your revelation, please… Father.
Show me your face, show me your way.. I can’t live without your words…
Show me the path that you want me to take..cut any rope holding me up. Praise you Lord, I should be patient to wait. I pray in Jesus name, Amen!
DO WE HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE WORD OF GOD?
In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God”. John 1:1
God’s Love for us is unstoppable, unshakable and eternal.
* “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39
Christ is the living Word of God and when you are shut in with Him in prayer, the Holy Spirit will always lead you to God’s revealed Word. He will build up your faith by feeding you from the Bible, even while you are in the secret closet!
We are commanded: “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. . . . Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand in the evil day. . . . And take . . . the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:11, 13, 17).
Often when you receive specific instructions from the Lord, His Spirit will
whisper, “Now turn to . . .” and you will be directed to a passage of Scripture.
God’s Word will speak to you directly, telling you how to get through your crisis.
Many Christians reading this message simply must hear a word from the Lord.
Nobody on earth can help them. The only way for them to get through their trial is by staying in Christ’s presence until He gives them direction from His Holy Spirit inspired Word.
God must tell them the way through—what to do and when and how to act.
God’s exclusive direction to them, through the Word, will not come one minute too early or too late. It will all be in the Holy Spirit’s timing!
*Jesus is “meek and lowly in heart,” and wins us by love. Jesus pulls more than His “share” of the load; therefore, our burden is light.
The most loving father in the world cannot compare with the love our Heavenly Father has for us. And yet, many times we find it easier to believe in the willingness of a father or mother or mate to help us than in the willingness of God to use His power on our behalf.
Relatively few people really doubt God’s ability, but rather, it is our doubt of His willingness to use His ability on our behalf that causes most people to do without.
*Jesus assures us that God’s love, and His willingness to demonstrate that love, is far greater than we can ever experience in any human relationship. *Not only does He want our love, but wants you to let Him love you today.
Today, there is no need for you to worry about your trial. God is faithful to
respond to your every need and request. Simply pray, “Lord, I come now not just to have my needs met but I come also to meet Your need!”
We were made for fellowship with Him even in our heaviest times. I ask you: Do you love to be with Him? Let your heart cry out, “Jesus, You are my everything!
You are my soul’s great pleasure and I love Your company!”
*It is important, though, for our own personal benefit that we be aware that the children of the Wicked One are placed among the true believers.
*Our best defense is to preach and teach the Word of God without watering it down. False brethren will not endure sound doctrine. They leave when the Word, which is sharper than any two-edged sword, begins to expose the thoughts and intents of the heart. Stick to the Word!
Father, help us to listen closely to Your Spirit and put all our confidence in
Your revealed Word. Amen
“ All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
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