Monday, December 31, 2012

Choose Your Words Wisely!

Mark 11:23

23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.
NKJV

Prov 18:20-21

20 A man's stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; from the produce of his lips he shall be filled.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
NKJV

Deut 28:8

8 "The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you.
NKJV

My Comments:

In Prov 18:21, the writer states that both 'Death and life are in the power of the tongue'. In Hebrew, the word 'power' is the exact same word as the word 'hand' that is found in Deut 28:8. A literal translation of Prov 18:21 would be "Death and life is in the hand of the tongue"

In Deut 28:8, Moses spoke to the children of Israel and told them that God would bless them in everything they set their hand to. This meant that whatever it was that they chose to do, He would bless it!

Our words contain either life, or death, based on Prov 18:21. Relating this to Deut 28:8, we could say that what we choose to say would result in either life or death being released! In a sense, we could rephrase Prov 18:21 as: "Death and life is in what we choose to say, and we will reap the fruits of what we chose!

Whatever the situation we may be facing, we have to examine the words that we speak, as by virtue of Jesus' lesson on faith in Mark 11:23, we will have what we say! Let us be watchful over what we speak as we enter 2013, that we may speak words of life and not death both to ourselves and to those around us!

Sunday, December 30, 2012

You Have What You Say!

Mark 11:23

23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.
NKJV

My Comments:

Continuing from the previous post on Jesus and His lesson on faith, there is another area in the same passage that we should examine; where Jesus said "he will have whatever he says."

In Mark 11:23, note that Jesus was very specific on the identity of the person talking to the mountain, and that he also concluded with saying that that same person will have whatever he said.

Therefore, the conclusion to draw is that we have what we say! People can say what they want, we don't have what they say, we have what we say! You may have had negative words spoken against you by your parents, your siblings, your friends, your teachers, anybody! You don't have what they say, you have what you say!

And if what you say is the same as what God says about you, you can be assured that it is good, and you will have what you say!

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Jesus' Lesson On Faith

Mark 11:22-24

22 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.
23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.
24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
NKJV

My Comments:

2012 is drawing to an end, and I felt that there's no better way to close it out than to do a series of posts on our faith in God, what it is and isn't, and how we walk by faith.

Mark 11:22-24 gives the fundamental lesson on faith, as taught by the Lord Himself. In the context of the passage above, this happened after the disciples saw a fig tree that was cursed to its roots previously by Jesus before they entered Jerusalem. When leaving Jerusalem, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.

Jesus immediately used this as an example to teach them, and us, that we could do the same thing that He did! There are three things in His lesson to consider:

1. "Have faith in God"

Notice that Jesus said to have faith in God. In the Greek, the word 'faith' is translated as the word 'pistis' and that it comes with the idea of having a definite trust in God and His ability.

It appears almost 239 times in the New Testament and almost always comes with the implication of having faith in God. It is not faith in ourselves, or faith in our words, but faith in God that He is more than able and willing to act on our behalf!

2. "whoever says, those things he says, whatever he says"

Faith is not mental assent! Note that after telling the disciples to have faith in God, Jesus immediately went into teaching them on talking! This implies that faith is exercised through the words spoken. Faith is not silent! It has a voice!

We act on our faith through our words that are spoken. When we put our faith in God, it would naturally come out in the way we talk. Our speech would line up with what we believe.

For example, if we had a particular sickness and we believed that God was able and willing to heal us, we would not be talking about how God gave us that sickness, that He's not willing to heal us. Rather, we should be talking about God and that we're believing Him for healing, that He's more than able to heal, etc.

3. "does not doubt in his heart"

The Greek word for doubt is the word 'diakrino' which in its context would mean to oppose, to hesitate, to stagger or waver. It's made out of two words, 'dia', where one of its meanings is 'to avoid' and 'krino', which has a possible meaning of 'conclude'.

If we put the two words together and take its literal meaning, we could revise the phrase 'does not doubt in his heart' to 'does not avoid making a conclusion in his heart'. We have to make a decision, a conclusion as to the truthfulness of God's Word in our lives and stick to that decision rather than avoid making a conclusion and sit on the fence on whether God's Word is true. Either it is true or it is not true. There is no in-between!

Thursday, December 27, 2012

A Continuous Refilling

Acts 2:1-4

1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
NKJV


Eph 5:18

18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled [pleerousthe] with the Spirit,
NKJV

18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but ever be filled and stimulated with the [Holy] Spirit.
AMP

My Comments:

As much as we have been filled with the Holy Spirit, it's not enough to just stay satisfied at having been filled once!

Several Greek scholars agree that in his letter to the Church at Ephesus, Paul wrote Eph 5:18 as a command to the believers. It was not a suggestion, or a plea! Not only that, they also agree that it was written in present continuous tense, which means that it was not just a one-off case. It was a command to always stay continuously filled with the Spirit!

Likewise as members of the Body, how much more we should endeavor to stay continuously filled with the Spirit and not leak!

Confession:

I'm not satisfied with being filled with God once! I choose to stay filled with Him continuously! I will be filled with Him till I'm overflowing and I will not leak!

Monday, December 24, 2012

A Demonstration of Love!

John 3:16-17

16 For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten ( unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.
17 For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.
AMP

John 13:34-35

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
NKJV

1 Cor 13:4-7

4 Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.
5 It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].
6 It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.
7 Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].
AMP

Rom 5:5

5 Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us.
AMP

My Comments:

We see a demonstration of God's Love for us when He gave us His only Son to be our Substitute for sin. Jesus came not only to save us, but to demonstrate the Father's love for us! All through His ministry we see how he demonstrated that love to sinners, the sick, anybody and everybody!

However, before He went to Calvary, He gave us a new commandment, to love one another, as He has loved us! We see the characteristics of the God-Kind of love how God defines it in 1 Cor 13:4-7 (AMP). Brother Kenneth E. Hagin called it the 'Love Thermometer' and gave an exhortation to walk in that Love like God did.

I can hear people saying "But I'm only human!" "I'm not Jesus!" "That's for God, not for me!" We may think that it's an impossible task to walk in that kind of love, but we have a hope! God knew that our love is so frail and weak, so He gave us His love! When we received the Holy Spirit, we received the God-Kind of Love with Him! For He is Love! So we can demonstrate His Love to people!

Confession:

I have the God-Kind of Love! He IS Love! I choose to walk in His love and I will demonstrate it! I love just as He loves me!

Friday, December 21, 2012

He Is With Us Always!

Ezek 48:35

35 All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE [Jehovah Shammah]."
NKJV

Matt 28:18-20

18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
NKJV

John 14:16-18

16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -- 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
NKJV

2 Cor 6:16

16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people."
NKJV

Heb 13:5

5 ... For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
NKJV

My Comments:

In the Old Testament, though at times Israel sinned and provoked God to judgement, He always had them on His mind. He revealed Himself to them as Jehovah Shammah, or "God is Present" or "God is There". He revealed Himself as always being with them and not leaving them to their own destruction.

Likewise in the New Testament, we have a far better covenant established upon much better promises! We have the Holy Spirit living inside of us! And Jesus Himself has promised that He's with us always! Even in the darkest moments of our life when we feel all alone and abandoned by everyone, He's there to comfort us! Even when we succumb to temptation and we think that God isn't there for us, He still is! We know that when we call on His Name, He Is There for us!

Thursday, December 20, 2012

His Name is Our Right Standing!

Jer 23:6

6 In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. [Jehovah Tsidkenu]
NKJV

Job 33:24-26

24 Then He is gracious to him, and says, 'Deliver him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom';
25 His flesh shall be young like a child's, he shall return to the days of his youth.
26 He shall pray to God, and He will delight in him, he shall see His face with joy, for He restores to man His righteousness.
NKJV

2 Cor 5:21

21 For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].
AMP

My Comments:

A lot of people get confused over the word righteousness, and stumble over how they can attain to righteousness. In the Old Testament, God revealed Himself as Jehovah Tsidkenu, who could be translated as "The Lord who is Right", or "The Lord who is My Right Standing"

In Job, we see how God says that He's found a Ransom, and that He will restore His righteousness to man.

We see this in the New Testament, where Jesus died as the Lamb who has taken away the sins of the world. He was our Substitute in taking the Judgement of God upon Himself. As a result, we now have right standing with God based on what He has done! It's not what we've done, but what Jesus has already done!

When we call upon the Name, we remind God that He Himself is our Right Standing with Him!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

He Is My Shepherd!

Ps 23:1

23:1 The LORD is my shepherd [Jehovah Ra-ah]; I shall not want.
NKJV

John 10:10-11

10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep."
NKJV

Rom 8:14

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
NKJV

My Comments:

In the Old Testament, God revealed Himself to David as Jehovah Ra-ah, or "God my shepherd" David knew what that meant as he went on to describe how God was his Shepherd, providing for his needs, leading him into safe pastures, being with him wherever he went.

In the New Testament, Jesus identified Himself as our Shepherd. That means that as our Shepherd, He leads us, He guides us! Psalm 23 describes what the Shepherd does for us, and how He provides for us, that we do not lack. Likewise in the journey of life, we need not fear that we're left on our own to decide what to do! Just call on the Name of Jesus and see Him guide you through His Spirit!

Sunday, December 16, 2012

His Name Brings Peace!

Judg 6:23-24

23 Then the LORD said to him,"Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die."
24 So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-Is-Peace [Jehovah Shalom]. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
NKJV

Mark 4:38-40

38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him,"Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"
39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
NKJV

John 14:27-28

27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
NKJV

My Comments:

In the light of recent tragedies, the world is struck with fear and panic. Everyone's looking for answers for the storms in their lives. Likewise in the Old Testament, Israel lived in fear of the Midianites, who oppressed them through war and fear.

 God raised up a man called Gideon who was also a coward with storms in his own life, and revealed Himself as Jehovah Shalom, or "God Your Peace". That calmed the storms in Gideon's life and caused him to rise up as a man of God and we see him recorded as one of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11.

In the New Testament, we see the physical demonstration of peace in Jesus, who is the Prince of Peace! He gives us His Peace, and He shows us how to walk in that peace! The disciples were in the midst of the storm and like Gideon, feared that they were going to die. Jesus spoke "Peace, be still" and the storm ceased.

Likewise when we go through the storms of life that will surely come, we have the Name of Jesus that brings peace to calm those storms! We can boldly say to those storms "Peace, be still in the Name of Jesus!" And know that those storms will have to obey!

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Victory in His Name!

Ex 17:13-16

13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
14 Then the LORD said to Moses,"Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven."
15 And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-LORD-Is-My-Banner [Jehovah Nissi];
16 for he said, "Because the LORD has sworn: the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation."
NKJV

Isa 59:19

19 So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.
NKJV

Col 2:15

15[God] disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it [the cross].
AMP

1 John 5:4-5

4 For whatever is born of God is victorious over the world; and this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith.
5 Who is it that is victorious over [that conquers] the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on that fact]?
AMP

My Comments:

The context of Ex 17:13-16 shows Israel being victorious against Amalek before the name Jehovah Nissi is revealed. In its context, we can say that Jehovah Nissi could also be expressed as "The Lord who is My Victory".

Likewise in the New Testament, we see how Jesus won a victory for us over satan and his armies that as Christians, we have the right to enforce in His Name! His Name is our Banner of Victory! We're not to be subject to satan's whims and fancies, and to be tormented by whatever devilish thoughts he may give us! We can boldly apply the Name of Jesus in his face and see him run in terror!

Friday, December 14, 2012

His Name Heals!

Ex 15:26

26 and [God] said,"If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you [Jehovah Rapha]."
NKJV

Mark 16:17-18

17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;
18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
NKJV

Acts 3:6

6 Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.
NKJV

My Comments:

Another Name of God in the Old Testament was Jehovah Rapha, or "The Lord Your Healer". Divine healing was an important part of the Old Testament as it showed God as more than able of taking care of His people in the midst of sicknesses and disease.

There are at least 25 different instances in the four Gospels of Jesus healing all kinds of sickness and disease which shows both His ability and His willingness to heal anyone who would come to Him! Healing the sick continued all the way into the book of Acts, and the Apostles state clearly in the Epistles that the sick can be healed. If it was found in the Old Testament through to the New Testament, we can be sure that it is still for us today!

Healing is more than just physical healing! It involves deliverance from mental torment and any other work of the Enemy in our lives that we suffer from!

We therefore can be confident that healing is in the Name of Jesus! We know that when we come to God in times of sickness, we have this assurance that the Name of Jesus contains healing for us today!

Thursday, December 13, 2012

The One Who Provides

Gen 22:14

14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide [Jehovah Jireh]; as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided."
NKJV

John 6:5-6,11

5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?"
6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.
11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.
NKJV

Phil 4:19-20

19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
NKJV

My Comments:

One of the Names of God in the Old Testament was Jehovah Jireh, and when directly translated from the Hebrew, it would be taken to also mean "The Lord Who Sees". So in a sense, a literal translation of Jehovah Jireh would be "The Lord who Sees and Provides"

We see this in the Name of Jesus as His Name shows his character. Throughout the Gospels we see the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5,000. He saw the need, and He provided for it. Paul writes likewise in Philippians when he declares that God meets all our need by Christ Jesus!

So when we come to the Father for our needs, we know we have it through the Name of Jesus. That ALL our needs are met in His Name!

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

No Other Name

Acts 4:12

12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved*. [The Name of Jesus]
NKJV

My Comments:

It'll be of much benefit to find out just what the Name of Jesus means to us, and what it contains. Over the next week or so, I'll be doing a mini study on what the Name of Jesus is and how it applies to us in prayer. 

When Peter says that there’s no other name by which we can be saved, it means that there really is no other name for us to be saved by

Being saved isn’t just being saved from our sins and coming into salvation, it’s more than that! The Name of Jesus is all-encompassing, and covers everything! If you want deliverance, call on the Name! If you want healing, there’s healing in the Name! The Name of Jesus in our prayer covers everything! For that Name is above every other name!

*sozo (sode'-zo); from a primary sos (contraction for obsolete saoz, "safe"); to save, i.e. deliver or protect (literally or figuratively):

KJV - heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Hosting the Presence

Ex 40:34-38

34 Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
35 And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
36 Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys.
37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey till the day that it was taken up.
38 For the cloud of the LORD was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.
NKJV

1 Cor 3:16

16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
NKJV

My Comments:

God has always desired to be with His people. His Presence was with them in dwellings made with human hands but now, He dwells in us! His Presence makes the difference in our lives, and His Presence sets us free! We are carriers of His Presence, and where He is, there is freedom! Where He goes, we go; and where we go, He goes too! We are His temple, and He lives in us!

Monday, December 10, 2012

Going Where God Leads

Ex 13:21-22

21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.
22 He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.
NKJV

Neh 9:19

19 Yet in Your manifold mercies You did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day, to lead them on the road; nor the pillar of fire by night, to show them light, and the way they should go.
NKJV

Rom 8:14

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
KJV

My Comments:

When the Israelites came out of Egypt, the Lord led them through the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. The key point here is this: where He went, they followed. Likewise under the New Covenant; as we have the Holy Spirit with us and in us, how much more we should follow the leadings of God when we hear Him speak!

I don't want to be stuck in the past and find myself doing some mindless routine that's going on forever! I want to follow where God says to go! With Him, it's never dry, boring, dead!

To add some words of caution here, I am not telling you to do things that are clearly outside the Bible. Because God will not lead you into doing things that are clearly against what He says! But at times, He may be calling you to come out of a certain place or a certain thing that you've got yourself entangled in. Just stay close to Him, and when He gives you something to go with, act on it! It's a joy to find yourself in the will of God, fulfilling His plan, His purpose for your life!

Sunday, December 9, 2012

The Kingdom Within

Luke 17:20-21

20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said,  “The kingdom of God does not come with observation;
21 “nor will they say,  ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’  For indeed,  the kingdom of God is  within you.”  NKJV

My Comments

As much as we believe in the soon return of Jesus and the fulfillment of Bible prophecy in the book of Revelations, notice how Jesus answered the Pharisees by stating that "The kingdom of God is within you.", present tense. It is not something external but it is an internal issue, that over time will be seen externally.

Another way of looking at the word 'kingdom' would be 'where the King has his domain', or 'where the King has dominion'. The King lives inside you! The area where He has dominion over, is the area where He has the authority to have control. Let His Life, His Nature flow in you! Let Him have dominion in every area of your life, even the areas where you think you can't handle! He will give you the authority to deal with that area as a child of the King!

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Closer Than You Think!

Gal 2:20

20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
NKJV

My Comments:

To me, one of the biggest wonders I am in awe about is how Jesus did much more than just dying on the Cross for my sins and to reconcile me back to God. He moved in and lives on the inside of me! That everywhere I go, He goes! He's closer than the air I breathe, firmer than the ground I stand on. My constant Companion, Comforter, Friend. When I'm going through storms, He's there within me to command those storms to cease! And when I reach out to people, He's reaching out to them! His very nature is in me!

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

In Whose Presence We Stand

1 Kings 17:1

1 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab,"As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word."
NKJV

James 5:16-18

16 ..The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].
17 Elijah was a human being with a nature such as we have [with feelings, affections, and a constitution like ours]; and he prayed earnestly for it not to rain, and no rain fell on the earth for three years and six months.
18 And [then] he prayed again and the heavens supplied rain and the land produced its crops [as usual].
AMP

My Comments:

James writes about how Elijah was a man just like anyone of us; yet when he prayed, God answered his prayer in both occasions, to shut the heavens and to open the heavens. Many of us would have wanted to know what his secret was to get such answers. He stood in the presence of the Lord. He knew the very heartbeat of the One who he served and what he heard, he proclaimed. And God answered him!

If we want to see our own prayer lives flourishing; may we be like Elijah of old, standing in the presence of God! Just to hear what He says to pray about and to pray it out! Knowing that when we have the very desire of God in our hearts, we will see it come to fruition not only in our lives, but in the lives of those who we have a Divine connection with!

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Exhortation - 4/12/12

To wait upon the Lord
To be in His presence
Just to hear His voice
For He will never leave you
Nor will He forsake you
Yes, though the storms may rise
He is there with you
Put your trust in Him
Put your hand in His hand
For He will not lead you
Down a path where you will stray
But He has a far better way
So cling to Him
Draw near to Him
Let Him envelope you with His voice
Let Him cover you with His presence
And you will surely know
The path you are to go

Monday, December 3, 2012

Peace In Your Storms

Ps 46:10

10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
NKJV

Mark 4:39-40

39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
NKJV

My Comments:

In the storms of life, we are tempted to worry incessantly about how we'll get through it intact. We start looking for solutions everywhere, only to find that instead of getting better, the storms seem to get worse. Sometimes the best thing to do is to just be still before the Lord; quieten our hearts before Him, who is the Greater One within us. And He will arise and say "Peace, be still!" to the storms in our life. And a great calm will come over us, and we will cross over to the other side as He has said!

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Your Day of Salvation

Ezek 12:27-28

27 "Son of man, look, the house of Israel is saying, 'The vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off.'
28 Therefore say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "None of My words will be postponed any more, but the word which I speak will be done," says the Lord GOD.'"
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2 Cor 6:2

2 For He says: "In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you."
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
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Isa 55:11

11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
NKJV

My Comments:

When we don't see the Promises of God coming to pass in our lives, we are tempted at times like Israel to say "It'll be coming soon", "In God's perfect timing", "He'll bring that breakthrough in the future". We cheat ourselves out of seeing that Promise come to pass in our lives by relegating it to the future! If we're struggling with any particular area, we deceive ourselves into believing that God will 'surely deliver; some day; but not now'

But hear what our Father says! He says that His words will NOT be postponed! In His eyes, what He says is already done! It will NOT be void! Not only is He the God of the past; and the future; but He is the God of TODAY! TODAY is your day of salvation! Hold fast to your confidence that what God has said concerning you has come to pass today!

Confession:

Everything God has said concerning my life is not void! I maintain my confession that TODAY is my day of salvation! What He says about me is good!