Luke 10:19 says, "Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you." Many Christians today are sitting by allowing the enemy to wreak havoc in their lives under the guise of "God is in control." Nothing could be farther from the truth. The enemy is counting on us buying into that lie and therefore not enforcing all the authority that has already been given to us.
Hosea 4:6 "My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge." God didn't say the world would be destroyed, He said my people. That's talking about us. If we are ignorant of 1. the enemies devices and 2. that we have been given authority over all the power of the enemy, we will not walk in the fullness of all God has provided for us.
If you're "going through" something today, KEEP GOING! Don't linger there longer than you need to! God led the children of Israel into the wilderness, but He only meant for them to pass through! Whatever you are facing today, remember that He has empowered you to pass through! God is clearly not in control of everything here on earth. He gave us the authority that belonged to Jesus, after He stripped the enemy of every weapon he possessed. But if we don't know what's been given, we won't enforce it.
To tread on means to step over. So, we've been authorized by God to step over the opposition we see in front of us. We need to get our focus off the opposition and onto God and His power. Quit looking at it! Step over it, by faith, knowing God is more than able to back up our authority with His power!
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
June 10, 2014 ~ Psalm 55 ~
Psalm 55:22 "Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken." We all know that God wants to carry our burdens for us and wants to see us walking free of things that weigh us down. But how exactly do we 'cast' them upon Him?
To cast means 'to hurl or throw with force'. We are not to just easily hand over our burdens, but to throw them from us with force. In other words, it may take some effort on our part to take that which hinders us and hurl it far from ourselves, trusting that God will sustain us. To sustain means 'to hold up or keep from falling'.
If you were deep sea fishing, you'd need to cast your line out into the depths of the ocean in order to catch something. Just sitting on the boat will not get the job done. It takes some effort on your part to participate in the expedition. In the ocean, where the fish are very big and strong, you would then need to harness your pole to the boat as the fish can overpower you while you try to reel them in and could possibly pull you overboard.
As the Lord sustains us, He is like that harness that holds us stationary and in place to keep us from falling. He will never allow His righteous ones to be shaken. Once you cast it on Him, don't pull it back immediately. If you've cast it, leave it there by faith, believing God is working mightily on your behalf and will give you something wonderful in its place. Speak this Word back to Him! That He will sustain you and not allow you to be shaken! That builds your faith AND gives Him the permission He needs to do His part, which is to bring POWER into your situation. His part is power, our part is speaking the Word by faith.
To cast means 'to hurl or throw with force'. We are not to just easily hand over our burdens, but to throw them from us with force. In other words, it may take some effort on our part to take that which hinders us and hurl it far from ourselves, trusting that God will sustain us. To sustain means 'to hold up or keep from falling'.
If you were deep sea fishing, you'd need to cast your line out into the depths of the ocean in order to catch something. Just sitting on the boat will not get the job done. It takes some effort on your part to participate in the expedition. In the ocean, where the fish are very big and strong, you would then need to harness your pole to the boat as the fish can overpower you while you try to reel them in and could possibly pull you overboard.
As the Lord sustains us, He is like that harness that holds us stationary and in place to keep us from falling. He will never allow His righteous ones to be shaken. Once you cast it on Him, don't pull it back immediately. If you've cast it, leave it there by faith, believing God is working mightily on your behalf and will give you something wonderful in its place. Speak this Word back to Him! That He will sustain you and not allow you to be shaken! That builds your faith AND gives Him the permission He needs to do His part, which is to bring POWER into your situation. His part is power, our part is speaking the Word by faith.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
April 29, 2014 ~ 1 Chronicles 14-20 ~
This passage concerns when David was transporting the ark of the covenant to the new tent which they had prepared for it. He assigned ministers to be before the ark and musicians to play in order to celebrate and to thank and to praise the Lord God of Israel. And on that first day, Kind David assigned the chief priest and his relatives to give thanks unto the Lord.
There was constant ministry at the Ark. David knew the importance of ministering to Lord in his life so much so that not only did he dance and make his heart merry before the Lord, but he assigned people to be doing that constantly. It was their full-time occupation to worship and magnify God! After this time it says that David had nine different battles and that he obtained victory over them all! In chapter 16:8-36 are the words of David before going out to do battle. They are words of praise and thanks. Words which describe God's many wonders and His great strength. Words that would keep God in remembrance of His covenant with Abraham unto a thousand generations. Words which spoke of his inheritance and that he was in the family of God's anointed ones. Words that reminded God of His promise to deliver His people from all nations.
If you are facing a battle today, following this example of David will bring you victory, too! When the problem seems impossible, don't speak the impossibility, but rather speak that with God on your side ALL things are POSSIBLE! The word impossible does not exist in His vocabulary. When you feel out of strength, remind yourself that the God of ALL STRENGTH dwells on the inside of you! Reminding yourself that the battle belongs to the Lord and all you have to do is stand and speak the Word. When you spend more time dwelling on the goodness of God and magnify His ability to move in your situation, you take the focus off of you and your circumstance and put it on God. It will cause Him to become larger than anything else in your sight and you will see yourself on the other side of that thing. So, sing and dance before the Lord while in the midst of that situation and you will walk through in VICTORY!
There was constant ministry at the Ark. David knew the importance of ministering to Lord in his life so much so that not only did he dance and make his heart merry before the Lord, but he assigned people to be doing that constantly. It was their full-time occupation to worship and magnify God! After this time it says that David had nine different battles and that he obtained victory over them all! In chapter 16:8-36 are the words of David before going out to do battle. They are words of praise and thanks. Words which describe God's many wonders and His great strength. Words that would keep God in remembrance of His covenant with Abraham unto a thousand generations. Words which spoke of his inheritance and that he was in the family of God's anointed ones. Words that reminded God of His promise to deliver His people from all nations.
If you are facing a battle today, following this example of David will bring you victory, too! When the problem seems impossible, don't speak the impossibility, but rather speak that with God on your side ALL things are POSSIBLE! The word impossible does not exist in His vocabulary. When you feel out of strength, remind yourself that the God of ALL STRENGTH dwells on the inside of you! Reminding yourself that the battle belongs to the Lord and all you have to do is stand and speak the Word. When you spend more time dwelling on the goodness of God and magnify His ability to move in your situation, you take the focus off of you and your circumstance and put it on God. It will cause Him to become larger than anything else in your sight and you will see yourself on the other side of that thing. So, sing and dance before the Lord while in the midst of that situation and you will walk through in VICTORY!
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
April 8, 2014 ~ 1 Kings 3-5 ~
Our God is so good that He always gives us above and beyond all that we can ask!
When God told King Solomon that he could have anything he wanted, Solomon asked for wisdom; for a discerning heart to rule the people. The Word says that the request was pleasing in the sight of the Lord, so much so that the Lord said He would give him that plus He would give him riches, honor and prolong his days!
God's thoughts toward us are always higher than our thoughts about ourselves and His ways of blessing us are higher than we can imagine! The original Hebrew text of the words 'wisdom' and 'discernment' translates to the Lord giving him "largeness of heart"! Fear and selfishness indicates narrowness of heart. But largeness of heart will always expand us on the inside to embrace the vision/plan that He has for us.
When God gives us vision, we can get so excited that we just want to run with it and get it started. But we need to make sure to take the time to also ask of Him for largeness of heart in order to embrace it the way He has planned. To not despise time of preparation that will only give us the equipping and knowledge we will need to walk it out successfully. If we ask for it, He is generous to give us all we will need, because after all it is His plan and He wants us to be more successful at completing it than we do. Ask the Lord to show you what He wants for you to do today and when He reveals it to you, also ask Him for largeness of heart. It's with the heart that we receive the promises of God!
Saturday, March 15, 2014
March 15, 2014 ~Ruth 1-4~
The story of Ruth is one of love, devotion and redemption. Naomi, an Israelite, finds herself in the land of Moab, as a widow and childless mother. Her husband and sons have died and she is left with her two Moabite daughters-in-law. She decides to return to her native land now that it is free of famine and she urges them to return to their own families. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her and made a statement of faith that would, from then on, create a new life for her.
"Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be MY people and your God shall be MY God. Where you die, I will die and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me and worse, if anything but death parts you and me."
Unknowingly, with that statement, Ruth has decreed her loyalty to Naomi, her people and her God and God can now begin to make a way for her. Her love and devotion will soon be rewarded! She gives up her culture, her people and her language because of her great love.
The Biblical concept of a kinsman-redeemer is mentioned thirteen times in Ruth. It is a representation of Christ redeeming us. Through Boaz, she moves from widowhood and poverty to marriage and wealth! That's how incredible our God is. When He redeems, He does it ALL THE WAY, above and beyond all we could ask or think. He is a BIG GOD and His thoughts toward us and about us are MUCH HIGHER than we can even imagine.
Are you in a situation today where you feel as if you've lost everything? Start decreeing, according to God's promises in His Word, what you want your life to be, just as Ruth did. Asking gives Him the right to begin to move on your behalf. Give God the opportunity to meet your need. He wants to do more than you can imagine!
"Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be MY people and your God shall be MY God. Where you die, I will die and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me and worse, if anything but death parts you and me."
Unknowingly, with that statement, Ruth has decreed her loyalty to Naomi, her people and her God and God can now begin to make a way for her. Her love and devotion will soon be rewarded! She gives up her culture, her people and her language because of her great love.
The Biblical concept of a kinsman-redeemer is mentioned thirteen times in Ruth. It is a representation of Christ redeeming us. Through Boaz, she moves from widowhood and poverty to marriage and wealth! That's how incredible our God is. When He redeems, He does it ALL THE WAY, above and beyond all we could ask or think. He is a BIG GOD and His thoughts toward us and about us are MUCH HIGHER than we can even imagine.
Are you in a situation today where you feel as if you've lost everything? Start decreeing, according to God's promises in His Word, what you want your life to be, just as Ruth did. Asking gives Him the right to begin to move on your behalf. Give God the opportunity to meet your need. He wants to do more than you can imagine!
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
February 26, 2014 ~ Deuteronomy 28 ~
What a wonderful chapter this is, chock full of promises and blessings. These blessings were promised for our obedience. How wonderful to get another glimpse into God's own heart and see that our Father desires to bless us with good things. If you have children, then you know how it feels to still want the best for your children even when they miss the mark. Even when they remove themselves out from under your protection and provision for them, you still desire above all else to see them walking in the fullness of God's best for them.
How thankful we need to be that all of the curses listed in Deut. 28 for disobedience no longer apply to us! We've been covered by the blood of Christ and now have right-standing with God! We now have a better covenant with better promises. Galatians 3:13 tells us that "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"--in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." The sad part about it is that many people in the Body of Christ are living as if the curse is still valid in their lives. They think that God is out to get them every time they miss it. They think that God must bring hardship into their lives to teach them a lesson of some sort.
That, friends, is simply not true! If we hurt our children to teach them something or purposely put them in harm's way under the same thought, we would be put in jail! God is love personified. He cannot do anything but love us. Jesus said in Matt.7:9-11 "Or what man is there among you, when his son asks him for a loaf would give him a stone? Or if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father Who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!" God only has good things to give us!
If you've been taught something different than that truth, you simply need to spend some time renewing your mind in order to get free in that area. Renewing our minds is not difficult, but it is very necessary to our spiritual growth. Renewing the mind simply means replacing the wrong thoughts that you've either been taught or that your senses are telling you, with God's definitions about Who He is, who you are in Christ and all that Jesus purchased for you and then saying those things! When people think incorrect things about God, they simply don't know Him. The more we get to know Him through the Word's definitions of Him and not what others say, the easier it is to trust Him and truly believe He only has good things for us. It takes a little practice to start saying things differently than you've been saying them for years. But the results in your life will be worth far more than any effort on your part!
If you're needing healing for your body, Deut. 28 is a great passage to camp in for a bit. Because every single sickness described under the curse of the law we have been redeemed from, Praise God! If you see something that applies to your body, then praise Him that Gal. 3:13 says you've been redeemed from it. The greatest verse of this chapter is 61 where is plainly says "Also every sickness and every plague which is not written in the book of this law..." we have also been redeemed of! Praise God! That covers everything you could ever wonder about! It's covered! That's good news!
How thankful we need to be that all of the curses listed in Deut. 28 for disobedience no longer apply to us! We've been covered by the blood of Christ and now have right-standing with God! We now have a better covenant with better promises. Galatians 3:13 tells us that "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"--in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." The sad part about it is that many people in the Body of Christ are living as if the curse is still valid in their lives. They think that God is out to get them every time they miss it. They think that God must bring hardship into their lives to teach them a lesson of some sort.
That, friends, is simply not true! If we hurt our children to teach them something or purposely put them in harm's way under the same thought, we would be put in jail! God is love personified. He cannot do anything but love us. Jesus said in Matt.7:9-11 "Or what man is there among you, when his son asks him for a loaf would give him a stone? Or if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father Who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!" God only has good things to give us!
If you've been taught something different than that truth, you simply need to spend some time renewing your mind in order to get free in that area. Renewing our minds is not difficult, but it is very necessary to our spiritual growth. Renewing the mind simply means replacing the wrong thoughts that you've either been taught or that your senses are telling you, with God's definitions about Who He is, who you are in Christ and all that Jesus purchased for you and then saying those things! When people think incorrect things about God, they simply don't know Him. The more we get to know Him through the Word's definitions of Him and not what others say, the easier it is to trust Him and truly believe He only has good things for us. It takes a little practice to start saying things differently than you've been saying them for years. But the results in your life will be worth far more than any effort on your part!
If you're needing healing for your body, Deut. 28 is a great passage to camp in for a bit. Because every single sickness described under the curse of the law we have been redeemed from, Praise God! If you see something that applies to your body, then praise Him that Gal. 3:13 says you've been redeemed from it. The greatest verse of this chapter is 61 where is plainly says "Also every sickness and every plague which is not written in the book of this law..." we have also been redeemed of! Praise God! That covers everything you could ever wonder about! It's covered! That's good news!
Saturday, February 8, 2014
February 8, 2014 ~Numbers 11~
Numbers chapter 11 speaks of when the Israelites grumbled against God because they were so tired of eating manna. That grumbling displeased the Lord greatly and caused his anger to be kindled. Even though we are living under a better covenant today, with greater promises of God's goodness, a grumbling spirit does not bring any glory to God. No matter what we are going through in life, when we choose to exalt God for all He has done and recall all of the times He has been faithful to us, it causes our faith to be stirred up that He will do it again. No, God does not have a huge ego that needs to be stroked, but He knows when we magnify Him and His ability to move on our behalf, it will keep our faith active and gives Him permission to work.
This passage also speaks of how Moses was the only one among the entire nation of Israel which had the Holy Spirit upon him. Imagine how difficult it would be for a pastor today to try to lead a congregation of 600,000 (only counting the men) who were all constantly walking by their flesh. So God put His Spirit on seventy elders to help Moses in the care of the people. How blessed are we, today, that we can have the Holy Spirit in each of us to lead, guide and strengthen us?!
With the Holy Spirit comes POWER! He is the demonstrator of the spoken Word! God has spoken the Word, when we believe it by faith, show the action of our faith by speaking what God spoke, then the Holy Spirit is the One Who performs that Word in our lives. When Jesus was on the earth HE was the power. If people needed healing or help in their lives, they had to travel to wherever Jesus was. Therefore the Holy Spirit, upon Jesus, was confined to one location. This is why Jesus told the disciples that it was better for Him to go to heaven so He could send the Holy Spirit to them.
The Holy Spirit and that power now resides in the earth in us! On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit left His residence in heaven and came to earth. The disciples were instructed to wait for Him. They needed to be waiting in faith, expecting Him because He needed an entrance into the earth. Once He made His entrance, then from there He could spread to the outer ends of the earth. That is why there is power available everywhere to be saved! Once we are born-again, that power is no longer in us just for our benefit. He dwells in us not only to lead and guide us, but so that we now have that power available to change others' lives. His power is just waiting for us to place a demand on it in faith. If we live conscious of it everyday, He will show us when and where we can be co-laborers with Him to demonstrate His power and bless the world around us! He's waiting on us! Let's go out and be a blessing today!
This passage also speaks of how Moses was the only one among the entire nation of Israel which had the Holy Spirit upon him. Imagine how difficult it would be for a pastor today to try to lead a congregation of 600,000 (only counting the men) who were all constantly walking by their flesh. So God put His Spirit on seventy elders to help Moses in the care of the people. How blessed are we, today, that we can have the Holy Spirit in each of us to lead, guide and strengthen us?!
With the Holy Spirit comes POWER! He is the demonstrator of the spoken Word! God has spoken the Word, when we believe it by faith, show the action of our faith by speaking what God spoke, then the Holy Spirit is the One Who performs that Word in our lives. When Jesus was on the earth HE was the power. If people needed healing or help in their lives, they had to travel to wherever Jesus was. Therefore the Holy Spirit, upon Jesus, was confined to one location. This is why Jesus told the disciples that it was better for Him to go to heaven so He could send the Holy Spirit to them.
The Holy Spirit and that power now resides in the earth in us! On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit left His residence in heaven and came to earth. The disciples were instructed to wait for Him. They needed to be waiting in faith, expecting Him because He needed an entrance into the earth. Once He made His entrance, then from there He could spread to the outer ends of the earth. That is why there is power available everywhere to be saved! Once we are born-again, that power is no longer in us just for our benefit. He dwells in us not only to lead and guide us, but so that we now have that power available to change others' lives. His power is just waiting for us to place a demand on it in faith. If we live conscious of it everyday, He will show us when and where we can be co-laborers with Him to demonstrate His power and bless the world around us! He's waiting on us! Let's go out and be a blessing today!
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