Isaiah 59:1, 16 – “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear… He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him.

As we read Isaiah 59 and the Book of Acts, several things capture the heart and mind.  Did you know God, who knows everything, can be astonished?  That is what Isaiah 59:16 informs us.  Amazing, isn’t it? 

The declaration in Isaiah 59:1 is that God can do everything and hears everything!  Because the people knew that truth, God was astonished that there was no one to stand in the gap and intercede.   Even though they knew who He was and what He could do, they should have produced intercessors; there were none! 

God told Jeremiah that before He was formed in the womb, He knew him and had called him.   God said, “I am watching over My Word to perform it.”  Then, out of a broken heart, God said in Jeremiah 2:11 – “But My people have changed (exchanged) their glory for that which does not prosper. “

They were trusting their ability and turning to idols and flawed philosophical ideas. They had become like the Athenians and worshipped an Unknown God.  I find Isaiah 65 incredible that God would allow people who are pursuing everything but Him to find Him.  He loves mankind that much.

If we are to love like God and have Christ IN us, we, too, must love mankind enough to intercede.   The measure of our love for God is demonstrated in our love for and intercession for people.  How much do we love?  How much do we focus on ourselves and ignore the lostness and needs of others? 

God has given direction and promise of provision.  He is watching over that Word to make sure it happens.  He has promised provision for every need.  We are taken care of.  As we minister to and intercede for others, God extends His protection and provision to us.

We do not know the hearts of others, but God does, including ours.  Our cry should be, “Lord, help me to feel Your heart and have Your compassion to the degree it drives me to my knees for the lost, hurting, dying, bound, and afflicted.” 

Therefore, since it was for freedom, we were set free.  We should shudder at the prospect that God would become astonished at our indifference.  We should desire for Him to see us as a people after His own heart.

We find peace, provision, power, and authority in that place.   We break all the strongholds and chains on ourselves and our families there.  God is on our side, so let us endeavor to be on His! 

I urge you to make the decision today to be wholly surrendered to Him, which He can use to stand in the gap and intercede.  That decision will lead to ultimate victory!   It is yours.  I urge you to See it, Believe it, and Receive it!

Have a fantastic day in Jesus; He is our Hope and Help! 

Acts 13:52 – “And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”

The last verse in Acts 13 is my primary focus for this devotional. The word “continually” captures my thoughts.  The word “continually” means that it is unceasing.  It speaks of a state of mind and condition.

The order of words is interesting.  Joy is listed first.  They were continually filled with Joy.  Joy is an emotion that contains the expectation and anticipation of gaining possession or experiencing something.   It is a condition completely void of despair, doubt, fear, or hopelessness.   It is infectious and becomes a doorway for entrance into God’s presence.

We are to enter His gates with Thanksgiving and His courts with praise.  The Joy of the LORD is our strength.  Whose Joy?  The Joy of the Lord is ours because we are one with Him.  He is in us, and we are in Him!  Being full of JOY continually, their hearts and heads were prime receptors for the continual flow of the Holy Spirit.

In today’s world, many have occasional moments of Joy but not continual Joy.   Many have occasional infilling of the Holy Spirit but are not continually filled. We marvel and almost fictionalize the New Testament Book of Acts Church with zero expectation that we, too, can have that presence, power, and result.  We can “IF” … The “if” is the clincher.   If we become as they were, we will see what they saw.

Their focus was continually on God.  They continually meditated on God’s word.  They were in a continual mindset of prayer.   They were 100% committed to Him and His purposes. They knew persecution, difficulty, and tests would come but were continually filled with Joy and the Holy Spirit.

Part-time Christianity held no appeal for them.  They had jobs, duties, families, and obligations, but God was their First and Primary focus.  The result – They lived in a state of overflowing Joy and the overflowing presence of the Holy Spirit.  They feared nothing, expected God to fulfill His Word, and knew they were more than conquerors through and in Jesus.

The Key is the word “continually.”  There were Continually… 

• They continually sought God. 
• They continually rejoiced. 
• They continually received.  
• They continually expected to hear from and see God move daily. 

Too often, we are okay with part-time Christianity, occasional Joy, and infrequent outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  When we decide it is “All In,” we will have what they had and see the harvest of God.  Life is not about us. It is about Him and the Kingdom.

Let me offer this challenge:  Decide today that you are “ALL IN,” then watch the flow of Joy and the Holy Spirit completely change your world.

May the peace, power, and presence of the LORD be with you this day and guide you into the fullness He desires for you today!

John 21:15-19 – “So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus *said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He *said to him, “Tend My lambs.” ¹⁶ He *said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He *said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” ¹⁷ He *said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus *said to him, “Tend My sheep. ¹⁸ Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.” ¹⁹ Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He *said to him, “Follow Me!”

This account in John 21 is interesting and inspirational. Some have suggested that Jesus asking the same question three times was a reminder of Peter’s three denials.  That is possible, but I believe there was a much deeper purpose, one that applies to us today.

Jesus asked, “Do you Agape Me?”  Peter responded with the word for love (Phileo.)  Phileo is the brotherly kind of love that may be deep but not the zenith of love.   It leaves room for self and selfishness.

Jesus asked two more times, and I believe He was nudging Peter to see the deficiency in his profession of love and to move to the ultimate love that is unconditional and unshakable – Agape. Peter was filled with himself (like most of us too often).  Peter had denied Jesus in an attempt at self-preservation.   Peter was impulsive and reacted to external stimuli.

I suggest that Jesus was molding Peter’s thinking to equip him. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.  The question is germane: how deeply do we truly love the Lord?  Jesus said, “IF” you Agape Me, you “WILL” keep my commandments.  The measure of our love is revealed in what we do, not what we say.  However, what we say flows out of what is in our hearts. 

When our hearts, words, and deeds align, we know Him fully and manifest Him.  We can live in a way (outwardly) that says we are something.   We can speak with words that suggest we are something.   We can do deeds that seem to indicate we are something.   But the heart is the key, and God knows the heart.

Therefore, for us to know God, we must know our hearts.  We can choose Agape or Phileo.  In that choice, the door opens wide to know Him in the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His suffering, and become conformed to and transformed by His death.  We die to ourselves in choosing to live unto Him.

Love is a choice, not just an emotion.   Love grows. It is not a one-time deposit.  Love strives to honor its object.  Love liberates.  Agape sets the heart free because it eliminates the need to protect itself.  It fully surrenders, and in that surrender, it discovers life to the fullest.

Are you alive?  Do you Agape?  If we see the Cross, we see Agape.  If we believe the Cross, we receive Agape.  If we receive Agape, we begin to be transformed and become vessels of God’s power.   We become Who He said we are through Agape, the ultimate and unconditional love.

I offer this challenge:  Today is your day to know Agape!  Today is your day to Agape!  Today is your day to close the door on the past and discover the depth, breadth, and height of your purpose and power in God.  Refuse to be less than complete.

May the Lord richly bless you as you enjoy this day!

Proverbs 1:1-6 – “The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: ² To know wisdom and discipline, To understand the sayings of understanding, ³ To receive discipline that leads to insight, Righteousness, justice, and equity, ⁴ To give prudence to the simple to the youth knowledge and discretion; ⁵ Let the wise man hear and increase in learning, and a man of understanding will acquire guidance,⁶ To understand a proverb and an enigma, the words of the wise and their riddles.”

Those five words are – Wisdom, understanding, discretion, discernment, and discipline.   In a short devotional, we can only skim the surface of the revelation contained in those words and verses.  Therefore, we will offer some simple reflections for you to ponder.

Proverbs 1 – Solomon highlighted the value and source of all five.

Proverbs 2 – “Pay attention to wisdom.”  It is wise to listen to the wise!  “Incline your heart to discernment.”  Discernment is produced in the heart, the seat of the Spirit, not the intellect. “Call out to understanding, give your voice (what you say and how you talk) for discernment.”

Discernment must become valued as much as silver or great treasures.   The result is we will understand the fear of God and find the knowledge of God.  We will become intimately united with Him.  That will result in the reality that discretion keeps us, and discernment guards us.

Proverbs 1 – Solomon challenged us to receive discipline.  Discipline leads to insight, righteousness, justice, and equity.  Remember Paul’s teaching on discipline?

Hebrews 12:5-6 – “My son do not lightly regard the discipline of the LORD, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; FOR those whom the LORD loves He disciplines, AND He flogs every son whom He receives.”  Wow!  

Hebrews 12:11 reveals that discipline trains us, and the fruit is the peaceable fruit of righteousness.  It guides us in the right paths.

God wants us to enter into His fullness and exercise the power of the kingdom, but that Power will destroy us Unless we have been trained through discipline, ridding ourselves of self and becoming one with His wisdom, understanding, discernment, and discretion.  Without God’s shaping discipline, we think carnally. 

I encourage you to pray this prayer: “Father, we ask that You help us submit rather than resist Your school of discipline.  Train us so that we become walking manifestations of The Lord’s Prayer and persistence in pursuing God’s purposes.  People of power and purity.  Empty of self and full of the Spirit. Give us wisdom, understanding, discretion, and discernment that is learned through Your discipline.   Help us BE, not simply Wanna Be. Amen!”

May the Lord bless you richly as you enjoy this wonderful day in Him!

Psalm 119:162 – “I rejoice at Your word, as one who finds much spoil.”

The Bible is filled with accounts of people trusting and not trusting the Word of God.   Angelic visitations were often frightening.  The word they brought was not always embraced but was fulfilled.  Unlike conditional prophecy, angelic words are not conditional.  The only question is, will the hearer be a blessed participant?

Psalm 119 repeatedly speaks of waiting on the Word.   Waiting?  Have you discovered that most of us do not wait well because we trust only what we see and our ability?   This Bible not only gives revelation but guidance and protection.

Psalm 119:171 – “Let my tongue answer WITH Your Word, FOR all Your commandments are righteous.”  Psalm 119:162, 171 speaks volumes about the depth of the Word and how we should talk.

We find contradictory responses to angelic Visits:  Luke’s account of Mary’s visitation and Zechariah’s speaks to that reality.  Both had a visit from Gabriel directly from God.  Zechariah heard, but because he tried to interpret the Word through his experience, he still received the promise but was mute for nine months.

Mary’s mind could not comprehend the declaration, but rather than imposing her interpretation and reason, she asked for revelation and clarification.   She received the promise, and even in the face of public humiliation, she believed.

The Key: We need to learn to wait on the Word.  Both Mary and Zechariah had only the Torah. You and I have the Old and New Testaments.

We have the written Word as our foundation.   We have the Word from the Spirit (Rhema) and angels to further enlighten and illuminate.   We have the word of conscience to check and encourage us. We have the word of experience to build our confidence.

We must learn to wait for the word and then respond in obedience.  For nothing is impossible with God. (Luke 1:37).

Let me challenge you to ask God for ears to hear and eyes to see what He is saying and doing.  He will reveal His purpose, and we can be blessed participants or struggle as we see His plan unfold without or despite us.

Psalm 119:147-148 – “I eagerly greet the dawn and cry for Your help: I WAIT FOR YOUR WORD.  My eyes eagerly greet the night watches, That I may muse on Your Word.”

If hearing God becomes more important than anything else, we will hear!  Our reticular activating system will take over and filter out all other voices, but the most important.

I offer this prayer: “Lord, we wait for Your Word.”    Remember, God is speaking, and today, you can hear Him!

Have a fantastic day, and listen carefully for the still, small voice of the Spirit of God giving you guidance. 

Matthew 5: 14-20 – “Their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city and in the country. And the people came to see what it was that had happened. ¹⁵ They *came to Jesus and *observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the “legion”; and they became frightened. ¹⁶ Those who had seen it described to them how it had happened to the demon-possessed man, and all about the swine. ¹⁷ And they began to implore Him to leave their region. ¹⁸ As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him. ¹⁹ And He did not let him, but He *said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” ²⁰ And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.”  NASB

This account is fascinating and revelatory of fearful reactions.  These people came to Jesus, observed, and heard the report, and fear gripped them.  When Jesus came to the disciples walking on the water in the storm, fear gripped their hearts.  What is the common thread in those two events?  The unexpected.  The people did not expect the demoniac to be free, and the disciples did not expect to see Jesus there or in that way.  Both were outside their mindset of possibility.

Often, people fear the unexpected, even those who know Jesus.  If it is outside our norm, the door for fear to enter opens.  Where fear is present, faith cannot live.

Jesus and His disciples went back to Gennesaret at a later time.  The people recognized Jesus, brought the sick, and bound to Him without fear.  What changed?  The seed had been sown, and the fruit was being manifested.   The demoniac had been preaching and testifying.  They saw him, heard him, and hope sprang forth.

Let me offer a Key:  The word enables the heart to banish fear.  We do not have to understand everything to see the miraculous.   We have to believe and cannot genuinely believe as long as fear is present.

Remember the Parable about the Seed and the Soil.  The good seed in good soil produced good fruit.   Fear, worry, selfish ambition, and anything foreign to complete obedience chokes the Word, and where there is no word (seed), there is no harvest.

The Key is the Word of God.   Jesus said my words are spirit and life.  Jesus is the Word.  We are to abide in Him and His Word in us.  There, fear and doubt cannot live.

I challenge you today to decide the value of God’s Word and remember – man cannot live by bread alone but by every word that God speaks. Victory is yours.  He said it.  If He said it, it will not fail.

My faith declaration is, “Today is Victory Day!”  Therefore, let us rejoice. Resist fear and receive the promises.   

May the Lord be with you as you embark on today’s journey and give you peace!

Psalm 84:10-12 – “For better is a day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere.  I would choose to stand at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.  ¹¹ For Yahweh God is a sun and shield; Yahweh gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk blamelessly. ¹² O Yahweh of hosts, how blessed is the man who trusts in You!”

As I prayed, read, pondered, and mused on the Word and listened to my heart, the Holy Spirit took me to familiar places to deepen my insight and challenge me.

A Glaring Truth gripped my heart.  It is God’s purpose to transform us.  The desire of God is the uniting of our hearts to His.  He desires to live “in” us and “through” us.  It is in our singleness of heart that we can do what Jesus did and the greater works.   Most people quote that with no thought, hope, or expectation.   It is theory and a place they will reach in heaven.  No, It Is Not!  It will not be needed in heaven. The works are for Earth, the present time.

Psalm 84:10-12 is incredible.   If we read it not as a concept but as an attainable reality, it stirs something in us. The indispensable value of God’s presence is revealed.  Nothing the world offers compares to God’s presence.

God is both sun and shield.  He is light or revelation (understanding) as well as protection.  Capture that thought in your mind: the Creator is protecting us.  Who would know better how to protect and what we needed protection from?

He gives grace and glory (favor).  He does not withhold any good thing from the faithful.   He is with us in all we encounter.   He takes all things to transform us.  We are blessed if we trust (demonstrated by our lives, not just our words). I encourage you to think about what being Blessed by God means and entails.

Psalm 86:11-12 – “Teach me Your way (singular).”   The Psalmist says the result of that revelation will be that I Will Walk in Your Truth.   Truth is in God’s way.

A word that arrested my heart was “Unite.”   The prayer was to unite my heart to fear (reverence) Your Name.  The word unite is (Yachad) = make one.  Make singular.  Remember that thought in the New Testament?  Double mindedness!  The divided heart does not have God’s presence, walk in His power, or enjoy the promises in their fullness.

The Key:  A united heart values the presence of God and knows that transformation takes place in that presence.  The transformed will see the harvest, bind the strong man, and enforce the victory of Calvary. We must stop being theoretical and abstract in our faith.   We must realize, value, and pursue His presence.  

I pray this prayer for each of us today: “Lord, open our eyes to see, our ears to hear, and our minds to comprehend.  Transform us and give us a Yachad (united, singular) heart.   Help us to no longer straddle the fence, doubt, and live theoretically.  From this day forward, help us to live Your reality as enforcers of victory.   Help us to speak and walk with authority.  Make us victorious!  Amen!”

Another vital thing to see is that no ability is developed without training, practice, and application.   Step out and do not fear failure.   Your struggles are God’s fertilizer to make the fruit of your life grow.  Become what you are!  It is your time!

Make it your determination to become all that God says you are!  May today bring you His presence powerfully, His peace encompasingly, and His presence experientially.  Be Blessed!

Matthew 4 & Psalm 23

This is a new day, and God loves you!   Your destiny is greatness!  But what is greatness?   To the world, it is position, power, and purse.   To the believer, it is, at times, how we compare ourselves to others.  It is how we compare ourselves to God.  It is having a pure heart, walking in obedience, and fulfilling our assignment in life. 

You are destined for God’s greatness, and as you embrace His purposes and view, inside you prosper, and out of that inner prosperity comes outward manifestation.   That is why John could pray they would prosper and be healthy even as their soul prospered.  True health and prosperity begin on the inside and work their way to the outside.  That is prosperity that prospers the soul and contains no sorrow.

Matthew 4 tells us that after 40 days of fasting, Jesus became hungry.  In the moment of need, then the tempter came.  He did not come when there was no place to tempt. Jesus had been fasting, so He had a physical need – the temptation to make stones bread and use the gift and power of God for personal benefit.

Jesus had been considering His eternal destiny and purpose.  Thus, the place for temptation was to call attention to Himself misusing the power and gifts of God.  He knew He was to rule the nations as the Son of God. Therefore, the temptation to make it happen the easy way.  The devil had legal authority over the earthly kingdoms, but Jesus would strip him of that at the Cross.

The Key: Temptation comes in a time of need or a time when we have the opportunity to take a shortcut or the easy way.

Psalm 23 – Because of who He is and what He has done, we live with no sense of lack.  No reason to take a shortcut. In Him, we are restored, refreshed, and renewed Daily.  He is our guide and defense.  He is our provider; no matter what we face, He is There!

If we, as Jesus, cling to the Word and Purpose of God and walk in total obedience, we Will receive His provision and reach the desired destination.   Do not seek shortcuts; seek Him!  It may not be easy, but it will be victorious!  Never Give Up, and Never Give In, He Will Not Fail!

Have a fantastic day and walk in the fullness of Whom God has called you to be!

Psalms 1 & 11

As I prayed, pondered, meditated, read, and contemplated, Psalms 1 and 11 captured my attention. The opening of Psalm 2 is essential.

Psalm 11:3 – “If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?”

Psalm 2:1 – “Why do the nations rage, and the peoples meditate on a vain thing.”

What foundations? There are multiple dimensions: the foundations of moral righteousness, the foundations of human government, the foundations of the family, and the foundations of the church.

God established order, but man, influenced by the devil, has been shredding them.  This is not a political or social creation.   Those are byproducts of the root cause – Sin!   Modern philosophy and ancient philosophy are at war with God, morality, truth, and biblical principles & precepts.   Our world (people) is in a state of decay, declension, and depravity that is destroying everything.

Foundations are being destroyed so much that many are losing faith.   They see the decline but not the hand of God.  They see the church living like and with the same fear as the world.   They trust the arm of flesh because they have lost hope in the arm of God.  Is there an answer?  YES!

PSALM 1.

Consider the first three verses and apply the reality of the opposite.

Verse 1 – Do not walk in the counsel (faux wisdom) of the ungodly.   The contrast is to walk in the counsel of God.  It is not enough to not do evil.  We must do good.

• Do not stand in the way of the sinner.  (Do not live as they live).  The way they live is contrasted with the way a believer lives. One follows the precepts & principles of God’s Word.

• Do not sit in the seat of scoffers.  This is not simply the doubters and mockers, but all doubt toward God).  That is contrasted to the walk of the believer in total confidence and trust.

Verse 2 –Meditate on God, His Word, His Person, Promises, and Power.   As we do this, we find we have a firm foundation and will be like the firmly planted tree by the living waters.   We will be productive and live in God’s power and authority.  We will be fruitful, and rather than growing useless with age, we will stay flourishing, vibrant, and alive.  We will prosper in All Things.

The Key:  We must believe God intends it for us. We must see it with the eyes of the Spirit.  Until we see it, we will not pursue it and live with the expectancy. Therefore, it is Walk – Sit – Stand – Meditate (study, read, and apply)

I want to challenge you with this thought:  This is what God says we are.  But what do we say?  I urge you to agree with God and become!   Agree with the devil or a negative view and decline.  It is a choice!

You are Victorious, so set your heart, mind, soul, and strength to receive.   Sow the seeds to receive the harvest.

May this day bring you into a deeper relationship with Jesus and the Power of the Holy Spirit.   Have a Great Day!