1 John 3:8 – “The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning.  For this purpose, the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the works of the devil.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, a thought kept tugging at the strings of my heart.   Like the song, “Something got a hold of my life, and it won’t let me go.” This thought persisted.

I John 3:8b – “The Son of God was manifested for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”  Wait, I thought Jesus came to save mankind.   He did, but more as well!

One of, if not the embodiment of all the works of the devil, is sin.  Notice it says “works,” not “work.”  Jesus came to defeat the devil and restore man to his rightfully intended place, position, condition, and relationship.  The works of the devil are visible in the actions of people.

• The work of God is love!  The work of the devil is hate!  
• The work of God is trust.  The work of the devil is distrust.
• The work of God is obedience.  The work of the devil is disobedience.
• The work of God is total health (body, soul, and spirit).  The work of the devil is sickness (body, soul, and spirit).
• The work of God is life.  The work of the devil is death.

Jesus came to give us life, and the life He offers is abundant.  If Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and our commission is to do the works He did, is not our purpose to destroy the devil’s works, too?

One of the primary ways (other than the Cross) in which Jesus destroyed the works of the devil was through love and obedience.   Jesus lived in total obedience to the Father. Jesus loved everyone.  Do we manifest Him?  Unless we manifest Him, we cannot destroy the works of the devil.   If we manifest Him by our lives, we destroy the works of the devil.  Our lives become spiritual magnets, drawing people to the light.

In every action, thought, and word, we should ask, “Is this a manifestation of Jesus?”  Our ambition should be to manifest Him in our lives.   Only a totally surrendered life can manifest Jesus.   To be like Him as He is, in this world, we have to die to self.   Are we dead?  Are we alive?  What do our thoughts, words, and deeds say about us?  What do they say about Him?  Are we destroying the works of the devil, or working with the devil through a lack of love and disobedience?

Have a blessed day, and keep looking up. Our redemption is nearer than when we believed.

Psalm 46:1-3 – “God is our strong refuge; he is truly our helper in times of trouble.  ² For this reason we do not fear when the earth shakes, and the mountains tumble into the depths of the sea, ³ when its waves crash and foam, and the mountains shake before the surging sea.”

In Psalm 46:1-3, something encouraging exploded in my heart: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

The word ‘Trouble’ in Hebrew means to be restricted or tied up in a narrow, cramped place.  Most of us are familiar with that address.   You’ve heard the saying, “Between a rock and a hard place.”  That applies to life and is the subject of Psalm 46.

The Psalmist identified several places or conditions in which God desires to replace Stress with His Perfect Peace.

• Natural Calamities – – Psalm 46:1-3.  When those come, the natural reaction is Fear, but for the one Trusting in God, the reaction is, or will become, “I Will Not Fear!” 
• Civil Disturbance – – Psalm 46:4-7.  The city was under attack, and the natural reaction was PANIC, but for the one Trusting in God, the reaction is or will become, “GOD IS IN THE MIDST OF HER; SHE WILL NOT BE MOVED.”
• Post Battle Fatigue – – Psalm 46:8-11.  At that moment when it would be easy to give up or go into hiding, the attitude of the person Trusting in God is to declare that we will “cease striving and know that God is God so.”    Therefore, “I Will Not Strive.”

God is our “Bridge Over Troubled Waters,” or He desires to be.  The question is, “Is He?”   Is He to us!   The Bible offers numerous promises to encourage us.  Isaiah 41:10; 2 Timothy 1:7, Joshua 1:9; Psalm 27:1; 10.    The Old Gospel Hymn, “I Shall Not Be Moved,” can be a powerful testimony or an admission of resistance to God.  

The late Elvis Presley made the song “All Shook Up” a popular hit.   Elvis was born dirt-poor in a small Mississippi town.  He had little encouragement and almost no marketable skills.  At eighteen, earning $14 per week as a truck driver, he made a recording on a lark and became the highest-paid male entertainer in America.  Shortly before Elvis died, he said, “I would give a million dollars for one week of normal life and peace.”   The only cure for stress is God!

In Psalm 46:10, the Psalmist declared, “Cease Striving and know that I am God!”   The word “cease” means “relax.”   Stress will ultimately prevail unless we learn how to “cast all our care on the Lord.”

Several things stood out as I read this Psalm:

• God’s Strength Is Immediately Available.
• God’s Power Is Overpowering.
• God’s Power Is Not Dependent on Our Ability.

We are weak, but He is Strong, and His strength becomes our strength when we acknowledge our weakness and our need for Him.   No matter what you are facing – God is still God!   No matter how dark the night is – God is Still Light!    He is the same past, present, and future!   We can trust Him!   

Make this declaration – “Stress, you are not welcome here!”   Have a fantastic day!

Jeremiah 29:11-12 – “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.  ¹² Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.”

As I prayed, read, and mused on the Word of God, something in Jeremiah 29:11-12 gripped my heart.  Here, the Lord is saying, in essence, “I know what I have planned for you.  I have good plans for you.  I do not plan to hurt you.  I plan to give you a good future.  THEN, you will call on My Name.  You will come to Me and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.”  I felt prompted to share something that will be part of my message on Sunday.

We must believe that promise in order to develop that Deep Sense of Peace and Trust necessary to be Hearers and Doers of the Word of God!   The question is, “How Can We Develop a Hearing Ear?”   How?  

• By making a deliberate choice and effort to set our minds on God!  [Do you have an Undisciplined Mind?  Ask for His Help.] 
• By making a deliberate choice to exercise our minds by focusing on God.  [Have Regular Times – – Start Slow and build up in intensity and frequency.]
• By extending this exercise of setting our minds on God into every area of our lives.  [Consciously bring all thoughts captive and turn them over to Jesus.]

Something worthy of note is a Sign I Have Seen in Health Clubs or Gyms:

F – – – Frequency

I – – – Intensity

T – – – Time

If we are to be led by the Spirit of God and Live as Sons and Daughters of God, we must hear God.  Tragically, too many remain Spiritual Infants and never grow because they have never learned to Hear GOD!  They have developed Substitutes and allowed those Substitutes to become their source of Hearing!

Those may be good books, religious broadcasts, religious services, and professional or spiritual counselors.  All of these can be excellent additions to Hearing God, but can never replace Hearing God for ourselves!  We need to hear GOD personally.

The problem is that when we listen to these substitutes, we may not feel responsible for taking Action.  We can accept or reject the advice, counsel, or word.  But – When we hear GOD for ourselves, we have two choices – – Obey or Disobey!

God has built a perfect system for hearing in each of us.  It is called the R.A.S.—the Reticular Activating System.  It works like this:

• Positive Focusing – – – – A New mother and her baby’s cry even in a crowded room or in the next room filled with crying babies.
• Negative Focusing – – – Live next door to an Airport, or Railroad track, and soon you do not hear the planes or trains.  They get filtered out.
• Individual Perceiving – Five people see an Accident, and each report something different.

The R.A.S. filters out unimportant stimuli and focuses on what is essential at that moment.  Once we have made the Distinction that something is significant to us, our R.A.S. immediately transmits any and All Information it receives regarding that area of Significance into our consciousness.

When we decide that Hearing GOD is Vital, our R.A.S. starts putting God through whenever He speaks.  It is Vital that We Learn to Hear GOD!  However, if we are to continue hearing from God, we must begin Bearing Fruit from our Hearing.

Matthew 13:12 – “For whoever has, to him more shall be given.”

Let’s determine that Hearing God is Vital.  

Ezekiel 1:3 – “the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and there the hand of the Lord came upon him.”

As I was reading, praying, and pondering the Word of God today, a statement in Ezekiel 1:3 captured my thoughts. “The Word of Yahweh came EXPRESSLY to Ezekiel.”

Expressly?  If we think of ‘express’ as fast, we miss the message.  The word (became his, and he owned it).  God specifically spoke to Ezekiel personally. God spoke a specific word to Ezekiel.  It became alive and moved him.

We need an ‘Express Word’ today.  We need it nationally. We need it locally.  But even more needful is personally.   We need an ‘Express Word’ during trials. We need an ‘Express Word’ in blessing.  We need a ‘Daily Word’ expressly spoken to our hearts.  A word that becomes alive and so personal that we own it.

We need James 1:19 to be the norm of our lives.   Tragically, too often, instead of being quick to hear God, we are quick to hear criticism and rumor.   Instead of being slow to speak, we spout off without having heard the conclusion of the whole matter.   Instead of being slow to anger, we allow hate, jealousy, envy, or a false righteousness to propel us into rage.

We are to be quick to hear God.  Slow to express our view, but rather gather the facts and God’s directive.  Slow to anger, and even when angry, do not let it linger.

James 5:13-16 provides guidance on body ministry.  James 5:19-20 reveals that restoration is always the objective, not exposure or judgment.  Love truly does cover a multitude of sins, and only those perfect (without sin) should throw stones of judgment, and if they do, they will no longer be without sin and disqualified to throw stones.

Let’s strive to be quick to hear from God, slow to speak, and slow to criticize and judge. Let us guard our hearts, words, and thoughts, focusing on God’s mercy, thus removing the fuel for contention and the oxygen for anger.

LORD, give us an Express Word today and every day!

Jeremiah 48:10 – “A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the Lord’s work!  A curse on anyone who keeps from carrying out his destruction!”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, thoughts about the foundation of faith filled my mind with the matter of faith!

Faith, in the context and definition of trust, is essential in life and our relationship with God.  This faith is total trust, total reliance, and total surrender.  Hebrews 11 is a vivid reminder not so much of exploits as of confidence in God.  They trusted God with their all.  We focus on the deeds, and God focuses on the faith, the trust, and total investment in Him.

Jeremiah 48:10 is arresting.  “Cursed is the one who does the work of Yahweh with a slack hand, and cursed be the one who restrains his sword from blood.” This speaks of Faith, as reflected in total confidence and total investment.

The fuel and foundation of faith are revealed in Hebrews 11:27 – “By faith he (Moses) left Egypt (a type of sin or the old man or system), not fearing the rage of the king; FOR He endured, AS (by) SEEING Him who is unseen.”   He saw the Finished Work!  He saw the God who IS.   His faith was fueled by His vision (revelation) of God!

Hebrews 12:1-2 is not speaking of a crowd on the other side watching what we do, but instead of our reminder (example) of a life of total trust.  God’s part is to give us historical factual reminders to anchor us.  Our part is to pay attention to how we think, act, and live.  Focus on His provision and receive His strength to endure.  How do we endure?   By fixing our eyes on Jesus!  See the Cross and all He did there!  Embrace the resurrection.

The foundation of contentment is seen in Hebrews 13:5 – “I will NEVER desert you, NOR will I forsake you.” The timeless and changeless Christ is our anchor.  (Hebrews 13:8).

Without faith, it is impossible to please God.  It is not what we do that moves His heart, but our trust.  Trust is demonstrated.  The fruit of trust is visible in our thoughts, words, and deeds.  Unless we see Him, we will waver.  If we see Him, we will stand.

May your day be established on the foundation of faith!