Malachi 1:7-9 – “You are offering improper sacrifices on my altar, yet you ask, ‘How have we offended you?’ By treating the table of the Lord as if it is of no importance. ⁸ For when you offer blind animals as a sacrifice, is that not wrong?  And when you offer the lame and sick, is that not wrong as well?  Indeed, try offering them to your governor!  Will he be pleased with you or show you favor?” asks the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. ⁹ “But now plead for God’s favor that he might be gracious to us.” “With this kind of offering in your hands, how can he be pleased with you?” asks the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word, I received something that deeply resonated.   I’m not sure I can adequately relate it in a brief text.  I was reading in Malachi, and God spoke to me about demonstrating respect and honor.  The people challenged God’s declaration that they were dishonoring Him and demanded an example.

Malachi 1:8 revealed that they were offering second-rate offerings.  Wow!   Think about that.   Do we always give God our best?  Well, do we?    God told them that because of that, He would not bless them.  They were sacrificing and praying, but nothing was happening because of their second-rate offerings.

The statement in Malachi 2:9 stunned me momentarily.   “You have corrupted the Covenant of Levi.”  What?  The Levites were those who served by bringing gifts to God and thereby opening the door of blessing and favor for the people.   The second-rate offerings corrupted the process and blocked God’s servants from fulfilling their service rightly.  It closed the windows of Heaven.  

It might serve us well to examine our offerings and sacrifices.  Are they the best?  Are the spare change (not just monetary but second-rate)?  In 2:17, God said, “You have wearied Me with your words.”  Imagine that!  Second-rate living and giving causes our prayers and even praise to weary God.  That is not a good position or condition.

Then, the debated topic of tithes and offerings surfaces in Malachi 3.  Let me suggest or postulate that this extends far beyond money or possessions.   It goes back to the second-rate sacrifices and offerings.   It is about our lives as well as our money.

Malachi 3:8 – Tithes AND Offerings.   (Second-rate offerings bring the curse of a closed heaven. Giving God the best brings to us His best.) God promises that if we give to God what His (everything is) is, He will not only open Heaven for us in every way but also rebuke the devourer.

Here is the question, “Have you had the devourer steal from you?  Has that come at the most inopportune time?  Is there a way to stop it?”   What did God say?  (Malachi 3:10).   If we give God our tithes (monetary and life), first-rate sacrifice, and offering, He will pour an Overflowing Blessing upon us.   The Windows of Heaven will open.

Three facts.   

• We must Do this to receive it.   
• We must Believe it to receive. 
• We must expect it. I am not focused on tithing but on giving God our Best! Today, let us begin giving God the first-rate, not second-rate and watch what He does.

Victory is yours when you give God your best!  He always gives His best!   Have a victorious day in Jesus!

Genesis 3:8-10 – “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God moving about in the orchard at the breezy time of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the orchard. ⁹ But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” ¹⁰ The man replied, “I heard you moving about in the orchard, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” 

No, I am not asking if you are physically naked.   As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word in Genesis reading in the English translation of the Aramaic, God challenged my heart with several things, one of which was how disobedience affects us.

In the Garden, some interesting things transpired when Adam and Eve disobeyed by eating fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.   They became super self-conscious.  They are husband and wife, the only two humans on the planet, and suddenly, they become conscious of their nakedness.

I believe that flowed out of their awareness of spiritual nakedness and was a futile attempt to hide their sin of disobedience.   They covered themselves.  That’s what we do when we sin; we attempt to atone for our rebellion through works, penitence, or something to mask our guilt from visibility.  That was the first reaction—using human effort to cover our actual condition.  

The second result of disobedience is fear.  They heard God, who had come frequently to fellowship with them, and upon hearing His voice, they hid from Him.

Disobedience always causes people to try to hide from God.  His presence exposes and shines a light on the conditions we are trying to ignore, deny, and hide.  We may even say we don’t hear Him, but the truth is, we don’t want to be exposed, so we try to hide.  We don’t pray or read the Word; if we meet with believers, we are detached and guarded.  There is no Body Ministry to us or through us.

Then, we shift the blame.   Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the snake.  The devil made me do it… No, He Did Not!    He suggested, and we took the bait, but it was a choice.  The result was guilt and shame.

The problem is disobedience. Even the most insignificant action or attitude of rebellion brings shame and fear. It involves attempts to cover ourselves and often comparing ourselves to others. Disobedience breaks fellowship with God because we choose to hide from Him, not because He abandons or rejects us. 

That broken fellowship leaves us empty and produces a feeling of being without value, unloved, unwanted, uncertain, distrusting, and rejected.  It becomes a prison that we willingly incarcerate ourselves in and live beneath the spiritual poverty line.   We believe that is our fate.

However, God said to the snake in Genesis 3:15 –“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, AND between your posterity and her posterity; her posterity shall tread your head underfoot, and you shall strike him in his heel.”

In Jesus, we are and can be forgiven. Jesus said that no sin (other than blasphemy of the Holy Spirit) could and would not be forgiven (if we repent and believe), not even blasphemy against the Son or the Father. That is incredible!

So, if we find ourselves in a measure of disobedience instead of hiding, let’s run to the Cross for restoration.   We are destined to be overcomers. That the world and the kingdom need us to be.  Your life is to be abundant.  It can be, as you live free of guilt and shame.

The question is, “Are You Naked or Exposed and trying to Hide?”  Instead, receive God’s incredible Love and Mercy and rejoice in His Peace!

Have a Great Day in Jesus; when you are exposed, don’t let your nakedness cause you to run from God!

Genesis 15:1 – “After these things, the Lord’s message came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shield and the one who will reward you in great abundance.”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word, the Holy Spirit moved me to consider our involvement in fulfilling God’s Promises and Assignments.   Genesis 15 is the well-known Abrahamic Covenant revelation.  

God told Abram His plan and issued His promise.   Abram questioned the absence of a child born to him.  How could this promise of God be because there was no visible pathway?  God had him look at the sky and envision the unendingness of it.  He said, “That is what your posterity will be, uncountable and limitless.”

Abram questioned how he could know that he would inherit God’s promise.   Instead of being angry with what seemed a lack of faith, God cut a Covenant with Abram.  Abram, as did those of that time, understood the power and permanence of covenant.   Blood Covenant was for life, unbreakable or breakable, at the price of the life of the one breaking it.  God can’t die. Therefore, God’s Covenant would be a guarantee of completion.

Abram laid out the sacrifice, and then something interesting happened.   The birds of prey came (representing the powers of darkness attempting to pervert, pollute, and steal the promise). 

Abram drove them away.  What the Holy Spirit whispered to my heart was this nugget – Some fail to see the fulfillment of God’s Promises because they don’t protect the sacrifice.   They allow the birds of prey to destroy the promise and pollute the sacrifice.   They allow a carnal mindset to entertain negative thoughts, doubts, and fears and neglect to diligently protect the Promise and Sacrifice with prayer, praise, and declaration, refusing to let the external define the internal and external.

We must protect the sacrifice.   We do not hear the Promise and then wait for God to do everything without our investment.   No, we protect the sacrifice and prepare our hearts to receive it regardless of what happens around us.  Preparation Always Precedes Blessing.  Had Abram allowed the birds to pollute the sacrifice, He would never have received the promise! 

So, whatever God’s Promise is to you, Protect the Sacrifice so that the Covenant becomes a visible, experienced reality.  God’s Promises are as sure as God Himself, but He expects us to be involved.  How?  Most frequently, it is done by thinking God’s thoughts and praying, praising, and practicing what He has said. 

He has made you Promises, believe them, embrace them, guard them, and protect the sacrifice.  He never fails!

Have a wonderful day living in the Blessings of God’s Covenant and Kingdom!  This is your day to be victorious!

Genesis 22:1-2 – “Some time after these things God tested Abraham.  He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham replied. ² God said, “Take your son—your only son, whom you love, Isaac—and go to the land of Moriah! Offer him up there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will indicate to you.”

As I prayed, read, and pondered today, a reality grew in my heart. It came from Genesis 22 and 1 Corinthians 10. An unusual phrase triggered this thought.

Genesis 22:1 makes a very interesting and challenging statement.   “And it came to pass after these things…”  What things?   Chapter 21, the birth of Isaac (the promised heir), the sending away of Hagar and Ishmael, and the Covenant with Abimelech.   After those things, “… God tested Abraham…”

The test was a test of faith, faithfulness, trust, and obedience.   

• God sometimes tests us so that we will know our own hearts.  
• He tests so that we will know Him and His faithfulness.  
• He tests us so that we will develop proven and faith that is tried in the furnace of affliction. 
• That faith won’t waver, and it will propel us into an attitude of trust and confidence that enables us to appropriate the promises and walk in the fullness of victory and peace.

The test was to take Isaac, the seed of promise, and offer him (literally) as a sacrifice. That is an illogical directive and seems totally out of character for God. But it is necessary if we are to learn unmovable trust.

The key is found in 1 Corinthians 10:13 – No trial has overtaken you that is not faced by others. And God is faithful: He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear, but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it.“

We all experience times of testing, which is typical for every human being.  But God will be faithful to you.  He will screen and filter the severity, nature, and timing of every test you face so that you can bear it.  And each test is an Opportunity to trust Him more, for along with every trial, God has provided for you a way of escape that will bring you out of it victoriously.  Hallelujah!

God may allow or bring things into our lives that Test us.  Trials are not always a sign of a spiritual attack but may be a springboard to a higher level in God’s kingdom.  I desire to have faith that won’t falter or fail.   Unequivocal trust and confidence that knows.  I desire that for you as well. 

Therefore, if you face or are facing a trial, Know that it is an opportunity to trust, and before it can destroy you, God has already provided an exit door to safety.  You are stronger if you can endure, but mercy will deliver you if you can’t.   Victory is the goal, and unshakable faith is the prize.   It is there for you. 

The Testing of our Faith is a Positive Thing because it helps us to become more trusting and obedient!  

Have a fantastic day in Jesus, and always remain confident in His Promises!   God Bless!

1 Corinthians 15:10 – “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been in vain. In fact, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God with me.” 

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word today, I was drawn to several thoughts that encouraged my heart.

1 Corinthians 15:10, Paul declared who he was, which was the direct result of grace!   God’s amazing grace made him who he had become.   That is a vital revelation we sometimes overlook.   Every facet and experience is being used to shape us into the person God desires.   If we cooperate rather than complain and resist, we are transformed rightly.  If we persist in resisting God, we are transformed negatively. 

Grace shapes us. Although it is a free gift, Grace requires our cooperation and willingness to submit to accomplish its work. 

• Resurrection requires death to be a reality.  
• Had Jesus not died, He could not be resurrected. 
• Had He not died, we would be without hope. 
• But equally true if He were not resurrected, we would be without hope.

If there is no resurrection, there is no redemption.  If there is no redemption, then we might as well party all night because this life is all we have.  But there is a resurrection, and those who embrace Him and are transformed by Grace have eternal life.

Paul’s illustration of what our resurrected bodies will look like is powerful. Although he said we do not know, he gave us insight. The seed that is sown does not look like what results.  Therefore, what we look like on the other side may be different, but it will be incorruptible and never die again!

One day, All of Us will depart this life via the gateway of death.   But know this, death is toothless and powerless in attempting to prevent us from receiving our glorified bodies.   So, why not live Now in the reality of that coming day and banish the sting of death from our consciousness?  

It is a biblical truth that once this life on earth is concluded, we are immediately ushered into the presence of Jesus to live a life that is True Life!   No wonder Solomon in Ecclesiastes said, “I envy the dead more than the living.” 

What and who I am has only one purpose.  That is to fulfill God’s purpose on earth.  I am to strengthen hands that are feeble and wearied by life.  I am to pull down strongholds and set captives free.  I am to bring honor to the Name of Jesus.  I am to live a life that manifests Christ Jesus.   All else is rubbish. 

• So, set your heart to “Seek God First and Foremost.” 
• Set your heart to “Know Him.”   
• Set your heart to “Obey Him.”  
• Set your heart to “Manifest Him.”   

He is our Life, and the Life He brings is Abundant!

Have a fantastic day in Jesus; this is your day to shine!