Isaiah 45:2  – “I will go before you and make the rough places smooth; I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars.”

As I read, prayed, and contemplated the Word of God today, my heart was filled with awe!  My appreciation for the Word of God was expanded.  My awe of God enlarged.

Isaiah 43, one of my go-to chapters, begins with incredible encouragement.   In verses 1-3 and 5-7, we have a picture of God’s promise of protection, provision, and preservation.

In Isaiah 45:2, we have a reaffirmation –“I will go before you and make the rough places smooth; I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars.”  Unfortunately, we resist all rough places rather than allowing them to strengthen us.   We want perpetual ease.  An oak tree’s roots are strengthened by the wind.  Trials, although attacks of the enemy, are designed to strengthen us.  In the gym, you do resistance training to become stronger.  Never desire or create difficulty.   Instead, use it to gain strength.

God does everything perfectly, and the devil tries to wreck it.  Isaiah 45:18 is a fascinating passage.  “For thus says Yahweh, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it; He established it and did not create it a formless place, but formed it to be inhabited)…”    Genesis 1 says it became formless and void.   God created it perfectly, but something happened.  What and who?  Who is the destroyer?  Who fell from heaven?  Who seeks to corrupt mortal man?  Who is a counterfeit god?    You guessed it!   The devil.

Isaiah 53 provides us with a picture and revelation of Total Redemption.   The Cross, the Atonement, provides Full Salvation for us (Body, Soul, and Spirit).

No matter what, God is God!   Trust Him in everything!  Receive the provision and promises, and refuse to let the chaos of satanic confusion defeat you.   You are more than what you are facing!   Christ in you!  That is your confidence, assurance, and hope!  Be bold, He is with, in, and manifested through you!

LORD, help us to live daily in Awe of You!

Isaiah 54:2 – “Enlarge the place of your tent; stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your pegs.”

As I prayed, read, and meditated on the Word of God today, I was almost immediately challenged by God’s desire for us.  Isaiah 54:2, God revealed His desire and gave an action plan.   Then in verse 3, He expands on that revelation!

My thoughts turned to 1 Chronicles 4:10 and the prayer of Jabez.   Jabez asked God to do what God told Israel to do in Isaiah.  The thought that came to me was that we often ask God to do what He has purposed for us to do.  We have exceeding great and precious promises.  We have authority over all the power of the enemy.  We are more than conquerors.

Paul told Timothy to do warfare with the prophecies he had received.  (1 Timothy 1:18-19).   In 1 Timothy 4:7, he instructed him to train himself in godliness.   We need to learn to do warfare with the prophetic promises and train ourselves in godliness, which indicates personal responsibility and stewardship.  God has provided, but we have to appropriate and possess.   Stop asking God to do everything for you and begin to exercise the authority and power He has provided.

We do this conscious of Him.  Isaiah 54:10 – No matter what, God is there.   Isaiah 54:17 is powerful.  ” No weapon that is formed against you will succeed; AND every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn.  This is the inheritance of the slaves of Yahweh, and their righteousness is from Me, declares Yahweh.”

Isaiah 58 speaks of God’s fast, which expresses His purpose and our function.   Isaiah 58:13-14 calls us to turn from doing our own desires to seeking Him, and the promise is that we will have delight in God, ride on the clouds, and dine at God’s banquet table.

God has provided, called, and commissioned us.  God has revealed His awesomeness to us.  God has demonstrated His power and faithfulness.  It makes no sense not to embrace Him and His purposes.

I saw something that floored me as I read.  Did you know that our negligence, hesitancy, and failure to follow His purposes Astonish God?   Isaiah 59:15-16, we are told that when God looked for someone to do what He had directed and found none, He was “astonished.  “

We have a call and commission; we have a promise of provision and empowerment.  When will we enlarge our tents?  When will we do warfare?  When will we become?  Isaiah 61 contains the promise of a double portion anointing for the obedient.  (Isaiah 61:6).

God is God has, now let us be and do!

Isaiah 26:3 – “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, the thought of steadfastness gripped me.   Faithfulness, steadfastness, and consistency are powerful anchors in life.

Isaiah 26:3 has been an anchor and encouragement to me since my conversion.  The LSB renders it, “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace because He trusts in You.”

Both the KJV and LSB reflect steadfastness of mind.   What we focus on shapes us.   

• If we focus on money, possessions become our passion and pursuit. 
• If we focus on position and fame, we invest our time, talent, treasure, and energy in climbing the ladder of success.
• If we focus on health and fitness, we become consumed with the physical specimen.
• If we focus on God, we discover peace in His presence, which allows us to pursue the other areas of life in a balanced way.
• It is First things first!
• If we focus on the completeness of the Cross, we discover a freedom beyond our wildest dreams.

The Cross was a complete victory.   The devil was not annihilated but defeated.  He was stripped of all authority over anyone in Christ.  The blood defeated him and stripped him of all authority.  The blood purchased our restoration to God’s intent.

But, in order to attain and manifest that freedom, we must be steadfast in mind!  We are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.  We are to fill our consciousness with God, the Cross, and the kingdom of God.

Colossians 2 should become a staple in our devotionals UNTIL we see the Cross in its totality!   We see it not as an event in history but a portal into God’s fullness.

Colossians 3:1-2 – “Therefore, IF you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” TOTAL VICTORY IS OURS!

May your day be graced with the Perfect Peace of God!

Proverbs 22:1 – “A good name is to be chosen over great wealth.  Favor is better than silver or gold.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, life embodied in all our choices filled my mind.

I am not talking about life, but our choice of life!   It is difficult for mortals not to be flesh-driven.  The world we are most conscious of is the natural (flesh) world.  The demands and desires of that world, coupled with the reality that we live in a body that can only survive in that environment, complicate life for most.  We have natural (flesh-driven) cravings, desires, ambitions, and needs.   They demand our focus.   Every day, we face choices that define and determine that day and all our days.

Proverbs 22:1 speaks to that.  “A good name is to be chosen over great wealth.  Favor is better than silver or gold.”

Proverbs 24:3-4 – “By wisdom a house is built…”

If that were talking about bricks-and-mortar knowledge, not wisdom would be the focus.  Building the house of a life requires wisdom.  Building a physical structure, knowledge, and ability.

“And by discernment, it is firmly established.”   This is further proof that this is about a life of discernment.   Discernment is a guide, a spiritual GPS.   Discernment is like the reticular activating system in humans.   It filters out the unimportant and focuses on the vital.  We hear our children’s cries in a crowd, but don’t hear the train that goes by our house at night.

“And by knowledge, the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.”   The value of knowledge lies in its ability to reveal truth and provide information for practical application.   If we do not know, we will not possess.   If we do not know, we will not expect.  If we know and apply that knowledge, our house (life) becomes established in Christ, and we break the hold of the flesh.

Information without application results in stagnation.  Applying knowledge produces fruit, opens doors, equips, and enables.  Life choices determine whether a life is chosen or not.

Lord, help us be filled with wisdom, led by discernment, and enabled by knowledge.