Prophetic
Abundant Life or Limited Life?
John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.”
As I read, prayed, and considered the Word of God today, two words filled my heart and mind – STAY ALERT! That came from Mark 13, where Jesus was speaking about the Last Days.
We cannot focus on God and self at the same time. We cannot cast all our care(s) on Him and fret over them at the same time. If we focus on ourselves, our desires, our rights, our needs, our fears, or our pains, we are unable to focus on Him for our total deliverance.
Paul said, “The life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God.” John the Baptist said, “I must decrease, but He must increase.” We cannot live the abundant life rooted in the limited life of the flesh.
Staying alert requires several things. We must see Him as the LORD. We must see life as a mission that is only secondarily about us. We must believe that He has prepared a place for us and is coming back for us. We must decide that nothing in this life can be allowed to hold our hearts. We must totally surrender to Him. Selfishness and self are like leaven; they permeate the entire being, and we focus on us, not Him and our mission and commission.
Staying Alert is staying focused! Staying Alert is dying to self. Staying Alert requires constant communion with Him! The Abundant Life becomes a Limited Life if we lose focus and fail to remain alert and watchful. If we lose focus, we will become distracted and divert our focus from Him and His purpose to us, what we feel, what we desire, and what we think we need or even deserve.
Jesus said that to be His disciple, we had to stop being our own disciple. We must “Die to Self,” not focus on and feed the self. Those who Stay Alert will be like the five wise virgins; they are always ready! Those who Stay Alert will walk free of the shackles of self and selfishness.
LORD, help us to totally give ourselves to You and be free! Those who enjoy the victorious, abundant life Jesus promised are those who Stay Alert, so Stay Alert!
May today bring you abundance in life that enables you to live to the fullest in His promises!
Having Angelic Guidance
Exodus 23:20-23 – “I am going to send an angel before you to protect you as you journey and to bring you into the place that I have prepared. 21 Take heed because of him, and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgressions, for my Name is in him. 22 But if you diligently obey him and do all that I command, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will be an adversary to your adversaries. 23 For my angel will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I will destroy them completely.”
As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, something in Exodus 23 captured my thoughts and drew me to a powerful promise and covenant provision of God.
Exodus 23:20-26 reveals something we relegate to Israel and fail to see this as a provision for believers. What is that? Angelic guidance and protection.
God told Moses, “I am going to send an angel before you to PROTECT you as you journey AND to BRING YOU INTO THE PLACE that I have prepared.” The instructions were, ‘ Obey him, and do all I command, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will be an adversary to your adversaries. ‘ God promised to bless their food and water AND remove sickness from them.
I contend that God’s desire for believers is reflected in this promise to Israel to lead them to their place of promise. I refer to Psalm 91 and the Psalmist’s portrayal of this truth for those who follow God.
This promise is for those who make their abode in God. Living so near to God, they are in His shadow. He is their stronghold and shelter, and they trust Him completely in all things and at all times. The outworking of that condition and position is assurance protection and the banishment of fear.
Psalm 91:11-12 – “For He will order His angels to protect you in all that you do.” They will lift you up in their hands so that you will not slip on a stone.”
He continues with incredible promises, which include answered prayers, rescue in trouble, fullness of life and longevity, and entrance into the fullness of God.
We are given promises, and God dispatches angels to help us reach that place of promise! Yet, we live with no concept or expectation of that provision. The result is that we walk out from under that protection. Let’s live expecting angelic guidance and protection. They respond to the Word.
Lord, send your angels to guard and guide each one today!
The Branch That Sweetens The Waters
Exodus 15:24-26 – “So the people murmured against Moses, saying, “What can we drink?” 25 He cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When Moses threw it into the water, the water became safe to drink. There the Lord made for them a binding ordinance, and there he tested them. 26 He said, “If you will diligently obey the Lord your God, and do what is right in his sight, and pay attention to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, then all the diseases that I brought on the Egyptians I will not bring on you, for I, the Lord, am your healer.”
The world is in turmoil, and hate is prevalent, but God’s love is consistently constant and complete. Regardless of the circumstances, know that God loves you!
As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, something from the book of Exodus burst forth in my heart. Jesus! Yes, Jesus! No, He is not mentioned specifically, but Moses’s act in response to the Israelites’ complaints reflects Him and His impact on us.
The waters of Marah, also known as Marah (meaning “bitter” or “undrinkable”), were bitter and undrinkable. God showed Moses a tree (some renderings refer to it as a branch). Jesus is referred to as The Branch. Moses threw the tree or branch into the bitter waters, and they were transformed. Jesus is The Branch, and His presence sweetens the bitter waters of life.
A key is in the verse that follows that event. Exodus 15:26 – “If you will diligently (will and diligently are keys) obey the LORD your God AND do what is right in His sight (another key element – His sight), AND pay attention to His commandments, AND keep all His statutes, THEN all the diseases that I brought on the Egyptians I will not bring on you, for I the LORD, am your healer.”
This is the Old Covenant, and we have a better Covenant established on better promises through Jesus. God has done His part. We must do ours. No, we cannot earn it, but obedience is a necessary element. God cannot bless disobedience and rebellion. But desires to lavishly bless obedience.
When Jesus is in our lives, life is sweeter! All the problems won’t disappear, but His presence makes life sweet, even in trials, because He is there.
One biblical scholar noted regarding this event and the tree, ‘God created all things with healing properties, including our bodies.’ Jesus leads us to health and wholeness, and Jesus is our source of health and wholeness.
Do you have bitter waters in your life? Let Jesus be the ingredient that sweetens them! Diligently obey and give heed to the Word of God. Keep His commandments, live by His revealed precepts, and watch God manifest Himself as THE I AM!
May the sweetness of Jesus in you make the waters of your life potable.
The Tenses of God
Exodus 3:14 – “God said to Moses, “I AM that I AM.”
As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God, the tenses of God captured my thoughts. What do I mean by the tenses of God? When Moses was at the burning bush in Exodus 3, God said, “I AM that I AM.” That encompasses all three tenses: past, present, and future.
Remember in Revelation (was, is, and is to come)? Hebrews 13:8 tells us Jesus is all three tenses. God does not go into the past or future. He’s already there. He told Moses to tell Israel, “I AM has sent me to you.”
We mistakenly make “I AM” a title rather than a description of function. In Exodus 6:2-3, “God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the LORD.” I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but by My name, I was not known to them.” Yahweh is His name, and that is explained by the description I AM.
He is the one who is Always there! He is the one who guarantees the future! Everything He does is consistent with His nature. He is eternal and NEVER changes!
That God is our God! Something interesting caught my eye in Exodus 3:10. God said to Moses, “So now go, and I will send you.” Among the other things that this expresses is the reality that when God calls for that call to be fulfilled, we have a part to play. Moses had to respond to the call, and when he did, the I AM would be his authority and constant companion!
This God, who has no limitations, sends us forth and is not only with us but in us; the power and authority of God are “in” us. It is; the I AM operates within us, but we must release it through faith, obedience, and trust. If God says, “Jump through a hole in the wall,” our responsibility (our role) is to jump; His is to make the hole in the wall.
Matthew 28 is our commission and promise! We have the I AM living inside us, wanting to be manifested through and by us. Our only limitation is us! We give excuses like Moses! But when Moses moved past the focus on self to dependence on The Great I AM, Israel was delivered and ultimately reached their place of promise. That’s what we must do, knowing I AM is with us, in us, and manifesting Himself through us!
May your mind and heart be filled with the consciousness of God’s presence, Provision, and Providence! This is your day; seize it and live it to the full.
God’s Providence, Presence, and Provision
Matthew 25:31-40 – “When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘I tell you the truth, just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me.’”
As I read, prayed, and pondered on the Word of God today, the Life of Joseph filled my thoughts. There is a plethora of truth and practical applications to be gleaned from his life. I want to focus on something particular today. God’s providence, presence, and provision.
Joseph was sold into bondage by jealous brothers seeking to eliminate him, yet he prospered in all he did. His dreams as a youth and his knowledge of God’s Covenant Promises were foundational in his life. He watched God turn tragedy into triumph. God will do the same for us if we follow Joseph’s pattern and heart.
In Genesis 47, the account of the people during the famine, Joseph gave me a picture of Christ and His church. They sold everything, including themselves, to Pharoah. Let me suggest that in this, we can see pictures of a spiritual truth that can comfort and encourage us.
I find it difficult to make Pharaoh a type of the Father, but to some extent, this account suggests that. Joseph is a type of Jesus in the famine. He provides fully when they surrender totally.
In this account, Joseph provided for them from Pharoah’s storehouse. He then gave them the ability to provide for their needs, with the requirement that they give back a fifth part (not ten percent, but twenty). I’m not saying we earn anything from God, but that if we totally surrender to Him, He provides and enables us to provide for ourselves and bless others by giving back to God out of our harvest.
In Matthew 25, we have the story of the sheep and goats. The sheep did it for others without thinking about what they were doing. They did it out of a transformed heart of love. The goats did not, and they were shocked when Jesus addressed their omission of acts of love and kindness. We live out of love, not obligation, trying to earn favor.
If we give God our entire being, He provides all we need. No more fretting over stuff! He owns us and takes care of what is His. Like Joseph, we can watch our problems become victories if we give them to Him and trust Him. We can’t fix it. He can! The more we do it, the less room there is for Him to do what He does! Who is better able to do it, Him or us?
Give it all to Jesus, and He will bring us into His place of triumph. We can then say, as Joseph, “This was meant for evil against me, but God had a better plan. He turns our tragedies into triumphs.”
Today is a day of victory in Jesus if we will give it all to Him.
Enjoy His presence, which brings His provision out of His providence! You are victorious in Christ!
Roy's Covenant Corner 