(It Determines Why You Are Here!)

1 Kings 18:41 – “Now Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the roar of a heavy shower.”

My prayer is that your day will be refreshing, rewarding, revealing, and filled with God’s perfect peace.   What a mighty God we serve!  As I read, prayed, pondered, and meditated on God, His Word, purpose, and life, I was invigorated with hope.

I love reading about Elijah and his complete obedience to God.  However, we sometimes forget he was subject to human frailty like the rest of us.  The encounter on Mt. Carmel with Jezebel’s prophets was incredible.  Then, the little, tiny cloud brought his declaration. “I hear the sound of abundance of rain. “

When Jezebel heard what had happened, she issued her vitriolic threat.  Elijah was terrified.   What?  God moved twice in a mighty supernatural demonstration, and he let this woman frighten him enough that he went and hid!  Wow!  Man of faith and power, right?

In hiding, God comes to him and asks, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  He wasn’t asking about geography.   God manifested Himself in the still, small, quiet voice and asked again, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Our focus MUST always be on God, nothing else.  If we listen to other voices, we forget Who God is and who we are in Him.  If we keep our eyes on Him, we have no fear because His presence drives out doubt. 

The disciples were hiding after Jesus was crucified because they were afraid of the Jews. Jesus came to them and said, “Peace be with you.”   When Jesus is near, there is peace. So, I ask what He asked: “Why are you here?”

We have been called, commissioned, anointed, and empowered to do the work He has called us to do.  That’s why you are here!  Therefore, IF we are in fear, know He is near! 

We are here to destroy the works of the devil.  We are here to set captives free.  We are here to bind the strong man.  We are here to bring the kingdom to earth. 

Therefore, stop hiding and reject fear.  That is not who we are!  Have a fantastic day in Jesus; this is Victory Day for the Overcomers!

1 Kings 3:5 – “In Gibeon, Yahweh appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, “Ask what I should give to you.”

I am praying for each of you to have a wonderful day filled with the peace of God, provision, protection, and power.  Those are the earmarks of God’s desire for you.  Walk in them with expectation!

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God (written and spoken), a powerful truth caught my attention and is now capturing my heart.  Solomon’s response to God’s question or statement in 1 Kings 3 is revelatory and instructional.

God said, “Ask that which I should give you.”   Imagine that open door from God.  You tell Me (God) what you want. If this were you, “What would you have asked for?”   So often, we get the cart before the horse.  We seek money before ministry and plan what we will do when.  We seek position before the development of character.   We seek knowledge before pursuing the purpose. 

Solomon made a simple but revealing request.   It revealed the heart of a servant.   In verse nine, we read, “Give me an understanding heart to judge, discernment to know the difference between good and evil.”   He saw his responsibility as immense, and his purpose was to serve. In serving, he would fulfill God’s purpose for his life. God gave him what he asked for and what he did not ask for.   God seldom entrusts riches, honor, and position before He develops the heart.   We force our way in, to our own ruin.

The example of Jesus at the Last Supper reveals the same.  Service is first.   But not just outward acts. It is from the heart.   It defines the person and purpose. (John 13).

God’s plan is for us to walk in fullness in every way.   Power, protection, provision, peace, and purpose are our destiny.   But those blessings will destroy us Unless we get the heart right first.

It is vital that we Seek First Kingdom and His Righteousness; Then – All These Things Come to Us! The Heart is First!   The Lord has been impressing upon me the importance of knowing why we want what we want.  Hidden motives are deceptive.

“Father, Your promise is the Kingdom and abundant life.  Help us to realize that it is first the heart, then the rest.  Please help us get our hearts right First!   Help to remember First the Heart!  Amen.”

Have a fantastic day; this is your day to be victorious!

Numbers 9:15-16 – “Now on the day that the tabernacle was erected the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony, and in the evening it was like the appearance of fire over the tabernacle until morning. ¹⁶ So it was continuously; the cloud would cover it by day, and the appearance of fire by night.”

Rejoice and be glad, for the Lord has come and is waiting to guard, guide, and bless you. Today is your day to enjoy God’s greatness and His Incredible Provisions!

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word this morning, the overwhelming sense of need and desire for God’s covering, anointing, and guidance filled my entire being.

In the wilderness, Israel learned the first principles of this truth. God’s cloud of covering settled over the tabernacle as they erected it. It appeared as a cloud during the day and a blazing fire of protection at night. They never moved UNTIL the cloud moved. That should always be our pattern: “Follow the Cloud.”

The Cloud (covering, anointing, guidance) will enable us to live in this world but not become absorbed with it. We become influences rather than those influenced. We become agents of change, not those being changed or conformed to it. We are enabled to live with “undivided hearts.”

Testing comes to everyone, with no exceptions. But, if we have God’s covering, anointed by His Grace and Glory, and led by His Spirit (cloud) testing, it benefits us, making us stronger and wiser.

I love this rendering of 1 Corinthians 10:13 – “We all experience times of testing, which is normal for every human being. But God will be faithful to you. He will screen and filter the severity, nature, and timing of every test or trial 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 out of it victoriously.”

God, through Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, has provided us with covering, anointing, and guidance. What we must learn to do is embrace the cloud and follow the cloud every moment of every day of our lives.

Obedience to His guidance leads us into His Place of Promise! Victory is only an obedience away!

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

Matthew 12:34 – “But you who are known as the Pharisees are rotten to the core like venomous snakes. How can your words be good if you are rotten within? For what has been stored up in your hearts will be heard in the overflow of your words!” 

What a day!  This is the day the Lord has made, and we have a multitude of reasons to rejoice and be glad.   The old song, “Count Your Many Blessings,” is ringing in my heart, and when I come to the part, “Name them one by one,” I realize the impossibility of that challenge.

When you ask how they are, some say, “I’m blessed.”   I applaud if that is more than a cliché that makes them sound and feel pious.   That is different if it is simply a phrase, they have grown accustomed to saying without thought and meaning.  Our words have meaning, but the words that get into and come from the heart have power! 

Words from the heart have the power to transform and create!   No, we are not God.  He is the Living God, the Creator of All Things, but when His Words are in our hearts and flow out in faith, the Power of God backs them up with all that Heaven has. 

Jesus said that we are to abide IN Him, and His words are to abide IN us.    One translation renders the words of Jesus, “Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.”   The overflow, I like that!   What fills our hearts is expressed in our words and actions.  Where our treasure is, our heart is also there.   The heart is the seat of who we are, and what we are is expressed from it. 

I’ve heard people say, “Oops, that slipped out.”  NOPE!   It may not have been what you intended, and you let it slip past your guard, but it was there in the heart and came to the surface in your words.     We need to guard our hearts and allow the Holy Spirit to guard our lips, helping us say what God says and do what Jesus did and does. 

My prayer today is, “LORD, create in us a clean heart (washed in the Blood of Jesus and purified with His Grace).  Renew in us a steadfast, fully committed, 100% surrendered spirit.  Let us learn to dwell in Your presence all the time, walking in the Spirit.  Fill us daily with Your Holy Spirit and teach us to listen to His voice and follow His guidance.  Restore to us the overflowing unequaled Joy of Salvation, and help us always have a willing heart, mind, soul, and spirit.  Let it be sustained in us.  Out of that condition, we can and will teach transgressors Your ways and see them converted to You.  Out of that condition, we will reap the Harvest!  We will manifest and represent You!   We seek You and Your Kingdom!  Amen!’

Have a fantastic day in Jesus, and keep looking up; our redemption is coming soon!

Joshua 24:31 – “And Israel served Yahweh all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, who knew all the work of Yahweh which He had done for Israel.”

Judges 2:7 – “And the people served Yahweh all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, who saw all the great work of Yahweh which He had done for Israel.”

As I read, prayed, pondered, and meditated today, I was reminded of an inescapable truth: a personal relationship with God is required. The same is revealed and repeated at the close of the Book of Joshua and the beginning of Judges.

In Joshua 24:31 and Judges 2:7, we read that Israel served God as long as Joshua and the elders who had seen God’s works lived. When the eyewitnesses died, faith and faithfulness died, too.

Judges 2:19 tells us that when the judges died, Israel became even more corrupt.  A personal relationship is the key to faithfulness and victory.

In Mark 13:5, Jesus said, “Be careful that no man deceive you…”

Without a deep, abiding personal relationship with God, we are easy targets for deception. Why?  Because deception caters to the flesh, the person’s desires, the need for ease, and the absolving of responsibility.

When we know God personally and intimately, we know the Real, the imitation, and the counterfeit are readily recognized. Christianity is not easy Unless we live (Christ in us and in Oneness with Him), abiding in the vine. Too often, Christians live theoretical lives rather than lives of practical application of God’s principles and promises.

We believe the Bible is God’s Word but find it difficult to make it practicable in everyday life.  We believe in salvation, but even that is futuristic.   We live with doubt and uncertainty because we do not know God intimately and personally.   We know about Him, and His Promises are theoretical or futuristic or for super saints.

If we know Him intimately, we know He Does Not Lie! We live in union with the impossible being possible All The Time!  We cannot depend on what someone else saw, heard, or experienced.  It is Individual and Personal.

He invites us to an in-depth personal relationship.   Make Him most important and refuse to doubt.  He is I AM!  His life is your life.  Be the one who keeps faith alive for others so they can keep faith alive after you.  Christ is IN us, and we are ONE with Him.  Let us live like He is truthful because He is!

Your victory is today.   You in Him, and He in you is to live above the Impossible! Have a fantastic day; it is your day to become!