John 11:39 – “Roll Away the Stone.”  

As I read, prayed, and considered the Word, I was, once again, amazed at how one word can set in motion incredible revelation and provide immeasurable peace.

In the Gospel of John, the account revealed the incredible harshness of self-righteousness.  The woman (not the couple) caught in the act of adultery exposed the callousness of the self-righteous heart.  Jesus did not condone the act but followed the law that required the testimony of two eyewitnesses.   He forgave her, revealing the Father’s heart to forgive and restore.

Later, in Chapter 8, He made a gripping statement.  John 8:29 – “…for I only do that which delights His (the Father) heart.”  As I read that, I was crushed.   I immediately recalled the extensive list of times I had not delighted His heart flooded my consciousness.   No wonder Jesus walked in a constant flow of power.  He walked in perpetual submission, and His heart was continually pure. 

Jesus Never focused on Himself.   He Never sought His rights.  He sought to Delight the Father.   Oh, that I walked there all the time.  Lord, help me be that man.

In the account of raising Lazarus from the dead, I saw something a little different than previously.   It was not the power that Jesus displayed.  It was in His command just before the miracle.   It was twofold.

Jesus said in John 11:39 – “Roll Away the Stone.”   Yes, that was a natural necessity for the miracle, but that is not what flooded my heart. The Stone was whatever prevented the miraculous.   We need the stones of obstruction removed to experience God’s power.  What are those stones?  Anything that does not bring delight to the Father’s heart.

Removing the obstacle gave Lazarus the freedom to emerge into life. 

• What keeps us from being Who God says we are? 
• What causes us to question, doubt, hesitate, and live limited lives?  Those Stones must be rolled away. 
• HOW? 

I cannot give you a formula, but I can offer you a pathway to peace.  Set your heart always to seek to delight the Father’s heart.  Put off the things that block your path and put on those things that delight Him: love, forgiveness, joy, gentleness, and forgiveness. Then, become one who continually worships and praises Him. 

• Seek Him, not just what He provides materially, but who He Is!  
• Seek Him.  Let Him fill your heart so full that you overflow. 

Then, you, too, can experience the abundant Life Jesus lived and came to give.  You can receive the Kingdom and all that it offers.  You can have the Blessing of Abraham actively manifested in your daily life.  I want that, and I desire that for you.

May the peace and power of God cover you like a warm blanket on a cold winter night!

Genesis 18:11-14 – “Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing. 12 And Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” 13 And Yahweh said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed bear a son, when I am so old?’ 14 Is anything too difficult for Yahweh? At the appointed time, I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”  LSB

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word, the idea of faith, sight, and obedience flooded my heart.   In Genesis 18, when God told Abraham that Sarah would have a child, Sarah overheard them and laughed.

The biblical chronology reveals that she was 90 years old. In verse 12, she said to herself, “After I am worn out (90), shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” The angel of the Lord addressed her doubt and laughter.  Then, he asked the key question, “Is anything too difficult for Yahweh?”

That’s the KEY to everything.  That issue must be settled before the harvest of faith can be realized.

• First, believe God can.
• Then, believe God will.
• As We Believe He is, then believe He will; faith blossoms, and the fruit becomes a reality.

In John Chapter 20, we see the power of seeing as a faith trigger.   Peter and John ran to the empty tomb (v.8).  John looked into the empty tomb and saw the burial clothes and the face covering in a separate place. “…after one look, he believed!”   That view exploded in his heart, and faith was released.

His heart was now conditioned to receive the message Mary Magdalene would bring.  Jesus said (v.17) that the Father was now her Father, and their Father, and their God!   The New Covenant was now in force, and salvation had come.  The new family line was birthed, and the Body of Christ was now!

Thomas doubted because he did not see. Later, when he saw, he believed. We need to see with our hearts to believe and receive.  The first issue is not believing for what we are praying for but believing that Nothing is Impossible for God!   If we believe that truth from our hearts and are totally persuaded of that, then faith rises and produces the desired fruit.  Sometimes, we think He can but are not sure He will.   We feel unworthy, so we doubt.   We leave room for failure or lack.

If we genuinely believe that nothing is impossible for God and believe He has impeccable integrity, we then expect what He says to become a manifested reality.

First, ask ourselves, “Can He Do It? Can He Be Trusted?”   If we answered Yes, then faith is the natural result.  That is one of the reasons the followers of Jesus saw miracles.  They were fully convinced God could and that He never lied.  Therefore, they lived with expectation.  We need to become people who have persuaded expectations.

I pray that the Lord will inspire you to see with your spirit, believe in your heart, and bring you fullness of faith! 

Isaiah 40:28-31 – ” Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, Yahweh, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not become weary or tired.   His Understanding is Unreachable. 29. He gives power to the weary, and to him who lacks vigor, He increases might.  30. Though youths grow weary and tired, and choice young men stumble badly, 31. YET those who hope in Yahweh WILL gain new power; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not get tired; they will walk and not become weary.”

Isaiah 41:10 – “DO NOT FEAR, for I am with you; DO NOT anxiously look about you, for I am your God, I will make you mighty, surely I will help you; surely I will uphold you by My righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:18 – “I WILL OPEN rivers on bare heights and springs in the midst of valleys; I WILL make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land fountains of water.”

Isaiah 43:1b-3a – “DO NOT FEAR, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!  2. WHEN you pass through the waters, I WILL be with you; AND through the rivers, they will not overflow you.  WHEN you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, NOR will the flame burn you.  3. FOR I am Yahweh your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…:

Isaiah 43:18-19 – “DO NOT REMEMBER the former things, NOR carefully consider things past. 19. Behold, I will do something new; NOW it will spring forth: will you know it?  I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the wasteland.”

Isaiah 44:2 – “Thus says Yahweh who made you and formed you from the womb, who will help you…”

I know that is a lot of scripture for a short daily devotional, but I believe it is necessary for what the Lord wants to convey to us today. As I read, prayed, and pondered the words of Isaiah, the prophet, I felt that I was to simply relate God’s words without a lot of commentary.

Let the Lord say to you what He desires in this.  The message to me may differ from what you hear, but there is a message for you.  Receive it. Believe it? Embrace it and seize the day!

The problems in America and the world are not political but spiritual.   The church must not let its voice, authority, and power be silenced and suppressed. We have the message of hope.  We have weapons of warfare to pull down strongholds.

• Our commission is to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, cleanse the lepers, set captives free, proclaim the gospel, and make disciples.

• We are to be on God’s side, and His side is clearly revealed in His Word. 

Therefore, we must know the word, know the God of the word, and love like He loves.  We are to love Him and people, not our comfort or convenience.  If we want to be free, we must set people free.  We cannot set people free if we are not free.

We are informed in Scripture that it is for freedom that we have been set free.  We are to be bold as lions in proclaiming the gospel; that word must have power backing it up and validating it.  Simply, we must Be who He says we are and Totally Committed to Him!  Let us begin to soar like the eagle spiritually and live abundantly.

May the incredibleness of God flood your consciousness, and may you become emboldened to be who He has declared you to be!

Hebrews 11:16 – “Without faith, man cannot please God: for he who comes near to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.”

As we begin today, I feel the compulsion to declare, “What a Difference a Day Makes!” Today is a new day with new opportunities, victories, and revelations. God’s blessings are new every morning, every afternoon, and every evening.  The flow of God’s Love never ceases. He is and is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Sometimes, when I read passages like that in Hebrews 11:6, I ask, “What about those who do not?”  I do not want to be one who does not diligently seek God.  I do not want to be one who does not believe in the Is-ness of God.  I want to believe, and I do believe!

God IS!  That is a powerful thought that is all-encompassing.  He IS! 

• 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that God IS Faithful. 
• 1 John 1:5 tells us that God is light and there is no darkness in Him. 
• 2 Peter 3:9 tells us that God is not slow in keeping His promises and is patient with us. 
• Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the Word of God, which is God, is ALIVE. 
• James 1:17 tells us that God is the giver of good gifts.
•  John 4:24 tells us that God is Spirit. 
• Numbers 23:19 tells us that God is not a human being and has no capacity to lie or fail. 
• Psalm 116:5 tells us that God is Gracious and Righteous and full of compassion.
• Psalm 84:11-12 tells us that God is our sun and shield. 
• Job 12:7-10 tells us, “In His hands is the life of every creature.”

GOD IS!  He is with us and has promised never to forsake us.  Tragically, we sometimes envision Him as over there, up there, or out there rather than being here and in us!  We are IN Christ, and Christ is IN us, and He Never Ever Changes! 

My prayer today is, “LORD, enlighten our hearts to believe in the presence of God!  Help us to see what You are doing and hear what You are saying.  Help us to have a renewed deposit of awareness of the IS-NESS of God and walk in the confidence, assurance, hope, and power of Your Presence.” 

We do not serve an abstract but The Living God!  God is with us All the Time!  He is aware of Everything in our lives, hearts, minds, and hands. He desires to guide us and has promised to do just that.  He wants to protect us and has promised to do just that.  The Father wants us to have the Kingdom and be anointed and empowered to do the works of Jesus and the greater works He planned. 

Isaiah prophesied about Jesus, and Jesus identified that the prophecy was about Him.  He has given us the authority and power to operate in His Name.  Therefore, if He is IN us and we are One with Him, then this prophecy also applies to us.

We must allow it to become part of our consciousness that The Spirit of the LORD is on me and you Because…  Because?  Yes, because He has anointed us to proclaim the Good News to the poor.  He has sent us to proclaim freedom for the prisoners.  He has sent us to bring recovery of sight to the blind.  He has empowered and anointed us to set the oppressed free.  He has anointed us to proclaim the Ultimate and Total Victory of the Cross.

Jesus sent the disciples out with power and authority.  He confirmed that this is for all who believe and will obey.  We are to bring the sick to His healing, the dead to life, the lepers to cleansing, and those possessed and demonized to liberty.

Mark 16:15-18 – “And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my Name, they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

WOW!  It is time to believe in God’s ISNESS and become Doers of the Word rather than preaching and testifying of theory.  Why not now if God is the same past, present, and future?  We have a world to win, and the world is not interested in our theories about God; they want to see the Living God Living in us! 

God is, God Does, God Can, and God Will.   We need to ask the Father to help each of us see Him as the Living and Present God.  We need Him to enable us to see ourselves as He sees us, not as the devil says we are, nor as the world says we are, nor even as we think we are, but AS He sees us!   We need Him to clothe us with the Holy Spirit and free us from limited thinking and defeatism. 

Although some live in pessimism, some in optimism, some in what they call realism, and others in fatalism, I challenge you to choose to embrace GOD ISISM.  Our God IS!  Our God Lives!  Our God Reigns!  Our God is The Living God!  Shake yourself, put off the old thinking, put on the new view of God, and live as if He is telling the truth because He is!

May the “Isness” of God surround you and fill your hearts and minds empowering you to Dare to Dream and Dare to Live the Abundant Life that Jesus provided!

2 Corinthians 1:10-11 – “He has rescued us from terrifying encounters with death. And now we fasten our hopes on him to continue to deliver us from death yet again, ¹¹ as you labor together with us through prayer. Because there are so many interceding for us, our deliverance will cause even more people to give thanks to God. What a gracious gift of mercy surrounds us because of your prayers!” TPT 

Paul was addressing the Power of Group, Corporate, or Congregational Prayer!  In Chapter 1, he detailed some of the afflictions he had endured and testified that God had delivered him through the prayers of many.  He spoke not only of the necessity but also of the power of forgiveness.   In contrast, he reminded them of the peril and prison of unforgiveness.

In 2 Corinthians 2:10-11, he said that forgiveness prevented the devil from gaining an advantage over them.  Pure hearts are God’s field, but corrupt hearts are the devil’s.   Imagine being a sweet aroma to God.  That is what we are when we walk in purity and obedience to Him.

As I examine this truth and reality, I want to avoid being helter-skelter.  In 2 Corinthians 3:15- 17, the apostle presents a powerful revelation. Revelation or illumination comes after conversion, not before.  When we come to Christ, the veil is removed.  Conviction brings us to Christ; then, as new creations, the veil is removed, and we grow in grace!   The lost do not need revelatory teaching; they need the Cross.  The saved need tutoring, not the lost. 

The process is detailed in 2 Corinthians 3:18. When we are saved, the veil is taken away, and we can see the Lord (as we see ourselves in a mirror).  As we “See” Him, enlightenment comes, and we move from glory to glory.  Transformation begins, and we experience daily growth in Him.

As we are enlightened, we manifest Him to the world.  We have new minds because our minds are unveiled, and we learn to think and talk differently.  We believe and speak what we believe.  Our hearts overflow with Him and His Word. We understand that what we see is not actual reality, it is temporary.   What is unseen is actual reality; it is eternal.    We walk by faith, not sight.

2 Corinthians 3:17 speaks of us being New Creations.   New creations who have new and unveiled hearts and minds.  Jesus in us enables us to see with spiritual eyes, hear with spiritual ears, and talk with spiritual mouths. Praying for others and others praying for us brings deliverance and victory that we cannot achieve alone.  Forgiveness prevents the devil from gaining an advantage.   It liberates us.

As we behold Him and are transformed from glory to glory, we become powerful vessels in God’s hands, and the love of God becomes our helmsman in life. We need to become earnest in our commitment to and confident in the power of prayer.   We must immediately cleanse our hearts of unforgiveness, All Unforgiveness!  God is speaking to us, and as the veil is removed, we begin to understand how He is speaking.  It is more than verbal.

The bottom line is we have the weapon of prayer. We need to begin using it.  We have the promised tool to prevent the devil from gaining an advantage over us or our house.  What is that?  Forgiveness!   We have the Spirit’s presence to enlighten us.  Seek enlightenment.   It will not be some supernatural deposit that requires no effort from us.  We open our hearts and consume the Word.  We must become students of the Word.

Remember, you are Victorious; Jesus won the victory for us!   We are overcomers because we are In Christ! Jesus.  Today, I see victory, revelation, and enlightenment for you.  Do not miss it by making it mysterious.

May the immeasurable Grace of God cover you and enable you to receive His fullness!

2 Corinthians 11:3 – “But now I’m afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s clever lies, your thoughts may be corrupted, and you may lose your single-hearted devotion and pure love for Christ.”  TPT

The real problem of deception and a wrong self-image arose for consideration as I prayed and read today.  In 2 Corinthians 11:3, Paul expressed the concern of deception stealing the peace of the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. It is a serious problem for everyone!

In 2 Corinthians 10:12, he warned against opening that door of pride by comparing ourselves with others.   What someone else has or does is not the measure of who we are.  Our measure is only our obedience and devotion to Christ.  It is not what we do but our devotion and obedience that God looks at. 

The Law of Reciprocity is working in every area of life.  The harvest is not out of our great exploits but our loving and willing obedience.   God gives us seed to sow and bread to eat.  Every grace abounds in the obedient and enables us to give.  We give what we have, and that is often other than material things.

In 2 Corinthians 6:6, he spoke of unhypocritical love.  What is that?  How can love be hypocritical?  Agape cannot be, but Phileo or Eros can!  Maintaining the sincerity and purity of our devotion enables us to walk as Jesus walked.  I only want to do what I see the Father doing.  I only want to say what I hear the Father saying.  Complete obedience is the requirement.  Singular devotion is essential.  Unhypocritical love is the key.

My prayer is, “Lord, help us never look at others as a comparison, but to see their need and pray about it and be generous in helping them.  Help us to have ears to hear & eyes to see.  Help us willingly allow the Holy Spirit to guard our minds, ears, hands, and mouths.   Transform us.  Amen.”

Today, it would be a good idea to examine our hearts and eliminate comparisons to any other person. Our standard is not someone else; it is the purity and sincerity of our devotion to Jesus. If He is first, then we can relax. We are where we need to be at that moment. Do not get stuck or complacent, but another’s gifts, abilities, blessings, or labors are not our concern—our heart is the concern.  

Therefore, relax and be.  God will work in and through you His purposes in His time and way.  Just be!

May God’s incredible Grace cover you like a warm blanket on a chilly winter night!