Deuteronomy 12:1-3 – “These are the statutes and the judgments which you shall carefully observe in the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess as long as you live on the earth. 2 You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. 3 And you shall tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and burn their Asherim with fire, and you shall cut down the engraved images of their gods, and you shall obliterate their name from that place.”  NASB

It has become a fascinating study for me, to search the Scriptures in their context with the understanding that the Bible is “One Book” not a series of books contained within the volume.  The Bible is a progression, not simply an Old Testament “A Book of Law and History” and a New Testament, “A Book of New Law and Grace.”  It is THE WORD OF GOD and One Book, progressively revealing the heart and purpose of God.  That is intriguing and inspiring.

In our modern times, we have arrived at a little understanding that everything that happened to Israel happened for our understanding and instruction.  It is declared in God’s Word that it is ‘first the natural, then the spiritual.’  Therefore, every event, pattern, practice, etc. in the natural in Old Testament Israel had and has a spiritual fulfillment in the New Testament Church and Believer.

I want us to pay careful attention to the instruction where God instructs them that they are to “Possess” the Land.  That is a vital realization if we are to fully possess the promises of God and live on and in our Place of Promise.  Too often we become obsessed with the geographical and miss something of far more significance. This obsession has robbed the Church of position, promise, and power for centuries.

Regarding the Land, remember the words of Jesus in the New Testament, “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.”  The Greek translated earth means: ‘country, earth or earthly, ground, land, world.’  This word and its Hebrew equivalent mean: “The Place of Promise.”  It is our anakali – inheritance!

We must never miss the reality that this place is not earned or deserved it is inherited!  We come into it by birth.  Not natural birth but spiritual birth.  We are heirs to the Promise by being born again but we do not fully enjoy it until we possess it. 

The Hebrew word (garash) means ‘drive out.’  They were to ‘drive out’ the occupants living on their inheritance.  Remember that the Earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.  Therefore, He can give it to whomever He pleases, and He gave it to Israel, which means those occupying the Place of Promise were there illegally.  For Israel to enjoy their Place of Promise, their Promised Land they had to dispossess those possessing their land.

The Christian Life is a process and incorporated in the requirement that we respond to God by faith.  We must believe that He is and that what He says is how things are and should be.  Then we begin the process of dispossessing the enemy.  The mountains mentioned mean kingdoms.  The hills represent families of the land and the green trees represent people.  Therefore, our dispossessing will involve dealing with kingdoms, local, and individual enemies.  We have to get the devil off our promise through the Word and Authority of God through the Power of the Holy Spirit.

I want to deal with the “dispossessing” in a little more detail and will do that in the next devotional.  Until then, I pray that you will begin to consider what has been promised and allow faith to rise up in your heart that you can have what God says is ours spiritually.

Have a fantastic day and we will address this again tomorrow!

2 Corinthians 2:11 – “in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.”  NASB

1 Peter 5:8 – “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”  NASB

2 Corinthians 10:3-4 – “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.”  NASB

In the last devotional we discussed the second key to victory – Identifying our source, the solution, and our supply.  The source is God, the solution is found in the Law of Sowing and Reaping and is in the provisions, principles of God being appropriated and applied in our lives.  The supply is God’s riches.  He has both the ability and desire to provide for our victory.

If we have not developed the needed confidence in God’s supply and the applied principles of His Word, the devil will continually wear away at our confidence and steal our victory.  If he can successfully entice us to replace God’s Promises and Directives with our own or cause us to modify God’s purposes to suit our desires, he steals our victory.  It would be germane to our discussion and understanding to read the entirety of the 23^rd Psalm. 

Psalms 23 – “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me. 5 Thou dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; Thou hast anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” 

The third step or key to Victory is – We Must Identify our Position, Potential, and Power.  We are heirs of God that is our position.  We are overcomers, that is our potential.  We filled with the Spirit and that is our Power or source of Empowerment.   The apostle John declared it beautifully in 1 John 4:4 – “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”  It is revealed and declared in Acts 17:28 that in Jesus we live and move and have being and in 1 John 4:17 that “as He is, so are we in this world.”

The devil wants to defeat us but God wants to and has empowered us. In Jesus we are more than conquerors! Therefore, it is imperative that we Identify the Enemy, the Need, and the Problem.  It is vital that we Identify the Promises and Directives of Scripture for Victory.  It is necessary that we take the appropriate action to not only obtain but maintain that victory.  We repent where that is required and we apply the principles of God’s word and having done all to stand, keep on standing.

Stand firm in the faith and the promises of God.  Act upon what the Word of God declares and verbally declare those promises and provisions to be ours.  God said we can have beyond what we can think or ask, but He tells us to ask!

God bless you as you enjoy the fullness of the Victory Jesus purchased for us at Calvary!

2 Corinthians 2:11 – “in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.”  NASB

1 Peter 5:8 – “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”  NASB

2 Corinthians 10:3-4 – “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.”  NASB

I am relatively certain that everyone reading this has experienced and enjoyed the ‘Thrill of Victory’ and the ‘Agony of Defeat’ at some point.  I would seriously doubt that there is anyone reading this who does not desire to have more Joy, Peace, Faith, Hope, Assurance, and Spiritual Power!  Most everyone I meet wants Victory in their lives.  Most everyone desires a sense of Peace so they can weather whatever storm they are facing or will face.  We want a Hope that is steadfast and sure.

Anyone who as read the Bible has read God’s Promises and most want to believe that God truly intends for us to enjoy those Promises and Provisions today.  I have talked to numerous Christians who are struggling with the idea of having God’s Promised Abundant Life on this earth.  They believe they will have it in heaven but have difficulty envisioning a life of Victory here.  They are ‘enduring’ and believe that is their fate in life.

My objective in this series of devotionals is to inspire Hope and possibly answer some questions regarding, “How can we possess the promises and incorporate them into our daily lives?”  Can we have Joy Unspeakable and if so, how?  Can we have the Peace that passes all human understanding and if so, how?  Can we have Hope that is unshakable and if so, how?  Can we have the power to overcome the devil and if so, how?  What is our condition and position in God?

According to numerous passages of scripture, it is declared that we legally have authority and power over the devil.  That is based on the Victory and Authority of Jesus and His bequeathing or delegating it to us.  I suggest that many know, theoretically that we have that authority and power but have never been able to see it translated into reality in their lives.  How do we move beyond that and have the fullness of God’s Promised Victory in our lives?

In this quest to uncover the truth and incorporate it into our lives there is an essential understanding that must be achieved.  The Hope of Victory hinges on Identification or Recognition.  We must Identify several things if we are going to Possess the Promises and enjoy the Fullness of God’s Promised Victory in our lives.  It is as we identify and recognize these things of which I speak that we place ourselves in a position to implement those principles in our lives and move forward into possession of those promises. 

If you could discover how to Live Victoriously would you be interested?  If you could discover how to incorporate the Promises into your daily life would you be interested?  Would you be willing to do some serious soul searching and examination of God’s Promises?  I hope your answer is yes and if it is then I invite you to join me in the next devotional as we begin looking at what I call “Three Keys to Victory.”

God bless you and may your day be prosperous and joyous!

Acts 4:19-20 – “But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; 20 for we cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard.” NASB

There was a Rock N Roll song released in 1960 by Joe Jones, “You Talk Too Much.”  It was written by Fats Domino’s brother in law, Reginald Hill and Fats passed the song along to Joe Jones.  It is a funny, catchy tune that speaks to life in many ways, but that is not my focus in saying, “Cannot Stop Talking.”

What I am focused on is what was happening in this account where the disciples were teaching and preaching Jesus and upsetting the religious status quo.  The message of the Resurrection of Jesus was extremely disturbing to many, especially the Sadducees and considered a threat to the iron-clad rule of the Sanhedrin.  Therefore, they had them arrested and brought in to be corrected and threatened.

The religious rulers issued a mandate to them to “Stop Talking About Jesus.”  The religious rulers realized that they had a problem because an undeniable miracle had transpired, and people were being swayed by the miracle and the message of the disciples.  They felt that the method that had worked for decades would work and the threat of disfavor with headquarters would be enough to silence them.  Sounds like some today, who fear man more than they fear God.

Peter and John were not intimidated because they had been with Jesus and He was alive in their hearts and they had witnessed His ascension to heaven.  They Knew!  They said to the religious rulers, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard.”  That is the distinction between someone who has a theoretical religion and those who have experienced the new birth.

Jeremiah spoke of this compulsion in 20:9 saying, “But if I say, ‘I will not remember Him or speak any more in His name,’ then in my heart it will become like a burning fire shut up in my bones.”  He said I will become so consumed with what I have heard that I cannot endure.  The Psalmists declared in 39:3, “My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue.”

When you encounter Jesus in the New Birth and He resides in your heart, you find that talking about Him is the greatest desire of your heart and brings you the most joy.  Back in Bible college, I met a young lady in the community who invited me to a high school football game.  She was interested in me, and I was interested in telling her about Jesus.  She became so frustrated that she said, “You have a one-track mind.”  No, she was not talking about things of the flesh for she continued, “All you think about is Jesus.”  I took that as a compliment, although it was meant to be, “Shut up and focus on me.”

Some of the greatest moments in my life have been when I am able to lead another person to Jesus and see the immediate change in their countenance and attitude.  After I received Jesus, and before I went into the ministry, I took my Bible to work and, on my breaks, I would read the Bible.  One of the men told my brother in law, “All Roy thinks about is God, but he sure does work hard too.”  I tried not to be overbearing wanted to share my experience and my LORD with all who would listen.

I met a man I went to secular college with, shortly after I received Jesus and as I shared my experience and my faith with him, he asked, “What happened to you?”  He expounded on that and said, “Most people turn to religion when something dire happens in their lives.  What happened to you?”  I said, “I was lost but now I’m found. I was blind but now I see.  Nothing traumatic happened, I just finally saw the light and now I am a new person.”  I had asked the LORD to let me go back and testify to everyone I had influenced as a sinner.  That has been a journey that continues after over 50 years. 

Let the Love of God and the Fire of God burn in your heart and speak His name and His Love, you never know who or how you will touch others and impact them for God and good. I cannot stop talking about what fills my heart and that is Jesus!

Have a great day and God bless you richly is my prayer!

Deuteronomy 6:4-15 – “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! 5 “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart; 7 and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8 And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 9 And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. 10 “Then it shall come about when the LORD your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you shall eat and be satisfied, 12 then watch yourself, lest you forget the LORD who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 13 You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him, and swear by His name. 14 You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you, 15 for the LORD your God in the midst of you is a jealous God; otherwise the anger of the LORD your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth.”  NASB

I realize that is a lot of scripture to wade through in preparing for a devotional message.  The idea of devotional suggests brevity and with that much scripture, brevity would seem impossible.  With that in mind let me off this ‘three-legged stool’ of which I speak.

The threefold are “Love, Life Actions, and Divine Promises.”  There is the direct and specific instruction that we are to teach these elements to our children and those under our sphere of influence.

The first directive, which is an often-repeated command from God is we are to Love God with our all.  All our hearts, all our souls, and all our strength.  If we were to package that and put it, in a nutshell, it would be to TOTALLY LOVE GOD!  If we reach that condition and position the Obedience is a foregone conclusion.  If we Love God to that extent, we would never think of disobeying for that would wound His heart and pleasing Him is paramount in our minds.

Moses instructed Israel that the Words of God’s Commandments and Law were to be on or in their hearts.  Jesus reflected on that truth and principle in telling us that we were to abide in Him, and His words were to abide in us.  He also said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15).  He did not say, “If you love Me, you will want to keep My commandments.”  He said, “You Will.”

The Hebrews had a practice and believed that it was the responsibility of the parents, especially the father’s to teach their children the Law of God.  Life lessons were to be taught at every opportunity. 

Instead of texting, burying our heads in our phones, tablets, and computers or being brain-washed by the TV, we are to teach in our homes, the principles and truths of God.  When we travel or walkabout, use whatever presents itself to illustrate God’s truths.  He gave a directive that the Pharisees took to the extreme and said, “bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.  And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”  He is saying, “Get them in your heart and become one with the truths of God and the Word of God.”

The Promise was “IF” we will do that and Love God with our All and become One with His Word God will send incredible Blessings upon us.  He will give us our Place of Promise and we will reap benefits that we did not provide the labor to receive. He will cause abundance to come into our lives in every possible manner.  We will become what God says we are, “Overcomers!” 

If we see prosperity as being what we hold in our hands, we will forever be poor.  If we see true biblical prosperity as beginning on the inside and working its way to the extremities, we will be as the Hebrews – “People Who Do Not Lack.”  When, I say that, I have people look at me and roll their eyes.  The Hebrews, who followed God with a whole heart live with ‘No Sense of Lack.’  They may not have had abundance in possessions but the had confidence that God would supply.  The Early Church lived believing that, “My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory.” 

I pray that we will all discover and incorporate into our lives God’s Three-Legged Stool of Life.  I pray that we become people who Love God with our all, Live according to His Word, and Receive His Promises.

God bless you and may the Blessings of God be yours powerfully and abundantly today!

Psalm 113:3 – “From the rising of the sun to its setting The name of the LORD is to be praised.” NASB

My simple answer is NO!  I find no reasonable understanding of this passage that would suggest that you could praise God too much.  The Psalmist is addressing the workday not to exclude the night. He is suggesting, in my view, that we should make a conscious effort to Praise the Name of the Lord all the time and in all things.  Praise is a conscious choice and if we do not focus our hearts upon the Lord, we will become too involved in the activities of life to offer genuine praise to the Lord of Hosts.

I find this passage to be in the same category as the directive of Paul in Thessalonians to “pray without ceasing.”  It may be impractical for us to engage in what most would consider prayer ‘without cessation’ but we can have an attitude of prayer all the time.  Likewise, we can have an attitude of praise all the time without stopping what we are doing to do what most consider praise. 

It seems that too frequently we have pigeonholed and developed predetermined ideas of what constitutes praise and prayer.  In that, we often fail to understand that God hears our hearts as well as our words that are spoken out loud.  God hears the thoughts in our minds, not just the words that pass our lips.  We can and should develop an attitude of gratitude in which we consistently and continually commune with the Lord and offer to Him praise and thanksgiving.  From the time we wake in the morning until we go to sleep at night, our hearts should be praising and thanking God. 

I heard a powerful response from a minster who was holding a meeting for the church that I was leading, when someone asked him how much he prayed and when he prayed.  He looked them squarely in the eye and said, “I am a walking prayer.”  They wanted him to be in the church for ‘x’ number of hours per day engaging in what they deemed to be prayer.  They had not learned that prayer is as much a condition and attitude of the heart as it is time spent on your knees or prostrate before the Lord crying out aloud. 

So, to answer the question, “Can You Praise God Too Much?”  I would have to answer in this fashion, YES, if you shut down everything you are responsible for to do what is commonly identified as Praise.  NO, if you develop a mindset and attitude of praise in your heart and allow your entire being and life to become on continual praise to the Lord! 

If you neglect your duties and responsibilities to engage in the religious activity called ‘praise’ then are you really praising the Lord?  If you fail to do what you know you are supposed to do are you bringing honor to His Name?  But, if your heart is filled with awe, love, and appreciation for Him at all times and out of that attitude you live, work, speak, and love then you cannot praise too much!

Therefore, as you go through this day go with a song in your heart and let your mind be filled with His awesomeness.  Let your heartstrings be strummed by the Holy Spirit offering a sweet aroma to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

May God be with you as you go through your day!

Revelation 4:1 – “After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven…” NASB

There are many paths, I could take with this text I only want to pursue one and that is “Heaven’s Open Door.”  Just the other day as we were driving around running errands my wife and I were listening to some old Gospel Music and “I’ve Never Been This Homesick Before” made its way into the rotation of songs and this scripture came to mind. 

In the song, it says, “I can see the Father standing at the door.”  That reminded me of the parable of the Prodigal Son and how the father saw the returning wayward son at a great distance and ran to meet him.  That suggests that he was always “looking” for the return of his wayward child and possibly standing in the doorway of his house looking over the way hoping against hope that his son that was lost would return.  I can imagine our Heavenly Father looking over His creation at the doorway of Heaven and longing for us to “return to Him with a whole heart.”  At times I can almost hear the sobs of the Father and my Lord Jesus as they weep over the condition of mankind in this time that we live.

Several things come to mind when I think of a “Door Open in Heaven”.  That tells me that there is “open access” to God’s throne through prayer and how we need to take advantage of that invitation and opportunity.  It suggests that God is eagerly awaiting us to petition Him and is willing to dispatch help to us at a moment’s notice. The picture that comes to my heart’s mind is that of a loving parent watching over their children and ready to protect and nurture them if there is a need and willing to let them spread their wings to learn to fly. 

I sense that there is a “Door Open in Heaven” and God is extending a personal invitation for us to “enter in” through the vehicle of prayer and commune with Him and receive from Him His supply. Therefore, whatever you do as you go through this day, hold in your heart and mind that there is an “Open Door in Heaven” for you right now!  

May God be with you and bless you richly!