1 Corinthians 10:23 – “Everything is lawful,” but not everything is beneficial.  “Everything is lawful,” but not everything builds others up.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word and God’s guidance, I observed a theme in 1 Corinthians.  The apostle, inspired by the Holy Spirit, was taking them from fleshly thinking and living to the throne room and spiritual maturity.

• 1 Corinthians 8 addresses the carnal mind and faux knowledge. 
• 1 Corinthians 9 addresses the reality that running the race was not the objective, but reaching the ultimate goal was. 
• 1 Corinthians 10 addresses the need to make everything we do glorify God.
• 1 Corinthians 11 reveals the mystery of the Church as One Body, Christ’s body.  

We are informed that improper relationships and failure to understand the unity and necessity of the body opened the door for the enemy to steal health and life.

• 1 Corinthians 12 addresses spiritual gifts and ministries.  

Paul addressed the reason for the gifts and from whom they are derived.  In verse 14, we read, “The body is not one member, but many.”  Every member is as vital as any other.  There is an order of function but no hierarchy.

• 1 Corinthians 13 addresses everything functions – AGAPE!

In verse 12, he packages the message and unveils how we reach that goal.   “For Now, we see through a mirror, darkly; But then face to face.  Now I know in part; But then shall I know even as I am known.”

The flesh, hindered by the carnal mind and fleshly desires, is unable to see the unclouded image of Christ.   In the flesh, we see Him, but we see the world and feel its tug at our hearts.   The nearer we draw to Him Who is Light, the more the darkness is driven away, and the more clearly we see who we are, who He is, and who we can and should be.

But what about the declaration that “we know as we are known.”   Known by whom?   By Jesus!  What does He say about us?  We will finally see that, and as we see, we become!

The key to victory is to seek God above everything and press into His presence.  We are urged to be like the Olympic athlete and have a singular but determined focus.   It is our heritage, so let us become who we are in God’s eyes.    We are victorious mountain movers, conquerors, and manifestations of Jesus.   We desire that “Thy kingdom come, and Thy will be done On Earth in us, just like it is in heaven.

Declare it, believe it, and receive it!

Have a victorious day manifesting the gifts of God and being who He has declared us to be!

Daniel 1:8 – “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the king’s delicacies or with the wine he was drinking…”

As I prayed, read, and pondered the Word of God today, a theme or thought kept surfacing in my consciousness.  That was Total Surrender and its reward.   In Daniel 1:8, we read, “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the king’s delicacies or with the wine he was drinking…” Resolved is more than a thought; it is a fixed determination.

The three Hebrew children made that same determination regarding worshipping anything but God.  In Daniel 3:16-18, they made it clear that God was their hope and held their total allegiance.  They informed the king, “God can deliver us, BUT even if He doesn’t, we won’t bow to the idol.  If we bend, we burn, but if we resolve not to bend, we won’t burn.”   Esther said, “If I perish, I perish!” (Esther 4:16).

God’s promise is not to deliver us from difficulty but to be with us in it!  The promise is NEVER to leave or abandon us.   If we are not resolute in our resolve to totally surrender to Him, we will grow weary in trial and lose our hope and confidence.  That makes us an easy target for the devil.   However, if we are rock solid in our resolve with the mindset that whether we are delivered or taken home, we will not compromise our commitment to God, we will be empowered to stand and see the salvation of God.

Victory is in total surrender and resolve not to bend, bow, or cast away our confidence in God.  The fire cannot burn us.   The waves cannot drown us.   The enemy cannot defeat us.   Not if we are resolute in our resolve to stand true!  If we make that commitment, God gives us the grace to become and be as He is in the now!

Expect your victory today!   Lord, help us to be resolute in our commitment and confidence in You!

Ecclesiastes 10:18 – “By laziness, the rafters sag, and by idle hands, the house leaks.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated upon the Word of God, the words surrender, and commitment kept echoing in my heart and mind.

Ecclesiastes 10:18 is an interesting verse.  Let’s ask a question before we relegate that entirely to the natural.   How does laziness cause the rafters of a house to sag?  The rafters are rafters and being industrious or lazy does not alter their physical properties, does it? If we were talking solely natural, no!

Sagging rafters and leaky roofs?  Let me share what the Holy Spirit prompted me to contemplate.   We must constantly address areas of potential weakness and moral failure in our spiritual lives.   The rafters hold our covering in place.  If the support system fails or becomes weak, the strain in the structure will become leaky, and all in the house will be affected.

The umbrella or roof of protection (our intimacy with Jesus through the Holy Spirit) requires continuous maintenance – prayer, fellowship with Him, spiritual nourishment, and obedience to His Word.

Our lives are spiritual houses, and we are living stones.   We are living organisms, not fixed inordinate structures.   Therefore, if we become lazy, we allow our support system to weaken and sag, which causes our roofs (covering) to develop holes, allowing the enemy to penetrate.

Ecclesiastes 11:3-4 – “If the clouds are full, they empty out rain on the earth.”  What we are filled with, we give out.  If we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will overflow and impact others.  If our covering is secure, we can release what we have freely without spending an inordinate amount of time and energy dealing with the evil that penetrated our leaky roofs.

Ecclesiastes 11:6 – “In the morning (before anything else) sow your seed (prayer), and in the evening do not let your hand be idle (begin and end the day in God’s presence), for you do not know if this or that will succeed (we don’t know what tomorrow holds, God does), or if both will prosper together.”

Ecclesiastes 9:10 – urges us to commit fully through complete surrender – “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your strength…”   What God directs requires our full investment.  What is most important to us will be pursued by us the most.  What we invest ourselves in reveals (exposes) our view of God and life.

No more sagging rafters and leaky roofs.  We have the strength of the Holy Spirit, the Wisdom of God, and the grace of Jesus.  We are being continually transformed.

Do not allow your rafters to sag through laziness.  Be diligent in the spirit and fully surrender to God!

Ecclesiastes 2:10-11  – “I did not restrain myself from getting whatever I wanted; I did not deny myself anything that would bring me pleasure.  So all my accomplishments gave me joy; this was my reward for all my effort.  11 Yet when I reflected on everything I had accomplished and on all the effort that I had expended to accomplish it, I concluded: “All these achievements and possessions are ultimately profitless— like chasing the wind!  There is nothing gained from them on earth.”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word, the eyes of my heart began to catch a glimpse of life, God’s way.   In Ecclesiastes 2:10-11, Solomon exposed a truth needed in every generation.    Possessions, position, and pleasure are empty without God.   He described it as “chasing after the wind.”   In verses 24-26, he emphasized that reality.

In those verses is a revelation of how deeply God loves His followers and how intricate His plan of provision is.  “For to the one who pleases Him, He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy…”   Think about that.   Are you enjoying those qualities?   The pathway to them is obedience, trust, and love.   He continues, “But to the sinner (disobedient) He gives the task of gathering and accumulating wealth to give it to the one who pleases God.”

Did you hear that?  The life assignment of the sinner (disobedient) is to gain wealth to give to the followers of God.   My God shall supply ALL your needs according to His riches in glory.   One of His channels of provision is in the hands of the sinners, and their assignment is to give it to the followers of God.  Everything belongs to God, Everything!

God owns it all, and according to the Scriptures, when we are born again, we become heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus. Matthew 12:50, Jesus said, “When you obey My heavenly Father, that makes you a part of My true family.”

We have no lack in Him.  He sent birds to feed Elijah.  He sent a fish to provide Peter with tax money.  He sent Manna for Israel in the wilderness.  He gave water from the rock to Israel in the desert.  He causes people to give to us as needed and in response to our giving (obedience).   We do not earn anything, but He keeps His Promises. What do you need that you don’t have?  If we have Jesus, we lack nothing!

Matthew 11:28-29 reveals the pathway to victory and provision – “Simply join your life to Mine. Learn My Ways… You will find refreshment and rest in Me.”

In Him, we have all we could ever need whenever we need it. The only questions are, do we believe it, and do we expect to receive it? God does not lie! Embrace His Promises and enter His abundant life today!

Today is a beautiful day to embrace God’s Promises, Person, and Provisions. Have a fantastic and victorious day!

Matthew 6:5 – “Whenever you pray, be sincere…”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word, Matthew 6 became my focus.   There is more to unpack that space will allow.  However, some key principles need to be highlighted.

Interestingly, Jesus begins His instructions by saying, “Examine your motives…”   What a way to begin.   What is the real reason we do what we do?   That led to His discourse on prayer.   Effective prayer can only flow from a pure heart guided by right motives.   If the motives are selfish, the heart will be divided, deceived, and ineffective in prayer.

Matthew 6:5 – “Whenever you pray, be sincere…”   The reality that He needed to make that statement reveals how full human hearts are with insincerity and selfishness.  

Effective, genuine, God-inspired prayer requires sincerity and demands that we get alone with God.   It demands that we go to our innermost chamber (place and condition).  Just talk to God!

The model prayer begins with recognizing God and allowing Him to occupy the throne of our lives.    Then, with a consciousness of Him, we move to an awareness of His manifest presence, where we acknowledge Him as our source.

In that position and condition, we realize forgiveness’s power, purpose, and requirement.  Forgiveness is a two-way street – from us to others and from God to us.  It is a round trip or no trip at all.

Then, we are in a mindset and positioned to receive Psalm 91 as our personal promise.  That brings us back full circle to God.  He is first, last, and everything in between.  He is God!

He continues with emphasis on forgiveness!  Hate has no place!   Then, in verse 21, He gives the clincher: “For your heart will ALWAYS pursue what you esteem as your treasure.”    If God is most important to us, His revelation light fills us.  Unclouded and undivided hearts have a continual flow of God’s light!

He used that foundation as the basis for His declaration in verses 25-33.   We have nothing to worry about if God is God to us as Savior and Lord.   Our provision is Him, and in Him, there is no lack.   Let’s make the process the guide of our daily lives.

Lord, keep our motives pure, and our hearts overflow with love!