2 Chronicles 1:7 – “That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Tell Me what I should give you.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, my desire to live higher soared within.   Live higher?   I am not talking about having more stuff. I am not talking about having position and recognition.   I am focused on living on a higher plane spiritually, where doubt and fear find no home.

The dream of Solomon in 2 Chronicles 1:7 captivates me. God asked, “What do you want?”    Was that a loaded question?   Absolutely!  It was a test to reveal the heart.   In (v 10), Solomon’s response was a revelation of his true heart- a servant leader! Then, (vv 11-12), we see God’s response.   Exceedingly abundantly beyond what we ask or think.  But the key is the heart.  The heart enables us to live on a higher ledge!   The heart opens the door or closes it!

In 2 Chronicles 7:12-15, we see the heart and nature of God.  God gave Solomon and Israel a foundation for trust.   We quote (v 14) as a stand-alone verse, but its foundation is (v 12).   “I have answered you.”   We pray from that revelation: God Has Answered!   It’s done; the only thing lacking is for us to ask.

Living higher is revealed in Jesus’ life.   Matthew 4:1, the temptation (testing) of Jesus was engineered by the Holy Spirit.  We lament difficulty and scream for deliverance, failing to see the target.   Trials are opportunities for us to see ourselves as we truly are and God as He really is.   Only in rest can we pass the test!

Matthew 5 is powerfully revealing regarding the Higher Life! In (vv 21-26), we realize that anger is murder in seed form. In (vv 28-32), we are shown that God considers the heart more than the act. It is the want to, not just the do.

In Matthew 6:21, we are shown that what holds value holds our hearts.   The question is, what value do we give things?   Do they hold a higher place in our hearts than God?   We immediately say, NO! But actions and focus confirm or deny that declaration.

I want to live Higher!   I want to throw my hook over a higher ledge and climb higher in God.   I want permanent residence in His presence.   That is available IF I give Him ALL.   Give Him All, and you will never fall.

LORD, help us to aspire to live the Higher Life and allow the Holy Spirit to transform us!

Amos 3:3 – “Can two walk together unless they have agreed?”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, three words echoed in my heart. Repentance, Return, and Restoration. I heard progression.  In Joel 2:23-27, we see God calling to Repentance and to Return to Him.  In Amos 3:3, we read covenant words, “Can two walk together unless they be agreed?”  In verse 7, we realize that God’s desire for our Restoration is so strong that He announces His intentions before He acts.  That gives space and place to repent.

Repentance opens the door to return, and returning results in restoration.  God never leaves us to go in our own strength.  Not even Jesus had to do that. We must remember the humanity of Jesus.  He was our example.  He demonstrated the life that could be lived by humans who were filled with the Holy Spirit without measure!  The word filled in Ephesians means saturated or crammed full.  So full you overflow!

In the Garden in Luke 22, Jesus was praying.  In verse 42, He asked for relief but then submitted or resubmitted to the purpose.  In verse 43, we have a powerful revelation. “Now (at that moment), an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.”   What a powerful encouragement.

We try to live this life and fulfill our purpose in our strength. It is Impossible!    So, we either justify our failure (I’m only human) or we give up.   Neither is the right path. Neither is the Jesus journey.

Repentance and return bring restoration.  Submission brings divine strength. Jesus said, “I will never leave you helpless.”   Our problem, too often, we seek the Living One in the dead tradition & ritual of religious ideology.   Christ In us, Through us, and With us empowers us!   It is Jesus acting like Jesus in us.

It is time to repent, return, and receive Restoration.  It is time to submit or resubmit and receive divine refreshing and enablement.  Grace enables us to BE who we Are!   Victory is Now!

LORD, help us to walk in agreement with You, Your Word, and Your Spirit!

Jonah 1:5 – “The sailors were so afraid that each cried out to his own god, and they flung the ship’s cargo overboard to make the ship lighter. Jonah, meanwhile, had gone down into the hold below deck, had lain down, and was sound asleep.”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, a word from yesterday echoed again in my heart and head. Repentance and Restoration!  The account of Jonah gripped my heart and challenged me.  Jonah heard a word of prophecy for Nineveh but ran.  Why?  We find the answer later, but his nonchalance initially is shocking.

The escape ship endured a fierce storm.   Everyone was terrified and crying out to the god they believed in, not Jonah.   Jonah 1:5: Jonah was asleep in the belly of the ship.  He had no fear of God.   He was comfortable in his rebellion.  His later acknowledgment of God’s character was possibly a part of it. He, like multitudes, took God’s mercifulness for granted.  His rebellion did not bother him enough to change.

He had a supernatural experience in the belly of a giant fish.   He asked for mercy and received it.   God gave him a second chance, and he obeyed. Nineveh repented, and God relented, and Jonah became irate.

Pride (personal embarrassment) infuriated him.  He later confessed that he had anticipated God’s mercy, and his desire to see his prophecy fulfilled was more important than restoration.

When Jesus was at the well, He spoke two important truths to focus on. John 4:32-35, He spoke of true food – obedience to God. He spoke of the true harvest – people.   That was God’s focus in Nineveh. That was Jesus’ focus on the Cross. That is God’s focus – people! Jesus came to save whosoever!

John 3:4-4 reveals the KEY to Jesus’ life of victory. He had the Holy Spirit without measure!  He was saturated with the Holy Spirit.  He was sensitive to and obedient to the voice of the Holy Spirit.   We try to be what only He can be in us and through us.  When will we give up, stop trying to produce righteousness, and cooperate with the Holy Spirit so Jesus can be Himself in and through us?   John the Baptist understood – He can only be who He is when I stop trying to be Him.  He can only increase in my life when I empty myself of myself.

So, give up and let Jesus take over!  We sing it; now let’s do it!

LORD, help us to make the right choice and walk in obedience!

Psalm 27: 4-6 – “One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple. ⁵ For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.  ⁶ And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, the thought of being hidden in God’s Pavilion tent came to the forefront of my mind.   In Psalm 27:4-6, we have David’s incredible declaration and prayer.  I ask that you read it.   He said, “One thing I have asked…”   

How many things are our focus?  He recounted God’s blessings, and then, in verse 5, he said, “For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.” What a place!

The longer I live, the more things I encounter in life, and the more experiences I have with and in the Lord, the more I recognize the times and need for God to occasionally take me from the front lines of battle and hide me in His Pavilion Tent.  In the battle, the King would have a tent in the midst of the soldiers to which he could resort, and he would take the weary there for strategy. God does that in our lives spiritually.

There are times when we are so battle-fatigued, weak, discouraged, disillusioned, and even depressed that we need an infusion of fresh vision, and that’s where we find it. He takes us from the “heat of the battle” into his Pavilion Tent and “refreshes us”. We are concealed from the enemy, untouchable by the powers of hell, and from there we receive the infusion of strength, power, courage, and anointing to go back out into the battle and win the victory.

Sadly, sometimes we don’t hear the call to come aside for rest and try to be martyrs, pushing ourselves beyond our limits when He is calling us to come inside and “rest.”   Some feel guilty, saying, “There is too much to be done,” and “I must work while it is yet day for the night comes when no man can work.”  

Then we press on until exhaustion takes over.  We lose our strength and are overcome by the forces of hell.  That’s not God’s way and never has been. Burning out for Jesus is a well-intentioned statement, but it’s not very productive.

Here is my advice: learn to listen to your body, your mind, your spirit, your heart, and hear the voice of the Spirit of God inviting you to come into His Pavilion Tent and be refreshed.  The time spent there, if it be an hour, a day, a week, a month, or a year, will prove to be far more valuable than staying in the battle when you are no longer at your optimum.

Don’t let the devil shame you into thinking that you are somehow being lazy or slothful, but realize that it is the Lord’s design to “refresh” you to make you “better than ever” for the battle.   If there is one thing I have learned, it is that we need to enter the rest where the weary are made to rest, and when we emerge, we are not only refreshed but also emboldened and empowered in a new way. That is part of learning to lean on Jesus.

As you go into the rest of your week, I suggest that we all listen to our bodies, hearts, minds, and spirits, and if God says, “Come Apart and Rest,” DO IT!   You will have the opportunity to reenter and to do so with renewed vision, strength, grace, anointing, and power.

I pray that the Lord will help you to be as effective as possible for His Kingdom!  Focus on Him, not circumstances. Give it to Him; refuse to be responsible for the world.   It’s not your job! Let God be God, and when He bids you come into the tent and rest – Rest!

LORD, help us to know what to ask and ask!

1 Chronicles 12:32 – “Of the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their kinsmen were at their command.”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, I sensed an urgency in my spirit.    There is a tsunami forming on the sea of life that will bring the greatest revival, renewal, and restoration in human history, and the greatest time of destruction known to man. 

Right now, it appears as whitecapped swells in the sea, but it is building.   It begins slowly, but once formed, it will move like lightning!   Beware!  Be Ready!  Prepare your heart; the time is short.   In places around today’s world, there is open season on Christians; this is the early sign of the tsunami!   Be alert! 

In these last days, we must have God’s Anointing!   Ritual, form, and business as usual without the anointing will not produce life or save from the coming calamity, nor will it enable one to reap and keep the harvest.

We need the spirit of the men of Issachar today.   1 Chronicles 12:32 – “They understood the times…)”   Do you recall Jesus’ lament – “You knew not the time of your visitation.”   How about His decree that we must “Discern the Times.”   Not only did the men of Issachar understand the times, but they also knew what to do!

Hear me!   Seeing the problem is not the answer.   Seeing without knowing how to handle and face it brings depression, doubt, discouragement, and defeat.  Knowing what to do makes the problems bread for us!   WHY?   Because we know who is in charge and see His designed pathway.   The Anointing, then, will break the yoke!

In Chronicles 14:15, we have the key:  Listen For The Sound!   “When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the trees, then attack.”   This could be the dawning of that grand and glorious morning when Jesus comes back!   But rather than sitting, soaking, and souring, hiding behind the walls of religion, we need to be listening for the Sound, Ready to Act!

Caution:   There will be conquerors and castaways in these last days.   We must get our hearts right, or we will be overcome by the plight!  Unless our hearts are right, we won’t be a part of the fight; we will be those fought and overwrought!    We either wear a victor’s crown or we go down!

The choice is ours!    The choice requires deep soul searching, total surrender, and complete obedience In Everything!  

It will be Conqueror or Casualty.