Psalms 122 – “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.”  2 Our feet are standing Within your gates, O Jerusalem,  3 Jerusalem, that is built As a city that is compact together; 4 To which the tribes go up, even the tribes of the LORD  An ordinance for Israel — To give thanks to the name of the LORD.  5 For there thrones were set for judgment, The thrones of the house of David.  6 Pray for the peace of  Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you. 7 “May peace be within your walls, And prosperity within your palaces.” 8 For the sake of my brothers and my friends, I will now say, ” May peace be within you.” 9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.” NASB

David’s love for worship is unparalleled in Scripture.  His love for the Lord, his desire to be in the presence of the Lord, and his quick response to a revealed sin through repentance caused him to be identified by God as, “a man after My own heart.”

It is good to learn to worship and praise God while we are alone, but there is something irreplaceable in a gathering of others for the express purpose of worshipping God.  You draw strength from those around you as their joy, exuberance, faith, and presence encourage you to enter in and continue.  No man is an island.  No man or woman lives or dies to themselves we need others for this journey.

David recognized that God’s presence was the key to life.  In the second portion, he identifies a need to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  Why?  Jerusalem represents the seat of the government of God.  David is crying that God not only is Lord in Jerusalem but in so doing be Lord in the hearts of all men.  It is only as God is the center of our lives that we walk in victory continuingly.

God is to be sought first and foremost.  He is to be placed above all else. He is to be relied on and trusted explicitly. He is to govern our lives in every aspect and dimension.  As we allow His love to permeate our hearts and lives, we become vessels of honor to be used by Him in the labors of His Kingdom.

May God bless you as you go through your day.

1 Corinthians 3:18-23 – “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become foolish that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness”; 20 and again, “The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are useless.” 21 So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, 23 and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.” NASB

I ask that you consider a few words in verses 21 and 22 and allow me to expand on them and hopefully inspire and challenge you to a new level of life in God.  Let’s read the entire verses together and let me emphasize a few words.  “So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you,’ 22 WHETHER Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you…”  It continues with the incredibly powerful and important words, “and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.” [Emphasis mine].

I ask that you read that again and tell me what is missing.  What time dimension is missing?  It speaks of things present and things to come or the present and the future, but did you notice that the past is not mentioned.  Why not?  Why did the apostle Paul omit that time dimension? 

Let’s read Romans 8:38-39 in conjunction with this and I will give my thoughts on the reason for the omission.  “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [Emphasis mine].

What did Jesus do on the Cross?  He paid for our sin, right?  He purchased our past.  Yes, he purchased our present and future too, but as Paul declared the present and the future belong to us but yesterday does not.  It has been bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus.  I say that in the sense that the past is off-limits to us.  It is bought and paid for and if we have repented of our sins and accepted the Grace and Pardon of God our past has been erased.  It is gone and we have no right to access it any longer.  We have no right to bring it up and beat ourselves over the head with it.  That is the tactic of the devil to bring us shame and regret, but Jesus paid for my past.  IT IS GONE!

In Psalms 103:12 we discover, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”  It is UNDER THE BLOOD of JESUS!  You live in the present and what you do will either bring you nearer God or place you in the need of repentance and forgiveness, but it belongs to you.  It is yours to access and live.  The past is not, it is gone!  You are not who you were, you are a New Creation in Jesus.  You have been born again and are a brand-new person with a brand-new DNA and history, the history you are creating right now!  Make it a victorious history! 

The future is yours to move into and become who God says you are. You are an overcomer and more than a conqueror in Jesus!  The devil wants to use the past, yours, or someone you have dealt with and cause you to have resentment or regret.  Those are not part of the Kingdom of God and if you allow the devil to use the past to refresh old wounds and remind you of failures you will suffer on every level in life.

I suggest that resentment and regret have virtually the same effect on the human body and the human spirit.  Why?  Because they are both tied to the past.  We must not allow our identity to be who we were but WHO WE ARE!  Our identity must be GOD and our present relationship with Him. 

I remind you of Paul’s words in Philippians 3:12-16 and ‘forget the past.’  Let’s determine that we will ‘forget what lies behind and reach for what lies ahead in God.’  You are more than you are now and more than you think you can be because of what Jesus did and is doing!  Nail the past to the Cross and NEVER go back and revisit what no longer belongs to you. 

You can reign in life in Christ but not if you harbor resentment or regret and focus on the past.  We must focus on the present our condition and position in Christ and the future, what He says we are and what we are becoming! 

Have a Great Day in Jesus!

Isaiah 6:8 – “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”  NASB

In this passage, Isaiah begins by informing us that King Uzziah had passed away and that was a troubling event for Isaiah.  It was at that time that the prophet saw a vision that rocked him to his core.  He saw the Lord enthroned as Majesty and the Seraphim having six wings and he used two to cover his face, two to cover his feet, and with two he flew crying “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.” 

That experience caused Isaiah to see his own sinfulness and he lamented, “I am ruined because I’m unclean and the people I dwell among are unclean.”  He understood that nothing was hidden from the eyes of the Lord.  Then he saw the Seraphim flying toward him with a burning coal he had taken from the altar and he took that coal and touched Isaiah’s mouth declaring, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sins are forgiven.” 

After this, Isaiah heard the Lord asking, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?”  Isaiah had been prepared for service by cleansing and with a renewed heart he cried out, “Here am I. Send me!”  It was at that point the Lord said, “Go, and tell this people…”  God gave him a message and a purpose.  None of that would have any meaning had Isaiah not Volunteered for service.  God will not force us into service but will open the door of opportunity for us to serve. 

That is true in our individual lives and true in our church life.  We may see the need, be convicted of our condition, receive the cleansing and preparation of the Lord But until we volunteer it means nothing.  I’ve observed churches through the years who labored feverishly to press people into service.  People who had not volunteered although greatly qualified were the target.  My attitude has always been that I would rather have a person with lesser qualifications who really wanted to serve than someone with impeccable credentials who did not.  One will invest the time, the energy, the prayer and God will produce the results, the other will simply go through the motions based on their wealth of knowledge or ability and little will be truly accomplished lastingly for the Kingdom.

I’ve heard preachers and churches lament we do not have workers for a particular program and my response has usually been, “If there is no one to perform the task or carry on the program maybe God doesn’t want the program.”  I believe that God provides for that which He desires be that money, people, or whatever. 

If the Holy Spirit has touched your heart and quickened, you with regard to the need you see – Volunteer!  You may only be the intermediary until the one that God has designed and prepared for the task is ready or arrives but you just might be that one.  You will never know until you respond to the calling of the Holy Spirit. 

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

Psalms 5:11-12 – “But let all who take refuge in Thee be glad, Let them ever sing for joy; And mayest Thou shelter them, That those who love Thy name may exult in Thee. 12 For it is Thou who dost bless the righteous man, O LORD, Thou dost surround him with favor as with a shield.”  NASB

I want us to take a brief look at the treasure that is embedded in these two verses.  In some of my most difficult times, this and verses like it provide an instant charge in my spirit and inspire me to move forward.  David said that he encouraged himself in the Lord and if we are to do the same passages such as this are essential.  Let’s take it one step at a time and hopefully in a few paragraphs we can mine the needed nugget of truth that will help us rise above whatever is trying to press us down. 

Refuge in God.

We are told repeatedly, in Scripture, to seek God and to set the Lord before us.  We are to focus on His Person as well as His Promises and Power.  It is in the relationship with Him that we find true victory and genuine peace. 

As I read this Psalm, I immediately think of Psalm 91 and Psalm 23 and focus on the provision of God to provide a shelter or refuge for us to run to in times of difficulty as well as in times of blessing.  Notice that the Psalmist follows the declaration that those who ‘take refuge’ in God are to be Glad. 

Wow!  You mean we are commanded and instructed to ‘be glad’?  How do we make that a reality?  Notice the second part of that instruction – “Let them ever (always) sing for joy.”  What happens when we begin to enter God’s presence with a genuine attitude and expression of Praise?  He shelters us. 

However, it is never just about us.  In the process of taking refuge in God and being sheltered in Him through Praise, we are empowered to exult Him.  I ask that you consider the KJV rendering – “But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. 12 For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.”  Also, consider the Amplified – “But let all who take refuge and put their trust in You rejoice, Let them ever sing for joy; Because You cover and shelter them, let those who love Your name be joyful and exult in you. 121 For You, O LORD, bless the righteous man [the one who is in right standing with You]’ You surround him with favor as a shield.”

The shelter and refuge of God are so that we can bring honor to His Name and make Him known among the peoples.  In doing that we take the blessing of peace He gives us and administer it to those without peace.  We become tools of evangelism by our lives. 

The Shield of The Righteous…

The Psalmist expresses the reality that as God’s people focus on Him, enter into Praise unto Him, and exult His name we are Blessed by God.  We are Defended by God against all attacks.  We are surrounded by the Presence of God and the Favor of God as a Shield!

The devil accused God of putting a hedge around Job and protecting him.  God had done exactly that, and in this Psalm as well as in Psalm 91 and Psalm 23 we realize that the Promise of Matthew 6:33 becomes a present reality in our lives.  God becomes our Shield and Buckler.  He becomes a Sun and a Shield for Us.  He lifts our heads and gives us Protection and Peace.

What we need to do is take Refuge in God through Praise and Exultation of His Name.  We need to receive the Shield of God’s Protection and Peace.  We need to embrace the Blessing of God.  We do not earn it; it is a Free Gift of His Grace!

God bless you as you endeavor to become one who takes Refuge in God with overflowing Gladness and Joyful Singing.  May you learn to be Sheltered in His Presence!

Have a Great Day!  

John 19:28-30 – – “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!”  29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. 30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.” NKJV

When I think about Salvation and what is needed to receive Salvation I think of this passage of Scripture where Jesus said, “IT IS FINISHED!”  The final divine legally satisfying act to complete the transaction of purchasing man back from the “dominion” of the devil “spiritually” had been completed. 

Divine Justice had been satisfied that “blood had been shed” in sacrifice for sin.  Jesus’ innocent blood had been shed to satisfy the penalty for the sin of mankind and allowed us the opportunity to be “transferred” from the Kingdom of darkness into the “Kingdom of Light” through the Blood of Jesus that He shed on the Cross.  HE PAID OUR DEBT!  He broke the legal hold that Satan had on man and now we can “Whosoever will, can come unto Him” and receive His mercy!  THAT IS CAUSE FOR REJOICING!

The work is “complete”.  How complete is complete?  What else must be done to obtain Salvation?  Is there something that we must do to EARN IT?  NO!  Is there something other than repentance and accepting Him as Savior that we need to do?  NO!  The action on our part is to believe and receive.  The action on our part is to recognize the fact that we “have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” repent of our sins and accept His sacrifice and atonement.  At that point, He accepts us into the beloved and we become part of the family of God. 

The process after that of maturity is lengthy and lifelong but the door has been opened. Divine Justice has been satisfied.  The Cross is the symbol of the ultimate victory of Jesus over the devil and the triumph of mankind.  That’s why I value the empty Cross, the Empty Tomb, and the Risen Lord!  He has prepared for us an Eternal Abode that where He is we may be also!

Therefore, just a Joseph responded when I am confronted with sin or temptation my question is, “How could I sin against my master and my God in this way?”  Oh, I stumble, we all do. But I/We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous to make intercession for us. When we run to the Cross in repentance He accepts us into the beloved and restores our fellowship with God.

Truly, we are weak but He is strong. We must never despair over a stumble here or there but fix our eyes on the ultimate goal and the Finished Work of Jesus on the Cross! It is here that we declare “For, I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.”  We then can walk in complete peace knowing that the Work of Salvation has been Completed in Eternity and in us. We do not have to and cannot Earn it, we simply Receive it!

It is my prayer that you go through your new week with exuberant joy, complete peace, and filled with rejoicing as you walk in the Keeping Power of the Lord!  Blessings!

Ephesians 3:14-21 – “For this reason, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,   15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height —  19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”  NKJV

Nobody likes to be manipulated but too frequently we use manipulation to get what we want, or we attempt to.  My thought is, if we dislike being manipulated why would we resort to it?  SELF-INTEREST is the culprit.  I believe it goes far beyond that simple statement and can be discovered in the prayer of Paul in verse 17 of this passage. 

Note the prayer:  “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love…”  Of course, we must read the rest for the full context. But the thought I want you to catch and entertain is that the reason we manipulate or attempt to is because Christ does not dwell in our hearts to the point we are rooted and grounded in His love and demonstrating His character.  I do not mean Never but that at the moment of succumbing to the temptation to manipulate we are lacking.

Another key is this prayer is not a prayer for the unbeliever but believers.  Paul is crying out to God that believers Know the Love of Christ that transcends the bounds of human knowledge and understanding.  One of the problems is too many believers never move far from the point of entry where they encountered Christ as Savior and fail to follow the Process of becoming Christ-like.  God’s desire is that we be Complete!

I would suggest that man in the Garden of Eden was complete.  Adam and Eve were joined as one to the creator and it was only as they became disobedient; they fell into incompleteness.  You and I, to be complete must be joined as one to our creator and we cannot be complete any other way.  I cannot complete you and you cannot complete me that is something that can only come from God. 

We all need to be loved even if we insist, we do not, we do.  However, human love is conditional love and out of that need, we fall prey to the temptation of manipulation.  But if we are secure in the Love of God we can love as God loves and reject the need to manipulate others to give us the impression of satisfying that need deep inside our beings. 

We all have desires that in and of themselves are not wrong.  God made us to enjoy life. We need to be satisfied and as the old song goes, ‘we search for love (and satisfaction) in all the wrong places’ for true satisfaction can only come from God.

Churches and Ministers are often manipulators often without intending to.  We use religion to manipulate rather than release people.  The drive for acceptance is so strong that we manipulate and allow manipulation as we strive for acceptance.  Man is continually trying to fill that empty hole in his life and tragically some try to fill it with drugs, alcohol, work, sex, things, etc. 

When we attempt to manipulate God through religion we fail miserably.  We know that as humans if we do certain things for others they appear happy and pleased. Therefore, we seek to make God happy by what we do failing to understand it is not what we do that pleases Him but who we are in Him.  We manipulate our words and lifestyles to make God happy and to be accepted by Him.  We go to church, say our prayers, volunteer, and fill our daily schedule to the max to be accepted thinking if we do enough, He will like us, and we will receive His favor and blessings. 

Sadly, manipulation often results in emptiness and when a person is empty inside, they seek to fill that void with something.  There is a significant kinship between a person seeking to fill the emptiness in their lives with drugs and a person seeking to fill the emptiness with religion.  I understand that one may have by-products of worthwhile activities, but both are missing the mark that it is Who We Are not What We Do that moves the heart of God.

It is impossible to bargain with or manipulate God, so you only frustrate yourself trying.  We need to allow God to help us Be Who He made us to Be! As someone said, we are not HUMAN DOINGS we are HUMAN BEINGS and we need to be joined to our Creator as one and BE.  It is out of being that we are free!

God bless you as you embark on today’s journey in life!

Matthew 6:9-13 – “In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.” NKJV

You have heard of the Texas Two-Step dance but how about the Prayer Two-Step?  I would never suggest there are only two steps in prayer but wish to offer two that I believe are crucial to Victorious Praying. 

• STEP ONE – – Praise.

In this step as we enter our prayer closets praise enables us to shift the focus from “self” and “circumstances” to GOD!  It is as we focus on Him, His Promises, and His Provisions we create a place for faith to rise up and become strong.  Our confidence begins to flourish and our hope soars in new and powerful ways, enabling us to rise above the struggles of life and view things from God’s perspective mounting up with the wings of an eagle.  It is here that our hearts are strengthened, emboldened, and encouraged for the more difficult matters of Spiritual Warfare.

• STEP TWO – – Submission.

Until we come to the place of total surrender and submission we will never soar with the eagles and become the mighty warriors in prayer the Kingdom needs and God desires.  It is in the place of TOTAL SURRENDER of everything that we become formidable weapons in the hands of the Holy Spirit waging spiritual warfare and pulling down strongholds, moving mountains, and plucking souls from the clutches of hell.

As we do the Prayer Two-Step we find that a new dimension in the realm of the Spirit opens. Prayer becomes much more than a daily chore or obligation but a joy as we sense. We see the hand of God move in ways we may never have experienced or dreamed possible.  In this condition, we can invite God’s Presence into our lives so powerfully that the stage is set for the Holy Spirit to begin praying through us and guiding us in prayer to be the most effective. 

We must determine in our minds that God’s will is of paramount importance and that we are willing for His will to be done fully in our lives here and now on earth.  This is a total surrender.  I am not talking about getting saved all over again but a daily TOTAL SURRENDER of ourselves to HIS WILL!  It is here that we are in a position and condition to engage in prayer.  For it is here that the Holy Spirit takes control of the rudder of our lives our tongues and in agreement with the Spirit and Word of God, we set the course of life in prayer!

In this Two-Step we find four areas of focus: 

SELF – We place self on the altar of sacrifice daily and completely.  We determine that we will stay before God until the Holy Spirit charts that day’s course and then we proceed but not before. 

FAMILY – We should be praying for our spouses, children, and extended family.  We are placing them on the altar before God and praying for His guidance in their lives. 

THE CHURCH – If you are not praying daily for your pastor, the leadership, the congregation, and the harvest, I must ask why not? 

THE NATION – We are commanded by God to pray for those who have the rule over us and pray for His guidance in the decisions of the state that will affect everything we do in life.  I would suggest a fifth focus according to Psalm 122:6 that we are to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. 

Someone asked me how long we should pray and my consistent response is UNTIL!  Until what or until when?  UNTIL you have heard from God, come into His presence, and received your marching orders for that day.  I have never placed a time on prayer for I have found times when in a matter of minutes I knew that I knew that I knew and at other times it was hours and even days before I knew.  Prayer is more than an exercise to twist God’s arm and get Him to do something for us it is Worship and Warfare as well as Petition.

God bless you as you embark on today’s journey in Jesus!