the dc
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
love, acceptance, forgiveness
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daily devotionPosted on Feb. 13, 2012
Double For Your Trouble!
Isaiah 61:7
"Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, and instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; everlasting joy shall be theirs." Isaiah 6:7 God says in His Word that you will receive double for your trouble if you will put Him first in your life. If the devil has given you one trouble, then for that one trouble you can expect to receive a double-portion blessing! And if that trouble has caused you to experience shame, God’s promise to you is this: “Instead of your shame you shall have double honor”. God wants to give you a double-portion blessing for every trouble you go through!
And don’t think that God is behind your troubles. The devil is the real culprit. Sometimes, it could be the one you see in the mirror every morning! But the moment you respond to God in faith and humility, He gets involved in your restoration. And He does not restore to you the same amount that you have lost. You always get more than before, if not in quantity, then in quality. You will be at a higher place than before. You will be stronger, healthier, wealthier, wiser or more at peace! It's all about your willingness to let God do it rather than yourself.
This was the case with Job. Satan was behind Job’s troubles, but when Job responded in faith and a yielded heart, God took it upon Himself to restore to Job all that he had lost. The Bible tells us that Job received double in terms of quantity — from 7,000 sheep to 14,000 sheep, 3,000 camels to 6,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen to 1,000 yoke of oxen and 500 female donkeys to 1,000 female donkeys. And for the children he had lost, God restored in terms of quality — his daughters were the fairest in all the land. (Job 1:2–3, 13–19; 42:12–15)
If Job, who was not under the new covenant, could be blessed with double for his troubles, how much more will we who are under the new covenant! In fact, God will not only restore double but triple, fivefold or even sevenfold!
My friend, for everything that you have lost, get ready for God’s restoration. Expect to receive double and even more for every trouble! God gives grace to the humble and yielded. This is an example of that. Believe it today!
Posted on Dec. 2, 2011
Showing Honest Emotion
“Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, See how he loved him!” John 11:35-36 NIV
by Bob Gass
Some of us are like a closed book; people never get to know what’s on the inside of us. Jesus was not afraid to be vulnerable. He wept openly at the grave of His friend Lazarus. So, can you show honest emotion? Do you talk of the trophies you have won but not the tears you have shed?
When you speak only of your success but fail to share what you went through to achieve it, you leave people feeling like they’ll never be able to rise as high as you have. Is that what you want? Jesus was infuriated when the strong took advantage of the weak; it’s why He threw the moneychangers out of the temple. Yet He wept over the people of Jerusalem because He knew what the consequences of their rejecting Him would be.
Now we’re not talking about displays of uncontrolled temper, or dissolving into tears each time trouble comes. But unless you have the ability to show an appropriate level of empathy and transparency, you will have no credibility. The Bible says: “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven…A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance” (Ecc 3:1,4 NLT). If you are able to be tough but not tender, people may admire your achievements and comply with your instructions, but they will keep you at a distance. And you will be lonely. But it’s a self-imposed loneliness brought on by your unwillingness to open up and let them in. Jesus showed honest emotion; you must too
Posted on Nov. 21, 2011
“Do not be conformed…but be transformed.” Romans 12:2 NKJV
CONFORMED OR TRANSFORMED?
What does it mean to give yourself fully to God? (1) It’s an act of worship. “Offer your bodies…this is your spiritual act of worship” (v.1 NIV). Worship isn’t just attending Sunday service, singing praises and saying prayers. “This people…honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me” (Isa 29:13 NAS). It calls for surrendering your heart to God twenty-four hours of every day; whether you’re alone or in a crowd, at work, enjoying recreation, spending family time, at school, on a date, or just walking the dog. If your heart isn’t moving you, your behaviors will only be an act of reluctant compliance rather than one of joyful commitment. Surrendering to God isn’t a part-time thing done for your own benefit; it’s a full-time act of worship done for God’s benefit. (2) It’s a response to God’s generosity. “In view of God’s mercy…offer your bodies” (Ro 12:1 NIV). God doesn’t say, “If you don’t surrender I will punish you.” There’s no arm twisting. You don’t submit through clenched teeth because of fear; no, it’s a response to a debt. Everything God asks is initiated by His giving. Your repentance is a response to His love. Your tithe is a response to His blessing. Your obedience is a response to His promises. God’s grace is never “a deal,” it’s the “free gift” of His love to the undeserving (See Ro 5:18). Therefore “in view of” (NIV)� - as a rational response to� - His mercy, “offer your bodies as living sacrifices.” It’s your “reasonable service” and it will be “acceptable to God.” Posted on Nov. 15, 2011
“The eyes of all look expectantly to You.” Ps 145:15 NKJV
EXPECT GOOD THINGS FROM GOD
When God introduced Himself to Abraham He went by the name El Shaddai, which means “The provider of all.” And today God is saying to you, “I will be all you need!” Now you know that God is able, but don’t you sometimes wonder if He’s willing? Simply having a revelation of God’s ability is not enough; you must also believe that He will, in order to put a solid foundation under your faith. One day a leper came to Jesus saying, “If you will, you can heal my disease.” Jesus revealed His heart by saying, “I will” (See Mk 1:40-42). Don’t allow Satan to convince you that God may or may not take care of you. The Bible says, “God shall supply all your need” (Php 4:19 NKJV). Notice, the Bible doesn’t say, “God is power,” it says, “God is love.” It focuses on His willingness to use His power, rather than the power itself. Because God has a heart of love, He will use His power to meet your needs. God actually gets great pleasure out of meeting your needs. “The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works…The eyes of all look expectantly to You, and You give them their food in due season. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing” (Ps 145:8-9 & 15-16 NKJV). God may not answer your prayer in the way you think He should, or when you think He should, but if you trust Him He will answer in the way that’s best for you. Posted on Oct. 26, 2011
Your Miracle Is On Its Way!
"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father
which is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him." Matthew 7:11
Did you know your view of God influences every part of your life?
If you see God as a strict, distant and isolated judge waiting to punish you for each mistake, you'll spend your life in constant fear and insecurity.
But when you see Him as He really is—a gracious, loving and giving Father—it will put so much faith in your heart to receive from Him that if it's a miracle you need, it's a miracle you'll get!
The Bible shows us a beautiful picture of Christ—Christ as the Rock. In Exodus 17, God told Moses to strike a rock so that water would flow to quench the thirst of the Israelites. This represents the crucifixion of Christ, and reveals Him as the supplier of all of our needs. That water that flowed from the struck rock typifies all that we need in life, be it health, prosperity or success in our career and relationships. The striking represents the blow that Jesus, our true ROCK, received to supply you with everything you need in life.
Then, in Numbers 20, when God told Moses to SPEAK to the rock, Moses disobeyed and struck the rock instead. On the cross, Christ was offered as ONE sacrifice for sins forever. (Hebrews 10:12) Jesus had only to be struck once—His work on the cross is perfect and need not be repeated. When you're faced with a problem, speak to the Rock! You speak to the Rock by agreeing with God's Word, by saying what He has already said about you and your situation.
Posted on Oct. 21, 2011
From ‘Deliverance’ To ‘No Evil Shall Touch You’ Job 5:19
19He shall deliver you in six troubles, yes, in seven no evil shall touch you God will deliver you from all your troubles. (Psalm 34:19, 2 Timothy 4:18) But deliverance is actually not the best that God has for you because it implies that you are in trouble. God’s best for you is the place where no trouble or evil can touch you. And with His help, you will come to that place because the Bible says, “He shall deliver you in six troubles, yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.” This does not mean that God will only deliver you six times. It just means that as you keep believing God’s promises of protection, after some time, you will come to a place where no evil will touch you!
So when trouble comes, God does not want you to be discouraged. He wants you to know that it is only the devil trying to steal His Word from your heart. The devil is afraid of leaving God’s Word in your heart for even one second because he knows that it will lead you to a place where no evil will touch you. That is why he comes immediately to steal God’s Word from your heart.
Posted on August 8, 2011
Speak Blessings Over Your Family
For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield." Psalm 5:12 What do you believe and say to your loved ones every day? For orthodox Jews, on Friday evenings in their homes, the father lays his hands on his children and pronounces God’s blessings over them. No wonder Jewish children grow up to be winners in the fight of life! They become some of the world’s greatest inventors, bankers, musicians and entertainers.
Although a minority race, the Jews have produced the most number of Nobel Prize winners. I believe that it is because they bless their children in the same way the patriarchs of the Old Testament did. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob released God’s blessings upon their children by laying hands on them and speaking forth the blessings. (Genesis 27:27–29, 38–40; 48:14–16)
In the New Testament, the apostles pronounced blessings over the churches they were preaching to. To the church in Philippi, Paul declared, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19) John released a powerful blessing upon Gaius when he said , “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” (3 John 1:2)
Posted July 29, 2011
Fight From Victory Not For Victory!
Put on the whole amour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6;11
God does not need you to defeat the devil today. Jesus has already done it and given you the victory. (Colossians 2:15, Romans 8:37) Your part is to enforce the victory by simply standing your ground, which is victory ground. In other words, you “fight” from victory ground by standing. You don’t fight for victory. It's already yours.
In Ephesians 6:10–18, the passage on spiritual warfare, the word “wrestle” appears only once (verse 12), while the word “stand” appears four times — “stand against the wiles of the devil”, “withstand in the evil day”, “having done all, to stand”, “Stand therefore”. (Verses 11, 13–14) Four times the Holy Spirit tells us to stand. Yet, many Christians are focusing on wrestling their way to victory instead of standing on what's already theirs.
You are already on victory ground. You already have everything in Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:21, 23) You are already blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3). The devil knows this. And that is why his tactic is to deceive you and make you think that you don’t have the victory.
So when he attacks you by saying, “Look at that small sum in your bank account! How are you going to pay the bills?” stand your ground. Declare, “I am not trying to be rich, In Christ, I am rich!” It doesn’t matter how much you have in the bank. You are rich because you are in Christ. And as the need arises, the supply will be there if you believe that He has provided everything for you and your decisions are responsible and faith filled. You will be tested and God's timing is perfect but you MUST understand Biblically, you are fighting FROM victory, not FOR victory. That makes all the difference.
Posted July 22, 2011
GUEST DEVOTION BY MAX LUCADO
Thump Thud Thump Thud
Thump-Thud, Thump-Thud
When a potter bakes a pot, he checks its solidity by pulling it out of the oven and thumping it. If it “sings,” it’s ready. If it “thuds,” it’s placed back in the oven.
The character of a person is also checked by thumping. Been thumped lately?
Late-night phone calls. Grouchy teacher. Grumpy moms. Burnt meals. Flat tires. You’ve-got-to-be-kidding deadlines. Those are thumps. Thumps are those irritating inconveniences that trigger the worst in us. They catch us off guard. Flat-footed. They aren’t big enough to be crises, but if you get enough of them, watch out! Traffic jams. Long lines. Empty mailboxes. Dirty clothes on the floor. Even as I write this, I’m being thumped. Because of interruptions, it has taken me almost two hours to write these two paragraphs. Thump. Thump. Thump.
How do I respond? Do I sing? Or do I thud?
Jesus said that out of the nature of the heart a man speaks (Luke 6:45). There’s nothing like a good thump to reveal the nature of a heart. The true character of a person is seen not in momentary heroics but in the thump-packed humdrum of day-to-day living.
If you have a tendency to thud more than you sing, take heart.
The true character of a person is seen not in momentary heroics but in the thump-packed humdrum of day-to day living.
There is hope for us “thudders”:
1. Begin by thanking God for thumps. I don’t mean a half-hearted thank-you. I mean a rejoicing, jumping-for-joy thank-you from the bottom of your heart (James 1:2). Chances are that God is doing the thumping. And he’s doing it for your own good. So every thump is a reminder that God is molding you (Heb. 12:5–8). 2. Learn from each thump. Face up to the fact that you are not “thump-proof.” You are going to be tested from now on. You might as well learn from the thumps—you can’t avoid them. Look upon each inconvenience as an opportunity to develop patience and persistence. Each thump will help you or hurt you, depending on how you use it.
3. Be aware of “thump-slump” times. Know your pressure periods. For me Mondays are infamous for causing thump-slumps. Fridays can be just as bad. For all of us, there are times during the week when we can anticipate an unusual amount of thumping. The best way to handle thump-slump times? Head on. Bolster yourself with extra prayer, and don’t give up.
 Remember, no thump is disastrous. All thumps work for good if we are loving and obeying God.
Posted July 11, 2011
You Have the Favor of God!
Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all…Rom. 4;16
God’s grace is His undeserved, unearned and unmerited favor. And because it is undeserved, unearned and unmerited, all of us qualify for it. But how do we walk in it?
Just as a password gives you access to a computer program, faith enables you to walk in God’s unmerited favor. Now, faith has nothing to do with what you do or what you can do. Faith is simply believing and declaring what God has done and is doing for you.
When you believe that the favor of God is on you because of Christ’s finished work, His promises of provision, healing and restoration become sure to you. They are not just sure to the Jews, but also to you and me because we are “of the faith of Abraham”.
Ruth was a Gentile widow who put her faith in God’s grace. She believed and declared that God’s favor would lead her to the right field in which to glean, where she would find favor in the owner’s sight. (Ruth 2:2) Because she depended on God’s unmerited favor, God not only placed her in wealthy Boaz’s field, but also in the genealogy of Jesus! (Matthew 1:5)
Ruth’s faith in God’s favor opened up a whole new world for her. She went from poverty to wealth, widowhood to marriage, and from being childless to having a complete family. She also became a respected member of the community. (Ruth 4:13–15)
If Ruth, a Gentile who was under the old covenant, enjoyed God’s favor, how much more will we who are under the new covenant of grace enjoy the blessings that the unmerited favor of God brings! In fact, because God sees us in the Beloved today, we enjoy the same favor that Jesus has! (Ephesians 1:3–6)
Posted June 28, 2011
Every Curse Destroyed In Your Life
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree." Galatians 3:13 Many believers probably know that when Jesus died, our sins were forgiven because He shed His blood. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. (Ephesians 1:7, Hebrews 9:22) But why did Jesus have to die on the cross, since the capital punishment of Israel during the time of Christ was stoning and not crucifixion
Jesus hung and died on the cross because He knew the law which s ays that “he who is hanged is accursed of God”. (Deuteronomy 21:23) He wanted to redeem us from every curse of the law, so He went to the cross, “having become a curse for us”. Jesus took all our curses at the cross, so that we can take all His blessings!
The moment you received Jesus, every curse in your life was destroyed. And the way you experience this is to simply believe and confess what Jesus has done for you. Say, “Because of Jesus, I am blessed.” The more you say it and believe it, the more you will experience it.
So if there is an area in your life in which you feel oppressed, for example, a physical condition that refuses to heal, say, “Christ has redeemed me from this condition. I refuse it and reject it in Jesus’ name because by His stripes I am healed!” (1 Peter 2:24) Believe it and say it until you see it!
But Pastor Prince, my father died of cancer. His father died of cancer. And I have been told by my doctor that there is a likelihood that I might get it too. It’s in our blood!”
Posted June 17, 2011
Nothing To Do, Only Believe
28… “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” 29Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent. John 6:28-29 When I was a young Christian, I attended a church that was all about DOING! Principles weren't taught.....only performance and action. To “work the works of God” I was told that we had to pray more, fast more, give more, serve more, and on and on the sermons would go. While appreciate the face that I found Christ at that church and it was foundational for where I am today, all I knew about Christianity were the rules and the do's,Then one day, I found the same question in the Bible. But the answer was very different!
Notice how Jesus answered them: “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” My friend, the greatest doing is believing — believing in Jesus the sent one, who has done it all for you at the cross!
If you are asking, “What must I do to receive my healing?” the answer is this: REST! Believe in Jesus, who “Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses”. (Matthew 8:17) I have seen many people delivered when they quit working so hard at it. They had simply believed that Jesus bore their diseases on His own body. There was nothing for them to do, except to believe.
When the jailer asked Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:30–31) The greatest miracle in your life happens not by you working and trying to save yourself, but by you simply believing in Jesus who died to save you from eternal damnation and to give you eternal life. Why then, should the lesser miracles of healing or financial breakthroughs be any different?
What is the miracle you need today? There is nothing left for you to do, but everything for you to believe, because Jesus has done it all for you! Posted June 8, 2011
You're Not Alone! Jesus Knows All About What You're Going Through!
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15
Do you sometimes wonder if God really knows what it is like to be poor, rejected by people or sick with aches and pains. Perhaps you are asking, “Does God really understand what I am going through?”
Jesus was no stranger to emotional or physical pains, poverty or hardships. He was born into a poor family. He had a smelly manger for His birthplace. (Luke 2:7) From an early age , as a carpenter, He knew all about working hard with His hands, standing on His feet all day long and returning home with aches in His body.
They said that He was demon-possessed and mad (John 10:20), put Him on the spot when they brought an adulterous woman to Him (John 8:2–11), attempted to stone Him (John 8:59, 10:31–39) and accused Him of perverting the nation. (Luke 23:2)
Have you been chased out of your home because of your Christian beliefs? Jesus understands what you are going through. He was chased out of His own hometown. (Luke 4:29) Have you been rejected by someone you love? Jesus also experienced the pain of being denied by a loved one (Luke 22:54–62) and betrayed by one considered close to Him. (Luke 22:47–4 8) He also knows all about the sickness you are suffering because He bore your sicknesses and pains on the cross. (Isaiah 53:4)
Posted June 1, 2011
Living Stress Free by Grace
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the
day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:34
“I am concerned about the big business deal that I have to close tomorrow.” “I am worried about tomorrow’s job interview.” “My medical test results will be out tomorrow. I am afraid it won’t be good.”
God does not want you to worry about tomorrow. He wants you to know that He gives you all the help you need for today, and when tomorrow comes, so will fresh help from Him.
This is God’s principle even in the Old Testament. When the children of Israel were in the desert, God gave them fresh manna from heaven every morning. (Exodus 16:13–16, 31) They did not have to worry about tomorrow because when tomorrow came, there was fresh manna again. He was their provision every day.
Today, God’ s manna is the grace He gives you every day. If you are worried about a situation tomorrow, know that there will be sufficient grace for that situation when it comes. God wants you to simply rest in His ability to heal, deliver, protect and provide for you every day.
When the next morning came, King Jehoshaphat saw how God caused such confusion to come upon his enemies’ camp that it brought about their own slaughter. Amid all that fighting in the enemy camp, God’s people merely stood still and saw Him fight the battle for them just as He had promised.
When you see a problem looming in your tomorrow, don’t be afraid or dismayed. Look to the Lord, and see His grace and salvation deliver you.
Posted May 24, 2011
God Is In It With You
28And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 Do you feel misunderstood and forsaken by the people you love? Have you been falsely accused and stripped of everything, without a dime to your name? Maybe today, you feel that you have hit rock bottom and you wonder if you can ever rise again.
Joseph, who was sold by his brothers into slavery (Genesis 37:28), went through all these experiences and emotions. Still, he was conscious that God was in it with him every step of the way. Though his life was a “mess”, he believed that it was not an accident. Though the things that were happening to him were not good, he believed that God was making all things work together for his good. And it was indeed so — Joseph eventually rose to occupy the most powerful position in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. (Genesis 41:40)
Probably, this consciousness that God was in it with him was the reason he forgave his brothers when he met them again later in his life. Joseph told them, “But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me b efore you to preserve life.” (Genesis 45:5)
So like Joseph, whatever you are facing now, be conscious that God is in it with you. Be Jesus-conscious. Though you may have nothing or not much now in the natural, the truth is that you have everything when you have Jesus!
The same Jesus who went around enriching others with 12 baskets full of leftovers, a net-breaking, boat-sinking load of fishes, and who never impoverished anybody, will empower you to prosper and succeed in life. The same Jesus who went about doing good will cause good to explode in your life. The same Jesus who went about healing the sick and never giving anyone sickness will keep you in divine health and protect you from harm.
Posted May 20, 2011
The Ease of Receiving from God
8So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land… Exodus 3:8 When the children of Israel provided for themselves in Egypt, they ate cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. (Numbers 11:5) These were types of food which required them to bend down close to the ground and pull out to eat — a backbreaking work.
But when God provided for them in Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey (Numbers 13:27), He gave them grapes, pomegranates and figs. (Numb ers 13:23) These fruits were not found on the ground and the Israelites only had to pluck them to eat them.
God wants you to know that when He provides for you, you will see a flow of provisions coming your way, and all you need to do is to just stretch forth your hand and take from Him!
Let's say you're planning to get married. Don’t say to yourself, “Well, if I work harder and start saving now, I will have… oh my goodness, not much! The cost of the wedding banquet will wipe out everything! How can I get married?”
As a child of God, know that your Daddy God is excited about your upcoming wedding, and He is very rich! When we plan responsibly, yet REST in God's provision you will be surprised at what God does. What I have seen is money coming in on the wedding day itself. And before the last piece of cake is eaten, everything is paid up. So instead of trusting your efforts to have enough for your big day, God wants you to fix your wedding date and put your trust in Him to provide for you richly.
Are you faced with a financial debt? How much do you think you can save by working overtime and taking on a second job and end up missing worship and good preaching with other believers? Many who have learned to REST in God's ability rather than their own will testify that God simply turned their financial situations around. I had a hospital bill due to an eye ailment a couple years back. It was about $10,000.00. Insurance did not cover it. How was I to pay it? I gave each month as I could but it wasn't much. BUT..............I rested in God and knew He would help me. The entire debt was cancelled within a month after I determined to take MY hands off and let God's hands handle it.
I've found this to be true in so many areas of my life.
Posted May 18, 2011
‘Now My Eyes See You, Lord!’
5“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Job. 42:5 You may have heard of God from a friend or colleague. Perhaps you continue to hear of Him in church services on Sundays. Like Job, you say to God, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear.” But God also wants you to be able to say to Him, “But now my eye sees You.”
When Job told the Lord, “My eye sees You,” he was not saying that he saw God physically. He w as referring to the moment when he had a personal revelation of God.
There was a lady who was separated from her husband because he had an affair with his colleague. But when she came to church and began to have a personal revelation of God’s personal love for her, she believed God for the restoration of her marriage by the end of the year. She did not just hear of a God who “so loved the world”. (John 3:16) She came to know the God who so loved her!
Not long after that, her estranged husband started dating her and was soon falling in love with her all over again. God also “took care” of the other woman — she resigned from the company. And on the first of January the following year, the couple moved back into their matrimonial home, their marriage now built solidly on God!
When you are reading your Bible or hearing God’s Word being preached, and suddenly you exclaim, “I see it, Lord!” that is when your personal revelation of God has come. And you are now in a position to receive all that He has for you!
Posted May 16, 2011
Down But Not Out
Before you were a Christian, when something sad or bad happened to you, you cried until you had no more tears left. Your heart simply broke into pieces, and you felt trapped, depressed and totally defeated. But after having become a Christian, when something bad happens to you, you may still cry, but you feel comforted inside. You are sad outwardly, but your heart isn’t heavy. You don’t understand why, but deep down inside you, there is something lifting you up. That something buoyant, which is rising from the inside of you, is the life of Christ in you!
You cannot be completely distressed because Christ in you is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) who says to you, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)
Yes, it may be a bad situation and you are in a tight spot, but Christ in you is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6), and He says to you, “It will all be all right. I will provide a way out for you.”
Before you knew Christ, when you were down, you were out. But now, when you are down, you are not out because Christ in you is the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27) “Hope” in the Bible means a definite, positive expectation of good.
So Christ in you is the definite, positive expectation of a glorious marriage! Christ in you is the definite, positive expectation of a glorious family! Christ in you is the definite positive expectation of glorious health! Christ in you is the definite positive expectation of a glorious life!
My friend, Christ in you is the definite, positive expectation of all the glories of God revealed to you. No bad circumstance that you are in can or will ever cause you to be destroyed or forsaken by God!
Posted May 10, 2011 That Something Special About You is His Favor and Glory Isaiah 60:1 1Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
Isaiah 60:1 People might have said to you, “Why are you so lucky?” or “You seem to be looking younger and younger,” or “There is so much bad news these days, yet you seem untroubled by them.”
Now, the people of the world don’t have spiritual discernment. They can only go by your physical appearance, behavior and what happens to you. In other words, if they notice something different about you, it is because they see the evidence of God’s glory and favor on your life — in your family and work life, health and finances.
You don’t have to be a straight-A student or someone able to speak the Queen’s English. You may be foul-mouthed like the disciple Peter, but when God changes you and His glory rises upon you, and you stand up and preach, 3,000 people get saved! (Acts 2:14–41) What is important is that God gives weight to what you say. It's His favor over your
ability! You might be a nobody like Joseph, a slave cast aside and forgotten in a dungeon. Yet, the gr eatest king on earth at that time sought Joseph out to have him interpret his dreams. In other words, God will give to you answers that the people of the world do not have.
Maybe it is your hands. When you lay hands on the sick, they recover. Maybe it is your ability to give counsel that is spot on, or your ability to speak into their future with a word of knowledge or word of wisdom from God.
"The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” (Isaiah 60:3) My friend, when you see this happening, it is because the people of the world are drawn to His favor and the glory of the Lord which has risen upon you!
His grace is on you, in you, and all around you. Acknowledge it. Respect it. Recognize it! And NEVER FORGET it is
unmerited, undeserved, and freely given to you as a gift. All you have to do is REST in Him and RECEIVE. Isn't it
awesome serving a God like this????
See God’s Goodness In The Midst Of Evil Matthew 2:13
13… an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”
God does not play a game of counterattack with the devil — the devil does something bad, then God steps in to bring something good out of it. The truth is, when something bad happens, it is the devil reacting to something good that God has started. The Lord once told me, “Tell My people that if they want to understand what I am doing, just look at what the devil is doing and see it in reverse. That is what I am doing, multiplied many times over.”
This truth is in the Bible. When Christ was born, soldiers were sent to kill all baby boys under the age of two in Bethlehem. The folks in Bethlehem then would have seen only evil. But there were those like Mary who saw God’s goodness. They knew that God had sent a Savior into the world! The killing of the infants was just the devil’s reaction to the gift of salvation that God had sent.
Some time back the bird flu when hit our region. While pondering the significance of birds, you might consider Matthew 6:26: “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”
If God takes care of the birds, how much more will He take care of you! So, by attacking the birds with disease, the devil is, in essence, reacting to God’s provision for His people. In other words, he saw that God’s provision had already been released on His people in a big way!
Too Much Grace? A few weeks ago, someone online requested a DVD copy of me being sent to hell. When I told my youngest brother Bennett this, his reaction was simple: “Oh come on! DVD? Doesn’t heaven have better technology than that at this point? At the bare minimum I have to believe they’ve got Blu-ray.” He makes a good point. If the movies “Piranha” and “Step Up” are in 3D I assume heaven is using some sort of hologram technology. But that’s not really the point of this. The point is that someone felt I was on a bullet train to Hades. Why? I wrote a piece for CNN about the two most common ways Christians become jerks online. In it, I argued that we’re called to love our neighbor and that includes people on the Internet. The reader who wrote me and several other people felt that in the article I came across as being “soft on sin.” Similar to how people will accuse politicians of being “soft on crime,” sometimes Christians accuse each other of being “soft on sin.” The idea is that there needs to be justice and consequences. People have to pay the cost of their actions and learn from their mistakes. When you’re “soft on sin,” you’re giving people too many second chances, you’re not holding people accountable the right way, you’re being too gracious. So people accused me of giving evil a free pass. Have you ever heard that before? Has there ever been an issue your friend thought you weren’t mad enough about? Or a situation where you refused to let someone keep falling when everyone told you to abandon all hope? Have you ever been accused of being soft on sin? It’s not a new phenomenon. In the Prodigal Son story, this is essentially the argument of the older brother. When he realizes his failure of a younger brother received a party instead of punishment, he is incensed. He berates the father, lists out the younger brother’s faults and refuses to attend the party. But here’s the thing about this approach to life. Here’s the one thing I can’t get around. You can never out grace a God who sent his son to the cross for you. You will never have a reaction to a situation or a sin or a person or an issue that is more loving than God. Your reaction will never, ever outweigh God’s. But don’t get that twisted, God is not soft on sin. In fact, his wrath for sin is demonstrated best in the severity of his grace. We don’t get casual grace. We don’t get easy grace. We don’t get cheap or soft grace. We get severe grace. We get unyielding grace. We get Christ on the cross with nails in his hands and blood on his body grace. We get severe grace. And the reason we do is that God is not soft on sin. He is hard on sin. He is wrathful on sin. He is all knowing and all powerful on sin. He is fire and earthquakes and showers of sulfur on sin. His wrath is undeniable on sin. Which is why it took such tremendous grace to quench it. I’m not soft on sin. I’m not shy about repentance or consequences or hurt or suffering or pain. But when it comes to loving people, our Lord has set an incredibly high bar. So love the people no one else loves. Show grace without end. Give comfort even when it makes no sense. And as far as the DVD copy of my trip to hell goes? I’m not concerned about emails like that. “You’re too loving” and “you show too much grace” are insults I will forever accept. Something Good Is Going to Happen to You!
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life........" Psalm 23:6
There is "success," and then there is "GOOD success." Which would you rather experience?
We live in a world where so many people mindlessly pursue success and prosperity, but few ever find it.
And most of those who achieve what the world calls success find it empty and meaningless. Why? Because this kind of success may bring material wealth, but it often undermines or has negative effects on our relationships, peace of mind and health.
God's Word contains a foolproof plan for experiencing the kind of success and well-being that is fulfilling, lasting and complete. The Bible calls it "good success." In the Bible, when Joshua became the new leader of the Israelites, God helped him. He not only gave Joshua advice, but He also made an absolute promise to Joshua that I fully believe applies to us today.
In Joshua 1, God told Joshua to pay very close attention to His written Word, saying, "...Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go... you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."
(Joshua 1:7Ð8, ESV) Friend, God wants you to have His good success. When you have good success, you experience the blessings of God not just in your career and finances, but also in the areas of your health and relationships. You'll see God's abundant provision and unmerited favor in your workplace and in your family life!
It's not something you try to earn or deserve... all you have to do is place yourself in a position to receive from Him. To do this, do as Joshua did. Meditate on the Word of God. When you meditate on the Scriptures, your heart and thoughts begin to line up with the amazing power of God's unchangeable Word.
Beloved, your success is not determined by your surroundings. Your destiny does not hinge on your situation or circumstances. Your life is determined by what God's Word says.
As you meditate on His Word, I know that you will be strengthened in the Lord, experience victory over every fear and enjoy His good success. He gives His blessings freely to you because He loves you so much!
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