Goodness

On June 8, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 145: 9

The Lord is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works.
This scripture is talking about us. We are the works of God’s hands, His handiwork. And He has good plans for us. He is merciful when we make mistakes and His plans for us are plans for good. Sometimes we think of God as vengeful and harsh but the Word of God says that He is a good God and that He is good to His kids. He is a loving father with plans for good things for you. He gives good gifts to His children and protects us from harm. All His ways are of kindness and goodness because He is love. His substance is love. So, all that He has is good. He wants to give more good to you than you have ever received before. Let us get a revelation of His goodness so that we allow him to pour all of His lovingkindness into our lives. You have to settle in your heart first, though, that God is a good God.

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Miracle Worker

On June 7, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Matthew 13: 58

And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.
We think of Jesus as all powerful as well we should. The three years of his ministry were full of miracles, amazing miracles. And his miracles were not spotty as in one here and one there. He would go into a town and heal everyone that was brought to him. That’s big! But here in Matthew 13 he had gone home and he was not greeted as the great prophet. For some reason we think that people we know cannot be mightily used of God. Only those from other towns can be prophets of God. Well, Jesus encountered this phenomenon when he went home. Although the people there recognized the wisdom with which he taught, they still became offended at him just because they knew who he was. Because of their attitude, he could perform no miracles there. You see, we have a part to play in the performance of miracles. Jesus cannot create miracles that we cannot believe for. Time and time again Jesus told people that their faith had made them well. We have to work on our believers, which is the machinery of our hearts, so that when we need a miracle, we are already full of belief. After all, all things are possible to those believe.

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Melting Away

On June 6, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Colossians 3: 8 – 9

But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander and abusive speech from your mouth, do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices.
As we set our eyes on those things above, we must take care that we do not resurrect those things from our old self. But the good news is that as you keep your eyes on Jesus, those old things will feel foreign. They are inconsistent with your new self and soon they become uncomfortable. Then they will begin to melt away from you.

It is interesting how many of the above offenses are committed with our mouths. Getting our mouths under control is the bulk of the battle but with our eyes fixed on Jesus, he lends his strength to us so that in our weakness, we are strong. As we focus our attention on seeking Jesus and our Father, his power is made alive in us. Our worship and love of him draws us away from our old behaviors. They will eventually become as repugnant to us as they are to Him because we are drawing closer to Him every day and becoming more like Him.

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Seeking and Finding

On June 3, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Colossians 3: 1

If you then have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
I love the “seeking” scriptures because they remind me of the principle task which God has assigned me. I am reminded that my job is to seek Him and it is his job to take care of everything else. That is good news to me. Jesus promised us that if we seek, we will find (Matthew 7: 7). He also told us to seek those things above and God would add all the other things we need. We focus our eyes on Him and he takes care of our earthly worries. This pattern relieves us of worry and draws us closer to Him at the same time. That is a pretty good deal.

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Dead and Buried

On June 2, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Colossians 2: 12 – 13

[H]aving been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions.

Because of and through your faith in Jesus, you have died, been buried and raised by the power that is at work in God for Jesus. For the power that raised Jesus from the dead, is alive and has renewed you too. If you have given your life to Jesus, then your old self has died and been buried. The life you now live is a new life in Christ Jesus. It is his life that we live because we are a part of Him. And for goodness’ sake, don’t go resurrecting that old man. He is dead and stinks. Leave him in the grave. Live a new life; one in Jesus. Live the life that Jesus bought for you. You are a new creature. The sin of the past has been buried and so have the habits of the past. Leave them with that old, dead flesh. All that was in the old person was only leading you to death and destruction. The new life that Jesus has purchased for you leads to life everlasting as well as victory here on this earth. Don’t let the devil trick you into considering your past and your old self. That person has died and all those problems died with him. Let your mind consider the glorious life that Jesus has given you, a life in Him and with Him. Let your mind stay on that so that your joy can be made full.

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Walking Testimony

On June 1, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 Timothy 4: 16

Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.
Our lives are our testimony. As we walk and talk, we minister God’s gospel. Therefore, let us walk in a way that is worthy of Him. How do we do that? First it is a choice of will but after that it is a matter of paying attention to the Word of God and seeking more intimacy in our relationship with Him. As we give heed to His Word and spend time with the Father in prayer, conversation and just silence, we become more attracted to the ways of the Father. We act more like Him because we are hanging out with Him. It is just like your mother told you when you were a child; you are going to act like those you hang around. Put your eyes on His Word, persevere in seeking Him. Order your words according to His Word. Then all will be well with you and your life will a light to all those with whom you come in contact.

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I Can Hear

On May 31, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Isaiah 50: 5

The Lord God has opened my ear.

God has not determined that only a few may hear His voice. He has opened the ear of us all that we might be led by Him. Life becomes substantially easier when you can hear His voice. You are able to then receive His wisdom and walk in the path He determines is best for you. You may say that you have never heard His voice before though. Ok, first you must accept that you can hear the voice of the Lord. Then come to expect it. Next, listen. You should start to actively listen. The leading of the Lord can be subtle but with time you might also find that He can be loud and clear. I have noticed that some of us have a difficult time hearing a person that is standing three feet away speaking audibly. Our minds have so much chatter going on in them that we really don’t listen to people all of the time. If you have discovered this in yourself, don’t worry. You are not alone. It is an epidemic. We are busy people juggling a lot of data in a short period of time. Learn how to quiet your mind so that you can hear from Him. Sometimes it is just a thought that comes to you out of nowhere. As you listen for His voice and begin to hear Him, you will grow accustomed to His communication. You will begin to recognize His voice at the first whisper. You are meant to hear from Him. You are the special person that He wants to talk with.

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