Another Great Exodus

On January 15, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Judges 6: 8 – 9

“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘It was I who brought you up from Egypt, and brought you out from the house of slavery. And I delivered you from the hands of the Egyptians and from the hands of all your oppressors, and dispossessed them before you and gave you their land.'”

All through the Old Testament we keep hearing the forefathers talk about God leading the people out of the bondage of Egypt. They constantly reminded each other that their God was He who led them out of bondage and into a life of abundance and blessing. Finally I was reading in the Old Testament and it dawned on me. Nothing has actually changed in that regard. God is still doing the same thing today, liberating people from bondage.

You see, the God that freed the Israelites from the cruelties of Pharaoh is still on the throne today and wants to give you your own personal exodus. He wants you to experience complete freedom. You can be free from financial worries, physical limitations and anything else that limits your life. Your heart can be completely healed, your life redeemed and your end can be far greater than your beginning. God really does have super huge plans for you but you have to partner with Him. Do you remember the exodus story? Remember how much difficulty Moses had persuading the slaves to leave their slavery and follow God into a life of freedom in a land flowing with milk and honey? We actually do the same thing today. We are so comfortable in our prisons, some of which are self-made, that it is easier to remain in bondage than to take a step of faith. It is hard to put your reputation and your heart on the line and actually stand with God. It is sometimes hard to hope. But God is calling to you to come out. He wants you to live a life without man imposed limits. Jesus removed all the limits, all of the ties which bind. He has given you wings with which you can soar.

Do you think this is just rhetoric? Look around. Some Christians are actually flying with Jesus. They are living that abundant life that Jesus promised all of us in John 10: 10. What makes them so special? I think it is just that they believe and we don’t. What if we could mend our believers and jump off the end of the pier like they do? What if we could really trust God with our hopes and dreams? Is He a god who is deaf or uncaring?  

I believe that we can all attain to great heights. We have only to open our hearts and let God speak to us there. We must abandon the rules of this world and all its negative reports and believe in the depths of our spirits that God really does want to work great things in our lives. There is nothing to stop us from having the very best year of our lives this year. This can be the year of bounty. Be still and hear what the voice of God is saying to you. Take time to listen to the whisper of your heart. There are great things on the wind for you. God is calling to you. Listen. Grab the truth and refuse to let go. Let the world go its way and follow dear Jesus to the land of milk and honey. It is just around the bend. Agree that this is your year. Set your heart in agreement with God. There is freedom for the captives; a great exodus. Where will you go?

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Success in the Word

On January 14, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Joshua 1: 8

This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but 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 success.

There is a very good reason that this devotional is called the Word of the Day and why it begins with God speaking. Each one of us has a definition of success for our lives and each of us aspires to attain that success. Every one of us wishes to be prosperous in various ways. It would be ridiculous for us to be otherwise. Joshua was no different from us in this respect. He wanted to be successful at the task which God had given him. However, he was a little overwhelmed too. His job was to fill the shoes vacated when Moses died. One can imagine that Joshua was a bit concerned about his ability to lead the people into the Promised Land. So, God gave him this advice. Keep the Word of God in your mouth; meditate on it day and night. 

So, I send you God’s Word every day because I know that it has power to positively impact your life. The text that I write is for the purpose of elucidating what God has said. My writing is meant to explain a bit more of what is imbedded in the scripture and sometimes to bring out background information that we may not all have. And sometimes, it is meant to bring to you a revelation that God has shown me during my studies. However, it is not the most important part of the devotional. It is my intense desire that what I write blesses you but what God wrote is much bigger. 

I realize that you are busy people. Everyone is very busy these days. I also understand that sometimes my comments get long and that you may not feel you have time for the full text. I can appreciate that. I read daily devotionals too so I encounter the same emotions. My advice is that you open the Word of the Day devotional email everyday and read the scripture. Look to see what God is speaking to you even if you do not have time to read what I have to say. I am not offended. His Word ministers life. It will generally take you less than 2 minutes to read the scripture and I think it is pretty safe to assume we can all scrape together 2 minutes to receive a Word deposit from God. The Word is our secret to success so we need to have those deposits daily. And then throughout the day perhaps that verse will turn over and over in your mind so that you receive the inspiration of the Word.

I want you to read the full text of the Word of the Day everyday but that is not always possible so just allow yourself to ingest that most important part. Read the “Word” of the Day, the scripture, and let Dad minister its deep meaning to you.

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Let There Be … Revelation

On January 13, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Genesis 1: 3, 14 & 16

Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

(14) Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years … (16) and God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also.

In verse 3 God said, literally, “Light Be” and there was light. How is it then that we have to wait until verse 14 for God to get around to making the sun and the moon and what happened in verse 3 since it obviously was not the creation of the sun and moon?

One of the lessons I learned while I was away from you on vacation is that you know much more than I have sometimes realized. I spend a lot of time alone in my office reading and writing so when God gives me a revelation it seems to me that I have received it in a bit of a humanity vacuum. Somehow I lost touch with the truth that He gives me revelation in order to support you. So, I have had several creation theories running around in my spirit for several years that I have shared with few people because they seemed kind of “out there.” What I now understand is that God has been ministering the same revelations to you and has just given me the job of confirming what you are already hearing. I was also concerned about blowing away some of the newer believers with ideas that I thought might be beyond them but they are coming into the body with big ideas already. Therefore, I begin this New Year apologizing to you and with the promise that I will not hold back what I hear God saying. 

So, here is what I believe happened at creation. I believe that when God said, “Light be!” He actually released Himself into the cosmos. We know from John 8: 12 that Jesus is the light. I believe Jesus is the light that was released when God said “Light be!” As scientists dig deeper and deeper in the physics of the earth they find that the smallest particles are made from energy. We know that everything we see is made from molecules and that those molecules are made of atoms. And we know that within these microscopic particles is great energy. Nothing is really static, not even iron. All atomic matter is moving even in the hardest materials. No matter what you allow your eyes to fall upon right now, it is moving at the atomic level. So your desk, although stable, has energy in it being expressed through the movement of atomic and sub-atomic material.

Look at Hebrews 11:9 from the New Living Bible: “By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.” Or in other words, that which we can see was made out of that which is invisible or unseen. God essentially made everything out of His own substance. He released Himself into the cosmos and created the entire universe. He is the substance of our lives. He lives within us and is our own substance. We are made up of Him and without Him there is no life. Jesus is the light and he is the life. Everything that has life derives it from our Father who released the life and the light from within Him and created all that see, hear, touch, smell or sense. He is the source. You’ve heard it before. He really and truly is our source and He really and truly lives within us. His life force, His substance is in every cell of our bodies.

This isn’t doctrine. You do not have to believe this in order for us to be harmonious but I need to start giving air play to that which I believe God is speaking to me. If it blesses you, then “Hooray.” It is my hope that as we explore and push our boundaries this year you will find new freedom and new expression for your faith in God. At the end of the day, it is all about Him. He is the beginning and the end and He is the rock upon which all must be anchored. We are not entertaining heretic theories. We are engaging with God and allowing Him to show us more of Himself and how His truths impact our lives. The creation story I presented today only has substantive meaning if it can positively affect your life and most importantly your relationship with our Father. For example, if God is living in every tissue of your body, in every single cell, what does that mean for living in divine health? That is where we are going – into a life of more of Him, and more impact from living with Him.

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Solid as a Rock

On January 12, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   1 Comment

Isaiah 58: 9

Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry, and he will say, “Here I am.”

When you call, he will answer. “Well,” people say, “I cannot feel him. I cannot hear his answer.” I know that is problematic so I want to address it. See God works in faith rather than in feelings. That is why we are not to go by feelings but rather by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. The Word is our anchor, not our feelings. Feelings can be fickle and they can be influenced by a host of exterior and interior stimuli. The Word, on the other hand, is solid. It is the rock. Once you find a passage of scripture which speaks to your situation and latch on to it, then it becomes the final say in the matter. You don’t sway or let your emotions move you off of what the Word says. So, since the Word says that when you call, He answers, then you must choose to believe that rather than choosing to believe the emotion which says, “I cannot feel him.” Tell your emotions that they do not rule you and that you are not motivated by feelings; rather you are motivated by the Word of God. It does take some practice but you will find in a short time that you will begin to stand firmly. As your emotions recede to their proper place you will begin to hear the Father more clearly and you will feel him too. Trust in the Word for it has the power to change situations. Trust the Word because it is the anchor you need. Trust the Lord for He will answer.

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The Christ-mas Gift

On December 24, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Luke 2: 7 – 20

And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

There is so much to appreciate in this passage and during this season. I pray that your Christmas will be filled with a new and bigger revelation of who he is and who you are in him.

Merry Christmas everyone and may the presence of the Lord keep you and fill you throughout this season!

We will be taking an end of the year holiday, so the Word of the Day will not be posted daily again until January 12th, 2015.  Until we are back together, be blessed.

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The Rescuer

On December 23, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 91:15

He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him, and honor him.
    
This is an absolute promise from God and it means that when you were in trouble, God was with you. Whether or not you were aware of his presence, He was with you. He has promised to rescue you from your trouble. He has said it so he will do it. We have only to believe and receive it.  

We do not receive with our eyes though; we receive with our hearts. We don’t look with our eyes to see what God will do or what he is doing. We receive with our hearts despite the way the circumstances around us appear. No matter what someone says about the circumstances the truth is in God’s promises. You cannot convince me that our Father is not present in my time of trouble. Nothing you say will persuade me. That is what it means to be fully persuaded by God’s promises. We choose to believe God’s promises over any other evidence that anyone can present. God said he is with us in our time of trouble and that settles it.

Just this weekend I was with someone who has been challenged. Some weeks ago her husband fell asleep while driving and their young child was in the car with him. He crossed over into oncoming traffic, crossed back to his side of the road, went into a ditch and flipped the car. He had to be cut out of the car and the child seat is a total loss. Both the father and the child are afraid to get back in a car. I asked her how she would explain to her child that God is looking out for them and protecting them. In response she showed me the photographs of the damaged car. Without the Lord they would both be dead instead of banged up. She has an understanding that God didn’t cause the accident. She also knows how bad things would have turned out if He had not shown up on the scene the instant they needed Him.  

Her recent experience is why you can’t look with your eyes or your reasoning to discern God’s presence and help in the time of need. One with less discernment and less wisdom could easily conclude that God was not with her son and husband on that fateful day but her heart knows the truth and she cannot be persuaded otherwise.  

Thanks be to God who is with us every day and who answers every time we call, who is always with us in times of trouble; the God who rescues and honors us.

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The Tail of the Snake

On December 22, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Exodus 4: 2 – 4

And the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he [Moses] said, “A staff.” Then He said, “Throw it on the ground” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. But the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its tail” – so he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand.

I wonder how much time elapsed between when Moses fled and when he picked up the serpent by its tail. I think most of us would have fled when the staff turned into a serpent. What distinguishes Moses from many of us is that he did grab the serpent’s tail. 

Has God ever told you to do something that made absolutely no sense? What was your reaction? I know what I would have done if I was in Moses’ position. I would have said to myself, “That cannot be God telling me to grab the snake. Surely God wouldn’t tell me to grab a snake by the tail.” I would have talked myself out of it. There is an important life lesson in here. God is trying to lead us into the promised land but too many of us don’t obey His commands. When God told me to close my law practice and go into full time ministry I reasoned and thought until I talked myself out of following God. I convinced myself that I was not hearing God’s voice. It took a major event before I conceded that I was being led to leave the practice of law. I reasoned myself out of obedience. Looking back I can see that God had been nudging me for quite a while and I just couldn’t or wouldn’t hear Him. We will never get where we want to go if we do not follow God’s instructions. The road to the promised land is always paved with obedience.

When I think about some of the ridiculous things that God told people in the Bible stories to do it makes me laugh. The thing that makes them great stories, though, is that the people obeyed God and followed those outlandish directions. How many would-be Bible heroes do you think missed inclusion in the greatest book of all time because they reasoned away the instructions of God? Well, just be grateful that I wasn’t the one who was told to grab the snake’s tail. The nation of Israel would still be in Egypt. However, you could be the next great spiritual hero. Just do what God says. Don’t question His logic. Don’t reason. Just be a child and trust your Dad.

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