Famine and Fortune

On April 23, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Genesis 26: 1, 12

Now there was a famine in the land. Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. And the Lord blessed him.

I have been thinking about the economic aspect of this corona virus problem and wanting to write on it. This passage has been running through my mind for a couple of weeks now. It has everything to do with our current economic situation. However, this story about Isaac is one of the Biblical passages which can leave you scratching your head.

When Isaac was confronted with a famine, he thought about going to Egypt, but the Lord told him to stay in a town called Gerar, and Isaac did. So, the first thing we learn from this passage is obedience.

Here is the second observation. Isaac, though facing a famine, did not hoard his seed. He didn’t put everything in storage, saved against the effects of the famine. He did quite the opposite. He sowed. Now how is this resonating for our current situation? Wouldn’t it be the easiest thing in the world to hoard all your resources. Aren’t you tempted to stop tithing? You know, some people have. I honestly believe that the better thing to do is to give more. That’s crazy sounding but how is any crop going to come up if we don’t sow?

The last thing we see in this story is that Isaac reaped a hundredfold in the very same year. I am saying that these couple of verses are a message for us today and that if we trust in the Lord, we, too, can reap in this very economically challenging time.

Isaac prospered in a time when it made no sense that anyone could. And this is why this passage leaves me scratching my head, could it work for us too? And if so, what is required? Well, apparently it only works for those who: trust God, obey Him, and sow. I would add that belief is part of that trust component. This only works for those who believe. So here is the problem with testing this theory. If you believe it won’t work, you’re right! If you believe it will work, it will. What do you think?

I think this is a message from the Father to all of us. I believe He is telling us to look to Him as our source of income, blessing and harvest. I think about what Jesus said about the birds of the air. They neither reap nor sow and yet our Father takes care of them (Matthew 6: 26). What will it take from us to receive God’s bounty during this famine? How can we be like Isaac? Can I even hear what God is telling me to do?

I have a friend whose salary has been reduced by ten percent and yet she said she is not going to reduce her tithe? What? That made an impression on me. I want to be an Isaac in this land. I want us to learn how to trust God so that the famine does not defeat us but that we, instead, reap a hundredfold in this very same year. I want God to show up and show off by blessing the socks off of believers. Tell us Lord, what to do and we will obey.

Okay, now do your part. Listen for the voice of the Lord. He is speaking to you. Listen attentively. Second, obey. Yep, that word that no one seems to like these days. Third, trust the Lord and believe that what He did for Isaac, He will do for you. Sow and then gather in your harvest. I am praying that you will increase during this strained economic time and that you will look back and see how the Lord walked with you continually.

If you need prayer or know someone who does (and who doesn’t) please click on this link, https://iveyministries.org/prayer-request/, to go to our prayer request form and leave a request for our most excellent prayer team.

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Legionnaires

On April 22, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Matthew 26:53

Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?

Boy, there is a revelation in that scripture. A legion is 6000 and it refers, specifically, to troops, soldiers. Jesus said if he asked the Father, God would put at his disposal more than 72,000 angelic soldiers. Let that one sink in for a moment. Now, what is the power of prayer?

One of my friends and colleagues received a question regarding covid-19 and angels. The writer wanted to know what the angels are doing during this crisis. I can tell you what they are doing. They are fighting. You see, there are two revelations, at least, in that one sentence from Jesus. First, we see that Father has a lot of angels he is willing to put at our disposal. Second, they are warriors. Look at the references in your own Bible if you don’t believe me. A legion referred to the organization of Roman soldiers. So, angels are not fat little cherubs who float around in heaven playing harps. They are warring spirits trained in the art of warfare.

You may be thinking, “Well, that’s good enough for Jesus but I don’t have that kind of power.” Oh, contraire mon frère. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father,” (John 14: 12). You have all the authority of Jesus. You have his own authority because he gave it to you. Whatsmore, he did not inhabit the earth as the second person in the trinity. He came as a human being (1 Timothy 3: 16) and was the role model for us. He wouldn’t have made a very good role model if he walked the earth as a divine deity. He had to come and live as a person so he could show us the way. He said God would put more than twelve legions at his disposal so from that we can infer that God will put legions of angels at our disposal as well.

Remember, God has given the earth to us to run and manage (Psalm 115: 16). He has also given us the Holy Spirit and He has given us angels who minister to our needs. The angels are standing by right now, ready to receive their marching orders. Through prayer and speaking the words the Holy Spirit gives us (Matthew 10: 20) we authorize angelic intervention and action. You have the authority to ask the angels to work in the earth to eradicate the corona virus. Pray and arm them. Although there are angels waging war right now, there are still thousands of angels waiting to get into the fight. There are legions at our disposal. Ask the father and He will give you even more. Then send them out to fight for us.

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Who Cares?

On April 21, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   1 Comment

1 Peter 5: 7

Casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.

Whenever I ask our Father what message He wants to give to His people, His answer is always the same, “Tell My people I love them.” That is the Father’s heart and that is the message He is sending today through this devotional. If you read no further, just hear, “Your Father, Yahweh, loves you!” Today the message of His love comes in the form of His care for you. There are two things I want to discuss about this verse. First, it’s just about His love. Second, I want to discuss anxiety for a moment.

God cares for you. Indeed, He cares for every single person on this planet. It doesn’t matter if you are black, white, European or Chinese. He loves you. He grieves at every single loss of life. Think of it, He knows, personally, every single person who has died of covid-19. As of this moment, 165,188 people have died from this disease. Now think how you would feel if you knew every one of those people. The reality of how many people have died is overwhelming as it is, but it would be devastating to have that many of your loved ones die before their time.

God cares for you and He loves you like He loves Jesus. You are His joy and delight. He cares about how you may be feeling at this moment. He cares that your heart grieves or that you worry. He is with you as you experience feelings of anxiety and even cabin fever. You have not had a thought or an emotion that He has not shared with you. Moreover, He longs to comfort you.

That brings up this question, “Did God send the corona virus infection into the earth?” The answer is easy, and it is an unequivocal, “No!” How could He since He is the embodiment of love? Why would He? Why would He torment Himself with over 100,000 deaths of those whom He loves? We cannot even fathom how much He loves us. His love for us is deeper than the deepest ocean, higher than the highest mountain peak. It is broader than the entire expanse of space and more intense than the brightest sun. He feels all our pain as if it is His own, because it is. So, no, our beloved Father did not send this catastrophe into the earth. He isn’t judging the earth or the people in it. In fact, the more you read the Bible the more you appreciate not only His love for us but also that He took care of the judgment problem long ago. That is the entire reason He sent Jesus into the earth. He did not send a virus; He sent a savior. That is one of the strongest theological statements I, or anyone else, has ever made. It contains the essence of volumes upon volumes of theology. He is our God and Father. Jesus is our Lord and shepherd. Would it make any sense for our God to slaughter Jesus’ sheep, the sheep for which he is responsible?

Last, I said I wanted to discuss anxiety for a moment. While some folks are enjoying a vacation at home and working on household projects, there are others who are feeling stressed and anxious. As this situation wears on, it is having an emotional impact on many people. We are directed to “cast” our anxiety and stress over to our Father. My friends, Charity Kayembe and Ann Musico have collaborated on an article which will help us do that. In the article, they explain a simple, yet effective, technique which can be used to dissipate stress. It is so easy you can use it every day. Click here to go to the IveyMinistries.org home page where you will find this article on anxiety and stress relief. Click on the picture with the frayed, ready to snap rope.

If you have never forwarded a Word of the Day to anyone, may I suggest that today is the day to change that? The article by Ann and Charity can help in this time of great need, it can even, literally, save someone’s life.

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Shekinah Glory

On April 20, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 97: 3

All around him burns a blazing glory-fire consuming all his foes.

This passage reminds me of the Shekinah Glory of God. What is that, you ask. Do you remember the burning bush? It was engulfed in flame but did not burn up and the voice of God spoke to Moses from it. Then there was the pillar of fire that the Israelites followed in the desert. In the second book of Acts, “flames or tongues of fire” appeared to the assembled (v. 3 TLB). The Shekinah Glory of the Lord is His presence and often appears as fire. In the Azusa street revival of 1906 passersby actually thought the building was on fire and alerted the fire department.

God’s presence was often experienced as fire and also represented as fire in verses like today’s. The author tells us that this “glory-fire” consumes all the enemies of God. That is in keeping with the vision God showed me recently, (See the Word of the Day for March 19, 2020). The blazing glory of God’s presence defeats all foes. I would say that includes viruses because a virus certainly works against God’s desires. It is an enemy and is burned up in the all-consuming fire of God. That fire burns out every impurity. It cleans and sanitizes like nothing else can.

Wherever there is the presence of God, there is victory. So, you can see that our job is to carry the presence of God into every corner of the earth and into every situation. We do that through prayer, through confessing Jesus and with all the words of our mouth and, importantly, through the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12: 4 – 11). The presence of God is powerful for healing and for setting captives free. That power is resident in us, and it is what the entire world needs. Don’t criticize the Chinese for what they may have not done well. Pray the power and presence of God into China. Pray the glory fire presence of God throughout the world carrying His healing power which defeats all foes.

Let us pray for you.  Click this link to go to the Ivey Ministries prayer request page and leave us a prayer request. You may post it anonymously if you like.  

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Father

On April 17, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 16: 25, 27

But (I) will tell you plainly of the Father . . . for the Father Himself loves you.

Have you ever wondered why God, chooses to be called “Father?” I mean, He is Lord High King, God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. Why does He call Himself Father to a bunch of rag a muffin humans? He could choose any title or name imaginable yet He chose to be a Father. Why does He ask us to love Him rather than just to serve Him?

That is an amazing question, isn’t it and an interesting perspective. I think it highlights that, above all else, God is love. He wanted a family to spend His love on. Love requires someone to share it with. Love demands acts of kindness and goodness. Wouldn’t those be a bit lost on servants? No matter how good God treated a servant, they could never rise above that station. They could never receive His intimacy. A servant doesn’t crawl up in the Father’s lap and take a nap. God wanted children He could dote on and spoil. He chose to have kids instead of slaves.

I think this question tells us more about God than many of the questions we might ask. It explains why He does many of the things He does and even how He feels. Ultimately, His desire is that all people join His family and let Him save and bless them. He is a good God and above all else He loves us. That is truly amazing and wonderful. Fill yourself with that good news today.

Do you have a need we can help with today? Write us at IveyMinistries.org.

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Corona Virus

On April 16, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

As this situation wears on, it is easy to grow weary, even for people of faith.  However, we are a body, united to stand against any foe.  And, we are standing.  Christians all over the world are praying more and stronger than ever.  Bible studies go on via videoconferencing and teleconferening.  Wisdom may require that we not congregate in person right now, but we are together in the Spirit, God’s Holy Spirit being the medium through which we are united.  The Spirit is able to be with you and in you right now even while he is in me and with me.  For those of you who are sensitive, you may even  feel that movement and unity in the Spirit.

There will be good which comes from this crisis.  I pray that many of us will move into a deeper relationship with our Father, one which continues to move forward and deeper.  I pray that, as a body, in the days to come, we remember what is so important to us now.  Politics and denominational lines have taken a backseat to faith, prayer and, above all, love.  Our hearts have grown more caring and sensitive to the needs and sufferings of others and I can only imagine how much that pleases the Father.

Ivey Ministries is pressing in with prayer and faith.  The prayer team has grown and I am so proud of them.  They are a dedicated group of people who pour out their hearts and energy in faith for people they don’t know.  Our biggest need and desire for the prayer team is for more prayer requests.  We like having a large demand put on us.  Secondly, we have capacity for more team members if anyone would like to join us.

We are adding new resources to the website, answering questions and supporting people all over the world, literally.  Please visit our website, https://iveyministries.org, to see the two visions the Lord, has given me, and to leave prayer requests.  You can also access the “Ask Ivey” section and leave me a question or read questions and responses other people have posted.  We are also adding a link on the home page to an excellent article on EFT, a simple and effective technique for dealing with stress and anxiety.  You will be able to share that article with all your friends or send them to our home page where they can access the articile and peruse other content as well.

We certainly appreciate you, our friends.  You are very important to this ministry and to me.  Though separated, we are united.  I invite your comments, messages and questions.  Though physically separated, we need not be isolated, and I need you as much as you need others right now.

Last, if there is any need or niche you think this ministry could or should fill for you and others, let us know.  We want to be here for you in a meaningful way.

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Eyes & Ears

On April 16, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 Peter 3: 12  (Psalm 34: 15)

For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer.

The National Day of Prayer is coming up soon, May 7th. Why should we devote an entire day to prayer? The answer is, because Dad is listening. Moreover, He is attending our prayer. I want that, don’t you?

In the early part of this year I wrote that I believed Father was calling us into a deeper prayer life this year. Now we understand why. He was enlisting us in an attack on the coronavirus. Yahweh knew the earth was going to produce this virus and that it was going to infect the human population. So, He called His people to battle and the way we fight is by prayer.

God had His eyes upon us then and He does now. That means that He is watching over us. He is listening for our voices to be lifted in prayer, but that is not all. He is attending to our prayer. That means He is doing more than just casually listening. It means He is listening attentively, paying attention, but it implies more even than that. Like an attending physician, attending refers to the one who is caring for the sick or needy and brother are we needy.

God is listening for some faith filled prayers and then He takes those and uses them to formulate our answers. The words you speak, are the answers to my prayers. Isn’t that cool? When we all pray together, it is like a sports team working together. One of us can put a thousand to flight and two of us ten thousand so what about a hundred of us praying in agreement? This is not simple math. There is an exponential increase as we pray together. The point is we are each part of this big team. We pray and our God not only listens, but He prays with us. “At the same time the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we don’t know how to pray for what we need. But the Spirit intercedes along with our groans that cannot be expressed in words,” (Romans 8: 26). It gets better, “And He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God,” (v. 27). God, through His Spirit, helps us pray so that we pray according to the mind and will of God. It is teamwork again. We cannot get away from that principle because that is the way our Father has designed this earth to function.

I will be back on May 7th to ask you to dedicate the day to prayer. In the meantime, I hope you will begin to prepare. I also hope today’s devotional has encouraged you that our Father is attentive and cooperating with our prayers. That should inspire us to prayer. It should be an encouragement. I pray it is.

Father, take this time to touch your people. Give us a passion for prayer and confident expectation of your attentiveness. We thank you Lord.

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