Right Hand Man

On June 20, 2019   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 109:31

For He stands at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those who judge his soul.

Who among you is without need? If you have any need, this verse is for you. Who among you has been judged to your detriment? This verse is for you too. God, the Almighty creator is your right hand man. He stands by you to save and to vindicate. His hand is not so short that it cannot save, that it cannot provide for your needs.

Do we, though, really expect God to be an active player in our lives? Is he more a theological paradigm whose significance is only important when we die? Your answer to that question resolves the question. In other words, how you answer that question determines God’s level of involvement in your life. The writer of this psalm knew God as an active participant in his life.

Culturally we have made God an idea more than a vibrant personality. We have banished Him to the heavenlies instead of allowing him to roam the earth and interact with us. Recall that He walked in the Garden with Eve and Adam. There is no reason He can’t walk in your garden with you too. Jesus has restored what the first Adam lost. That means the original relationship with God, before sin every entered the world, has been restored.

The New Testament revelation is that God’s wants to be involved in our everyday lives. We are beginning to learn what that looks like and how to have it for ourselves. The first key is desire. God promised He would give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37: 4). So, we must begin with a heart desire to have God active in our lives. The second key is belief. As a group, we are increasingly accepting that God is willing and able to participate in our daily lives and not from a removed perspective but right here in the trenches with us where we can feel Him and hear Him. Then as we pray, or talk, with Him about it, mediate on words like the one for today, and ponder these ideas, God speaks to us and leads us into a revelation of living in Him and with Him.

He wants to be our right-hand help. His plan is to be fully intertwined with us so that it even becomes difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins. I encourage you to keep pressing in on this idea because Yahweh has a huge revelation that He wants to give to us all. How will life be when God is your right-hand man?

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The Throne Room

On June 29, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Hebrews 4: 16

Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.

I do interactive journaling for www.bornofthespirit.today. I recently asked God about this verse and what He would like to reveal to me about it. Click on the link above to see what He said to me. As I pondered all that He said to me, I knew I wanted to use this same verse for a Word of the Day.

The Protestant Reformation was supposed to usher in a time of approachability to God. No longer do we need a priest to speak to God for us or to tell us what God says to us. This is not to minimize the operation of spiritual gifts; that is another topic entirely. This discussion focuses on the necessity of another human to facilitate the conversation between us and the Father. You can speak directly to Him and more importantly you can hear from Him yourself.

Before Christ, only the High Priest could go into the Holy of Holies where the presence of God resided. Even then, he could only enter at the appointed time and after the proper preparation. Jesus tore the dividing veil asunder, literally, and now each of us has an open invitation into the very presence of God. We have a pass which entitles us to enter into His throne room at any time of the day or night, weekdays and weekends. There is not one minute of one day when the doors of the throne room are closed to us. Don’t you find that amazing?

We all need more of God. We need Him morning, noon and night and this verse shows us that we have availability to Him. Whatever you are doing right now, pause and take a moment to see yourself walk through the giant doors, which equally gigantic angels hold open for you. See your Father on His throne, beaming with His smile of welcome. Go to Him. Enjoy His presence and return frequently.

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End of Tears

On June 20, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   1 Comment

Isaiah 30: 19

O people in Zion, inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will weep no longer. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you.
God answers prayer. He is always attentive and listening for you. He longs to be gracious to you. When he hears you cry out, He will answer. This does not say that He will sometimes answer or when He feels like it He will answer. It is a definitive statement, leaving no room for misunderstanding or interpretation. Perhaps we are not always attentive to His voice but He is always and forever answering our cries. 

Do you have a need today? Do you have a desperate situation with which you really need help? He is standing by to help you. He is there answering you. When you cry out to Him, accept that He is answering you. Be silent and listen. Don’t rush around looking for answers. Get quiet and receive His help. The hardest part is shutting off all of the noise in and around you. Know and do not question or doubt that our God is present and available. Know that he is helping you and is right beside you. As soon as you call, he comes. He is faithful.

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Free Admission

On January 11, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Hebrews 4: 16

Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Do you know that you can enter God’s throne room? Do you realize that you are actually invited to do so? Father God has made access to him available to each one of us so that we may receive the help we need. Not only that, but we are also to enter boldly with confidence. He is our Father not a far off, removed deity. We can be like any child entering her Father’s office. Children just barge into their parent’s offices without waiting just as if it was their own office. In like manner, we are to go boldly to our Father’s office to talk with him and get whatever we need whenever we need it. There is no guard at the door and you do not have to make an appointment. He is waiting there for you even at this moment. Whenever you can free up your schedule, He is available. See yourself in your mind’s eye striding purposefully into throne room. Walk in as a privileged guest, not as a meek servant. Have your audience with the God of the universe, your Dad, and receive all that you need for this day.

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One Thing

On December 18, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Luke 10: 42

You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.

Only one thing is needed. There are many things which distract us and which seem important. However, Jesus told Martha that only one thing is needed. That one thing is the Word of God. Martha’s sister, Mary, had chosen that one thing. She was sitting at the feet of Jesus receiving his Word. Jesus told Martha that this one thing, this one needed thing, would not be taken away from Mary.

We are confronted by so many challenges in a day. Even as we seek answers sometimes we can become overwhelmed by the multitude of things we feel we must do in order to receive our relief. Thank God for the Word of God and this teaching from Jesus. When all is in chaos, we need only one thing, Jesus. 

I have been impressed that our lives could be much easier and more simple if we can grasp the deep revelation of this passage. There is really only thing we need. The Word of God will guide us, enlighten us and keep us. In our day to day lives, as well as in a time of need, there is only one thing which is needful. Like Mary we choose that best part which is the Word of God. And when we do, if we do, then Jesus insinuates himself into our every need and takes upon himself all of the worry and upsetting issues of life. Be blessed and filled in him.

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Call to Duty

On November 23, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Job 26: 2

How have you helped him who is without power? How have you saved the arm that has no strength?

“These are the times that try men’s souls” (Thomas Paine, The American Crisis, 1776). Undoubtedly those revolutionary times challenged the would-be Americans down to their souls. Truly, though most of us live in much more stable environments than pre-revolution America, each person usually must endure a season of great challenge. It is in these times that we find the strength of God rising to meet us in our times of great need.

When we are powerless, when our arms lack strength, when we are weary down to our bones, our Father fills all the voids and strengthens us. He sustains us and restores our souls. We see this miracle of grace throughout the psalms but it is when you see it manifesting in your own life that your own life takes on new depth and new meaning. And when you approach these trying times looking to the Lord our God, you find that his fulfilling grace is palpable. You can almost touch it, almost see it. It is real.

I am going through one of these challenging times of life and I truly want to learn and grow through it. One of my loved ones is dying of cancer and there is nothing the doctors can do. We must all face these times but they can be easier in the grace of God. So far I have learned two important lessons. First of all, allow people to help you. Allow people to be a blessing to you. Superman is a fictional character so don’t try to be a superhero. Let those who love you express their love and concern for you. It is part of their grieving and healing for you both. My friend Carol, encouraged me to share this difficult time with you. She is teaching me to let people express their love for me. Lin, our graphics genius has inspired me with such wisdom. One of the statements she made to me was, “Ivey, you give to us every day, let us give to you.” This is such a hard thing to do but I recognize that their wisdom is flowing right from the heart of God.

Secondly, I have learned that God fills us up through His power flowing right through the atmosphere and the Holy Spirit to anoint your home, hospital room and your heart. That was not unexpected but what I have learned is that He greatly uses other people and their prayers to minister His anointing, His grace, His love and His mercy in the time of need. As I make my heart tender and vulnerable, as I simply open my eyes I see the anointing of God on total strangers. People come to you in your time of need. People you don’t know will reach out to you in that Spirit which is from God. You will connect at a level which is beyond this physical realm and it will bring comfort to your soul.

Some people will not be able to rise to the challenge. Don’t judge them. They just haven’t grown in that area yet. Some of the people you think will jump to your side won’t. It’s okay. Pray for them. No, really. Pray for them, it will do your heart good and the Blessed Father will show you their own hurts and limitations. It will give your heart peace. 

In conclusion, I want my challenge to help me grow, learn and to empower me to help others. Many of you have known deep sorrow. Some of you have undergone exactly what I am going through now. We are all learning and growing and part of that growth is to learn to be vulnerable. Another important sign of spiritual growth is showing an active compassion; that is compassion which isn’t passive but which instead moves into action.

I am calling you each into active duty today. This is a request for you to pray for me and my loved ones. We have been borne up by the prayers of our friends and family. It really does make a difference. So, pray for me.

There is a second part of this call to action though. We are a body, a family. Everyone who reads this daily devotional is important to me personally as well to others. We should stand for one another. I want you to write to us when you need prayer and I want us to be able to rely on each other for prayer and prayer support. We will be using the upcoming website as a medium for us all to connect with one another. I envision a person posting a prayer request and every one of us who reads the Word of the Day saying an immediate even if brief prayer for that person.

There are people reading this devotional all over the world. We need to join hands and become a people of prayer and of support for one another. Our faith was never meant to be passive but active and living and fully expressing the power and love of our Lord Jesus and our Father who sent the Holy Spirit into the earth to give us strength and miracle working power. Join hands with me as I join hands with believers all over the world. Let us reach out and make a difference in people’s lives through the love of God. Give God’s love wings through prayer. Together we are very powerful. Alone we are weak. Be the leader and lover you have been anointed to be. In Jesus’ name.

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Multiplication

On November 11, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Mark 4: 8

Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.

In this passage and its accompanying verses, Jesus explains how the Kingdom of God works. It turns out that God multiplies. Why is this important for you and me to know? Consider the story of the widow in 2 Kings 4. This widow went to Elisha complaining of her financial need and telling Elisha that the creditor had come to her door to take her two sons so that they might be his slaves in order to satisfy the debt. This woman was broke. She had no funds to give to the creditor in order to save her sons. And yet Elisha’s response to her was, “Tell me, what do you have in the house?” I bet she wanted to say, “I don’t have anything you old fool. That is why I am here.” But she didn’t. Instead she answered; I have nothing “except a jar of oil.” So, Elisha said, “Ok, go get every kind of jar, pot and vessel that you can borrow and don’t get just a few.” So she went to her neighbors and borrowed every kind of container she could. When she had obeyed that command, Elisha had her pour out her little bit of oil into the first container. Behold, after the first container was filled, there remained oil in her jar so she poured out into the second container. The oil remained until every vessel was full. The miracle was only limited by her obedience to collect many pots. Fortunately she did obey and she ended up with enough oil to pay off the creditor and live on the proceeds after that. 

The widow in 1 Kings 17: 12 had a little bit of flour and a little bit of oil. She was gathering sticks to make a fire. Then she was going to make a pancake for her and one for her son and then they were going to lie down and die. She was really destitute. She didn’t know about the law of multiplication. She didn’t know it but she was wealthier in seed than Elisha’s widow because she had some flour and some oil. The prophet Elijah told her; make me a little bread before you carry out your plan. See God often has a different plan than ours. She did as Elijah required and God multiplied her bowl and her jar so that from then on she ran out of neither flour nor oil. 

Maybe you need a breakthrough in some area of your life. Well, you need some seed. Maybe God is requiring you to sow some seed. Like Elisha said to the widow, “What do you have?” Maybe you need to give into someone else’s life so that God can multiply your seed thirty, sixty or a hundredfold. Maybe you don’t have much. Maybe you are like one of the women in these stories but understand that God gets your miracle to you by multiplying the seed that you sow. You’ve got to give him something to work with. Then he will make your miracle.

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