Singing Through the Rain

On December 5, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 69: 13

But as for me, my prayer is to Thee.

David was in great distress, but he knew to whom to turn. He sought people to sympathize with him. He looked for comforters among men. Ultimately, though, salvation and compassion are in the arms of the Lord.

There is something very interesting about this Psalm. It is equally a lament of Jesus as of David. Read the entire psalm with the thought that Jesus wrote it and you will be amazed. Jesus’ problems were those which are common to us all and are mirrored in the passionate songs of David.

In David’s passion, we can read so much of our own hearts, the trials and victory of Jesus, and the faithfulness of the Father. Walking through these Psalms is a journey of the heart. If you allow yourself, you feel the pain and struggles of the writers. You will also experience the victory in Jesus which is always the end of the story. David wrote of his woe, but then he lifted his head and saw the Father. “My prayer is to You,” he sang. Regardless of the trials, despite the hardships, he knew his daily salvation from every challenge and danger was in the Father.

Do you have challenges in your life right now? Fear not! The Father, Son and Spirit are standing by to assist and comfort you. I encourage you, also, to take a stroll through the psalms. Let your heart hear the anguish yet ultimate victory. Be encouraged. What God did for David, He will do for you.

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Believe It

On October 19, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Romans 10: 11

 

For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.

I believe the above yet I know many disappointed Christians. For years I have wondered why we are not living in more victory than we are. I have found one reason even if it may not be the definitive answer. When we read a passage like the one above, most of us are initially excited by it. Within seconds, though, doubts come. We don’t know if we can really believe this or not. Right then we begin to compromise the Word of God. We don’t like to think that we do that but the truth is, unfortunately, that we do. The next thing we do is wait for God to prove that this word is true. We have all done it even though we all want to be faith giants. We adopt a “wait and see” attitude. To do otherwise is like stepping out on the edge of a cliff.

I am coming to believe, though, that God’s miracles are out there on that cliff. I believe He wants us to accept His word as truth and act on it rather than waiting to see it proved out in our experience. He wants us to learn to have faith and trust in the words we read and put our reliance in them. What would it mean to you if you really, really believed the passage above? What if you knew beyond any doubt that you would not be disappointed in whatever you do? Would it change the way you approach some situations? I know it would change how I deal with situations if I could jump all the way into radical belief and radical trust. Join me! Let’s step one step further out on that cliff and try to believe God the way He says things. Let’s try to accept Him where He is instead of making Him fit into our limited thinking. Let’s just inch one bit further into trust and acceptance. It could make for a very radical experience indeed.

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A Full Life

On May 19, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

3 John 2

Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.
This passage of scripture portrays the image of a victorious Christian. This is the picture of who we are all destined to be because of the life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. First of all, our souls are to prosper. That encompasses our emotional life, social life, and our intellectual life. It is the transformation of the human soul through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps this is best thought of as the intangibles. It is all of the things that make a life full. It is part of what Jesus meant when he said that he came into the world to give us abundant life (John 10: 10).

As we allow the Holy Spirit to work within our spirits, setting us free from every sort of bondage, we are supposed to also evidence physical well-being and financial prosperity. You see, to God and to Jesus, it is a package deal. We are supposed to have it all, not just one little portion. You are supposed to be well in your body and well in your finances. Your soul is supposed to be healed from any emotional scars and you are to be free. Jesus said that he was anointed to set the captives free (Luke 4: 18). So, his ministry and his word do free us from our former bondage so that we might live in abundance of every sort and pass that blessing on to others. 

It starts in your spirit and manifests in every part of your life. Do not let the devil steal any part of it from you because Jesus came to set you free.

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Fearless

On May 10, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 112: 8           (NIV)

His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

This is just one of the benefits that belong to the person who reveres the Lord. We are supposed to come into a place within our faith that we no longer fear those who strive against us. Our hope and our trust are in Him, our Lord and provider. In Him is victory. In Him is peace, the kind of peace that makes us secure regardless of the circumstances. We can come into a place wherein our thoughts of Him and our faith in Him are bigger than any other person or thing we encounter. We only have to keep our eyes glued on Him and His word and speak His words instead of the doubt of this world.

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Testify!

On May 5, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Revelation 12: 11

And they overcame him (the devil) because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony.

Jesus told us that the devil comes “to steal, and kill, and destroy” (John 10: 10). But we are over comers (1 John 2: 13) through him that came to bring us the victory. “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith” (1 John 5:4). You see, Jesus overcame the world. He has done his part. In John 16: 33 he told us to take courage for he has overcome the world. And yet some of us are not walking in the full measure of Jesus’ victory. Why? How can that be?

It seems that we have a part in this victory as well. While Jesus has overcome the devil and all of his minions through his blood we must include ourselves in that victory through the use of our testimony, or our confession, and our faith. This means that our words have something to do with the measure of Jesus’ victory we will walk in. Satan is overcome by Jesus’ shed blood and our confession. Faith is believing God’s word, even in the face of contradictory evidence. The expression of faith is the confession of our mouth. What comes out of our mouths demonstrates exactly where our faith is. Are you sick, going to get healed, getting healed or healed? You see, those words indicate levels of faith. There is no condemnation if you are not yet confessing the greater part of faith. It just shows where you are currently. Tomorrow you can be in a different place altogether. Further, the more your confession matches the Word of God, the more of Jesus’ victory you will experience. 

We must all learn to order our words aright. Every one of us must be vigilante regarding the words that proceed from our mouths. Proverb 18: 21 says that death and life are in the power of the tongue. We need to learn to wield that power to our benefit. We will thereby overcome the devil and all of his machinations.

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Powerful Implants

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

James 1: 21

Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.

The Amplified version of the Bible says that the Word of God, implanted and rooted in our hearts has the ability to save our souls. It is our hearts to which the Word of God must be sown. It is one thing for us to know the Word with our minds and with our intelligence but that is not the way in which we have been instructed. The Lord God is telling us that we must implant the Word into our hearts. Once we do, it has the power to heal our souls. God has not called us to an intellectual relationship with him. He has called us to intimacy through the communion of our hearts with His. Only then can we receive all that He has designed for us. Only then can we walk with him. Only then will we be able to really know him and his plan for our lives. He cannot minister to our deepest needs if he is consigned to our minds and our intellect. He wants to be close and intimate with each of us. When we open up our hearts to Him and to His word, then all the power of heaven comes to reside in our deepest being, leads us and save our souls.

Yesterday’s Word of the Day encouraged us to put on the characteristics of God. Today’s Word has us putting off that which is not consistent with the nature of God. In each case we can only succeed through the power and grace of Jesus. When we fill up with Jesus then we have, within us, the power to put off the negative attributes and put on the glory. Jesus implanted in us is the key to our success.

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Big Brother

On December 16, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 John 4: 4

You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

We are God’s little children and precious in his sight. He cares for us as any good parent would look after their small children. He is protection to us as well as leadership, guidance and even correction when necessary. It was out of his great love that he sent his son in the first place. Jesus is the perfect big brother. He has fought the bully who has tried to pick on the younger, smaller siblings. When we were defenseless, he arrived on the scene to overcome all manner of torment and aggression. He defeated the devil and all of his cronies and purchased our freedom from the tyranny of our former bondage. Now, in the freedom that Jesus purchased for us, we are overcomers because he lives in us and greater is he who lives in us than all of the problems, demons and challenges of this world. Greater is Christ in us than anything the devil can throw at us. When he tries to overcome us, even if by a horde of his devilment, we just shout the name of our big brother and He comes to our side and sets the bully into fearful flight.

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