Persistence Wins

For those of you that have read what I have written in the past, you know that at times I believe that God gives me these short “flash dreams” that are very clear, fast, and memorable. Just before I awoke this morning, God gave me such a dream. At first I saw some rope coiled neatly on the ground it was used rope, slightly discolored, and immediately I knew it was used to bind people up. Once I knew that I saw a man in shackles around his wrists that suspended him slightly from the ground. He was thin and had been shackled a long time. Then I knew it was me, and it was other believers as well. The man was quite thin, shackled by the enemy for some time, but would not give up. I began to pray in the spirit, and the shackles released. The man fell to the ground about a foot or so below. He gathered himself together with everything he could muster, and stood up. I came to understand that the ground was God’s territory, and it was solid ground. I immediately awoke. As I awoke I felt God telling me to never stop fighting back, and that He alone was setting us free to live in His world which He is restoring. He also gave me this scripture as OI began to write.

Psalms 107:8 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
10 Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;
11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:
12 Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.
13 Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.
15 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.

Today, we can be free if we will not give up, if we will cry out to God; free to live in the land that He has created.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You as the Most High. We ask Father that You will forgive us and raise us up. We ask Father that You send Your deliverance. We praise Your name. We ask that You send Your healing. We praise your name. We ask that You send Your provision. We praise Your Holy name. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Hope And Trust For Battle

This morning just before I woke up I had one of those brief dreams that God gives me from time to time. In this dream I stood at a distance and saw a vision of an elongated capsule that was large in size. I saw a man looking at the capsule, and came to realize that the capsule represented this man’s job. He was very happy with it and proud of the capsule and he cherished it. Next to the capsule was an open space that as I remember is now was like a pristine forest and meadow. As I looked at this space I sensed a strong presence of God, as if I expected He would actually suddenly unveil our eyes so that we could see Him physically there. I was asking God what He was trying to show me and He said that the man put his trust and hope in his job. It made him feel comfortable. It made him feel as though he and his family were taken care of and would be okay. Then God said the pristine space represented where He was working and exists.

As I woke up God was asking me where do I put my hope and trust. As a husband and father, this is hard because we want to care for our families. I think the point God was making is that He does too. He wants us to know that He has a plan, and He is making that plan happen. He is trying to get us to the place where we will trust Him and know that He is our real source, our real provision for our lives and the lives of our families. As I was getting around then, God shared a scripture with me.

Psalms 146:1 Praise ye the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul.
2 While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God:
6 Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:
7 Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth the prisoners:
8 The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord loveth the righteous:
9 The Lord preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.
10 The Lord shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord.

In this psalm we see that the psalmist is praising God and talking about where to put our hope and trust. He says that if we put our hope and trust in men, then our hope will die just like all men die and their thoughts immediately vanish. On the other hand, those that hope and trust in God receive His provision, deliverance, healing, and protection. Just like the man in the vision had “encapsulated” his job with his hope and trust, we need to solidify our hope and trust in God. Not because we are perfect will God move, not because we perfectly trust and hope, but because God is God and He cares for us, for that reason God moves. And we through our praise and prayers get His attention. He alone is God. He will fight for us and create a space where we live in victory.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. We love You and ask that You help us to see the substance of our hope and trust in You. Lord, You alone are the defender of the widow and the fatherless. You alone send the food to the hungry. You alone are the provider, the healer, the deliverer, and the defender we seek. We ask that today You send to us what we need today in deliverance, healing, defense, and provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Love And Hate And War

It seems these days when listening to the news that one cannot not go long without hearing about conflict in the world. The war far away. Some country accused of developing nuclear weapons. That country denying it. It would be easy to conclude that there is too much hate and not enough love and caring for our fellow man. And we may be right. But God gave us these emotions. Why? It is easy to understand why He would give us the emotion of love, but why hate? As it turns out, there is at least one answer for this from the scriptures, and it has to do with warfare – spiritual warfare.

Psalms 119:SAMECH.
113 I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.

Here the psalmist is taking a strong stand, the stand of hatred, toward “vain thoughts”. The word “hate” here in the Hebrew means to hate personally like an enemy. “Vain thoughts” means divided mind. “Law” is the Torah, which for us believers that have the New Covenant have this inscribed in our hearts. And love means strong affection. Putting this all together we get, “I hate when I have a divided mind, but I love the Law that is inscribed in my heart.” When we find ourselves struggling with thoughts trying to take the main stage in our mind and they are either detracting from or contrary to God’s ways, these are vain thoughts – we have a divided mind. The psalmist felt this and was fighting back with his words.

Psalms 119:114 Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.
115 Depart from me, ye evildoers: for I will keep the commandments of my God.
116 Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope.
117 Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually.

Here the psalmist is saying that God is his hiding place and defense. We see he is calling his vain thoughts evildoers, which means spoilers or something breaking into pieces. This is him speaking, or since this is a psalm, singing to himself, telling his divided thoughts to depart, which literally means to turn off. He calls to God to help him and to uphold him by His word. He knew where to turn when battling for His mind. James also writes about this.

James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

James talks about how we can be tempted. He referred to the divided mind as being double minded, and that it makes us unstable. Since the thoughts always come first, these temptations will first be in our mind. This is what the writer of Psalms 119 was referring to when he said he hated a divided mind. We have to fight for our mind, for our thoughts. The psalmist spoke to himself, to his mind, with songs. This is how he turned off those thoughts for himself.

We have to fight for our thoughts and rely on the New Covenant, the Law written in our hearts. We have to trust that God wants to do these good things for us. Today if you have such a battle, fight back! Fight for your mind, and God will fight with you!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as our Mighty Warrior King! We ask that You help us, your people, today to fight the battles in our mind. Help us to fight against anything that would distract us from Your ways and Your path in our life. Help us Father to turn these thoughts off that we might be able to meditate on Your word. Send today the healing and deliverance and provision that we need. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

God Battles For Us

When we are fighting the enemy of our lives, the dark spiritual forces that exist today, we can know that God will fight for us. God is in the process of restoring all things. He will, in His time, create a rightness in this earth. During that process, we can call to God for our well being.

Psalms 119:153 Consider mine affliction, and deliver me: for I do not forget thy law.
154 Plead my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to thy word.

The psalmist is calling out to God for deliverance from affliction, stating that he is one that always remembers the law. As believers we have the law written in our hearts, which is the new covenant. As a result we could call out to God in the same way, saying in a different way the same ending, that we are His. The Hebrew for plead my cause could also be “grapple (wrestle) with my enemy”. The write is acting as if He and God are a tag team, and he just tagged God to go in and fight the enemy. Two things. Yes, we are in a tag team with God. Second, when we tag God and He jumps in the ring, game over! God beats down all evil every time. Then the word “quicken” means to bring alive. Literally we gain life – wholeness – by tagging God and asking Him to fight for us. When we view this entire section of Psalms 119 in this way, it becomes an amazing battle cry to God to fight for us, and to deliver us fro our enemies.

Psalms 119:RESH.
153 Consider mine affliction, and deliver me: for I do not forget thy law.
154 Plead my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to thy word.
155 Salvation is far from the wicked: for they seek not thy statutes.
156 Great are thy tender mercies, O Lord: quicken me according to thy judgments.
157 Many are my persecutors and mine enemies; yet do I not decline from thy testimonies.
158 I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they kept not thy word.
159 Consider how I love thy precepts: quicken me, O Lord, according to thy lovingkindness.
160 Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.

Today, let’s call out to God and tag Him to jump in the ring. He will deliver us and give us life!

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. Thank You for being our deliverer. We remember Your new covenant, the law written in our heart through repentance and belief in Your Son, Jesus (Yeshua). We ask that You forgive us when we get that messed up. We ask today that You give us life. We ask today that You destroy our enemies and their works in our lives. Please give us our deliverance, our healing, and our provision for today that all men may know that you alone are God. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Battle Conditions

When we are trying to battle the enemy, we can get lost or the battle. Or for me at least that is true. I begin to see the things that are or are not happening in the way I anticipate them. The result is struggle that is very hard to live through, or so it seems. In those times I find it helpful to understand what the real conditions of battle are and how to not only endure but be at rest inside while in the battle. As I prayed about this today, God reminded me of a psalm.

Psalms 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

In this famous psalm the shadow of death today means more to me than just physically dieing. It is that darkness that attacks us in our mind and our thinking and in our hearts. And what does David say? While we are in that struggle, God prepares what we need and celebrate life with Him in that moment. And at he end, we get to dwell there forever!

The next time you are faced with a struggle with darkness, try to imagine sitting down with God at a magnificent banquet while the darkness screams in vain. With the little finger of His left hand He can flick them into oblivion. And He made you dinner! Praise God!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. Thank You for Your provision in the midst of the battle. Thank You for not forgetting us. Thank You for Your deliverance, and thank You for giving us the opportunity to live with You in Your house forever. Please show that to us and the darkness that comes against us today, in this moment, here. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

In All Things

If we are first followers of God and spiritual people, then in all we do we are entering into spiritual matters. That is who we are. If that is true, then spiritual warfare is in everything we do, right? What I mean is we as representatives of God and His kingdom. Therefore we could be in prayer against darkness and that would be spiritual warfare – I think we would all agree about that point. However, wherever we are in whatever we do, if we bring in God’s light we are dispelling the darkness. That means we are pushing the darkness back. Sounds like spiritual warfare, right? It is. Paul addressed this in his first letter to the Corinthians. I will share just one point from that letter.

1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

If we are doing anything to the glory of God, we push back the darkness. How we speak to our children, our spouses, our neighbors – if it is to God’s glory, we push back the darkness. That is very good spiritual warfare.

Today, try to do all you do to God’s glory and watch what happens. It is likely you will see His glory spread out, and darkness pushed back. That is bringing forth God’s kingdom.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You as the Most High. Please help us to push back against the darkness. Please help us to do everything we do to Your glory. Please show Yourself strong when we do that all may see Your glory. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Warnings And Warfare

We live in a time that has great opportunity for distraction. It is very easy for us today to drift from our intended path. A friend of mine told me of a dream he had recently. As he was waking up, he had a quick dream, more of a flash of an event, come into his mind. Suddenly he was driving straight into a telephone pole. He was close enough to see the many tattered flyers that had been posted by people on it immediately in front of him. At the last moment he swerved back on to the road, unharmed. He realized that in the dream he had take his eyes of the road and was looking at his cell phone to make a call. He said he literally jumped awake from the experience. When he did he felt that God was trying to warn him about something coming in his life. Our God has given us the warnings and the tools for warfare that we might at all times be delivered from evil.

Proverbs 12:13 The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of trouble.
14 A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompence of a man’s hands shall be rendered unto him.

In Proverbs 12 there are many things said about how life operates for the just and the unjust. We are not justified by our actions, but by the blood of Jesus who dies and rose again for us. However, if we spend our time giving voice to negatives in life, those negatives gain some power. On the other hand, we can also gain power from speaking positives. I am not saying that you can just say whatever you want and you get it. I am saying that if we say what God says, then we are speaking His words, which ALWAYS come to pass.

Isaiah 55:10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Today do not give voice to the negative thoughts or oppressive thoughts that come your way. It is hard not to say those things, trust me I have had struggles with this recently myself. But let’s pray for each other, and those we know, that we may use the power of our speaking to the good of promoting God’s kingdom. That is spiritual warfare. We first create our safe place, and then from there a safe place for others.

Prayer
Father, we praise You for You alone are the Most High King. Thank You for giving to us mercy and truth. Than You for giving us the Yours words in the scriptures. Help us to repeat those words out loud in our own lives for us and for Your people. Bring Your kingdom into our lives in a fuller more real way today Father, and drive away the enemies that seek to cause us harm. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Let There Be Light

Most people have heard the creation story from Genesis where God created the heaven and earth and light.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

When this all started, God created a mass that was heaven and earth. It was dark. He then created light, and separated it from the darkness. So first there was a created mass, and then He added light to it. This is very similar, in fact it foreshadows how God deals with those that follow Him.

1 John 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

John says God is light, with no darkness. We are to be just like that, and will be if we DO the truth. And when we struggle, there is a path back to the light. If we confess our sins, the blood of Jesus cleanses us from that sin, and we are back in the light. John also points out that all have and will sin. Therefore, we all need to live in a state of repentance.

Spiritual warfare is not always outside of us. Darkness can be with us if we are doing darkness rather than doing the truth. We can escape that type of darkness. To escape this form of darkness is a part of spiritual warfare where we are fighting for our own salvation. And our weapon is our confession of our sin and asking God to forgive us. He then covers us with the blood of Jesus, which cleanses us. Sometimes the spiritual warfare we need to be pursuing begins with us.

Prayer
Father, we praise You as our King. Please help us today to overcome the darkness in our lives. Show us where we are not doing the truth and help us to repent. If there is external darkness attacking us, we ask that You grind our attackers to powder and blow them away in the wind. Please deliver Your people today Lord. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

And So It Begins…

It is common for people to want to start the New Year with a look to a brighter future. This morning as I watch the snow falling, I find myself in that same place. How do we make life better? Can we? The answer is yes, in a way. Yesterday I found myself pondering this very thought. Here is what I cam up with after thinking it through for a while. This is God’s world, and He is active in it and has a plan for it. Psalms 98 reveals that God is active in this world because He remembers His people.

Psalms 98:1 O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.
2 The Lord hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.
3 He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
4 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
5 Sing unto the Lord with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.
6 With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King.
7 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
8 Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together
9 Before the Lord; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.

We are engaged in battle. God will come to our aid because we are a part of His plan. We are to praise Him in that plan, and look for His deliverance. He will bring His judgment, which sets things right.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. Thank You for saving us. We ask that You begin a new work in us today. Please reveal Your path to us today and everyday. Please show us what we are to do. Please come and remember Your mercy toward Your people. Heal the brokenhearted today Father. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

The Ultimate Weapon In Spiritual Warfare

Today around the world many celebrate the birth of Jesus. Many do not. Among those that do not are those that do not believe He was the Messiah. And some are believers that believe He was born on a different day, perhaps in the fall. While when He was born is important to all, there is something more important. It is that He was born to save us.

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Some say that the death and resurrection is the source of our power over darkness. That is true. But if He had never been born, then His death and resurrection could never have been. For me, His birth on this earth is not only a miracle, it is a testimony to God’s unfailing love for us as His children, and the gift He has given us to defeat darkness.

Today, let us celebrate that for those of us that believe, we have a Defender King!

Prayer
Father, we love You and praise You as the Most High King. We ask today that You give us the ability to remember why You sent Your Son. We ask that You lead us to deliver the poor, the fatherless, and the afflicted, from the evil one. May You receive all glory, honor, and praise. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.