Persistence Wins

When we experience long periods of fighting the same spiritual battles we can struggle to determine if we are making a difference. I have heard many stories about people receiving deliverance or a blessing at the very end of a long period of prayer by others. Scriptures speak of this.

Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Paul encourages us to not give in. He says in the end we win. We will reap the reward of our persistence if we just do not give up. If you wonder if your prayers matter, just think about this. It is likely that the last time you received some amazing blessing that somewhere God had someone on their knees praying for you. They may not have know it, and you may not have known it, but God did. He responded and you received the blessing. If you are in this situation, fight back. Pray a blessing on someone you know or on an unknown person. The enemy will give up because you will be heard and he will tire of losing ground.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. Thank You for Your kingdom. Forgive us when we grow weary. Strengthen us and lift us up. Help us to remember others in their times of need. Send us Your healing, deliverance, and overwhelming provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Leading The Way

If we look closely as believers we can always find someone leading the way. As I look back over time at places in my life where I felt as though I had been alone, many emotions seemed to be with me at those moments. But as I look to scriptures I see a different story. In everything, we have always had someone that went before us and “Has been there” before.

Hebrews 2:16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

Here we see that someone is Jesus. He suffered all the temptations that we suffer, yet walked through it. We can know when we face these same temptations that Jesus faced them before we did. He made it. He can help us make it too.

Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Even in the death of our mortal bodies with birth into the new, He went before us. Some may fear that moment of death, but we can know that Jesus went first. He will be there for us, waiting.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High. Thank You for another day with You. Thank You for sending Your Son. thank You Jesus for going first. Thank You for forgiving us. Thank You for Your kingdom. Please send us today healing, deliverance, and abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Strength In Numbers

My father had a saying about doing what is right. Might is not always right, but right is might. As we look around the world today, or even at our own government trying to work things out with rival parties, it is difficult at times to see the truth in my dad’s words. My dad also said that there was strength in our numbers, and that there were more fighting for good than for bad. In all these sayings that we learn growing up, there is some truth. Today I reread a scripture that speaks about strength in numbers.

Proverbs 11:14 Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

It does not take many men to overtake evil. David was a shepherd boy and brought down a giant with small stones. However, guidance for wisdom among people is more precious. When this is absent, when not more than one voice is brought into the mix for important understandings, then we have the opportunity for a people to fall. Today in government and other places we see some individuals trying to move on their own. It takes all of us to get it right.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You have much wisdom, and You give to those who ask. Today I ask You send Your kingdom. I ask that You stir men to ban together to seek Your face. Forgive us when we act to our own interest. Deliver us from the evil men who try to overpower us. You alone are worthy of our praise. Heal us from our hurts of the past. Send us overwhelming provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Then Comes The Unexpected

As I am writing this I look around to see the world in which I live, the place which God has made for me to raise my family and live out my life. It is not always clear to me what it is I am to do, where I am to go, or how I am to get there. What is clear is that the way has been prepared for me. As believers, that is our heritage. We serve a God who has much in store for us.

John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

The greatest of these provisions is eternal life, of course. But that is not all God is interested in for us. He is interested in our here and now. He is interested in making sure we have our needs met today. He wants us to learn to trust Him and then act on that trust.

Mark 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

There is a perfect way for us to be, and we may not even be able to comprehend it. But when we cry out to God, He understands and reaches out to meet us where we are. Today, let’s cry out and watch God work.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. You are our God and King. Let You kingdom come upon this earth. Forgive us. Send Your healing, deliverance, and overflowing provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Loyalty

Today I was thinking about the meaning of loyalty. It occurred to me that as believers we have a call to this word. Loyalty to our God means to stick with Him regardless of how things seem. To our spouses and families it means to stay by them through thick and thin. There are many things that can tempt us away from both. But I think this is in part what the scriptures mean when thy say to follow after God.

Exodus 20:1 And God spake all these words, saying,
2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

God was telling us to follow Him only. No other gods, nothing should be before Him in our hearts. In this world that can be hard. But we can do it.

Exodus 20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Many people say they keep this. But we must ask ourselves the true meaning of it. I do not think it means only sexually, I think it means nothing before our mate. No thoughts, no things, nothing comes before them. Again, this world tells us differently. But God alone is true.

No one is perfect, especially not on our own. But with God we can walk these out. we can get there step by step, one day at a time, one moment at a time, with the help of our God.

He alone is worthy.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. We need Your kingdom in our lives. Please forgive us when we do not follow Your ways, when we put other things before You. We are mere mortals. We need Your help. Please help us. Please send today Your strength for us to do good, Your healing, Your deliverance, and You abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Weary But Thankful

Ever had one of those days that started early, ended late, and seem to go on forever? Yesterday was one of those days for me. There was so much to do for work, and I had friends that needed to talk with me in their situations when I did take a moment for a break. But as I reflect on it now, when I was finished very late, I had to smile. God had blessed the day. Today, as I reflect upon such blessing in my weariness, I am very thankful. It reminded me of a psalm.

Psalms 118:1O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.
2 Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.
3 Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.
4 Let them now that fear the Lord say, that his mercy endureth for ever.
5 I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place.
6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

We will have those days of challenge. But at the end of them we can be thankful that God was with us as we walked through them.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. We are so very desperate for Your kingdom upon the earth. We are very thankful for You being with us in good times and bad, when we are on the path and when we slip away You bring us back. Please send today Your healing, deliverance and overwhelming provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Fighting Back

Today in the early hours I woke up, a little groggy. It was not yet time to get up. As I rolled over to go back to sleep my mind began to fill with many thoughts. Many of them were thoughts of doubt and unbelief about events and needs in the lives of me and my family, and other things that did not exalt God. I prayed and asked God to take them away so I could return to sleep. It occurred to me to fight back. I began to think the name of Jesus, to imagine a lit path of light where only the ground was illuminated through the darkness, and also at times was saying His name out loud with other positive statements about God from scripture.

Philippians 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

This scripture says that at the name of Jesus everything must surrender.

Psalms 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

This scripture shows us that the words God speaks to us, both in prayer and in scripture, light the way that we should go and make it possible for us to walk safely.

As I spoke the name of Jesus and other scriptures and thought about the lighted path, those bad thoughts fled from me and I went to sleep peacefully.

There are times when I have forgotten these simple truths and been overwhelmed, my mind over run by the doubt and unbelief thrown at me by the enemy. Perhaps you have had this same experience. We do not have to live that way nor are we meant to live that way. We can fight back. And if we do and don’t give up, we will win because God is on our side.

Prayer
Father, we exalt and praise You above all others. We thank You for Your Son Jesus and for You giving Him a name above every name. We need Your kingdom in our hearts, minds, and lives. Forgive us when we give in to the darkness. Come today and bring light to the darkness in us. Show us Your ways and Your path. Send today Your deliverance, healing, and abundant provision. In Jesus (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Wanting To Be Near

Perhaps you have found yourself longing to feel the closeness of God. You may have many challenges facing your life with work and family. When you look to time’s horizon it may not be completely clear how you will pay those bills, provide for your family, see a loved one healed, or perhaps have people stop speaking evil of you. In those moments it is not uncommon to want to get back to that place where we felt that closeness with God, where His presence was overwhelming, and you just knew everything would be okay. When in the difficult times it may be hard to believe that the closeness was real. What makes us want it so? It seems it was built in to us as the psalmists wrote of that close feeling of being in His presence.

Psalms 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Psalms 17:6 I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.
7 Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them.
8 Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
9 From the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about.

Here we see that there is a natural expectation to have God as our protector and defender. In fact, we see in Psalms 91 that under God’s wings is a place we will trust, protected by truth. There is another confirmation that for those who want God to keep us under His wing, He is ready and willing to do so. Jesus spoke of this.

Matthew 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

Jesus actually told the people of Jerusalem that He wanted to keep them under His wings, but they did not want it. The difference for us as believers is we have already declared that we want Him in us and in our lives. We can have God as our protection and defense.

Today, if you have what seems like too much on your plate, call out to God to be under His wings and renew again that closeness of His presence.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. You alone are King. We ask that You bring Your kingdom to earth. Let us be in Your kingdom, Father, in the shadow of Your wing. Keep us safe from harm. Let us know the warmth of Your love and mercy. Forgive us. Send today Your healing, deliverance, and provision enough that it overflows into our communities that each of us might help ten others. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

What To Do?

Have you ever had a number of choices to make on a number of subjects with the resulting decisions all taking some of your time, and there is no way you can do them all? I believe that is called a very busy life. We don’t have to be Wall Street wonders or business executives to have this experience. Many of us have this everyday, especially if we have a family and children. It is important to consider what to do, but don’t you feel just a little overwhelmed and a sense of not knowing? Good news. You can know.

Proverbs 14:6 A scorner seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not: but knowledge is easy unto him that understandeth.

We can have knowledge and wisdom. We need understanding from God. It is why God tells us to pursue understanding.

Proverbs 4:5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.
7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.

Wisdom and understanding seem to travel together. God has placed these words here so we can know how He has made things to work. God always comes through on His words to us. He keeps His promises. And there is a promise for us to get wisdom.

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.

When we are in these troubled times we can know that God is using it to teach us patience. Why does patience work perfection? Because when we are patient in these times we can get to that place where we know beyond any doubt that God is working and is on our side. When we get to the pure essence of that in our hearts in the face of adversity then we have made our way to the place where we trust God above everything. That trust is the basis of knowing. And we can ask God for the wisdom we need. With this wisdom and knowledge we will have understanding.

In the face of the flurry of life, we can find the way. We must ask God for wisdom and direction. He will show us His ways if we trust in Him.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. You are our Deliverer King. Come in Your kingdom today Lord. Come and bring Your wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. Show us the right way to go in the midst of the flurry of life. Forgive us when we become impatient or do not trust You. We are weak vessels. Raise us up. Send today Your healing, deliverance, and overwhelming provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.