Daily Devotions

Archive for March, 2022

Timing is the Key

Kathy—I encourage you not to get frustrated if a dream has to wait and open over time. There may be elements in it that are in process and not yet reachable, but the dream can still be a landmark or confirmation later.  One dream I had over 25 years ago just opened to me recently.  In the dream, Marty and I turned off a major four-lane road onto a dirt road.  It lead to an old country house.  There was an elderly lady sitting in a rocker on the porch.  No words were spoken but we knew the old home place was ours and that she had been overseeing it and waiting for us to get there.  She was a watchman (angel) guarding our destiny and heritage.

When I got out of the car, there was a wooden fence a few feet from me and a huge bull was standing on the other side of it.  He came as close to me as he could get with only two boards separating him and me.  He lowered his head and glared at me.  My legs felt weak as water.  I sensed the bull and I were facing off and I could not cower to his silent bullying.  I took a deep breath, crossed my arms to stop the trembling, and I stared into his eyes and said, “I’m not afraid of you.”  I turned my back on him, let my breath out slowly and walked away.

There was a bag that was full of seed when we got up to the house.  The bag seemed to be moving as though the seeds were active and alive within it.  Marty was suddenly urgent to get the seed planted, and I felt compelled to help him.  There was a tangible sense of sowing for a specific harvest that would be fruitful and have powerful impact in the future.  As the sun set, we ended up in the house, sleeping in a small room, like a parlor off the living room (where the lady now sat).  Melissa was also there with us then. I remember thinking she must be part of the ministry call we were realizing in this destined time and place.

The whole dream was an allegory about our family and how our calling and purpose  and heritage is pre-destined by God and already in place.  However, the dream was a loud message for me personally to keep in mind the potential danger of my strong will (the bull).  While I am not to yield in fear of its strength, neither can I ignore it.  The bull didn’t just lie down or go away because of that face-off, but neither did it break out of bounds.  I’m sure the Lord intended my will to be an asset and would not want it weak or useless, but neither should it be allowed to do damage or dominate my life if I am to walk out the destiny God has planned.  

I had never forgotten the dream and often wondered why it did not open in my understanding for so many years.  Now I see that timing was the key.  Had I squared off with my will at the time of the dream, I would have been determined to conquer it in my own strength. Ironically, that would have built more muscle in the “bull” and beefed-up the problem in the process.  Instead, the Holy Spirit has been saving and sanctifying my soul (and that strong) will for 25 years, and that was the wise way to keep it within necessary boundaries.  I am grateful for this understanding now and so very grateful for His faithful tending of my soul.  

  I pray 2022 becomes the year of clarity and courage to walk into God intersections and see His Kingdom come on earth as in heaven.


Accusation

Melissa—I recently heard a message that shook me to my core.  It was one of those messages that you just know God is putting His finger on something in your life and giving you the opportunity to deal with some things and walk over a threshold into the next season.  This message was about the power of accusation.  I suspect that accusation is what has taken out some people before their time.  And I know it is something we deal with personally and in our churches.    

We should start here: Revelation 12:10-12,17 — 10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.  17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman (symbolic of the church) , and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. 

I want to hone in on these sections of the scriptures:

-“for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

This is talking about us.  The accuser of the brethren accuses us day and night, and because of his anger he continues to accuse and make war against us in this way.  But the devil has been defeated so how can accusation be an issue? It’s about agreement.  For accusation to become an issue he needs agreement from those that have more power than he does. So he is looking for Christians who will verbally agree with the accusations he is hurling.  He can accuse all day and all night by himself, or even with the agreement of an unbeliever but when he can get a Christian to agree with his accusation against someone and speak it out of their mouth that is where the power comes from.


Execute the Word

As the people of God assemble today may they realize that they are the Ekklesia of God and that they have the authority of God on earth to execute the Word of God and the purposes of God in their generation. May they stand together in covenant relationship and not be moved by what they see in their environment but stand upon the solid Rock in spite of wind and storms. (Matt.16:18, KJV)—‘…upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’


Weigh and Judge

There is a lot of downloading coming to us from heaven. There is also a lot coming to us through the internet. Take caution with what you do with what is coming in on your computer. There are all manner of prophecies out there about what is supposed to be happening in the near future. I received a call from a pastor recently who told me that there were some people in his congregation hearing one thing from one prophet and others were hearing from another prophet who contradicted the first prophet and the church was torn as to which one they were going to go with concerning the future.
WEIGH AND JUDGE
We are in a time when there is a great need to weigh matters and judge words rather than just taking everything that we hear and zealously trying to get it to fit into our theology and our eschatology. There are even some folks who are willing to adjust their theology to get it to fit words coming from voices that are continually predicting near events even though many of them have not come to pass. Some of those people and their words are finding acceptance because of what seems to be widespread fear and despair. If someone is in fear or suspicion, they can find a word that will accommodate it. It is time to come to balance and one of the best ways to do that is to realize who God is in this hour. His throne is not and cannot be shaken. His plan has not changed nor has He throttled back on His purposes in this earth. There are no oil spills on the carpet around His throne and there are no fault lines running through the floor.

Getting Discoveries

Kathy–Have you ever searched the scriptures for an answer to a question but then forgot the question because of other discoveries along the way? I started looking for a simple phrase in a scripture in the book of Numbers, but I found myself caught up in the fiasco of Balak and Balaam trying to curse Israel. The fiasco felt familiar as determined men plotted to undermine a nation. Balak (“waster, annihilator”) wanted Israel cursed so he could prevail over and control them. He was afraid of them, afraid of how they had prevailed over all their enemies thus far. He went to get the prophet Balaam to curse them hoping a curse would make Israel weak and beatable. He had no idea he was the devil’s pawn in a spiritual war trying to stop Israel from entering the promises of God. That devilish supernatural backing for Balak helps us understand his extreme determination to prevail over God’s plan for a nation. This is not just an account from history, it is what we are witnessing daily: evil plotters trying to undermine our nation and defeat God’s purpose for it. It makes one wonder if perverse politicians, lustful leaders and evil elites have even read history. If they had, they’d know they can’t thwart God and His plan nor curse what He blesses without suffering the consequences of stupidity.

KATHY WILL BE SPEAKING AT KINGDOM CONGRESS 2022 March 3, 2022.
CLICK HERE for info: martygabler.com/kc2022


Increase of His Government

Melissa–Sitting here I keep hearing, “Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end” [Isaiah 9:7] This is not only a beloved Christmas time chapter, it is also laying out original intent. Looking up the word ‘government’ leads to this, Of the increase of His ‘dominion’ there shall be no end. Ever-increasing dominion is quite a powerful force! When I look at Isaiah 9 like that I just don’t think the plan is to keep cycling back around to needing revivals like we’ve known them in our lifetime. I say this for anyone who may be struggling with the term “revival” like I have. It can’t be about a formula, it has to be about the King’s dominion increasing during our lifetime.
(Melissa is leading worship and speaking at Kingdom Congress 2022 on Mar.3 at 10am. You may view all information for KC2022 at martygabler.com/kc2022/)


The Order Vision

Greg CrawfordDr. Greg Crawford—[In January Dr. Crawford had a prophetic vision while he was meditating on many things concerning the life of the Body of Christ, the disconnected ones, the order needed, the power required, and he was seeking asking God what will it take to align and re-order all of this to your intention. Along with several other things, this is what was conveyed.] (You may read the whole vision in SEEC Magazine Volume 26 Issue 1)
This item was called “The Order”.  “I saw an order coming into the earth again. This order was the ways of God. The order was defining the realignment of past structures. A structuring of governmental legislating. A way that would produce a path. The Path was part of the order. It was the outcome of the ways. The sound of the Ecclesia was the order. The order was coming to release authority. I saw wave upon wave of authority being released upon the earth, as another part of the order and path of God was being found and walked. The more this repeated the stronger the sound and the order became. Men’s hearts were giving way to the order as a more excellent way.”
(Dr. Crawford will be speaking at Kingdom Congress 2022 March 3 at 10am. Grace Church Willis: gracewillis.org     All info for KC2022 – martygabler.com/kc2022/)


Heaven is Not a Faraway Place

Dr. Don Crum–The woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5 reached through that thin veil that separates the earthly from the heavenly.  Heaven is not a faraway place, but rather a whole other dimension within close proximity to where we are in the earthly realm.  When Jesus healed or delivered, He often made an important announcement, saying, “Behold, the kingdom of heaven has come upon you or near you”.  So I think heaven is not a distant place but right on the other side of a thin veil that separates the earthly from the heavenly.  This lady reached through that thin veil with her desperate faith, right into the heavenly dimension of God and laid hold of a stick of spiritual dynamite, lit the fuse with her fiery passion and pulled it into her circumstance, where it exploded and annihilated her disease.  It completely went away that day because she pulled a stick of God’s dynamite into it!

(Dr. Crum will be speaking at Kingdom Congress 2022 March 2 at 7pm. Grace Church Willis: 936-856-2455; All info for KC2022 – martygabler.com/kc2022/)