Daily Devotions

Archive for September, 2024

Solitary and Lonely

Kathy — Don’t be stubborn when you are in a time of adversity, affliction or trouble, and you are feeling solitary, lonely, desolate and deserted, and you are feeling deprived of the aid and protection of others, or when you are feeling bereft. Bereft: “like a flock deserted by the shepherd or a woman neglected by her husband.” When you are in difficulties like these, don’t be stubborn. Don’t turn a deaf ear to God. Heb.3:7 —This is why the Holy Spirit says, “If only you would listen to his voice this day!”


Filled With the Knowledge of Him

Marty—As the people of God assemble today may they be filled with the knowledge of Him who is moving by His hand in the affairs of men. May they be encouraged and filled with faith that their Mighty God is actively moving people into situations that are advantageous for acts of righteousness to penetrate into the cultures of all nations. And may they realize their praying is significant and integral to it all.      “. . .and you will learn that the High God rules over human kingdoms and that He arranges all kingdom affairs.” (Dan.4:25, Msg)


I SEE THAT!

Marty Gabler—I see that! When we hear something or read something and say “I see that” are we “seeing” only in the sense of ocular recognition or mental consent or are we seeing in the sense of perception for the purpose of application? Are we simply stating that we can see a true fact or does it actually mean that we can see the value of that truth for our lives and are willing to act on it?  Prov.1:1-2 (21st CKJV) ”The [purpose of the] proverbs [is] 2 to know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding.”  May we perceive God’s truth, embrace it and act on it. We are praying you discover daily that you are seeing and embracing God’s truths that lead to abundant life. 


A Vision of God Massaging a Heart

MELISSA—In one part of a vision God gave me (posted 9-23-22) I saw God’s hand began to massage a heart. In another part I saw 2 rows of white Roman columns as far as the eye could see. The columns I saw in the vision represented the church as we’ve known it, and this scene was looking to the West where the sun sets. The sun is setting on old traditional structures of the church. After the columns fell I began to hear a heartbeat.  It got so loud that the earth shook.  I looked back at the hole where the heart transplant was taking place, and with every beat of this new heart horrible black creatures began frantically crawling out of the hole.  Every beat drove more hordes out only for them to disintegrate as they tried to run.  A white light began filling the space that was once full of black slime and I heard “Ruach”.  Ruach means: spirit, wind, breathe (ex. Isaiah 11:2) and it was filling the pitch-black core of this nation. Once more I looked back toward the West where the columns had fallen and they were no longer there. In their place was lush greenery that was growing and I heard, Isa. 43:18-19 “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”


Bad Words-Bad Atmosphere

KATHY GABLER—Do we set a bad atmosphere with our thoughts or emotions or words, or does the atmosphere hunt us down to dictate our thoughts or emotions or words?  I believe the answer is both.  We certainly have the ability to create an atmosphere for ourselves and everyone around us.  One person’s impatience in a waiting room can have everyone tense and walking on eggshells in a matter of seconds.  One person’s panic can clear a room.  Our expectations, meditations, fears or our mouthing against self can fill the air until it is lethal.  However, not only people are able to condition an atmosphere.  The devil is called “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph.2:2) for a reason.  He is skilled at blowing in a foul wind to influence people and situations.  The Old Testament word “ruach” is translated “spirit” most often, but it means “wind” or “breath”.  In the New Testament, the same word is “pneuma”.  A spirit or wind can carry a contradiction to the will of God into an atmosphere by blowing in a lie or fear or threat or opinion or accusation, etc.   The air becomes its infected storage place so that it can affect and influence thoughts and feelings when it finds an advantage, an open window.   Just as we breathe in air unconsciously, we can also come under the influence of what’s in the air  unconsciously.   It can become an influence over our emotions and thoughts and decisions. Prov.12:18,TPT—Reckless words are like the thrusts of a sword, cutting remarks meant to stab and to hurt. But the words of the wise soothe and heal.”


An Open Door Worth Pressing Through

Marty—There is a door open before us and we are called to press through. 1Corinthians 16:9-10 “There is a wide-open door for a great work…”  There is something worth pressing through to on the other side. It is a day-by-day pressing. The matter of walking with the Lord and trusting the Lord is day in and day out (Deut.5:33). We are pressing and shall press through because the pressing is leading to another level, to things in God and God’s Kingdom agenda that we have never seen or experienced.


Things we Don’t Have a Reference For

Melissa Gabler—We have been living in a very toxic bubble here in America. By toxic I mean everything we’ve already talked about and more, but that toxic bubble has popped and we are about to be exposed to things we don’t have a reference for. So it’s time to prepare, and here are ways to do that: 1) Prov. 3:5-8 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. *It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.” This is the antidote to rationalism which is based in our own understanding. Take note that not leaning on our own understanding and wisdom brings health (see v. 8 above)! Get in the word and trust the Holy Spirit to reveal what you need to know.


Don’t Ignore the Small Things

KATHY—While intercessors should not sweat the small things, neither should we ignore them.  The Word tells us to consider the impact of small things like the small rudder that directs a huge ship.  Again in Zech.4:10, we are admonished not to despise small beginnings because their impact will be big in future.  Many times intercessory dreams and visions and impressions seem faint or small, yet they actually carry insights that prove crucial or huge down the road.


Stones in the Sanctuary


Marty—As the people of God assemble today, may each person realize the importance of, and see the value of their place as, a lively stone in the household of God. May they fit appropriately into the wall where the Lord God has set them and augment the local work and the other lively stones they have been set with.  (1Pe.2:5, Msg) “Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you’ll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God.”


Press Through Distractions

Martin P Gabler—We will make it through the coming weeks and months but we must press through. We won’t just have to press through national difficulties, political situations, various entities pushing their agendas. We are going to have to press through diversions, distractions, false flags and misinformation. We can’t believe everything we hear or everything we see coming across a TV screen or computer screen. We might be wise to ask ourselves, “What gives that person/persons credibility with us or credentials with us that they can tell us a certain thing and we’re supposed to just take it at face value?”. We are really needing the Holy Spirit and the principals of the Word of God to stand on to help us press through stuff that we are hearing and not operate out of fear. We must get out of operating in fear and get back on God’s Word (the Bible). Jesus said that there was one house built on a rock and there was one built on the sand. When storms, winds, waves assailed the house built on the sand, it was washed away. But, the house built on the rock was assailed by the same winds, the same storm yet, the house on the Rock stood against all the opposition and remained firm. It didn’t escape the storm and its effects but it survived. There is only one Rock in the Bible — JESUS.


IN THE FACE OF THE IMPOSSIBLE

IN THE FACE OF THE IMPOSSIBLE
we stand. (from the CD)
Grace Church Willis Worship Team.
Music is best enjoyed with ear buds or headphones.
Click on video below to enjoy:
Face of Impossible_6min TmbNail

What Comes in the Morning

Melissa Gabler—We have had our questions, our doubts and shed our tears, but we’ve heard what comes in the morning (Ps.30:5).  I’m telling you, the sun is rising on us and great joy will be ours because it is our time.  It’s time to operate in the mandate God has given us.


Stay Still and Stay Thankful

Kathy Gabler—After a time of wrestling with unanswered prayer that hadn’t seen the slightest possibility of being answered and after asking the Lord for wisdom and council before my attitude got way out of line, the Lord spoke to me, “Stay still and stay thankful”. Those are very clear instructions. Immediately I began to think about stillness and thankfulness and Jn.14:1 “Don’t let your heart be troubled”, came to mind. Having studied it I knew it meant “don’t let your heart be agitated or tossed to and fro or perplexed with doubt” and all that is the opposite of being still. Unanswered prayers don’t get to determine the mood for the day. When the man arrived from Jairus’ house and told him not to trouble the Teacher any more because his daughter was dead, Jesus heard the man and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid! Just trust me, and she’ll be all right.” (Lk.8:50, TLB) Trust is the place where you don’t live by what you see or by what you hear; trust is the place where you stand on the Lord’s steady faithfulness, His unshakeable goodness, His undistracted awareness of what you need, of your prayers and when and how it will be best to answer them.


Take Hope, the Word is Alive

Marty—If you know someone who is living outside the Kingdom of God but they have had the Word preached to them or they have been taught a scripture or two, take hope, for that Word is alive and active. Once the Word is in them, it cannot be extracted. They may presently be yielding more and more to their soul drives than they do to the Word but the Word penetrates between soul and spirit and our job is to pray they will respond to the life of the Word at those moments when there is a cleaving between the soul and the spirit. Sins of the flesh, crime, even prison cannot nullify or extract that Word.  “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Heb.4:12, NKJV)


What a Day Can Hold

From a spontaneous song Melissa sang during worship:  “You don’t understand what a day can hold. With each breath you take, things can change.  You don’t understand what this day can hold.  With the next breath you take, life can change. With each step you take won’t you expect the impossible? Won’t you expect the answer? Don’t you understand that a day sits in the palm of His hand? With each breath you take life can change.  So, won’t you get ready for the impossible at your door? Because each day sits in the palm of His hand and there’s nothing outside of His grasp, nothing too far for His eyes to see.”


Intercessors and Isolation

Kathy Gabler — Satan desires to isolate and separate intercessors to intimidate them. Relationship defines but isolation blurs identity and allows weaknesses to remain unconfronted. Isolation can make the intercessor introspective, constantly dealing with self and be baited into agreement and develop a sense of unworthiness which can override our believer’s authority in Christ and defeat the intercessor’s call to prayer. Prov.18:1, TPT — “An unfriendly person isolates himself and seems to care only about his own issues. For his contempt of sound judgment makes him a recluse.”


Let God’s Spirit Show His Power

As the people of God assemble today may their preachers simply let God’s Spirit show His power and may the people of God be moved upon by that Spirit power and move out into the coming week with testimonies of the possibilities of the workings of God Almighty.  1Co 2:4, CEV–“When I talked with you or preached, I didn’t try to prove anything by sounding wise. I simply let God’s Spirit show his power.” 


Washed and Cleansed From Every Failure

May the Lord wash and cleanse you from every failure, every doubt and every judgment from others so that you may enter the coming season with expectancy for the extraordinary of God.
“Keep me from failure and disgrace….” (Jer.17:18a, CEV)

Prophetic Lifestyle for All Believers

Melissa Gabler—The prophetic lifestyle opens opportunities, timing, and connections. Opportunities: having the ears to hear to be at the right place at the right time for yourself and others. Timing: none of us understand the timing of God because He is working on so many levels. It takes a prophetic lifestyle to see beyond the limited vision of our normal dimensions. It can keep you sane where timing is concerned. Connection: Brings lives together for God team-ups, projects, events, etc. We were never meant to do life alone (1 Corinthians 12:20-21). In this day and age, this way of life is a total necessity for the body of Christ.
MELISSA will be speaking tonight on “The Prophetic Lifestyle for All Believers” at DREAMS VISIONS PROPHECY 2024. Location: Grace Church Willis (gracewillis.org) which is just north of Houston off I-45N. She will also be leading us in a Worship Encounter at 7:00pm. Nursery available Friday night only, ages 0-4. NO FEE. There will not be any livestream of the sessions but they will be available on Flashdrive. All information for DVP2024: martygabler.com/dvp2024/


Word of Knowledge in a Dream

KATHY GABLER—A twelve-year-old boy I spoke with received a word of knowledge in a dream about what was troubling his friend as well as a word of wisdom that gave strategy to address it.  Those gifts of the Spirit activated in his dream are marks of a new norm for him.  Rather than a random one-time experience, those gifts are already active in him for his lifetime purpose.  His dream started with a black dog and a white dog.  That setting indicates a conflict in the soul, the black dog (which represents negative or wrong thoughts and feelings) was bigger than the white dog (which symbolizes right thinking and feelings and behavior.)   In the dream he heard someone say that his friend was crying and upset because someone had brought a Buddha into her life. This twelve-year-old did not know dogs can refer to the soul in symbolism.  I doubt he even had a working definition for the word “soul.” It is also highly likely he had no knowledge of the culture and beliefs of Buddhism.  Yet these symbolic elements were in his dream, so that reveals the need for training and equipping him for new norms in dreaming in the future.    KATHY will be speaking at the DREAMS, VISIONS AND PROPHECY CONFERENCE 2024 on Sept.14 — Schedule and Hotel Info: martygabler.com/dvp2024/  —  Grace Church Willis 936-856-2455  gracewillis.org


Preparation for the Future

Marty Gabler—The future doesn’t simply happen, it is built by preparation in the now (and manipulating powers of darkness realize that just as well as the people of God—ready-or-not, awake or sleeping, eyes wide open or eyes closed). The predominant ideal of any time period in history has impact that reaches into the future affecting who and what future generations act out. In our time there is a desperate struggle for security and domination of the future. Some are trying to secure economics, secure political policies, secure real estate and secure borders for the future but we must secure a generation. Our children are a message that we send into the future. The future will not be secured by videos and pizzas. While many are crying out that the church is only one generation away from extinction, I would cry out that the church is only one generation away from dominion over the powers of darkness in the earth. (Jesus said that He would build the Church and that what He built would not see the gates or authorities of hell prevail against it – Matt.16:18. The Church is not at the point of extinction if Jesus spoke truth.) If we have no faith that we are going to be able to draw out anything from our bank account, it is because we know that we have not put anything into it. If we have no faith in the coming generation it is because we have either neglected to impart to them or we have not had anything to impart to them. We’d best get ahold of Something/Someone worth imparting. (Ps.71:18;Ps.78:1-4;Ps.112:1-3) Failure to impart to a generation results in loss that can only be calculated on an incalculable, exponential scale. We don’t want them to have to dig themselves out of a hole before they can go forward, especially when they should be starting out on the shoulders of the generation that is going before them. 
Marty is speaking at DREAMS VISIONS PROPHECY 2024 — SEPTEMBER 14 — Info: martygabler.com/dvp2024/
Location: Grace Church Willis (gracewillis.org) which is just north of Houston off I-45N. Melissa will be leading us in a Worship Encounter at 7:00pm Sept.13. Nursery available Friday night only, ages 0-4. NO FEE. There will not be any livestream of the sessions but they will be available on Flashdrive. Schedule and hotel info for DVP2024: martygabler.com/dvp2024/   (The Schedule is subject to Adjustments.)


The Lord Made the Hearing Ear

Melissa — “The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made both of them.” (Prov.20:12)  We are all capable of living a prophetic lifestyle without being a Prophet.  Sometimes we train ourselves to ignore the Prophetic Lifestyle because we don’t want to be weird. This really is an epic life we are meant to live. Don’t ignore it. This life is meant to be epic! — (Melissa Gabler is leading us in a Worship Encounter Friday night and speaking on “The Prophetic Lifestyle” (No Fee) at the DREAMS VISIONS PROPHECY CONFERENCE 2024 at Grace Church Willis. All info is at martygabler.com/dvp2024/


Grandparents – a Rich Heritage

SEPTEMBER 8 IS GRANDPARENTS DAY
       With a strong German accent my Grandfather would quote Psalm 150:6, “Let everyting dat hat bret praise da Lordt.  Praise ye da Lordt.”  From the time that I was a small child until I was fourteen he would begin a testimony (every Sunday night) with that verse and always, as he wept, end with “Godt is love.”
       Exuberance and love for the Lord didn’t just have its place in religious services.  Though his praises may have been more readily noticeable during song service, my Grandfather’s worship was a lifestyle lived out before the world.  When I was fourteen he passed this life to join the worshipers about the throne of God.  I recall being amazed at the number of neighbors and business people from the community who were present at the funeral.  Here was a man whose light shined, not just for church people to see, but genuinely for all to see, whether at worship, work, or just visiting throughout the community.
Pop Gabler was a praiser and worshiper of the first order. He actually believed and practiced the verses he so enthusiastically voiced. He actually believed that “EVERYTHING that hath breath” was to praise the Lord.  There was always room in the Lord’s house, around the Lord’s table, in Pop Gabler’s home for anyone no matter what their background, their theology or their sin.
       Love of God was readily expressed in the form of hospitality, patience, acceptance for “everything that hath breath”.  If an alcoholic or prostitute wanted to come into our church, sit next to him and sing the songs of the faith and worship with us according to our form of worship, he welcomed them in the name of the Lord and invited them to sit with him.
At the time of his passing, many from varied walks of life, destitute to wealthy, sinner to saint voiced testimony that their lives had been touched by God through his acceptance of them.  For the first time in my life I realized that it was possible for EVERYTHING THAT HATH BREATH to praise the Lord and I determined in my heart to be careful not to discourage “everything that hath breath” from praising the Lord.
The emphasis is not, “Am I worthy of God?”  Rather, the emphasis is: God is worthy of ALL PRAISE.  “All you have made will praise you, O Lord” (Ps. 145:10). I continue to praise the Lord for the rich spiritual heritage He has given me.
martygabler.com/dvp2024


Process and Authority

Marty Gabler—Disparity, fragmentation and individuality are concepts we have become so familiar with in our culture. In the world about us they are lauded and applauded. Large conglomerates are buying up companies, dividing them, and selling them off piecemeal, laying off people who have given themselves to the company for most of their lives, and after all… It seems that “the bottom line is the only thing that truly matters”. Only 48% of marriages are still, at least, somewhat intact. Everyone has their own idea of how churches, government and various agencies of authority should be set up and operated and, as a result, many exert as much dishonor and disobedience as they can muster to define what they are not in agreement with. As individuals, special interest groups, and people-groupings fight for and get more and more rights, our nation is becoming more and more fragmented and polarized on opposites. One of the most popular TV shows in the history of the industry put a group of people on an island just to see how fragmented and adversarial they could become while rewarding the individual who was for himself at all costs.

       The way father God‘s plan started out, was for tribes, household and patriarchs to move forward in unity on one track so that all things might be brought under the headship of his son, Jesus. We will not glorify the name of Jesus and see him glorified among the nations, or among our communities, until we search out and understand the heart of the father. Having discovered the heart of the father on a matter is not enough. We must cling tenaciously to his ways and means, and give ourselves wholly to his present pattern if we would “plunder hell and populate heaven“. The authority that the apostles turned their world upside down with, was not passed out like samples at the market. They came through order, and that order processed and appropriately positioned all who would bear it.

MARTY GABLER WILL BE SPEAKING AND MINISTERING AT Dreams Visions Prophecy 2024    September 13-14     NO FEE   
TEAM GABLER: Kathy, Melissa and Marty Gabler
Teaching, Worship, Ministry, Prayer/Activation
Grace Church  Willis,TX    936-856-2455   
gracewillis.org   
More Info, Schedule, hotels, location: martygabler.com/dvp2024/