Daily Devotions

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Never Go Back

As the people of God assemble today, may the Lord Almighty grant that His people will be awakened by His Holy Spirit working with His Word and may we never go back to the place we were before He did. Egypt and religious legalism are not for returning to, they are for leaving. The enemy of the purposes of Christ does not have to destroy the church with civil laws. All he has to do is get it sidetracked from Christ. (Gal.4:8-11, Msg)—“Earlier, before you knew God personally, you were enslaved to so-called gods that had nothing of the divine about them. But now that you know the real God—or rather since God knows you—how can you possibly subject yourselves again to those paper tigers? For that is exactly what you do when you are intimidated into scrupulously observing all the traditions, taboos, and superstitions associated with special days and seasons and years. I am afraid that all my hard work among you has gone up in a puff of smoke!”

No Countdown to Canaan Conference

Even while in the middle of the wilderness, Israel was on the verge of a new era. Yet, there weren’t any people walking around or gathering groups under a tree to listen to them preach about the new era that was being ushered in and that they should have hope and that they should give themselves wholeheartedly to it and, most certainly, no one had even announced a Countdown to Canaan Conference. Even without the thing being announced in bright lights, the new season was moving in upon them just the same. One factor we must always be aware of that can spawn disillusionment is when the proclaimers of new eras leave us with the assumption that it is going to be a “magic carpet ride”. We will not be able to simply go on about “business as usual” but must look for ways to adjust to what is coming and adjust and make preparations for what we are hoping will be.

Watching, Listening, Heeding

Melissa Gabler—As the people of God, what do we need to be watching, listening for and heeding? Watch for creativity and ideas being unleashed that will produce finances, answers, healing, refuge and change in hearts. Deut.28 sounds like we won’t miss creativity and ideas “if” we listen diligently to the voice of the Lord our God, being watchful to do all His commandments.

Days of Elijah

KATHY—Over a two week period I kept hearing, “These are the days of Elijah.”  It wasn’t a song echoing within me but a declaration. I later discovered several other folks were hearing this also.  Since I know we hear in part, I figured it was likely that each of us was hearing a different emphasis in the Days of Elijah.  Setting out to embrace my part, I searched out significance in the Days of Elijah.  I was amazed how vividly the conditions he faced were the same we are facing in our days of history (1Kings 17-18). As our days mirror the days of Elijah in so many details, may we be encouraged that we too will see the called-of-God follow the Lord’s directions and take down corrupt government and willful evil, both now and in generations to come. (This is the first excerpt from Kathy’s article “Days of Elijah”. We will post more in the next week or so.)

Hopes And Dreams For A New Season

There are people who have hopes and dreams that a new season is just ahead and that it will hold something fresh and fulfilling. There is a God-something in us that urges us to reach beyond what we have experienced and strive for more than we have known. We so desire to eagerly respond to the “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not” invitation of Jer.33:3. We want to see and experience the “never seen” and “never known” which is beyond our own capacity so that we may know resolve and victories and fulfillment that have, heretofore, been beyond our reach. So, we must lift up our heads from where we are and look to where there is transforming power and radical answers that change individuals and grip them with an insatiable vision for the Kingdom of Heaven in the earth. Ps.121:1-2,NASB—“I will raise my eyes to the mountains; From where will my help come?  2  My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.”

As Goes the Remnant

Melissa — We/YOU carry what our nation and the world needs, and you can change things from where you are at this moment. God used a remnant of people time and time again to make big changes. He’s God, a tiny dose of His power can turn this thing upside-down! Our new motto for the middle of 2023 and beyond:  “As goes the remnant, so goes the nation”.

SFMV#14 – God Will Stand With Me

SFMV#14  “God Will Stand With Me”
Marty reads Scripture and prays for our victory today.
Click on the picture below to view video.

SFMV#14 ThmNail

Don’t Let Peace Depart

KATHY—After waking in the funk I mentioned recently, stillness was my first hurdle.  Two scriptures came to mind.  The first was Jn 14:1, Let not your heart be troubled.  I had taught on that scripture a few times and knew it meant “don’t let your heart be agitated, tossed to and fro, restless, perplexed with doubt, stirred up, struck with fear and dread or anxious and distressed”.  Since I had woken up in that very condition, my challenge was to find a way out of the troubling.  After rereading my own notes, I knew one positive step was to hold my peace, or keep my mouth shut.  Peace will depart from our heart on the wings of our words and all that is left is trouble’s rubble.

Seeing the Difference

 As the people of God assemble today may they praise from their hearts, give from their obedience and hear from true Biblical understanding so that they might arise with God’s power to meet the needs of the hurting and oppressed.  “I’m sending you off to open the eyes of the outsiders so they can see the difference between dark and light, and choose light, see the difference between Satan and God, and choose God. I’m sending you off to present my offer of sins forgiven, and a place in the family, inviting them into the company of those who begin real living by believing in me.” (Acts 28:17-18, Msg)

Deliver Us From Evil

There was an intercessors meeting where I was asked to speak. I was talking about all the demonic activity and agendas being promoted in our culture and that it might be a good idea for us to look to Scripture and heed our Lord’s instruction in the Lord’s Prayer to ask our Heavenly Father to deliver us from evil. There was a known minister from the region in attendance and he spoke up and said that in that particular context (Matt.6:13), the original language isn’t referring to evil in general but to “the evil one” and we were delivered from him at the cross. (In that particular context it seemed as though he was implying that we are not supposed to pray to be delivered from evil.) And, believe it or not, I am actually aware of the truths stated by that gentleman. But, first of all, I still desire to continue to be delivered from the evil one (it appears these days that he is still quite active), his activities and his agenda in my generation and I desire the nearly-destroyed-by-evil people I minister to, to be delivered also. Then, when I further consider him and all that is quite apparently evil and devilish in the culture of this nation, I think the present condition of the world around us begs the question, “How many know that you don’t get the dog without his fleas?” There is not only an “evil one” but it is my belief that in Mk.5:9 where the man said, “My name is Legion, for we are many” we are shown that, though he was just one man, the “dog’s fleas” (more than one) had so infested him that he was tormented and terrorizing the region of the Gerasenes. That level of demonization and demonstrative display are not the only ways evil is manifested. Evil can function quite often in disguised, subtle and hidden ways, yet leave its disturbing, harassing residue over a wide area. I regularly pray for said deliverance from evil in society and regularly declare it over hurting people. I shall continue to pray for insight, wisdom and discernment for myself and others as we move forward in facing the challenges of evil and move forward in the purposes of the King of Kings as the powers of darkness continue to oppose the Kingdom of Light (Jn.3:19-20;Col.1:13;1Pe.2:9;1Thess.5:22).