Daily Devotions

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Hope and Courage

As the people of God assemble today, may they encourage one another to  take hope and determine to take courage in the Lord of Lords. Joshua didn’t have all the information nor all the answers for the challenges that he faced coming at him from the future but the word of the Lord to him was to go forward anyway. Josh.1:9—“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”  Ps.31:24—Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the Lord.

Fear No Evil

I will fear no evil for THOU (v.1-Good Shepherd) art with me, sometimes, when I’m really extra good and sometimes when I haven’t made anybody mad at me and when nobody has pulled out in front of me in traffic and when I read a couple of chapters of the Bible before I went to bed. No, there was an imperfect man (David) saying, “Though I WALK THROUGH the valley of the shadow of death”. It doesn’t matter who I am, it doesn’t matter what I’ve done, it’s all on Him (v.1-Good Shepherd). Because He (v.1-Good Shepherd) went to a cross called Calvary and there He (v.1-Good Shepherd) bled and died and on the third day after they laid Him (v.1-Good Shepherd) in a tomb He (v.1-Good Shepherd) walked out. And He (v.1-Good Shepherd) didn’t even have a limp. David said, “I will not fear a thing in this valley nor will I fear a thing in that shadow. I will not fear a thing that shadow brings against me or that attempts against me “for THOU (v.1-Good Shepherd) art with me”. 

Putting The Pieces Together For Now

Melissa—Father God has been putting the pieces together all along, and you have a role in which to stand. Don’t give up now.  Don’t believe that you’ve missed it. Let me say this again, the long lasting, deep, most satisfying things take longer because we have to have the understanding and character to not only attain them but to sustain them. How do you know that you have not been trained all along for the role you are about to receive? Is He not that sovereign? Is He not the Redeemer of time?

Bringing in God’s Will

Kathy—Jesus lived out an example for the Ekklesia, or the Church, that He said He would build.  He showed us how to bring God’s will into earth’s conflicts and contradictions.  He demonstrated Kingdom authority every time He did something, whether it was turning water into wine or taking dominion over a fig tree.  Every time He healed a paralytic or raised the dead or delivered someone from demons, Kingdom order came into earth.  He was training His People that they could access Kingdom rule and power, and He didn’t take it lightly when His trainees did not pick up the keys that He gave them.  Remember when the disciples woke Him up in the boat because of the stormy sea one night, He addressed His disciples BEFORE He addressed the weather! He reprimanded them in Matt 8:26 saying, “Why are you so afraid? Why are you such cowards?”  Then in Matt 17:17, when the man brought his son with epilepsy and the disciples couldn’t cure him, again Jesus rebuked the disciples BEFORE He rebuked the demon.  (AMP) He said, “You unbelieving (warped, wayward, rebellious) and thoroughly perverse generation!  How long am I to remain with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring the boy here to Me.” That same verse, Matt 17:17, isn’t any milder in other versions.  One reads:  “You unbelieving, corrupt and perverted generation!” (MSG) “You have No sense of God! No focus to your lives!  How many times do I have to go over these things?” (CEV) “You people are too stubborn to have any faith! How much longer must I be with you?  Why do I have to put up with you?”  Jesus did not mollycoddle them when they didn’t pick up the keys and take authority and get Kingdom results.  

Going Through Without a Pause

When David spoke of the valley of the shadow of death he didn’t say, “I took two dozen of my best friends and two dozen of my best intercessors and we had a great time right down there in the middle of the bottom of that thing”. No, he didn’t say that because he was all by himself. But when he was walking through the valley of the shadow of death nothing changed with Yahweh, nothing changed with God Almighty sitting on the throne of heaven. Nothing changed, no plans changed. Nothing changed with God. David messed himself up for a while but nothing changed with God. God didn’t send for a scribing angel to come and bring extra ink and quill pens and scratch out a bunch of stuff on the record of David’s life. David didn’t mess up God, he didn’t mess up God‘s plan. Jehovah didn’t push back in some stops that he had already pulled out. God did not get messed up. God did not get discouraged nor did God get confused. God did not send back some angel armies that he had already called for, angels that were already on the line and ready to go. They were still on the line ready to go. David said, “Yea though I WALK THROUGH”. There is nothing in that passage that says he paused or that he stopped or that he missed a step or that he missed a beat but he kept walking through. There is nothing going on in this nation, there is nothing going on in Russia, there’s nothing going on in China, there’s nothing going on in any part of this world that says to you and I that Yahweh has throttled back and there’s a little bit of hesitation going on in the universe. There is no hesitation going on on the part of God. The only thing going on right now is people becoming fearful while they are dealing with that dark entity in the valley. BUT…. “I will fear NO evil for THOU art with me” (Ps.23:4).

What God has Intended

Melissa—What God has intended, been building, releasing, putting in place, and establishing is about to be revealed over the remainder of this decade.  It’s far, FAR greater than what we have been seeing unleashed over our nation.  It’s also far greater than the waves we’ve seen in the past! His Kingdom is going to be seen at a measure we have not seen to this point.  This. Is. Exciting.

Is God’s Intent Optional?

Kathy—If you were raised in a traditional church environment like I was, concepts like “binding” and “loosing” (Matt.16:19) can seem almost too radical and even border on blasphemy.  And we all know church-goers who never think about these keys to the Kingdom and never attempt to bind or lose or allow or disallow anything.  We also know church people who never think about sonship or dominion and very likely have never felt the least bit equipped to speak to a storm and say, “Peace be still.” So there is not an Ekklesia heart in every Christian that would cause them to rise up and confront contradictions to the will of God.  Nor does every Christian have confidence that they have the means to make a God difference in their own life, much less make a God difference in a business or a community or a court or a nation.  However, Jesus clearly told us that He is building a Church, a People, and He gives them the keys they need to deal with life matters and bring about God changes and God outcomes.  So we really need to unplug from the idea that using these keys is optional.  Being His Ekklesia is not like choosing new car options of whether you want heated seats or not!  In fact, you may find yourself in the hot seat if you consider these matters optional, since that is really considering God’s intent for His Church as optional.  Some things simply aren’t optional, they are obedience.

Not Alone in the Valley

As the people of God assemble today may they receive from the Lord Most High assurances through Holy Spirit’s presence that they are not alone in the valley of the shadow of death or any other valley. May His people call upon His glorious name and find succor for their souls and clarity for victory and the way out. Ps.28:7,NASB—“The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart triumphs, And with my song I shall thank Him.”

Walking All the Way Through

David said, “Yea though I walk. He didn’t say, “Though I step in for a moment and then step back out. (Most folks don’t get that kind of brief experience.)That valley is not two or three feet long, it is a long enough experience for a man to write, “I have walked through the valley of the shadow of death”. He was in that thing long enough to experience what that entity could press against him with. That shadow, that pressing is evil. The thief has come to steal to kill and to destroy (Jn.10:10). The word just before destroy is “AND”. He has come to do all of it and that evil that is in the valley is set on attempting all three actions. That evil has come to take you out through whatever means are available to it. It will use anything we will agree with. David was facing unconventional threats with that shadow of death. It wasn’t simply a matter of a fever or throwing up. He was in a low place, under the shadow where there was little to no light getting down into that spot, a place of little to no revelation, little to no relief, little to no encouragement. But his response was, “I will fear NO evil for THOU art with me” (Ps.23:4).

The Point Where you see it

Melissa—We will increasingly become aware of that which God has been doing all along, coming to the point where we can see it. That divine unfolding is happening on a more and more steady basis. I believe we need to get ready for it to increase even more! I already know that next year is going to be something else.  It’s not going to be a stroll in the park, but hear me out.  What is opening up at the end of this year is going to be fuel for not only next year but the remainder of this decade! There’s no need to be afraid or worry about being ready. You are already ready. The sovereign plan of God is unfolding in our lives right now and His plan is far more powerful than any dark agenda in high places.