Daily Devotions

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Restore What the Locusts Have Eaten

In Joel 2:25 the Lord Most High says, “I will compensate you for the years that the swarming locust had eaten.” When locusts swarm and come through there is not anything left. They devour it all. But God said I am going to compensate you for it. I am going to restore. Everything the locusts have eaten (and digested). And I cry out today, “Oh God, what the locusts had destroyed in me and my family and my relationships and in my nation and in my church, I cry out now restore!” Psalm 51:12 says “Restore to me the joy of my salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit”. Restore the joy of God! Restore the joy that hopelessness has taken, that attacks against the people of God have taken and the tolls they have taken on the people’s hope for the future. Restore the joy! 

Prayer for the Changing Church

Kathy—When reading Ps.81 I was receiving instruction from the Lord to invest prayer toward the church changing and that the results would be undeniable. My, my, I was amazed that the Holy Spirit would actually instruct me to pray for speedy results and pray against delay (because I definitely do have experience in that kind of praying!)  Honestly, I don’t know that I have ever heard such detailed and clear instructions. That thrilled me because I had heard the Lord say back in September that He was bringing more clarity and it was already happening!  The scripture I had been reading before I dozed off echoed through me again, “How I wish my people would obey me!”  I promptly wrote the instructions down to pray daily as I was so clearly directed.  While I am not trying to put my assignment on anyone reading this, I am trying to encourage you to expect clarity and understanding as God prompts you to pray or take action this year.  Follow His prompts and don’t waste time wondering or asking “Why me?” as I did.  We can trust the Lord to wisely assign the part we are to steward, so there’s no need to feel overloaded or unequipped, just obey.  Even if His prompts seem more vague than clear at first, rather than losing time wondering if the Lord is really prompting us, just pray or just do it. 

A Big Churning

Melissa—I feel something big churning as of late. I believe this discernment is about getting ready for what lies ahead in the remainder of the year.  I believe that the latter part of this year is very significant to how we enter the coming year. As I write this I see a picture of the American flag being raised by brave Marines at Iwo Jima during World War II. In researching this battle this statement stuck out, “The battle was won by the inch-by-inch tenacity of the foot soldier,” (Iwojima com).  The coming months will be won “by the inch-by-inch tenacity of the foot soldier,” as we battle right now. For those that struggle with an all-or-nothing drive, (like me) the statement “inch-by-inch tenacity” can be almost devastating. I really prefer a battle being done in a one-glorious-moment tenacity! Here’s the thing with the remainder of this year, the inch-by-inch is going to lead to many glorious moments in the coming year. (More thoughts on this subject will be coming in posts in the next few days.) 

Sanctified and Pure

As the people of God assemble today may His powerful, life-changing Word be preached with Holy Spirit anointing and great conviction in order that we may be sanctified and pure so we may be separate from profane things in days to come and be preserved complete in our Lord Jesus Christ.  “And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).” (1Thess.5:23, Amp)

Elohim – Power of Effect

Does Elohim mean Creator? The basic meaning behind the name Elohim is one of “strength or power of effect”. Elohim is the infinite, all-powerful God who shows by His works that He is the creator, sustainer, and supreme judge of the world.  Ps.146:5-6,Amp—“How blessed and graciously favored is he whose help is the God of Jacob (Israel), Whose hope is in the LORD his God,  6  Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them, Who keeps truth and is faithful forever,”

Instructions to Invest Prayer

Kathy—As I read Ps.81, I wondered,”Why am I hearing these things?” Immediately, I heard, “So you can invest prayer toward these changes in My Church.” My instructions continued,  “Pray, the changes and results be undeniable.  Pray that tomorrow will manifest what I initiate today in heart-thinking and in conversations and in angel assignments.  Pray that opposition and interference on every level be sabotaged in the night between today and tomorrow’s manifestation.  Pray that speedy and prevailing works of righteousness and justice be witnessed and understood so that the fear of the Lord will come upon people and their families and their nations and their generations.

Dealing With Accusation

Melissa—How do you deal with accusation if you feel like this is a force against you? The message I heard offered 4 steps to deal with the power of accusation.  (Important note: This force was built using words so you will need to use words to break it.)

1. Forgive and bless.  Things won’t change if you don’t forgive.  Wash your accuser with blessing.  “I’m asking you to bless them, their family. May your mercy come on them.”  Forgiveness and blessing are foundational for victory.

2. Realize and confess you do the same thing.  If you don’t confess you won’t have the authority to break it over yourself.  Simply ask for forgiveness then break your words off of people.  Don’t worry about going down the list of everyone you know to break words off of them.  The Holy Spirit will bring faces before you if there are specific things you need to break.  Also, it would do good for all of us to realize we have accused ourselves of all sorts of things.  I feel it’s important to break those words we’ve spoken over ourselves!

3. Be grateful.  Gratitude is important because it is the opposite of resentment.  Begin to think of the things you can give thanks for and let it out of your mouth.

4. Break those words off of your life.  This is a curse (witchcraft) sent against you (Galatians 5:19-20). You have to break it.
We are at a threshold of phenomenal breakthrough and I believe this is one big nasty force that is trying to keep us out of the next season.  It can’t.  It is not as powerful as the original intent of God.  So, if you don’t break through you just keep working at it! Be vigilant and keep working at it until you have victory because victory is God’s original intent for you.

Call Out

”Call to Me and I will answer you” (Jer.33:3). This is a covenant God speaking. I can look back at these Old Testament scriptures and I can stand on them today, right here, right now today I can cry out, “Restore God!” Restore my finances, restore my health, restore my relationships, restore my hope because I also am a covenant man. The book of Hebrews says I have a better covenant than Old Testament Israel had (Heb.8:6). That is what you and I are standing in today, right now and I am urging you to cry out today, to cry restore! Don’t just cry out for your finances but your mental health, your physical health, your family’s relationship. Cry out for your hope for the nation, your hope for the body of Christ. Ps.34:17,Amp—”When the righteous cry [for help], the Lord hears And rescues them from all their distress and troubles.” 

Praying is Obeying

Kathy—PRAYING is OBEYING, and prayer will clearly bear fruit in 2022 as His Kingdom comes and His will is done in earth.  On January 4th, six days after Marty made the declarations (mentioned in my last post), I was reading Psalm 81.  Verse 13,  How I wish my people would listen to me; how I wish they would obey me, seemed to echo in my mind as I leaned my head back on my chair.  As I slipped into sleep, I began dreaming, but then I heard someone speaking.  I opened my eyes, wondering if I was awake or asleep as I tried to listen to what was being said.  It is sometimes a challenge to transfer words and concepts to paper, but this is the gist of what I heard:  “I am bringing changes to the Church’s mode of operation.”  My first thought was that I must pray that those who faithfully sit on the church bench be able to handle God-changes rather than hold to traditions or walk away in judgment.  I took hope in what I heard next:  The prospering that comes from these changes will cause the differences to be embraced and welcomed by many.  Even the economics of the Church will prosper like harvests hidden in history.”  I had no knowledge of  “harvests hidden in history.”  I was a bit stunned at hearing such details. I thought, ‘Lord, hearing these things seems strangely beyond my usual reach and responsibility.  This is the kind of stuff that Marty hears, so why am I hearing these things?’  Immediately, I heard, “So you can invest prayer toward these changes in My Church.”  I have to admit that I felt too inexperienced for such an assignment, and that momentary feeling of being unequipped made me doubt my hearing.  But I could not shrug this off to dreaming.  I wonder how many of us have disqualified ourselves and forsaken an assignment through a reaction like mine.  The soul (the mind and logic and will) is often quick to take the wheel and drive us into a ditch of doubt instead of down the path of obedience.  It’s not that our soul cannot be part of obedience, in fact, it must.  However, the soul simply cannot be the driver-dictator-controller.  Being led of the Spirit is the means and method of walking out an obedience and getting to God-outcomes (in prayer or any other obedience).

What’s the Antidote to Accusation?

Melissa—What’s the antidote to accusation? The opposite of accusation is intercession.  The enemy accuses (Revelation 12:10) and Jesus intercedes (Romans 8:34).  Instead of accusing, criticizing, gossiping and leaving it there, it needs to be turned into intercession. Now, in the south we like to put “bless their heart” at the end of a good ol’ accusation… THIS IS NOT INTERCESSION. Perhaps an example of intercession would look something like this, “Open their eyes Lord, Your grace is sufficient for this issue.”