Daily Devotions

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Not a Bellboy

In spite of some past inferences we might have heard concerning prayer, God is not a celestial bellboy waiting in an anteroom for us to ring a bell to do what we require. Rather, in prayer, we partner with God for His purposes in our lives and in this earth. Jesus went apart from the crowd to pray so that He might find how to partner with His Father so He could glorify Him.  Jn.12:27, (The Passion Translation) — “Even though I am torn within, and my soul is in turmoil, I will not ask the Father to rescue me from this hour of trial. For I have come to fulfill my purpose—to offer myself to God.”

Trust or Not to Trust

Kathy—When we are in a hard place the first decision we have to make is to trust God or harden our hearts & handle things our own way. The only recourse you have if you don’t trust God is to take control of the situation. Control is about ME, my feelings, my rights, and my desires. To trust God we must embrace the truth about His character and His ways consistently until belief is consistent in us. Prov.3:5-6, KJV — “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;  6  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

Digging In

Martin Luther said that prayer is not overcoming the reluctance of God but it is laying hold of the willingness of God. Why didn’t he say “finding the willingness of God”? There is a lot more in laying hold than in finding. You may find gold, but you have not laid hold of it until you have dug. Let us dig in and find His willingness.  Js.5:17, TPT — “Elijah was a man with human frailties, just like all of us, but he prayed and received supernatural answers. He actually shut the heavens over the land so there would be no rain for three and a half years!”

Our Trust in God

Kathy — Why is our trust in God sometimes in pieces? I think it is because of all the times it’s been shaken. I’m talking about every time that we followed our emotions through a trial and we “trusted” God to come through like we felt He should…. but He didn’t. Our trust was shaken if not shattered, not because He’s not trustworthy, but because He did not allow us to manipulate the situation or Him. Ps.18:2, TPT — “You’re as real to me as bedrock beneath my feet, like a castle on a cliff, my forever firm fortress, my mountain of hiding, my pathway of escape, my tower of rescue where none can reach me. My secret strength and shield around me, you are salvation’s ray of brightness shining on the hillside, always the champion of my cause.”

Start a Spiritual History

Start your own spiritual history. Lack or infirmity may be just about all the generational history you have. You be the one to break the cycle. You be the one who refuses to embrace that old history. Matt.16:19-”whatever you bind on earth.” It has already been done in the heavenlies. Start walking and talking it on the earth. Eph.1:19-20, TPT — “I pray that you will continually experience the immeasurable greatness of God’s power made available to you through faith. Then your lives will be an advertisement of this immense power as it works through you! This is the mighty power  20  that was released when God raised Christ from the dead and exalted him to the place of highest honor and supreme authority in the heavenly realm!”

When Emotions Erupt

Kathy — When you are mistreated or attacked or accused or scared or you step in the neighbor’s dog droppings in your own yard you might not deliberately think, “Back off God, I’ll handle this.” In fact, you’re not likely to think of dog droppings and God in the same thought! The point is that there’s no time to hear God when emotions erupt. That tells us that emotions are one of the big reasons that we harden our hearts. 2Pe1:6, Amp — “For this very reason, applying your diligence [to the divine promises, make every effort] in [exercising] your faith to, develop moral excellence, and in moral excellence, knowledge (insight, understanding), 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, steadfastness, and in your steadfastness, godliness.”

Take a Step

As the people of God assemble today and they sing out praises and worship and they hear the powerful Word of God taught, may they realize it is time to take yet another step. May each one take a step more in the direction the Lord has them headed in within their bent, their calling, their purpose. This is the season for stepping up to the next level of purpose and function in the Kingdom of God. Prov.3:5-6, Amp — “Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart And do not rely on your own insight or understanding.  6  In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way].”

Celebrating Reformation Day

We are celebrating Reformation Day! On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the Wittenberg Church door in Germany. What had been covered over by centuries of profitable and manipulative tradition, was exposed and the truth of God’s Word, the Gospel of salvation by grace (Eph.2:8), was made known. There is ONE Mediator between God and man, not a Mediator plus someone or some religious/ecclesiastical system (Heb.10:10). That Mediator, JESUS, alone was appointed by God to make atonement for the sins of men by His death. His atonement alone gives only Him authorization to be our Intercessor with God in our behalf. All persons (no matter race or creed) are to go directly to that Intercessor JESUS (Heb.7:25) and trust only in this Mediator alone. “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1Tim.2:5).

God-Intersections

Kathy — At God-intersections, when He reveals His doings, we witness not only His acts but also His might and love and faithfulness. Seeing beyond the “what” to the “who” He will most certainly stir us to worship and our worship is a sound of agreement from the earth regarding who He is in Heaven! I don’t know yet all that His breakthroughs have prepped and set in motion, but I believe we will recognize them as the Intervener intervening in the weeks to come.

Your Shoe Rubbing?

Have a shoe that rubs your foot? If you limp in a certain way and with certain timing, it ain’t such a bad way to live. You can get by. But there is more to life than just getting by. You don’t have to learn to live with that shoe. We have only begun to scratch the surface of what God says we can do and have. “The thief has come to steal, kill and destroy but I have come that they might have life more abundant.” (Jn10:10)