Daily Devotions

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Mary Did You Know — Sung by Melissa Gabler

“Mary Did You Know” full song in the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at Grace International Church in Willix,TX. Melissa Gabler, Danielle Pope, Ellen Stallings, Erin Fenner, Jonathan Fenner, Zach Stallings, Matthew Traylor, Robert Pope, Gabri Mayorga, Ed Stallings, Don Pope.
Click on video below to watch.

 

 

He Has Provided a Savior Who is Christ the Lord

As the people of God assemble today may they open their hearts and mouths and sing joyous praises to their God because He has provided a Savior. “Joy to the world the Lord is come!”  “Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the Lord and joyfully celebrate His mighty acts, for great is the glory of the Lord.” (Ps.138:5, Amp)

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Christmas, The Story of Hope

The Christmas story is the story of hope — hope in the face of all that is contrary. Christmas time is a great time to use for the purpose of remembering, memorializing the fact, that when God says, “I will….”, then God will. He will move mountains, seas and people. In Josh. 2:11 the fact and realization is that our God is able to move anything or anyone in heaven or in earth to accomplish His purposes. He is able to move in the life of an obscure girl who had no credentials or evident reason for expecting to be part of an earth-shaking, history-shaping event. Her qualities and integrity (evidenced in the writings of both Matthew and Doctor Luke) helped to place her in the middle of the road where an unprecedented moving of God was progressing like a steamroller and changing history as man had known it. That change was taking place through a small handful of individuals and not through some large and varied political or military movement. From all that we can find concerning this person called Mary, precious few people even knew of her qualities and integrity. It would seem that Jehovah was about the only One who saw and might very well have been the only One who noticed. And by the time she was discovered to be with child, she would have been disqualified by any who did happen to notice. Had it not been for dreams and angels intervening by Divine directive, her own husband would have done away with her.

When God promised Abraham a son it would appear that it was long deferred. Abraham most likely thought that the son which was promised was his immediate son. However, that promised Son was the One through whom the world would be blessed, the One who would be called the Christ. This Son of promise proved to be coming at the great distance of some 42 generations and about 2,000 years. Though it be long and arduous by our standards, God Jehovah is faithful in all and brings about detail for detail that which was foretold long before it was realized in this realm which we call reality. Delays do nothing to weaken the promise of God; for in what seem to us to be delays, our all-wise and provisional Father is preparing a people who will walk out His fulfillment rather than being caught unawares and overcome by His fulfillment. As we learn in the New Testament teaching of our Lord, the new wineskin must be prepared for the new wine or it shall burst and the wine and its value lost.

It is interesting to note Henry’s observation on this one point: “This son of David, and son of Abraham, who was to be the glory of his Father’s house, was born when the seed of Abraham was a despised people, recently become tributary to the Roman yoke, and when the house of David was buried in obscurity; for Christ was to be a root out of a dry ground.” From such a studious observation we could readily come to the conclusion that the performance and provision of our God comes when circumstances would place upon it the heaviest it has to offer. Ease and convenience are not the components or the ambiance of fulfillment. The Christmas story is the story of hope — hope in the face of all that is contrary.

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Key is Awareness

I will boil down prophetic lifestyle to this: The key is awareness.  We must remember, at all times that the Kingdom of God is invading this nation. Each one of us has a piece of the Kingdom that penetrates and affects the region around us. We are going to WIN this fight. Hey, it’s not pretty right now, but no matter what you see, hear, or face it has no effect on what God has set in motion.  After all, He has the last word!
If you feel worried, afraid, or uneasy that’s your clue that the Prophetic Lifestyle needs a re-boot. Make sure you keep the air cleared in your vicinity. One great way of doing that is, like we discussed, upping your prayer in tongues. Talk about an air purifier! Speaking in tongues is a beautiful weapon from Heaven for such a time as this. We are all capable of living a prophetic lifestyle without being a Prophet. (Last excerpt from Melissa’s article “Prophetic Lifestyle”.)
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Qualifying for Inclusion in Divine Intentions

Among the details of the Advent are the orchestrated movements of the heavenly bodies and the timely placement of illustrious people. Mary was none of the above; and much like Mary, the great majority of us come from somewhat obscure backgrounds with reputations and merits that require Divine intervention if we are to be included in the well-designed purposes of Jehovah. It would seem, however, that most people qualify for inclusion in the Divine intentions of history simply because all the glory must go to God and not the participants. “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble;” (1Co.25:26).

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Prophetic Lifestyle and Responsibility

Personal Responsibility for the Prophetic Lifestyle: 1.) Read the Bible.  Reading the Bible keeps you familiar with God’s ways. God highlights and pinpoints scriptures for wisdom, action, prayer, declaration, etc.   2.) Pray… specifically in tongues. It keeps your eyes and ears open.  Ephesians 3:16, 20-21- “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”  Praying in tongues charges our spirit man.  The spirit (inner man) needs to be charged way more than the soul does.  Praying in tongues brings that charge which in turn brings clarity. “Your soul drinks in what your ears and eyes and emotions are exposed to all day.  The only way you can renew your mind and take dominion over the demonic assault on your feelings and thoughts is to be filled with the Spirit!” (Lance Wallnau). (Eighth excerpt from Melissa’s article “Prophetic Lifestyle”.)

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Needing a Big Jolt

Thank God for the prayer movement leaders who have arisen in the last 10 to 20 years to remind the church that they are supposed to be praying. Every time the people of God have lost something over the course of time God has been determined to restore it. He is a God of restoration. And every time God restores something to the church He has to bring it back in an earthshaking fashion for it to do staid, cynical humans any good. A plain old vitamin B tablet won’t get the job done when a virus has our entire system run down. God has to give us a “powerful concentration of ‘B’ in ‘shot’ form”. When a car battery goes dead, a simple 10 amp charger isn’t enough to get the vehicle going again. A 250 amp charger is required and, boy, is there ever a difference between a 10 amp spurt of electricity and a 250 amp jolt!
While it is good and necessary to remember the birth of Jesus Christ, let us honor Him even further by receiving the gift and empowering of the Holy Spirit that He gave at what many call the birth of the Church, Pentecost. Closing out this year and heading into 2018, anything less than a “high amperage” Holy Ghost “jolt” will not be sufficient.  (Acts 2:2, TPT) “Suddenly they heard the sound of a violent blast of wind rushing into the house from out of the heavenly realm. The roar of the wind was so overpowering it was all anyone could bear!”  (Acts 1:8, TLB) “But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power to testify about me with great effect, to the people in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, about my death and resurrection.”

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2 min. video of Marty Gabler encouraging you to listen for
and look for the extraordinary Savior.
Click here:  EYE HAS NOT SEEN

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Time to Pay Attention

What do I do when these prophetic things occur? (Mentioned in my post on 12-15-17)  Here’s where I start: TAKE THE TIME TO PAY ATTENTION.  Remember, this life is meant to be EPIC. Take time to act, pray, speak it/declare it, write it down or simply agree in that moment. If it’s not obvious what to do, ask God for instruction. You may need to hold on to it for future reference.  Don’t get impatient and jump into action if the action is not clear.  That could lead to an unpleasant outcome.  He could be training you in that moment, getting you ready. (Seventh excerpt from Melissa’s article “Prophetic Lifestyle”.)

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We Are Building Blocks

As the people of God assemble today, may awesome God more fully and completely do His work of forming and shaping so He may use each of us as a building block to form a well-built dwelling for His mighty Holy Spirit to abide in and work out of.  “In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” (Eph.2:22, ESV) 

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Rule of God in Present Circumstances

We are not involved merely in an attempt to get some people to heaven, we are part of a great plan to bring the rule of God into present circumstances. People don’t just need a ticket to heaven in the by and by, they need the rule of God now in their bodies, families, finances and workplace. It is one thing to speak of the wonderful goings-on around the throne of God and what it is going to be like “some glorious day,” but it is to the glory of the Father to give present testimony of lives and circumstances invaded by that wonderful realm.

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