Daily Devotions

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From Chaos to Order

MARTY—If you want to find out what disorder is like in your life, all you have to do is sin. Sin will bring disorder to your life. I have seen sin destroy homes because of adultery. I have seen many lives destroyed because of drugs, alcohol, perversion. There is a price to pay for rejecting the government, order, of Yahweh.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth and the earth was without order. It was without form (Gen.1:2). But Holy Spirit hovered over the earth and brought order. Jn.3:16, “For God so loved the world [i.e., His created order] that He gave His only begotten Son.” Why? Because that order He created was set into chaos by man’s sin. So God wanted His order back. He knew His order was best and chaos was destructive. His order is righteousness and peace and joy (Rom.14:17). So He gave His only begotten Son. Why? So that all of this chaos could be brought back into order. Only Jesus can bring the chaos of the world back into order.

The Big Picture and the Good News

MELISSA—Here’s the good news of the big picture, “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein.” (Ps. 24:1) He is not going to abandon His creation. He is going to fully possess this earth and He is going to do that through His sons/daughters. This is seriously the time to step out of the chaos to see what’s happening. He is exposing, tearing down, uprooting and dealing with evil. When you see the big picture it changes your perspective in the heat of the battle. This world is not being destroyed, it’s being turned right-side up, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.” (Is. 65:17)

Misunderstanding in Dreams and Visions

KATHY—Misunderstanding about thinking literally and symbolically is one of the biggest reasons we misunderstand communications in dreams or visions and that can then leave us totally confused and missing the point. Literal means “real with no hidden meanings and nothing to be de-coded”.  What you see is what you get.   For example, if you dream birds are covering your house and the dream is a literal message, you need to find ways to keep birds off your roof before you have a mess.  The dream would be a heads-up for your benefit in future.  Symbolic means not real and a detail represents something other than itself.  In that case, the birds aren’t really birds but they represent something else in the air or atmosphere or surroundings.  Landing on your roof top or your high place would be your head and/or mind.  So the message would be to guard your mind and thinking from something in the atmosphere trying to land and have presence or influence in you.

Stretching our Curtains

As the people of God assemble today, may the Presence of the Holy Spirit working with the Word enable us to “stretch our curtains and lengthen our tent cords” so that we will “break forth” and our “offspring will possess the nations and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.” (Isa.54:1-4)

Approaching the Halfway Mark

MARTY–We are approaching the halfway mark of 2024 after many of us committed ourselves to a course with more effective focus for a new year. Some are finding that starting on course is a great deal easier than staying the course. The admirable intentions we begin with may fall prey to the wily snares of unexpected interruptions, discouragement, self-pity and life obligations. Starting on course and staying the course may prove to be very costly. But the loss of that which would never be gained is inestimable.   Phil.3:13,TPT—I don’t depend on my own strength to accomplish this;  however I do have one compelling focus: I forget all of the past as I fasten my heart to the future instead. 14 I run straight for the divine invitation of reaching the heavenly goal and gaining the victory-prize through the anointing of Jesus.

Be Prepared for the Onslaught

MELISSA—When the Lord said to pray we be prepared for the onslaught we did, and then His instruction came to hold. What this instruction has shown me is “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’  says the Lord of Hosts.” (Zech. 4:6) This cannot be handled or fixed by our might or power. We are at the place where all of our self-help, strength, reasoning and logic have absolutely no power against this onslaught. What we are experiencing is what has been fueling the problems in lives and society and it has been hidden behind the scenes until now. This is a spiritual war and this is only the beginning. 

Sometimes Symbolic, Sometimes Literal

KATHY—When Father God does get our attention and communicates, we can be confident that He wants us to pursue full understanding.  The process I described of coming to see clearly concerning the number 1111, is just one example of how to search until you get to clarity.  I honestly expected that particular search to lead to a symbolic insight, yet it turned out to be a literal number of a chapter and verse.  Then that literal number became a symbol of encouragement for me, (and it still is every time I see it).  I’m emphasizing the difference between thinking literally and symbolically because one of the biggest reasons we misunderstand communications in dreams or visions is that we think details are literal when they are symbolic, or visa-versa.  That kind of  misunderstanding can then leave us totally confused and missing the point.

Run to the Rock

This is the day the Lord has made so…   I will rejoice and run to the Rock in it.
Ps.18:2,Amp—“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and the One who rescues me; My God, my rock and strength in whom I trust and take refuge; My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower—my stronghold.”

From the Midst of the Onslaught

MELISSA—I’m not writing this from that place on the other side of a battle looking back over it. I’m writing from the midst of the onslaught. Also, I am not writing this from a place of despair!  The Lord does not give us insight like this to warn us to get ready to be beaten up and hope we can hold on to make it out alive. He gives us this kind of insight because He is doing something in the middle of it. There is something major shifting. An onslaught such as this proves something major is shifting! An enemy does not attack when it has you subdued and controlled. An enemy attacks when it’s control is being overturned. That is exactly where we are.

The Holy Spirit is Unlimited

KATHY—The Holy Spirit has unlimited ways to communicate with us when He is transferring God-glimpses or God-insights. For example, a couple of years ago, I kept seeing the number 1111.  It got my attention so frequently that I could not help but wonder why.  For months I noticed it everywhere, on TV, billboards, addresses, digital clocks, in a dream, on a license plate, etc.  So I pursued an understanding of its significance.  At first, I considered that it might be a time or date, but that never jelled.  I asked the Lord for wisdom.  His wisdom is defined in Strong’s Concordance as sage advice, the act of interpreting dreams and the ability to discover the meaning of a mysterious number or vision. In answer to my request, a thought I’d not had came to me and sent me on a search of the eleventh chapter of every book of the Bible, and I found the answer in Luke 11:11, “Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he?” Suddenly I understood the Lord was letting me know that particular scripture was a telegram for me.  He was reminding me that He is my Father and He knows my heart’s desire and petitions.  Beyond that He was letting me know that He will answer my long-term petitions and His answers will not be a disappointment!  So that 11:11 was an awesome communication from my Father that lifted my head and heart.