Daily Devotions

Posts tagged “as in heaven

HE LIVES!

Kathy was my Dad’s church pianist from age 13.  (As a baby, Melissa was put under the piano seat in her baby seat) We sang this one in a lively manner. But when we got to “You ask me how I know He lives,” we held “lives” for a long time and ended with a quick and hearty “He lives within my heart!” after which was an exuberant round (or two) of “Amen!” and “Glory!”.

He Lives (by A.H.Ackley; Melodies of Praise Hymnal p.86))

V.1—I serve a risen Saviour,

He’s in the world today;

I know that He is living,

Whatever men may say;

I see His hand of mercy,

I hear His voice of cheer,

And just the time I need Him

He’s always near.

Chorus:

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives 

today!

He walks with me and He talks with me

Along life’s narrow way.

He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!

You ask me how I know He lives:

He lives within my heart.

V.2—In all the world around me

I see His loving care,

And tho my heart grows weary

I never will despair;

I know that He is leading

Thro’ all the stormy blast,

The day of His appearing

Will come at last.

V.3—Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian,

Lift up your voice and sing

Eternal hallelujahs

To Jesus Christ the King!

The hope of all who seek Him,

The help of all who find,

None other is so loving,

So good and kind.

YouTube Link to Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpJfT4_COzY


Unshakeable Revelation

Kathy—In order to develop a working understanding of the term “ekklesia” we look to its first mention in Matthew 16.  Leading up to this chapter, Jesus had already walked on water and fed the 5000 and delivered Legion from demons.  So the reports of Jesus were spreading and crowds were gathering as He taught in open air meetings.  This was the setting when He asked His disciples, “What are people saying about Me?” They answered, “Some people say you are John the Baptist or maybe Elijah or Jeremiah or some other prophet.” Then Jesus asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter spoke up, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Peter’s answer showed that he had the revelation that Jesus is the Messiah that the Old Testament prophets had said would come and the Son of God Who was sent to be the Savior and Deliverer. Then Jesus said to him, “God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am. (Matt. 16:17, Msg)  In the next verse, Jesus said He would build His Church, His Ekklesia, His assembly of called out ones, with those who have that same unshakeable revelation of the Christ as The Messiah and Son of God, and these called out ones would be a company of people that hell cannot defeat or hold out against. 


Restored to Take Possession

Melissa—Our part in the big churning is moving us forward inch-by-inch as God directs.  It’s about being restored to take possession. Let me go a little farther regarding this place we will hold by mentioning the wealth transfer in Proverbs 13:22 that’s about to get real!  I’ve heard about the wealth transfer from sinner to the just all of my life, but I’ve never seen it like I do now.  The reason the rest of this year is so important is because the great wealth transfer is not about someone just handing money to us.  It’s about us taking the place of the wicked and possessing the land for the Kingdom of God.  Remember those seven mountains we have talked about for years?  It’s about us taking the empty spots on those mountains after God deals out Job 5:12. Those who fought at Iwo Jima were part of the generation that has been labeled “The greatest”.   Let’s be tenacious and lay hold of the grace that is readily available to us to be the greatest Kingdom generation yet!


Pressing

God is doing such awesome things in this season in spite of the negative narrative. The Lord gave me a word last May toward the end of the month that we would be having to press through the summer. People have told me don’t ever give any more words like that! Yet, we pressed through the summer holding dearly to the Word of the Lord. But when the Lord gives a word like that it’s not like, “Oh no, how terrible, how negative. We’re going to have to go through some very unpleasant stuff that’s negative. I don’t know if we’re gonna make it.” No, that’s not what the word is about. The word is about going ahead and pressing on through because you have the power, you have the strength, you have the grace (the enablement) to press through and when you have pressed through you are pressing through unto… We press through unto… We press through to what God has for us and those whom He has for us to strengthen, encourage, equip and comfort. 


The Heat of the Battle

Kathy—Life’s battles do not intensify just because the devil gets mad or has a personal grudge.  No, the battle heats up by reason of the needed outcome.  As surely as heat can determine the strength of a weld, so does the intensity of battle establish the strength and longevity of the victory.  The vehemence of battle welds the outcome in undeniable purpose rather than just leaving us with fragmented memories of war. Heat is one of the components of long-term victory and intense battle yields intensely awesome results!


Successful Endeavors

Kathy—We usually plan “successful endeavors” rather than spiritual wars, but the spoils of war are often much more impacting and more far-reaching than our designs would have been. 


Moving Inch by Inch Forward

Melissa—There is something big shifting that requires us to move forward inch-by-inch as God directs.  It’s about being restored to take possession.  There are things that each of us have been created to lay our hands to and we are about to be called up.  As we move forward with tenacity and God frustrates the devices of the wicked, we will each begin to see our place in the upcoming future.  


Restore my Soul Oh God

Psalm 23:3 says, “He restores my soul.” It could be, that after all we have gone through in recent months, we all just need to cry out to God, “Restore my soul, oh God. Put some life back in my soul, some want-to, some get-up-and-go-forward, some comfort in my soul, oh God.” Psalm 70:1 says, “Please Lord come quickly and rescue me. Show me your favor and restore me.” Let’s just lift that word to God, the covenant God. Remember He is the covenant God. He is not the covenant canceller. He is the covenant keeper. Restore!
Ex.22:23,Amp—If…. they cry at all to Me [for help], I will most certainly hear their cry;”
Ps.102:1,Amp—”Hear my prayer, O Lord, And let my cry for help come to You!”
Heb.10:35,Amp—”Do not, therefore, fling away your [fearless] confidence, for it has a glorious and great reward.” 


Key to God-Results This Year

Kathy—Obedience is not about being super-spiritual. No one has to be perfect to walk in purpose.  Who can do what they were born to do solely out of their own abilities or strength or merit or worth anyway?  We need the Lord and He is in reach. Psalm 84 tells us that God is there to give us grace (enabling) for now and favor for the future. Our part is simple obedience in response to the Holy Spirit’s promptings.  That is the key to a harvest of God-results this year.  Invest in that harvest through obedience and prosper.


A Nasty Siege

Melissa—In researching the battle of Iwo Jima this statement stuck out, “The battle was won by the inch-by-inch tenacity of the foot soldier.” Another interesting piece of that battle is that the enemy was all underground and in caves. Our troops were out in the open while the enemy attacked from out of sight.  Man, if that don’t preach!  Unless you have completely gone off the grid you are aware of the bombardment we have been under and how it feels eerily similar to this type of warfare structure. It’s been a nasty siege but I am quickly reminded that, “He frustrates the devices and schemes of the crafty, so that their hands cannot attain success or achieve anything of [lasting] worth.” (Job 5:12 AMP)  The enemy thinks he has the upper hand, but I think he forgets that God knows where he is hiding.


Sun Not Strike You

As the people of God assemble today may they receive encouragement from the Word and from one another that the Lord is on their side, that He surrounds them and goes before them and that “The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade on your right hand. 6 The sun will not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your life.” (Ps.121:5-7)


Angels All Around You

May the favor of the Lord go before you (Deut.31:8,Amp), the Holy Spirit go in you (Jn.14:17,Amp) and angels go all around you (Ps.34:7).


God-Planned Results

Kathy—Take a moment to get your bearings and remember our individual obedience is only a part of a bigger plan.  God is not calling each of us to be a Moses who must lead a whole nation out of bondage; rather, He is calling us to our part in participating with His plans.  We don’t have to tend to the whole farm if our instruction is to steward one acre.  We can stay in our lane and succeed.  May the success He has already put in you come to full manifestation this year.  Please be encouraged that as you are prompted by the Holy Spirit, you can pray and move with the confidence that you are headed into a time of harvest and God-planned results.  Psalm 81 says, if only you will listen and do as I say!  I, the LORD, would quickly defeat your enemies with my mighty power.


Free of Life Cycles

Melissa—God is putting His finger on things that must be dealt with right now in individual’s lives. This is a tremendous opportunity to be free of cycles, issues and fears that have held you and your family captive.  I know there are those reading this right now that have had recent revelations of personal bondage that the Lord is unlocking.   He’s opening eyes and restoring lives for, dare I say, such a time as this!  So, take rest in knowing you don’t have to have it all figured out and on track before you go to bed tonight.  Just simply start with realizing that He is the One that restores your soul and leads you in paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake (Ps. 23).  It’s about that, His Name’s sake, inch-by-inch for His Name’s sake.


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.”