Daily Devotions

Posts tagged “as in heaven

A Heavenly Phenomenon

The birth of Jesus, Savior of the world, was announced in terms supernatural. The pronouncement & the experiences of those involved in the broadcast cannot be explained in mere natural terms. Not only did angels appear to Jewish shepherds but a heavenly phenomenon caught the attention of learned Gentile observers and drew them to the City of David to worship One whom they would hail as King of the Jews. (Acts 4:12, Amp) ”And there is salvation in and through no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by and in which we must be saved.”

What’s it Gonna Look Like?

Free MangerMelissa — I was praying over a situation, sometime back, for which I had no answers and could do nothing about.  As soon as I prayed I heard, “Now, let go of all of your ideas of how this thing needs to be worked out and let Me have it.” As we head into Christmas and a new year may we lay down every weight, worry, and preconceived idea of what the will of God should look like in our current situations and leave it in the capable hands of the One Whose birth we are celebrating! Have a very Merry Christmas and may you find peace unspeakable in the decision to trust the One who already set us free.


Pursue Understanding

Kathy — When He 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. (3 of 7)


God’s Word

Free Bible PathAs the people of God assemble today may they require all that concerns them, all that they fear, all that they are considering and making decisions over to be brought under the scrutiny of the holy Word of God. May they have the faith to embrace Holy Scripture no matter what comes and let their paths and considerations be guided thereby.   Jn.17:17,NKJV—“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”   Matt.24:35,TPT—“The earth and sky will wear out and fade away before one word I speak loses its power or fails to accomplish its purpose.”


Where we Stand

While we are weighing all these issues that are challenging us today, we best begin with a firm decision on where we stand for life’s answers and guidance. Do we just embrace the present, loudest, demanding narrative or do we require all entities, all viewpoints and all persons to be measured by the ruler of the Word of God? 2Tim.4:3-4,TPT—”For the time is coming when they will no longer listen and respond to the healing words of truth because they will become selfish and proud. They will seek out teachers with soothing words that line up with their desires, saying just what they want to hear. 4 They will close their ears to the truth and believe nothing but fables and myths.”  I heard it said recently that “truth sounds like hate to those who hate the truth”. The prophecies, philosophies, doctrines and narrative (in every area of life) that are so abundant at this time must be, first of all, held up in the light of the Bible, not just simply assimilated into our thinking and practice. It is apparent that the unchanging God of heaven and earth requires that His people hold to His Word, the Bible, and insist that all other things and people be measured by its standards and principles. The following Scriptures are very clear on that matter. 2Tim.2:15-”rightly dividing the word of truth”; 2Tim.1:13-”Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me…”; Rom.16:17-”…watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.”; 1Jn.4:1- ”…do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits…” [How do we “test the spirits”? By putting them and their words and their actions up against Holy Scripture. If Scripture does not embrace them and their words and actions, neither do we.]; 2Pe.1:20- ”…no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.” (Part 2 of 8)


In the Midst of Hurried Frenzy

Melissa — For several weeks after Holy Spirit told me, “Your life is about to change drastically” He would remind me what He told me and I would get excited. Well, the day of “drastic” came… suddenly. Simply put, it called for a sudden and drastic change of location. Let’s just say, this was not the “drastic” I was hoping for. In the midst of the hurried frenzy Holy Spirit would once again remind me that He told me this was coming. It really did help, but I had to let it help. I had to choose to get past my disappointed victimhood and find peace in the fact that God is right in the middle of whatever is going on right now. I have to admit that I did not just settle into that place of peace in the midst of God shifting things. The disappointment turned into a bare-knuckle battle daily. I had to calm myself and take a firm stand on the Word of God. (Part 2 of 7)


Toward Understanding Prophecy

Some have prophesied that a terrible judgment is coming upon our nation and the church will not escape it because of its various and sundry neglections of duty and its corporate and individual sins. Others have prophesied that the church has come into its finest hour and that a great awakening is imminent, the likes of which have never been seen. Some are very angry while others are quite elated and expectant. Some believe that one set of prophets have totally “missed it” and that those prophets should be reprimanded in a public forum and they should each give an apology to the church world and the world in general. There are people who are apologizing for being born a certain gender or a certain race or for having two bathrooms in their house instead of just one. Is it just me or is it possible that there is an unbelievable amount of irrationality in society that is irrationally demanding actions and policies that it has no reasonable right to demand? There are entities and individuals trying to answer questions that no one ever asked while using every aspect of politics and legislation to further their agenda. It all leaves us with the need to carefully weigh for ourselves what needs our attention and what needs to be placed in the category of “nonessential”.  (In my posts over the next week or so I will be posting on the subject “Moving Toward an Understanding of Prophecy” (Especially with everything that is going on).


Drastic Changes

Melissa — I don’t know of anyone who is not going through something right now. Whether it be physical chaos, doors shutting, relational tensions, or the currents of life, there seems to be something of a strained nature going on everywhere you look (I won’t even list the nation’s woes). There is such a vast array of things happening but each thing is very personal to the one facing it. A couple of months ago the Lord told me I had been stationed in a particular place as a watchman but that season was almost over. Hmm, OK. What does that mean? Then about a month later, as clear as can be, I heard Him say, “Your life is about to change drastically.” After I heard this I got so excited deep down in my core but my soul, not so much! My soul went a little crazy, “WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!!!!” I had to calm myself down knowing that God is not the type to give you a mysterious clue that your life is about to fall apart and I had to stand firmly on Psalm 37:23—“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.”


Transferring Information

Kathy — The meaning of communication is “transferring information or passing along meaning”.  Communication is complete when that information or meaning is received and understood.  One dictionary put it like this, “A line of communication connects people and places to purpose and function.”  The Holy Spirit has unlimited ways to communicate with us.  When He is transferring God-glimpses or God-insights or God-moments or God-downloads or God-deposits or God-discoveries, He may use dreams or visions or prophecies or events or experiences or people, etc.  It might be just a nuance, a momentary feeling or a passing thought that signals us to be God-aware because there’s communication incoming.  Or, we can be prompted from a memory or a conversation or the words of a song or an ad in a magazine or a number on a door!  I’m talking about when unique details ping our radar and they are meant to get our attention so we’ll look for incoming insight.  


Picking up Old Prayers

Free Praying KneelingIn coming days we will be allowing Holy Spirit to stir our memory, our compassion, our passion, our stewardship. The stirring of Holy Spirit will challenge us and direct us to pick up prayers from the past that we have laid down and no longer pray.  The various reasons, the discouragements and impatience that have caused us to just lay them down will begin to fade like the morning mist and we will again sense the burden/urgency, love and compassion we once did.   1Thess.5:17—“pray without ceasing”.   1Pe.3:12,TPT—“For the eyes of the Lord Yahweh rest upon the godly, and his heart responds to their prayers. But he turns his back on those who practice evil.”   Acts 17:16, KJV—“Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.”


Understanding “Kingdom Come”

KG Brenham 1-31-21bKathy — I have prayed or read or quoted or sang the phrase, Thy Kingdom come, for years without really being aware of the magnitude of what I was saying.  In my early understanding, Thy Kingdom come was a reference to heaven and eternity only.  So it was like a salutation, a verbal salute, before beginning the actual prayer of Thy will be done on earth as in heaven.  I’m fairly sure a good percentage of the Church prays the Lord’s Prayer with a similar paradigm which boils down to this: may heaven be ours someday and meanwhile, Thy will be done in things concerning the earth.   However, there is a different understanding of the Kingdom of God in the light of  Psa 145:13:  “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your rule endures throughout all generations.”  Rather than a place and a future existence, the Kingdom is the rule of God, His power, His authority and His government and order in effect already, in fact, for all generations.


Unique Participation

Kathy — According to the way you as an individual process and function, God knows how to make things clear to you. Then the way you participate in His Kingdom coming to earth will likely be unique, something that I nor anyone else but you would ever do. The Kingdom lifestyle, bottom line, is basic obedience that facilitates God’s will and influence and power and purpose coming into a life or a town or a situation or a church or a business or a family, etc. There is no way to list all the unexpected turns or varying ways that obedience may be walked out. We have a friend who took care of her household diligently for years. At the same time, she cared for many others with her gift of hospitality and ran her own business. I’m sure she did not foresee her part in the Kingdom of God on earth would also include raising and sowing into the lives of three small step-grandchildren even after she transitioned into widowhood. Her story is a vivid example of the unpredictable uniquenesses of living a Kingdom lifestyle and seeing the will of God done on earth as in heaven. There is literally nothing like it and nothing with more God-infused fulfillment. 


KC2023 March 1-3

Be Strengthened Encouraged Equipped…
For What is Coming
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Heaven-to-Earth

Kathy — We have to have our minds renewed to think like our Father. A renewed mind equips us to walk in dominion because we are enabled to discern both what’s going on and what to allow in earth that aligns with “as in heaven”. When Jesus taught the disciples to pray “Father, Your will be done on earth as in heaven”, who knew how much the answer to that prayer would extensively involve sons and daughters? We are all involved in this heaven-to-earth process, and our starting posture is looking to Him.