Daily Devotions

Posts tagged “God

Awareness of our Lord and Giving Thanks

Marty Gabler—Why not a LIFESTYLE of THANKSGIVING? This Thanksgiving, may our hearts and minds be so turned to awareness of our Lord and to the giving of thanks to our Lord, that if He were to send in among us “angels unawares” (Heb.13:2), they would witness people who know the righteous God that they know, in the way that they know Him and honor Him. May such messenger/observers witness our living out our thanks rather than only vocalizing it occasionally. EPH.5:4-20, NKJV—“4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, BUT RATHER GIVING OF THANKS… 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words… 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord… 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness… 15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 GIVING THANKS ALWAYS for all things to God the Father in the name of our LORD JESUS CHRIST…”


Calling Things What God Calls Them

Marty Gabler—It is possible to call things something they are not and get into disagreement with God. It is also possible to call things into existence that have not yet existed to the glory of God. We must be cautious about getting into agreement with typically labeling people and situations and begin to speak what God’s Word and will are concerning them.   I declare that we will take advantage of every opportunity to speak life and not death, to speak blessing and not cursing, to speak hope and not despair, to speak a way out for those who are in captivity instead of cursing their captivity, and to speak solutions instead of merely observing and reporting impossibilities.  Rom 4:17  “As it is written, I have made you the father of many nations. [He was appointed our father] in the sight of God in Whom he believed, Who gives life to the dead and speaks of the nonexistent things that [He has foretold and promised] as if they [already] existed.”


November is For

Marty Gabler—November is for standing in faith and looking forward through the mist of circumstances and predictions that are for the purpose of mounting discouragement against us. It is a time of looking and seeing that our Lord has gone before us and that He has not ceased to be a Father, a Savior, a Deliverer nor a Supplier.  Prov.3:5-6—“With all your heart trust the Lord and not your own judgement. Always let him lead you, and He will clear the road for you to follow. Don’t ever think you are wise enough”.
Eph.1:18,Amp—“And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people),”


One Mediator

Marty Gabler—Today, the people of God are celebrating Reformation Day! On October 31,1517 Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the Wittenberg Church door in Germany (350mi. from my family’s home in Oberlenningen). 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).


Opportunities Not Taken

Marty Gabler—There are those who have had opportunities but, because of hesitancy, they were not taken. There are some who had opportunities, but they were thwarted. It was like “bad weather”, and a heavy cloud over a launching pad preventing the launch. The rocket was fueled and ready to go, but a “weather-front” just moved in and prevented it getting airborne.Some opportunities were smothered out by more important people, taking their opportunities, and some were smothered by unexpected events. The whirlwind of circumstances keeps taking its toll and keeps preventing, BUT God moves in the middle of that kind of stuff before it even shows signs of dissipating! ”The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and will by no means clear the guilty. The Lord has His way in the whirlwind, and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.” (Nah.1:3,Amp)


We Are Not Alone

KATHY GABLER–The truth is we are not alone, nor are we powerless.  In 2Chronicles 20, God’s people did not know what to do, so they looked to the Lord, (vs.12).  Then in verse 14:  Then the Spirit of the Lord in their midst came upon Jahaziel and He said not to fear nor be terrified of the face of this huge enemy. It is God’s war. Go after them but you won’t have to lift a hand in this battle; just stand and watch GOD’s saving work for you take shape. Don’t be afraid, don’t waver. March out boldly for GOD is with you.  Then they knelt down bowing their faces to the ground worshiping GOD.  Some stood to their feet to praise GOD, and they praised at the top of their lungs! As they were leaving, Jehoshaphat stood up and said, “Believe firmly in GOD, your God, and your lives will be firm! Believe in your prophets and you’ll come out on top!” .


October is for Putting Things Behind Us

Marty—October is for putting things behind us. Just like we are in the tenth month of the year and the winter of this year is already behind us and the spring of this year is already behind us and the summer of this year is already behind us, we are putting disappointments, failures and lost opportunities behind us. We are not going to continue looking back at the past but turn around and face the future with its possibilities and its hopes.  Isaiah 43:18-19,GW—Forget what happened in the past, and do not dwell on events from long ago.  19   I am going to do something new.  It is already happening. Don’t you recognize it? I will clear a way in the desert. I will make rivers on dry land.”   Isa.14:27—“The LORD of Hosts has purposed, and who can thwart Him? His hand is outstretched, so who can turn it back?”   Isa.46:10—“Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:”


A Vision of God Massaging a Heart

MELISSA—In one part of a vision God gave me (posted 9-23-22) I saw God’s hand began to massage a heart. In another part I saw 2 rows of white Roman columns as far as the eye could see. The columns I saw in the vision represented the church as we’ve known it, and this scene was looking to the West where the sun sets. The sun is setting on old traditional structures of the church. After the columns fell I began to hear a heartbeat.  It got so loud that the earth shook.  I looked back at the hole where the heart transplant was taking place, and with every beat of this new heart horrible black creatures began frantically crawling out of the hole.  Every beat drove more hordes out only for them to disintegrate as they tried to run.  A white light began filling the space that was once full of black slime and I heard “Ruach”.  Ruach means: spirit, wind, breathe (ex. Isaiah 11:2) and it was filling the pitch-black core of this nation. Once more I looked back toward the West where the columns had fallen and they were no longer there. In their place was lush greenery that was growing and I heard, Isa. 43:18-19 “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”


Bad Words-Bad Atmosphere

KATHY GABLER—Do we set a bad atmosphere with our thoughts or emotions or words, or does the atmosphere hunt us down to dictate our thoughts or emotions or words?  I believe the answer is both.  We certainly have the ability to create an atmosphere for ourselves and everyone around us.  One person’s impatience in a waiting room can have everyone tense and walking on eggshells in a matter of seconds.  One person’s panic can clear a room.  Our expectations, meditations, fears or our mouthing against self can fill the air until it is lethal.  However, not only people are able to condition an atmosphere.  The devil is called “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph.2:2) for a reason.  He is skilled at blowing in a foul wind to influence people and situations.  The Old Testament word “ruach” is translated “spirit” most often, but it means “wind” or “breath”.  In the New Testament, the same word is “pneuma”.  A spirit or wind can carry a contradiction to the will of God into an atmosphere by blowing in a lie or fear or threat or opinion or accusation, etc.   The air becomes its infected storage place so that it can affect and influence thoughts and feelings when it finds an advantage, an open window.   Just as we breathe in air unconsciously, we can also come under the influence of what’s in the air  unconsciously.   It can become an influence over our emotions and thoughts and decisions. Prov.12:18,TPT—Reckless words are like the thrusts of a sword, cutting remarks meant to stab and to hurt. But the words of the wise soothe and heal.”


Things we Don’t Have a Reference For

Melissa Gabler—We have been living in a very toxic bubble here in America. By toxic I mean everything we’ve already talked about and more, but that toxic bubble has popped and we are about to be exposed to things we don’t have a reference for. So it’s time to prepare, and here are ways to do that: 1) Prov. 3:5-8 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. *It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.” This is the antidote to rationalism which is based in our own understanding. Take note that not leaning on our own understanding and wisdom brings health (see v. 8 above)! Get in the word and trust the Holy Spirit to reveal what you need to know.


Press Through Distractions

Martin P Gabler—We will make it through the coming weeks and months but we must press through. We won’t just have to press through national difficulties, political situations, various entities pushing their agendas. We are going to have to press through diversions, distractions, false flags and misinformation. We can’t believe everything we hear or everything we see coming across a TV screen or computer screen. We might be wise to ask ourselves, “What gives that person/persons credibility with us or credentials with us that they can tell us a certain thing and we’re supposed to just take it at face value?”. We are really needing the Holy Spirit and the principals of the Word of God to stand on to help us press through stuff that we are hearing and not operate out of fear. We must get out of operating in fear and get back on God’s Word (the Bible). Jesus said that there was one house built on a rock and there was one built on the sand. When storms, winds, waves assailed the house built on the sand, it was washed away. But, the house built on the rock was assailed by the same winds, the same storm yet, the house on the Rock stood against all the opposition and remained firm. It didn’t escape the storm and its effects but it survived. There is only one Rock in the Bible — JESUS.


Stay Still and Stay Thankful

Kathy Gabler—After a time of wrestling with unanswered prayer that hadn’t seen the slightest possibility of being answered and after asking the Lord for wisdom and council before my attitude got way out of line, the Lord spoke to me, “Stay still and stay thankful”. Those are very clear instructions. Immediately I began to think about stillness and thankfulness and Jn.14:1 “Don’t let your heart be troubled”, came to mind. Having studied it I knew it meant “don’t let your heart be agitated or tossed to and fro or perplexed with doubt” and all that is the opposite of being still. Unanswered prayers don’t get to determine the mood for the day. When the man arrived from Jairus’ house and told him not to trouble the Teacher any more because his daughter was dead, Jesus heard the man and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid! Just trust me, and she’ll be all right.” (Lk.8:50, TLB) Trust is the place where you don’t live by what you see or by what you hear; trust is the place where you stand on the Lord’s steady faithfulness, His unshakeable goodness, His undistracted awareness of what you need, of your prayers and when and how it will be best to answer them.


Prophetic Lifestyle for All Believers

Melissa Gabler—The prophetic lifestyle opens opportunities, timing, and connections. Opportunities: having the ears to hear to be at the right place at the right time for yourself and others. Timing: none of us understand the timing of God because He is working on so many levels. It takes a prophetic lifestyle to see beyond the limited vision of our normal dimensions. It can keep you sane where timing is concerned. Connection: Brings lives together for God team-ups, projects, events, etc. We were never meant to do life alone (1 Corinthians 12:20-21). In this day and age, this way of life is a total necessity for the body of Christ.
MELISSA will be speaking tonight on “The Prophetic Lifestyle for All Believers” at DREAMS VISIONS PROPHECY 2024. Location: Grace Church Willis (gracewillis.org) which is just north of Houston off I-45N. She will also be leading us in a Worship Encounter at 7:00pm. Nursery available Friday night only, ages 0-4. NO FEE. There will not be any livestream of the sessions but they will be available on Flashdrive. All information for DVP2024: martygabler.com/dvp2024/


Preparation for the Future

Marty Gabler—The future doesn’t simply happen, it is built by preparation in the now (and manipulating powers of darkness realize that just as well as the people of God—ready-or-not, awake or sleeping, eyes wide open or eyes closed). The predominant ideal of any time period in history has impact that reaches into the future affecting who and what future generations act out. In our time there is a desperate struggle for security and domination of the future. Some are trying to secure economics, secure political policies, secure real estate and secure borders for the future but we must secure a generation. Our children are a message that we send into the future. The future will not be secured by videos and pizzas. While many are crying out that the church is only one generation away from extinction, I would cry out that the church is only one generation away from dominion over the powers of darkness in the earth. (Jesus said that He would build the Church and that what He built would not see the gates or authorities of hell prevail against it – Matt.16:18. The Church is not at the point of extinction if Jesus spoke truth.) If we have no faith that we are going to be able to draw out anything from our bank account, it is because we know that we have not put anything into it. If we have no faith in the coming generation it is because we have either neglected to impart to them or we have not had anything to impart to them. We’d best get ahold of Something/Someone worth imparting. (Ps.71:18;Ps.78:1-4;Ps.112:1-3) Failure to impart to a generation results in loss that can only be calculated on an incalculable, exponential scale. We don’t want them to have to dig themselves out of a hole before they can go forward, especially when they should be starting out on the shoulders of the generation that is going before them. 
Marty is speaking at DREAMS VISIONS PROPHECY 2024 — SEPTEMBER 14 — Info: martygabler.com/dvp2024/
Location: Grace Church Willis (gracewillis.org) which is just north of Houston off I-45N. Melissa will be leading us in a Worship Encounter at 7:00pm Sept.13. Nursery available Friday night only, ages 0-4. NO FEE. There will not be any livestream of the sessions but they will be available on Flashdrive. Schedule and hotel info for DVP2024: martygabler.com/dvp2024/   (The Schedule is subject to Adjustments.)


Bloodline Iniquities

MELISSA—The Kingdom is within our grasp but there is something that can hinder us from grasping it fully and that is bloodline iniquity. Our bloodline affects our lives and our future and we need to purify it so that we can grasp the Kingdom and be the increase of it in the days ahead. I heard it put this way, ”Iniquity is not just a sin that we ask forgiveness for and that solves the problem. Iniquity is an entire body of sin and evil that gets rooted. Iniquity corrupts the whole structure of our thoughts and behaviors and it infiltrates bones and organs.” Sin and evil really stuck out to me in this quote and helped me understand the depths of iniquity. It‘s not just sin because not all sin is wicked. It‘s sin and evil compounded with intention. We are talking about decisions, actions and agreements in our lineage, in our family history that gave the enemy a foothold in our lives.


Once and For All

MPG–Shouldn’t we make up our minds once and for all? If we are having to make up our minds every morning or every time we pay bills or every time we watch the news or some religious prophecy show, then our minds are not made up. 

Let’s make up our minds about God and stand and having stood continue to stand (Eph.6:13). Is He the God who kept Noah and his family in an ark of safety? Is He the God who opened the Red Sea, rained down manna from heaven and made bitter water sweet? God is just waiting on somebody to make up their mind today! 

Is He the One who provided for Hagar in the wilderness and supplied food for a widow and her household in the middle of a famine? And weren’t they provided for throughout the entire famine? Is He the One who returned sons to bereaved mothers and shut the mouths of lions and quenched fiery flames? 

Has He changed? (James 1:17) Has He changed His Name? His address? Has He changed His mind about covenant or redemption? Has someone usurped His throne? Will that ever happen? Then why would God’s people wallow in perplexity or anguish? 

If God is the God of the Word then why are churches, church people and ministries filled with stress? Why are so many homes broken? Why are so many lives broken, so many hearts, so many bodies? Maybe it is because too many people have not made up their minds about God, about His Word and about being determined to stand on the Word of God no matter what their emotions are telling them. 

We must be the people of the Word – not the people of the latest news broadcast, not the people of the latest twist to end-time prophecy. We must get back to the Word (not talk programs), not to prophecy magazines, not to curiosity inspiring personalities with predictions and the latest statistics. 



Discernment

KATHY—There are five different words translated “discern or discernment” in the Old Testament. Their meanings include “to scrutinize or look intently at so as to recognize what is going on, an experienced gaze, to hear intelligently, to separate mentally (or distinguish), to be cunning, to diligently direct, to feel, to know by seeing, to perceive or to discover.”  Discernment by dictionary definition means to separate or distinguish, to see or understand the difference or to make a distinction.  In 1 Cor 12, another dimension is added to the meaning of discernment.  In this setting, discernment means “to judge the purity of something, as in to detect any mixture in its source or motive.”  When discernment comes as a gift from God, as in I Cor 12:10, it is God enabling us to separate or distinguish the difference between the human soul and the supernatural at work.  This discernment gift includes understanding the mental disposition of someone.  It also enables us to see the distinct differences between the Holy Spirit and angels or demons at work in a situation.  Discernment, whether it is a keenness developed through experience or a gift of the Spirit of God, is an awesome weapon that is both a beneficial and essential resource for the days ahead.  


Thoughts on Prayer

MELISSA–Here are some thoughts on prayer during times of war, such as we are dealing with at this time.  In Matthew 6:7 Jesus gives insight on prayer, “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”  Vain repetitions here means: “To chatter, be long-winded, utter empty words, stammer, repeat”.  In times like these there is a tendency to just rattle off every fear and concern we have.  Jesus gave good advice here as he explained in verse 8, “Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.”  We need to come to God prepared to hear an answer and not just to throw up our worries all over Him.  This really came to life for me recently when I had just had one of those days where my concern list got filled up.  That evening I sat down to be quiet and listen when, all of a sudden, I was standing in this beautiful garden.  The trees caught my attention because they seemed lively and animated.  As I was taking in their beauty they all turned in one direction and I realized they were responding to the Lord walking through the garden.  I saw Him walking toward me when this thought hit me, “He knows”. In that moment I literally felt my shoulders and body relax.  I knew He knew about all of those things on my list.  Not only did He know, He already had an answer for each of them and my part was to simply trust.  As we navigate this time of war we don’t have to rattle off our fears to God.  He knows not only what’s manifesting but what is behind each manifestation.


Old Wickedness Vs. God

MELISSA GABLER—Is this the end? It is for some very old wickedness.  It has mocked God and is getting crushed to oblivion.  We have to remember this when the battle is this intense.  Hey, if those who have sown to the flesh are reaping destruction, then the other side of that coin is heaven on earth! “But the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not grow weary or become discouraged in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap, if we do not give in.” (Gal. 6:8-9 AMP) Don’t push this promise off to someday when you die. God’s original intent is for us to be heaven-on-earth during our lifetime. Heaven is invading earth right now.  This harvest is here for both sides of this coin! While the corrupt are meeting their corruption the just are receiving their promises. This is a beautiful time to be alive.  We get to see the justice and goodness of a God that will never be mocked.  You can be assured of that!  Angels, attend to the harvest!


The Ever-Unstoppable

Kathy Gabler—I can’t help but think that there has to be a greater degree of the will of God activated in this current generation than any previous just because the Kingdom is ever-increasing (Isa. 9:7).  An increase in the intensity and extremes of evil do not change that truth, in fact they testify to darkness getting more obvious because of the Light.  When we consider the hugeness of matters such as the Kingdom coming and God’s will being done in the earth and the ever unstoppable, increasing government of God, we may be tempted to step back and think that all sounds out of reach for little ole me. Yet, if a tiny glimpse of what God wants to do in the life of a cashier in Walmart or a piece of understanding concerning God’s will about the President of the United States brings me to a prayer of agreement, that moment is a touch-point between heaven and earth.


A Personal For-Instance

MELISSA—Here’s how God started breaking down a personal matter for me.  I’m going to give a very recent and personal “for instance”.  I’ve been dealing with a physical matter, not life or death, but an irritating battle that has almost caused a lock down due to the “WHAT IF this gets worse” record playing in my head… on repeat.  It’s that kind of battle that sent my emotions from one side of the spectrum to another.  After all, I’m not the only person to have dealt with this issue.  There are plenty of others living with it.  BUT I don’t see why I HAVE to live with it. So, I have been seeking God on the matter, and He has so beautifully and faithfully been giving me revelation regarding my healing all along this journey.   Throughout this journey I have known in my core that this physical issue is a done-deal.  In fact, at the beginning of this year I heard someone say that this is going to be a year of reversal! WELL, COME ON NOW (go ahead and take that for you and yours right now!).  Just another confirmation that not only am I being healed, but this thing is going to be reversed!


Bolster the Prophetic Lifstyle

Melissa — How do we bolster the Prophetic Lifestyle? 1. Acknowledge there is an unseen realm and you were made for this because the One Who created you built the capacity in you for this lifestyle. 2. pray in tongues – Ephesians 3:16—“May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality].”  Praying in tongues strengthens your inner self/spirit so that you can decipher and see the unseen. 1 Corinthians 14:4a—“One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself.”  It takes edifying ourselves, by building up our spirit, to keep human nature from taking the driver’s seat. Here is the current relevance for this line of thought. In this year, we are currently dealing with the epic fail of human nature/soul in our nation.  The chaos is being fueled and driven by the unseen realm and human nature is completely ignorant of it. This current status tells me we are at the climax of a lifetime.  I’m not speaking of the return of Christ, I’m talking about the Bride of Christ becoming what God planned for her to be. God’s original intent is in effect. It takes an acquaintance with the unseen to know that and to be a part of it.


God and Gates

KATHY — Sometimes a gate God builds is not a welcomed sight.  It looks like a risk to us or a scary unknown.  We feel like we have the option to decide to just stay safely within our fence and familiar boundaries. The problem is that if we ignore the gates, we are locking ourselves into tradition just like the Pharisees.  We rarely see ourselves as Pharisees, but we too build personal traditions of men through the way we personally process instruction or the way we establish our own priorities or the way we come to our personal conclusions.  Our thought processes and priorities and conclusions are filters that can literally keep us from hearing what God is saying and thereby keep us refusing to acknowledge the Holy Spirit’s direction in our daily life.  So, “you make the word of God of none effect through your tradition, (KJV).  And you ignore God’s commands in order to follow your own teaching. “(CEV) Mark 7:13


When Self-Image Takes a Hit

Kathy — When our self-image takes a hit, it is tempting to feel so fragmented that we stop functioning.  If we do, then condemnation seeps in and tries to “kill” our relationship with our Father and tries to “steal” our sense of worth and tries to destroy our self-government.  Condemnation is one of the most lethal weapons the devil uses because it carries a mixture of truth and lie that is particularly toxic.  Condemnation’s first punch is usually true, like “You know you messed up. You’re guilty.”   However, it’s second punch is a poisonous lie like, “There is no way out, no healing for a messed up self-image.  There is no way to redeem value that was lost and no restoration of broken boundaries.”  Those lies should make you want to spit, grab hold of the truth of who you are in Christ and march straight at the enemy with intent to overcome.
(This is an excerpt from Kathy’s article “Seeing Us The Way God Sees Us“ which was published in SEEC Magazine [Marty and Kathy’s ministry magazine]. Marty & Kathy Gabler invite you to read their articles in the latest issue of SEEC Magazine.
CLICK HERE to read SEEC Magazine