Daily Devotions

Posts tagged “grace

Our Battles Last Year

KATHY GABLER—Our Battles this last year may have been physical or financial or attacks from people or harassment in circumstances or a siege of constant pressure. Whatever the conflict, I think battle-weariness sets in at the point there seems to be no let up, no end. Changelessness is exhausting. It can make us too tired to muster hope, but like David, that’s the time to talk to God openly. In Psalm 55, David told the Lord that he just wanted some peace and quiet, a walk in the country and a cabin in the woods. He told Him his heart was desperate for change (Msg). When we come to God in exhausted desperateness, He does not meet us there as a stonewall of resistance. That place of meeting with Him is a threshold, a starting place, a second wind. Just breathe.


Looking Toward the Coming Year

MARTY GABLER–As the people of God assemble today may they join hands and hearts and look toward the coming year with expectancy for the purposes of the Lord in each other and the victorious intervention of the Lord in their behalf.
“Paul, Silvanus (Silas), and Timothy, to the assembly (church) of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah): Grace (spiritual blessing and divine favor) to you and [heart] peace.” (1Thess.1:1, Amp)

What Path in the New Year?

MARTY GABLER–What Path in the New Year? May the Lord prosper you in the path of life that He has ordained for you in this new year. May He show you the life He has placed in that path for you and may you impart life in that ordained path. And when you have gone down that path this year, there will be many who will never be the same because you are a bearer of His life which is redemptive. Joy to you all year.
“You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.” (Ps.16:11, Amp)

God Ordained Days of the New Year

MELISSA GABLER—Even though the sky is clearing there may be a storm or two that pop up as we head into the God ordained days of the New Year. No worries though, the storms have to “be still” and bow to the intention of God Almighty. In prayer the other night I heard this after it came out of my mouth, “Your Kingdom is over this nation and you are releasing another increment upon us.” What if we are that increment?! What if we are the stealth measures He is putting in place to release a deeper increment of His Kingdom on this earth? Me thinks we are!


This Year to see More Clearly

KATHY GABLER—Seeing clearly with our natural eyes is called 20/20 vision.  I believe as we head into the new year that we are in a God-planned time in history to see more clearly than ever before.  I declare that understanding and clarity are coming to both physical eyes and the eyes of our soul and spirit.  I truly expect keener vision and perceptivity in the months ahead that will equip us for successful and effectual days of walking out the purposes of God in our lives.


What of the New Year?

MARTY GABLER—What of the New Year? — Paths & Old History 16-This is what God says, the God who builds a road right through the ocean, who carves a path through pounding waves… 18-“Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. 19-Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?There it is! I’m making a road through the desert,  rivers in the badlands. (Isa.43:16, 18-19, Msg)


Making Right Choices

KATHY GABLER—Making right choices could be considered a test that God is monitoring, but God doesn’t score us for the purpose of determining our worth or value. From God’s point of view, testing is about equipping and strengthening as in testing your metal to see if it is sufficient for where you were born to go.  If it’s not, it will take more cocoon time, more process to strengthen.  Let me point out something about our GOD: He doesn’t gather wood to build a fire to put us through heated trials and He doesn’t design our cocoons.  It is not His character to think, “Oh, let’s let Mary be born in a poor cocoon and work through poverty.  And John, let’s let him fight fat through his early years.”  It is a mistake to blame our cocoons on God.  The truth is that when we choose life, He can then make good use of the tough times and work all things together for our benefit and growth.


Grow Strong in the Spirit of God

MARTY GABLER—As the people of God assemble today may they rejoice and be glad and grow strong in the Spirit and be filled with wisdom. Jesus was born with purpose and so are we. From the beginning, He not only grew physically but in His spirit and in wisdom for what was to come. In 2026 let’s make one of our major goals for our children to be to see them filled with the Spirit and to train them in godly wisdom. “And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace (favor and spiritual blessing) of God was upon Him.” (Lk.2:40)


More Than a Mere Semblance of Life

MARTY GABLER—Let us live more than a mere semblance of life, more than a reasonable facsimile thereof. In this coming year, let us rise to the heights that our Lord invites us to and live full lives.  ”Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.” (Eph.3:19, Msg)

Read SEEC Magazine articles by Marty, Kathy and Melissa Gabler: martygabler.com/magazine/


Plans of God for Sons and Daughters


KATHY GABLER—Going into this new year, let me say, if you are breathing, your name is pre-written in God’s script for the Awakening of this decade. We’re not talking the impossible dream. We’re talking the plans of God for sons and daughters to tend to Father’s business. Please don’t let that scare you or stress you in any way because we don’t have to have a super hero full-body leotard or a cape and a mask.  This is about being God-Positioned and God-Graced, Holy Spirit-prompted and Holy Spirit-enabled, and our part is to simply respond:  “Lord, be it unto me according to Your word.”


Christmas Events Were Extraordinary

MARTY GABLER—The Christmas events were extraordinary. Angels were active and interactive with the characters in the event. Persons of high rank got personally involved at great expense. Individuals of lowly birth and lowly means played as important a role as those of higher caste. Divine intervention and protection and wisdom kept the characters in pace and in place. Signs and wonders served to help the characters get into position at just the right time to be supply for Mary and Joseph and the Little One they were privileged to raise up for the saving of a nation.

Let us do far more than delight in the extraordinary events of the Christmas Advent. Let us consider them as that which was initiated to become the ordinary, all year long, for those who would embrace this Extraordinary One born in such an extraordinary way.

“And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them.” (Lk 2:20, Amp)


Is it a Brain-Strain or Just Believe?

KATHY GABLER—I’m not talking about waiting to the point of a brain-strain by trying to “believe” so Tinkerbell’s light will stay on.  As a child I watched the movie, Peter Pan.  In the scene where the fairy’s light of life would go out forever if the audience didn’t “believe,” I felt the challenge and did my part.  Unfortunately, that contaminated my definition of faith and believing and made it a matter of strain and feelings and human achievement.  Waiting on God is about believing God is aware of every part of our lives and refusing to doubt that He is both willing and planning to show Himself powerfully faithful.


Miracles Can Require Process

KATHY GABLER—Miracles can require process, like Lazarus.  Dying was part of the process of his miracle!  In John 11, Some thought  “Jesus wept” because He was grieving over His friend, but I believe Jesus was weeping over their pain that misunderstanding caused during the process they were experiencing.  He had already said that the result of Lazarus’ sickness would not be death (vs. 4).  When Jesus got to the tomb, He got angry.  Again, I believe He was upset because they were not AWARE that a PROCESS means God is working on a much bigger project than just the lightning moment we need.  They did not know that the resurrection of Lazarus was a demonstration to convince hearts that Jesus was the Christ sent by God as well as a prophetic sign of His own resurrection to come.  Step by step, the resurrection of Lazarus was a crucial miracle that fulfilled a much bigger purpose than the personal need.


Practice the Wisdom of Seeking Him

MARTY GABLER—As the people of God assemble today, may they rejoice in the God of their salvation for He has provided us a King who rules in righteousness (Isa.32:1). May they practice the wisdom of seeking Him.  As the song says, “…Three wise men came from country far; To seek for a king was their intent…” “Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel.”  “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O Daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you; He is [uncompromisingly] just and having salvation [triumphant and victorious], patient, meek, lowly….” (Zech.9:9, Amp)


Expectancy Comes Alive

KATHY GABLER—Expectancy comes alive at the intersection of Prepared and Due-Time.  By the time the prepared son or daughter intersects with Due-Time, something’s gotta  give, something’s gotta change, something’s gotta manifest in the earth as in heaven.  An expectant woman goes through nine months of preparation and transformation to get to due time of delivery.  People of purpose go through twenty days, twenty weeks, twenty months or twenty years, (twenty signifying the time needed to prepare and transform into God’s order), to get to due time.  A holy EXPECTANCY  announces you are on that threshold of God’s good plans ready to be propelled into what has been developing for tangible manifestation. 


Fit in the Plans of God

KATHY GABLER— Growing up on Abraham Avenue, Zacharias, Elizabeth, Joseph and Mary had no idea how they would fit in the plans of God & the history of man. Amid all their lessons in history & prophecy from the Torah, they had never pictured themselves as key players in the greatest story ever told. However, their lives were divinely positioned for the plans of God. God intends your life to be spent to His glory. (Jer.29:11)


Misguided Expectancy

KATHY GABLER—I pray release right now for those who are gifted, called, anointed and skilled for life purpose, yet are walking unfulfilled because of misguided expectancy.  Expectancy falls short if “be fruitful and multiply” only means duplication or mass production.  Expectancy is short-circuited if we are determined to fit the mold of a previous model.  Expectancy is distorted if it is influenced by personal issues like a need for attention or affirmation or acceptance.  Expectancy is diseased if it is driven by fear or shame or pride.  So, let’s cooperate with Father as He breaks the thought patterns that lead to misguided expectancy so that we successfully break out of life cycles of frustration and disappointment.


Commanded to Choose Life

KATHY GABLER—Our Lord commanded us to choose life (Deut.30:19). You’d think that goes without saying.  Who, in their right mind, wouldn’t choose life? It sounds simple, but it actually can get complex and difficult, because the first challenge is listening to your spirit instead of your soul!  Your spirit is where His Spirit dwells, so choosing life starts with pulling from His Truth and Wisdom instead of how we feel because of throbbing pain or blinding fear or understandable anger.  Besides extreme emotions, choices from the soul can be under the influence of squirrelly thinking or deception or bad moods.  We have to work past the soul to the spirit to choose life.   


Ground-Level Grit

KATHY GABLER—Let’s get down to some ground–level grit.  It is God that brings (leads, influences, carries, persuades) sons to glory.  The sons’ part is to overcome through the process of getting there.   Opposition is anything that contradicts the Word, will or character of God in our lives.  In John 14:30, Jesus pointed out one major source of opposition was  “the ruler of this world.”   Your adversary, the devil, will oppose you continually.  Though the glory of God may have never been in the forefront of your thinking before now, it has been number one priority with the devil all along. He is afraid you will do what you were born to do.


Not Defeated by Facts

KATHY GABLER—Our God of the impossible is not limited or defeated by facts and history. Our Redeemer can and will override history if we dare to trust Him and cooperate with Him. Whether it is in conversation or just a passing thought, God help us to realize in the moment when we are hearing contradictions to the will of our Father or perceiving evil threats or discerning assignments from hell so that those things are not left unconfronted!


Speak Prophetically

MARTY GABLER—We must speak prophetically to challenges. The sons and daughters of God must have a mindset that is prophetic. The prophetic mind thinks on the same scale that God Almighty thinks on. God does not speak “ant” language; He speaks “giant” language. Jesus was thinking, “We can feed these 5,000 people.” (Jn.6) Someone had to be available to go with what Jesus already knew He would do. Jesus already knows what He will do in our families, churches, cities and nation. He is looking for prophetic capacity for the purpose of prophetic declaration and participation.


Don’t Give the Enemy any Kindling

MELISSA GABLER—If God cloaks something for a time, it is not only to hide it from the devil and his destructive minions, but it is also to hide it from our own self-sabotage. Yes, the devil and self-sabotage are two different things.  However, the devil LOVES stoking the flames of self-sabotage! All we have to do is let our fears and concerns fall out of our mouths like kindling for the enemy’s threatening bonfire.  So many times we make the devil’s job so easy.


Closing out the Year

KATHY GABLER—As you look back and close out the year, you may be one of those folks who kept a daily journal and accounting of the details of life. Or, your accounting may simply be memories highlighted for the moment or forever, but all of us have matters that mattered this year as we laid our heads down each night and then awoke to face them again the next morning. There is no closing the books, no relief, on unresolved matters whether they concern healing or relationships or circumstances or finances. Even if we don’t note them in a journal or speak of them, still they sit in the silence of the night and trouble our hearts. That’s the reason that we, like David in Psalm 56, must lean into our God, the Great Accountant who can and will balance the books and bring us to peace of mind. “You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn through the sleepless nights, Each tear entered in your ledger, each ache written in your book.” Psa 56:8 (MSG). Remembering He is there and aware and that He will take action in our behalf, we can trust Him by breathing out a grateful sigh over 2025 and breathing in hope for 2026.


Is Prayer Just Kicking and Screaming?

Marty Gabler—Have there been times when “prayer” was pretty much just kicking and screaming until you were worn out, then lying in a puddle of tears hoping God, in bountiful pity, put all the puzzle pieces in place just as you prefer them? Was “rest” just a foreign word? The word “rest” is a delightful word. Our rest is (2Tim.1:12) “I know (have knowledge of, and am acquainted with) Him Whom I have believed (adhered to and trusted in and relied on), and I am [positively] persuaded that He is able to guard and keep that which has been entrusted to me and which I have committed [to Him] until that day.” In God we trust. We are praying you discover daily our Lord’s invitation, “Come to me and I will give you rest”.