Daily Devotions

Posts tagged “Isaiah

Signs and Wonders

KATHY GABLER— Signs And Wonders — The words translated miracle or sign or wonder are, for the most part, interchangeable in the Bible.  A working definition is: displays of the supernatural in this natural realm. That is encouraging in one way because that implies one reason we don’t see signs and wonders is because we don’t SEE them, even though they are on-going.  How many of the 5000 plus that were eating on the hillside realized their lunch was a miracle? I’m thinking a good percentage didn’t have a clue!  How many thousands of people saw the same star as the three kings, but didn’t know it was a  sign and a wonder?  When David saw Goliath, he wasn’t looking for a miracle!  He was just looking for a rock!  However, there were miracles (plural) in the mix that day, beyond the anointed impact of a rock from a sling.  The whole scene was a miracle of timing, circumstance and possibly Goliath choosing the wrong helmet that day!  Someone who is trained in CPR can easily fail to see the miracle of being in the right place at the right time to participate in the intervention of God in a situation.  Isaiah 20:3,  calls it a sign and wonder that Isaiah walked naked and barefoot for three years.  I’m just not so sure his wife called that a sign and wonder!
We build definition boxes in our minds, then if supernatural interventions don’t fit in our box, we tend to miss it.  I submit to you today that our thinking must change and is going to change.  We cannot think as mere humans.  We need Kingdom thinking as sons.  Jesus said in John 14:1213, “He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do .”


Rattled and Weary and Weak?

KATHY GABLER—Sennacherib made it plain to King Hezekiah that he intended to run right over Israel just like he had other nations (2Kings 18). At that point, Hezekiah put on sackcloth and went to prayer and sent runners to Isaiah the prophet with this message: it is a day of deep distress; for sons have come to birth and there is no power to bring them forth.  In other words, it’s time to pierce the darkness around us and change the future for generations to come, but we’re not strong enough to do it. We could add to Hezekiah’s message in our day:  most of us are too weary to even try to fight the darkness because for years we’ve seen morally depraved people blaspheme all things sacred! For years, we’ve watched wealthy bullies get away with murder and seen corrupt politicians cheat and blackmail and bribe their way to the top. We’ve watched media deliberately lie and deceive and brainwash the public with propaganda. We’ve seen technology kill people and engineered devices take their toll.  And we’ve seen injustice go unpunished.  All this has left us rattled and weary and weak. Hezekiah was aware they needed God, he put on sackcloth and went to prayer and He took action to begin sanctifying the nation and that was an obedience that led to the intervention of God for their nation.


The Nation is Ripe

This nation is likely riper than it has ever been. It is probably riper than it was in the 1960’s when there was so much turmoil and chaos with the rioting and unrest. We are sons and daughters of God, there is a harvest and Isaiah says that God has harvesters and gatherers who can bring it in. There is a harvest of souls, of people who are fed up with chaos and lawlessness, misinformation and lies and the consequences of unrighteousness. There are people who are ready to be reached, ready to be loved, ready for peace in their lives.


God’s Original Warranty

(Melissa Gabler) — God Himself created the original warranty when Jesus took those stripes on His back (Isa. 53:5 & 1 Pe. 2:24). Yeah, that’s right, we have a never ending warranty on us, signed in blood. This warranty includes, “…all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Pt. 1:3).  Whatever you are dealing with is covered in your “warranty”. It’s fixable!  The siege is over because the Lord has already lifted up a standard against it (Is. 59:19).  Our individual lives are about the greater good so go ahead and be healed right now! You are too important to be silenced by sickness, pain, or emotional turmoil.
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Growth and Development

Concerning Growth and Development: I once heard a known speaker on TV say that if a gift is from God it comes full-grown and there is nothing TreeGrowthfor a person to grow in.   (1)  Scriptural precedent shows us that our Heavenly Father is willing to work with our humanness and allows us time to develop.   (2)  The scheme in Galatians shows us the process of a growing son and his father’s willingness to trust him after various stages of development (Gal.4).   (3)  The master in Jesus’ parable of Matt.25 trusted his servant at a much higher level after the servant proved himself capable at a much lower level.  (4)  In Lk 2:40, 52 Dr. Luke speaks of the growth and development of the Person we call Jesus.   (5)  Even the young prophet who ministered in a high-profile incident in 1Kings 13 needed to grow and develop before he was able to properly discern matters.   His immaturity and inability to discern properly was his loss and a lion’s gain (v.24).   (6)  The Hebrew writer encourages us to train our senses so that we may be able to discern (Heb 5:14).   (7)  Although Elisha had spent some period of time with the great prophet Elijah, his mentor informed him that there was a great deal more to come.

(This is an excerpt from Marty’s booklet “Now That I Have Begun to Prophesy”.)