Daily Devotions

Posts tagged “John 3:16

No More Cheap Fix

A builder told me that at one time houses were built to last 50 years but now they are only built to last for 30. Many of us are trying to get things to last longer so that we don’t have to invest all over again. We don’t have to settle for just trying to make something work. You can only drive just so far on a used tire, no matter how good a deal it was. I suggest a new confession: No more stop-gap measures.  No more cheap fixes.  (Phil.4:19, The Voice)  “Know this: my God will also fill every need you have according to His glorious riches in Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King.”  We are praying you discover daily that God is meeting your every need according to His riches in Jesus.
(Marty’s Daily Discovery as heard on TEXAS PRAISE RADIO at the bottom of the hour 24 hours/day.) www.txpraise.com

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The God of Miracles

The Lord God Jehovah, the Lord God Almighty, Elohim, He is this day, not just in the Old Testament, not just in the New Testament, not just in moves in Europe hundreds of years ago, but is this day, worldwide, the God of miracles. Not only is He the God of miracles of the faith healer but He is the God of you when you need a miracle. You can take all of your needs, every one of them no matter how severe and you can pile them up in one pile and they will not even be a molehill compared to the power of your miracle-working God Who spoke worlds into existence, Who parted the Red Sea when a Hebrew stretched a stick over the waters. It was not the Hebrew who parted the waters, it was your miracle-working God. You can take all of the stresses of all of the complex personalities involved in your situation and you can put them in the pile and they won’t even be a speck compared to the power of your miracle-working God. The Lord your God would even note to you that you can stack up all of the stresses that are known this day in international news around the globe and they will still only be a speck compared to your all-wise, loving, beneficent, heavenly Father. So load me up today, says your God. Try me and see if I cannot fulfill my Word, for I can fulfill my Word. This is a day of reckoning for the powers of darkness and I would have my people call upon me to do great and mighty things that they have not yet seen me do. (Marty gave this word 4-23-17 at Grace International Church in Willis,TX)

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God of Miracles Audio

God of Miracles Audio Click on link to listen to three minute word: http://tinyurl.com/m6z9puh

 

 

 

Link to God of Miracles video: https://www.facebook.com/martygabler/videos/1186856964774262/

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Be Consoled

As the people of God assemble today, may they be consoled and assured of the compassion and promises of God being greater than obstacles that have attempted to deter them.  “…with everlasting love I have consoled you, says your redeemer, the Lord.” (Isa.54:8b, CEB)

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A Sense of Belonging

People need to have a sense of belonging. They need an environment where they feel loved and accepted. We each have the opportunity to work at making such a valuable environment that is a steady constant in the lives of our loved ones. May your home be a place of affirmation where loving and encouraging words are spoken and where loving acts are given and received. May there be many hugs and kisses and may the warmth of being received as valuable fill your being. May you be a caring person and may you have caring persons in your life to support your purpose.   (2Sam.6:20a, CEV) “David went home so he could ask the Lord to bless his family…” We are praying you discover daily that you have a safe, loving environment to flourish in.  (Marty’s Daily Discovery as heard on TEXAS PRAISE RADIO at the bottom of the hour 24 hours/day.) www.txpraise.com

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Overlook or Confront?

Do we overlook destructive behavior and negative emotional patterns that may sabotage a loved one or confront them?  There is no pat answer.  The place to start is prayer.  One prayer I have seen God answer many times is, “Lord, please change them or change me so your peace can cover this relationship.”  We can trust His wisdom and His faithfulness to address the problems in wise timing.  What we cannot do with behavior or personality issues is fight fire with fire.  Fighting negative behavior with negative behavior is using a carnal weapon that does not pull down strongholds.  Nor will any good fruit come from confronting others out of frustration rather than love.  While we should not presume to confront without God’s instruction, neither should we be too cowardly to talk it out if He so directs.  We can be confident that the place to start is prayer.  Then we follow God’s instructions and timing to a God-outcome of healthy and meaningful and fulfilling relationships.
(The last excerpt from Kathy’s article “Investing in Relationships” published in SEEC Magazine.)

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Power of God Demonstrated

May your heart be filled with desire and expectancy to show forth the power of God as well as His words and principles of truth, doctrine and theology. May the naysayers that oppose and argue against the Spirit of Christ be speechless as they hear of and witness the powerful Word of God in action as lives are redeemed, bodies healed and signs and wonders loosed that point back to Jesus the risen Christ.  (1Cor.2:4-5, KJV)  “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:  5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” We are praying you discover daily the power of God is demonstrated through your life.
(Marty’s Daily Discovery as heard on TEXAS PRAISE RADIO at the bottom of the hour 24 hours/day. www.txpraise.com)

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The Fog of Moods

If we get lost in the fog of “moods,” the most dangerous thing we can do is justify our fears and angers or justify our right to keep them. Choosing life requires that we walk the opposite direction so that we do not become emotionally crippled.  The emotionally crippled person needs a crutch.  Just as the alcoholic finds relief in alcohol and the addict finds release in drugs, the “moody” feed on feelings while their negative emotions and behavior patterns continue to draw more fire. 
(The sixth excerpt from Kathy’s article “Investing in Relationships” published in SEEC Magazine.)

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Spring Forward in Health


May you spring forward in health in the spring.

”The Lord will help them when they are sick and
will restore them to health.” (Ps.41:3, GNT)

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The Fallout of Emotions and Moods

Time and ravaged relationships will eventually prove that giving in to negative emotions or moods causes suffering similar to the fallout of chemical warfare.  Moods are like a poisonous fog that suffocates everyone within reach!  It is dangerous to tolerate “moods” because the “fog” of “my  anger” or “my  fear” is blinding, and we lose sight of what our negative emotions are doing to others and our own physical bodies.  We can even wander deeper into the fog and reach a pit of indifference.  In that “pit,” isolation and cynicism become an anesthesia that numbs upsetting emotions while it blocks out rational thinking. The ripple effects can be lethal . . . loneliness, hopelessness and failure to fulfill purpose.   (The fifth excerpt from Kathy’s article “Investing in Relationships” published in SEEC Magazine.)

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Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus

As the people of God assemble today may they fix their eyes on Jesus who endured the cross, despised the shame and is now set down at the right hand of the throne of God. May they know that Jesus rose from the dead because there was more to come.
“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,  2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  (Heb.12:1-2, NAU)

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Dead People Walking Around Jerusalem

Why were dead people walking about in the streets of Jerusalem?  “The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;  53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.”  (Matt 27:52-53, NAU)  Because of Jesus the answer is in Heb.11:13—“All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”  They were awaiting their resurrection.  They had already received the promise of resurrection, they had already lifted their eyes and not even death could erase what they had seen.

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Mood as a Force

The Holy Spirit can divide soul and spirit so that the issues of the heart-mind can become obvious (see Heb.4:12).  Honest confrontation of one’s own heart is the starting place for emotional healing and deliverance.  Trials and tribulations are common to all and are ideally supposed to come to good results that bring us to maturity in the image of Christ.  And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character.  (Rom 5:3,4)   However, we can refuse to persevere, refuse to submit to change and refuse to mature in character by simply being offended by trouble.  I believe this type of offense is common to many:  either we are angry at inequity or injustice or disappointments, or we fear those things.  We can choose to let go of the anger and fear and walk away trusting God with the big picture, knowing that today’s circumstances are just one scene; or we can buy into the short-term blitz and use a mood as a force to try to change the conditions and the people around us.     (The fourth excerpt from Kathy’s article “Investing in Relationships” published in SEEC Magazine.)

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Out of Freeze-Frame

Have you ever wished you could break free from a past reputation or a past failure you have repented of? May the Lord break you loose from the frame that people have used to freeze-frame you. May He loose you from a certain failure you were known for, or a certain person or thing you were associated with but have gotten the victory over since. May His love, acceptance and faithful Word wash you and completely cleanse you from all of that residue and help others focus on what the Lord has done.  (Rom.2:11b, Msg)  “…God pays no attention to what others say (or what you think) about you. He makes up his own mind.”  We are praying you discover daily that your past is only a fading speck in your rearview mirror.   (Marty’s Daily Discovery as heard on TEXAS PRAISE RADIO at the bottom of the hour 24 hours/day.)

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Read Marty and Kathy’s Magazine Articles

CLICK ON MAGAZINE COVER TO READ
SEEC MAGAZINE  April/May 2017
Once the PDF file opens, place your cursor
in the center near the bottom to adjust the size of the pages.


Moods and Manipulation

A friend, I will call “Amy,” shared her experience with me regarding her childhood friend, “Sharon”.  Through the years, neither Amy nor Sharon had considered the other perfect, and imperfections were never a threat to their friendship.  So, after many years, Amy was shocked to find herself in a dilemma over something that had always been there.  She finally realized that Sharon’s cycles of emotional dives into anguish, depression and anger, which had always been written off to moodiness, was not just her “personality.” It became obvious that Sharon needed deliverance and healing.  Yet Amy knew that if confronted, Sharon would be quick to explain and justify her behavior because she was a perfectionist-analyzer-thinker, or she might even more likely just get angry and consider Amy as petty and accusing.  Amy had no confidence to approach her from Gal 6:1.  Neither did she think Sharon would accept the scriptural “wound of a friend” as a good thing that could lead to healing, so instead she pursued God’s direction for effectual prayer for her friend.
In the past, when Sharon was in “one of her moods,” Amy either stayed away or tip-toed around until it was over or tried to coax her out of it.  Sharon’s family used the same methods of dealing with her mood swings.  Amy had watched people in their church and social settings walk a big circle around her, never getting to know the real Sharon who was genuinely a source of wisdom and love.  It grieved her to see Sharon and her family ruled by this despot of “MOODS”.
Surprisingly, as Amy continued to pray and search for insights, she came to some revealing truths about her own soul.  Amy realized that she had never acknowledged these patterns in her friend because moods were familiar, even expected in her own world.  She had grown up in a home where irritable or despondent moods were a silent demand for someone to fix conditions or feelings, etc., and moods worked because someone in her family would “do something.”  The most frustrated or depressed family member or the one in the biggest soul-storm became the center of attention and dictated the agenda for the whole family any given day.
Beyond that, Amy made another discovery. As she considered the “destructives” in her own life that needed confession-unto-healing-release, not only did the Holy Spirit point out her emotional behavior patterns, but He further opened her understanding in how she had allowed and even fostered those same patterns in her young son.  What we cannot see in ourselves we often cannot see in our children either.  (That’s one reason destructive behavior patterns can continue for generations, and releasing generations to come is also a powerful motive to seek healing for our own souls.)  It became clear that frustrated moods and manipulation through pouting were a pattern she dare not leave unchanged in her son’s life lest it rob him of childhood joy as well as joy in the years to come.  What started as concern for a friend led her to a realization and confession that began a healing for three generations in her own family.  As Amy sought answers for Sharon, deliverance came to her own house.  Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses.  He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. (Ps 107:19-20).  A paraphrase of that scripture is:  He directed His command to heal their hurts and distresses and delivered them from their pitfalls and sources of depression.
(The third excerpt from Kathy’s article “Investing in Relationships” published in SEEC Magazine.)

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Seeing in April

I usually ask the Lord at the beginning of each month what the month is for. I believe the Lord impressed to me that April is for seeing. It is the month for (1) seeing the direction of the Lord for our lives and our nation. It is for (2) seeing things that are tending toward harm and/or interference (in our families, churches, jobs and nation) so they might be averted. It is for (3) seeing blessings and advantages that are available to us through the promises and purposes of God Almighty. It is for (4) seeing strategy and how to pray for people we are concerned for. “The Lord said to Moses, Has the Lord’s hand (His ability and power) become short (thwarted and inadequate)? You shall see now whether My word shall come to pass for you or not.” (Num.11:23, Amp) There is a lot unseen that is yet to be seen and it shall be seen that the Lord’s hand is not short that it cannot save nor is His ear deaf that it cannot hear. Some of the wonderful mysteries that await us in coming days shall be the wonder of seeing how our LORD shall fulfill His Word, i.e., seeing who and what He will employ to bring about that which only He can accomplish. What an apropos time for us to pray Elisha’s prayer for ourselves: 2Ki 6:16 “[Elisha] answered, Fear not; for those with us are more than those with them.   17  Then Elisha prayed, Lord, I pray You, open his eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” (Amp)
#findingthegoodin2017

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#findingthegoodin2017

 


Behind the Curtain

I have been seeing God’s hand moving behind a curtain on a stage.  That has kept me anticipating the curtain rising in my understanding.  Little by little an expectation has grown in me that we are about to see many things the Holy Spirit has been adjusting, rearranging, developing, redeeming, restoring and maturing.  I don’t think there will be some colorful, feel good, fairytale play behind those curtains, rather a stage set with details that bring clarity and a God-perspective that equips us, literally showing us another way to think and perceive and prevail.  I have a feeling the curtain will rise on insights that adjust our mode of operation and strategies and change our outcomes. –Kathy Gabler

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Part of the Household

As the people of God assemble today, may they recall that they are “fellowcitizens” with the saints and enjoy one another’s presence and prayers and encouragements and counsel. And may they go into the coming week with the strength of knowing they are not alone but part of the household of God.
”Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;” (Eph.2:19, KJV)

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Wall of Protection


May the wall of our Lord’s protection be drawn around His people today; around their property, their belongings, their good name, their accounts and passwords.

“You are all around me—in front of me and in back of me.  You lay your hand on me.” (Ps.139:5, GW)

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That Bid Me Come Cry

That “BID me COME” cry that Peter made to Jesus is in the heart of all of us (Matt.14:28). “BID me COME,” is a longing to experience the Kingdom of God.  “BID me COME,” is a longing to demonstrate the Authority of God so that my life is more than typical, average Christianity.  It is a longing from the heart of our Father to provoke generations to come to reach their potential in Christ.  The only way we will leave a weak, uninspiring heritage is if we ignore that cry of “BID me COME” within us.  I know I am not a young thing to tackle such a quest, but I also know that even time and age have to bow to the purposes of God.  The empowering truth is that “BID me COME” trumps age.  We are never too old or too young to take ground for His purposes.—Kathy Gabler

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#findingthegoodin2017

 

 


Eyes Open to Discover

Have you noticed the myriad of challenges in current events that seem to have no solution? Have you wondered if there are any answers to the dilemmas you wrestle with in your life? As you face the unknown factors of challenges ahead of you, may your ears and eyes be opened to discover that there are still possibilities in God for solutions that no one has ever considered. May you go toward those challenges speaking in agreement with the creative acts of God in the Bible and in the earth. Let’s imitate Abraham: (Rom.4:17, Msg)  “…[Abraham] dared to trust God to do what only God could do: … with a word make something out of nothing.” We are praying you discover daily the possibilities and solutions in the risen Christ.  (Marty’s Daily Discovery as heard on TEXAS PRAISE RADIO at the bottom of the hour 24 hours/day.)

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Faults and Confession

“Confess faults to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.  The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous one avails much.”  (Jam. 5:16, Msg)  According to this scripture, if we have friends we can open up to and admit our faults and pray for one another, we are positioned for healing.  When our faults or defects or failures or errors are acknowledged, the way to pray becomes obvious.  However, if our faults are not admitted, perhaps because we can’t confess what we don’t even realize, they can block this path to healing.  Emotional issues or selfishness or destructive paradigms or misbeliefs often stay under our own radar and keep confession from being the starting place for healing.  So, if it is obvious that a friend is being unknowingly sabotaged by issues in their own heart-thinking, we can then act on Gal 6:1 (Msg), “Brethren, if any person is overtaken in misconduct or sin of any sort, you who are responsive to and controlled by the Spirit should set him right and restore and reinstate him, without any sense of superiority and with all gentleness, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out.”  However, if timing is not right and even that would do more harm than good, we can still invest in a relationship by praying as Holy Spirit directs.  (The second excerpt from Kathy’s article “Investing in Relationships” published in SEEC Magazine.)

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God’s Concern: Relationship

God has made it plain that relationship is one of His primary concerns and always will be.  Learning to live with others is part of the maturing process of our character and walking out our life purpose.  Relationships should enhance our lifetime and future, but they can also undermine both.  They are part of the challenge of everyday life and we will find some to be rewarding, some to be taxing, some to be for a season, some to be for a reason,  some to be for a lifetime, some to be by choice and some to seemingly be the result of unforeseen circumstances.  Each has its own set of distinctives and its own path, but all relationships require God’s wisdom and our time and effort to be healthy.    (The first excerpt from Kathy’s article “Investing in Relationships” published in SEEC Magazine.)

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