Daily Devotions

Posts tagged “what’s next

Projecting Blame on Others

KATHY–Days of Elijah were days of de-masking the troublers who projected their blame on others.  After three years of no rain, there was almost nothing to eat anywhere and the LORD said to Elijah, “Go and meet with King Ahab. I will soon make it rain.” So Elijah went to see Ahab.  When Ahab saw Elijah he shouted, “There you are, the biggest troublemaker in Israel!” Elijah answered: “You’re the troublemaker, not me! You and your family have disobeyed the LORD’s commands by worshiping Baal. Call together everyone from Israel and have them meet me on Mount Carmel. Be sure to bring along the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.  Ahab got everyone together, then they went to meet Elijah on Mount Carmel. Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you try to have things both ways? If the LORD is God, worship him! But if Baal is God, worship him!” The people did not say a word.  The masks were off!


Demonstrating the Kingdom of God

Let us commit ourselves to more efficient demonstration of the Kingdom in the remainder of this year. More Kingdom demonstration will require less debate.  More fathers being fathers will require fewer jail cells. More exemplary lifestyle will require less correction. More redemptive action will require fewer words.  Eze.38:23,Amp—“Thus I shall magnify Myself and demonstrate My greatness and sanctify Myself, and I will be recognized and will make Myself known in the sight of many nations; they will know [without any doubt] that I am the Lord.”


God is Releasing Another Increment

Melissa — Even though the sky is clearing there may be a storm or two that pops up as we head into the God-ordained days ahead. 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!


The Lord is my Shield

SFMV#17 – Scriptures For Morning Victory
Theme: “The Lord is my Shield”
Marty reads Scriptures and prays for our victory.

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SFMV#17 ThmNail1


BUT GOD

KATHY—The Days of Elijah are “BUT GOD” times.  “Bring me your son,” Elijah said (1Kings17). Then he took the boy from her arms and carried him upstairs to the room where he was staying. Elijah laid the boy on his bed and prayed, “LORD God, why did you do such a terrible thing to this woman? She’s letting me stay here, and now you’ve let her son die.”  Even Elijah’s issues surfaced in this battle of life and death.  Evidently shaken by the widow’s upset and shouting, the prophet spoke to God as if He was being unjust!  BUT GOD was waiting on him to calm down and work a miracle. (Remember that in days of battle.) Elijah stretched himself out over the boy three times, while praying, “LORD God, bring this boy back to life!” The LORD answered Elijah’s prayer, and the boy started breathing again. Elijah picked him up and carried him downstairs. He gave the boy to his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive.”  As the widow could testify, the days of Elijah undeniably manifest the Power of God on earth.


Hearts and Hopes Filled Up

As the people of God assemble today may their hearts and hopes be filled up with their omnipresent Father Who is so great that the universe responds to His voice and His plans. May they encourage one another that He is omnipotent yet near, omniscient yet concerned about and seeing their needs even as He sees the individual sparrow. May they speak His name and praise His name. Gen.16:13, Amp—“So she called the name of the Lord Who spoke to her, You are a God of seeing [El Roi], for she said, Have I [not] even here [in the wilderness] looked upon Him Who sees me [and lived]? Or have I here also seen [the future purposes or designs of] Him Who sees me?”


Children of The Most High

The name of the Lord is El-Elyon “God Most High.” How privileged we are to be children of the MOST HIGH GOD. So we give the Most High the highest place in every area of life so that He may fulfill His will through us in earth as it is in heaven. Blessed be the name of the Lord!   Ps.57:2, Amp—“I will cry to God Most High, Who performs on my behalf and rewards me [Who brings to pass His purposes for me and surely completes them]!”


All Day Every Day

Melissa — It’s going to take loving the Truth (which is a Person—THE Person) to see great and mighty things for which an earth is groaning (Romans 8:17-19). It’s going to take some calling on that Person which requires relationship, not curbside pickup. And relationship takes time, time out of your day. This does not mean you have to set aside hours and hours every day. That is not a bad thing if that’s where you are currently, or a season you are headed into. Other than that, a relationship is all day everyday.


Hopelessness Can Smother

KATHY— Days of Elijah were war torn times with fresh battles continually breaking out. Several days into the battle against lack and starvation, another battle broke out in the widow’s life.  Her son got sick and kept getting worse until finally he died.  The woman shouted at Elijah, “What have I done to you? I thought you were God’s prophet. Did you come here to cause the death of my son as a reminder that I’ve sinned against God?”  War has a way of bringing the struggles of a warrior’s heart to the surface.  Not only was she battling for survival and the life of her son, an old enemy showed up too.  Condemnation reared its ugly head and pushed the war torn woman to the edge of hopelessness, anguish and anger that had her shouting at the prophet.  Hopelessness can smother the fight in us and usually leads to a pit of self-examination and despair.  The widow went there and decided that losing her son was due to her past sins.  That thinking would have had her throwing up her hands and quitting . . . BUT GOD.


Something Peter Never Heard Of

Peter’s friends were weeping and praying for his release from prison but it is most doubtful that they were visualizing an angel walking in and slapping him on the hip and commanding him to rise up (Acts 12:7) while his chains simply fell off. Which one of them actually pictured in their mind that an angel would simply usher Peter out of that prison like they were going for a Sunday stroll? How can we call this event anything but extraordinary? One of the amazing factors about Peter’s experience is that he was experiencing something that he had never even taught on! There was no popular teaching making the rounds at all the big conferences that taught about the existence of a special squad of jail-breaking angels. Something happened that Peter had never heard of.


Calling on Father on a Daily Basis

Melissa — Let’s not limit calling on God for great and mighty answers to things we need only. If He says I’ll “show you great and mighty things” why in the world would we not call on Him on a daily basis to see what awesomeness He has in store for the here and now? The requirement for asking such things daily is to be in a dominion/heaven-on-earth state rather than a victimized one. A victimized state of mind keeps us stuck on “me, my, me”. The way out of victimhood is in truth because it has a tendency to set you free IF you know it by meditating on and living it (John 8:32). This is one of the main issues we face today because we have too much information, whether it be truth or a lie, at our fingertips every moment of every day. Easy access has become the demoralizer of an entitled culture. Yes, this applies to Christians as well.   


Peter Had Never Heard of That Miracle

Peter’s friends were weeping and praying for his release from prison but it is most doubtful that they were visualizing an angel walking in and slapping him on the hip and commanding him to rise up (Acts 12:7) while his chains simply fell off. Which one of them actually pictured in their mind that an angel would simply usher Peter out of that prison like they were going for a Sunday stroll? How can we call this event anything but extraordinary? One of the amazing factors about Peter’s experience is that he was experiencing something that he had never even taught on! There was no popular teaching making the rounds at all the big conferences that taught about the existence of a special squad of jail-breaking angels. Something happened that Peter had never heard of.


Pivot on God’s Will

KATHY—Days of Elijah were times of shortages and scarce supply.  The God-backed stand we take must pivot on obedience to God’s will and directions.  After Elijah confronted the king, the Lord told him to leave and go to hide near Cherith Creek.  He was to drink water from the creek, and eat the food God told the ravens to bring him. Elijah obeyed the LORD and ravens brought him bread and meat twice a day.  He drank water from the creek, but after a while, it dried up because there was no rain.  The drought lasted over three years and everyone was affected.  The shortages even reached Elijah, but so did God’s detailed plans and supernatural provisions. After the airmail deliveries stopped, the Lord told Elijah to go to Zarephath where a widow would give him food.  At first the widow adamantly told him she couldn’t feed him because she was also in scarcity and lack.  In fact, she was planning her last meal before dying, but there was Divine connection between Elijah’s lack and the widow’s shortage of supplies.  That connection not only brought provision for both of them, it also revealed a supernatural resource for both of them.  We too shall come through days of Elijah having experienced the miraculous of our God and His planned connections.


New Norm for a Valuable Legacy

As the people of God assemble today may hear about, speak about and expect to see a new norm for the sons/daughters of Father God to live in and move in as they minister to their hopeless family members and minister to a hopeless world. May they pray for and hope for the Book of Acts level of operating in the norm of Holy Spirit like the surprised disciples began to do after Pentecost. May they act like the Book of Acts is still being written and may they take part in the legacy recorded for those yet to come. Acts 14:3,TPT—“Yet Paul and Barnabas stayed there for a long time, preaching boldly and fearlessly about the Lord. Many trusted in the Lord, for he backed up his message of grace with miracles, signs, and wonders performed by the apostles.”


Book-of-Acts-Norm

When Peter was in prison (Acts 12:7) he had been presented with a great opportunity to be introduced to the Book-of-Acts-norm. In reading that awesome book’s account of the early church, we cannot help but observe that God’s people had been ushered into a new era, an era in which they could fully expect to function in ways and means they had never seen the likes of. There are things, events and supply in Heaven that Father wants to get into the earth. But they are extraordinary by our standards and He is desiring cooperation from us “earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”


The Answer and the Best Solution

MELISSA — Simply put, we don’t get to determine what the answer must be when we call on Father God. That kind of determination is a prescription for indigestion. Why? Because we are working from a very limited soul-perspective of the situation with even more limited soul-solutions. This kind of limitation focuses on the impossible rather than the God of the impossible. He not only sees the problem, but where it came from (possibly from entitlement mindsets passed on through the bloodline?) and He sees the best solution for the complete fix. That right there is the kind of “great and mighty” answer we are truly looking for.


Times of Confronting

KATHY—Days of Elijah were times of confronting governmental powers that be.
Elijah showed up in 1 Kings 17 to confront the puppet king of Israel with a proclamation:  “I’m a servant of the living LORD, the God of Israel. And I swear in His name that it won’t rain until I say so.  There won’t even be any dew on the ground.”  Beyond the forecast of a drought, it had to unnerve King Ahab that a man would get in his face and tell him, “I have the say so over your domain and over the weather warfare of your storm god, because I represent the higher government of God Almighty.”  In these days of Elijah, whether we are dealing with dark forces at work against our home or community or region or nation or other realms, we can take a stand when we are convinced and confident that Almighty God is backing us.  


Coming to a New Norm

In the Bible, when a person or a nation received a breakthrough, when they began a new era, God was trying to tell them that they did not have to operate at the previous level. He was, through His Word and through their experiences, attempting to get across to them that they had come to a new norm. When we come to a new norm (or simply desire to) we would do well to realize that we must think differently and put effort into functioning differently.


Call To Me

MELISSA — During a time of ministry at a meeting a revered Prophet told me, “Read Jeremiah 33:3 everyday and watch what happens.” It’s certainly not an unfamiliar passage, but perhaps one that is easily forgotten in the midst of all the hustle, bustle and chaos. So, here you go (in 3 versions for impact):
“Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Jer. 33:3 KJV
“Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you [and even show you] great and mighty things, [things which have been confined and hidden], which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish.” Jer. 33:3 AMP
“Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.” Jer. 33:3 MSG.


SFMV#15 “God Will Stand With Me” (Part 2)

SFMV#15 — Scriptures For Morning Victory #15
Theme: “God Will Stand With Me” (Part 2)
Marty reads Scriptures and prays for us.
SFMV#15 ThmNail

Arrogance and Atrocities

KATHY GABLER—Days of Elijah were crucial times under wicked leadership.  Ahab was the king, but the true ruler was his witchy wife, Jezebel.  Her influence had infiltrated the nation and led Israel into idol worship as they bowed the knee to her Phoenician god, Baal.  Baal was considered the sun god and the storm god, and worshiping him involved sensuality, ritualistic prostitution and human sacrifice. (Who would have imagined such would ever be the case in America!) The evil forces behind Jezebel and her puppet king were the cause of Israel’s troubled state.  Elijah came at the peak of their arrogance and atrocities to warn them God had had enough.  Like the days of Elijah, we too stand at just such a precipice to confront the wicked arrogance and atrocities of this day because God is saying enough is enough. BUT: 2Chron.7:14,Amp—“If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.”   


Never Go Back

As the people of God assemble today, may the Lord Almighty grant that His people will be awakened by His Holy Spirit working with His Word and may we never go back to the place we were before He did. Egypt and religious legalism are not for returning to, they are for leaving. The enemy of the purposes of Christ does not have to destroy the church with civil laws. All he has to do is get it sidetracked from Christ. (Gal.4:8-11, Msg)—“Earlier, before you knew God personally, you were enslaved to so-called gods that had nothing of the divine about them. But now that you know the real God—or rather since God knows you—how can you possibly subject yourselves again to those paper tigers? For that is exactly what you do when you are intimidated into scrupulously observing all the traditions, taboos, and superstitions associated with special days and seasons and years. I am afraid that all my hard work among you has gone up in a puff of smoke!”


No Countdown to Canaan Conference

Even while in the middle of the wilderness, Israel was on the verge of a new era. Yet, there weren’t any people walking around or gathering groups under a tree to listen to them preach about the new era that was being ushered in and that they should have hope and that they should give themselves wholeheartedly to it and, most certainly, no one had even announced a Countdown to Canaan Conference. Even without the thing being announced in bright lights, the new season was moving in upon them just the same. One factor we must always be aware of that can spawn disillusionment is when the proclaimers of new eras leave us with the assumption that it is going to be a “magic carpet ride”. We will not be able to simply go on about “business as usual” but must look for ways to adjust to what is coming and adjust and make preparations for what we are hoping will be.


Watching, Listening, Heeding

Melissa Gabler—As the people of God, what do we need to be watching, listening for and heeding? Watch for creativity and ideas being unleashed that will produce finances, answers, healing, refuge and change in hearts. Deut.28 sounds like we won’t miss creativity and ideas “if” we listen diligently to the voice of the Lord our God, being watchful to do all His commandments.