Shalom,

Today I want to share another "My Utmost For His Highest" devotional by Oswald Chambers.

Do You See Your Calling?

Separated unto the Gospel. — Romans 1:1

Our calling is not primarily to be holy men and women, but to be proclaimers of the Gospel of God. The one thing that is all important is that the Gospel of God should be realized as the abiding Reality. Reality is not human goodness, nor holiness, nor heaven, nor hell, but Redemption; and the need to perceive this is the most vital need of the Christian worker to-day. As workers we have to get used to the revelation that Redemption is the only Reality. Personal holiness is an effect, not a cause, and if we place our faith in human goodness, in the effect of Redemption, we shall go under when the test comes.

Paul did not say he separated himself, but — “when it pleased God who separated me….” Paul had not a hypersensitive interest in his own character. As long as our eyes are upon our own personal whiteness we shall never get near the reality of Redemption. Workers break down because their desire is for their own whiteness, and not for God. “Don’t ask me to come into contact with the rugged reality of Redemption on behalf of the filth of human life as it is; what I want is anything God can do for me to make me more desirable in my own eyes.” To talk in that way is a sign that the reality of the Gospel of God has not begun to touch me; there is no reckless abandon to God. God cannot deliver me while my interest is merely in my own character. Paul is unconscious of himself, he is recklessly abandoned, separated by God for one purpose — to proclaim the Gospel of God (cf. Romans 9:3).

We KNOW that we have all been called to the "Ministry of Reconciliation"! That is: telling everyone we know about JESUS and whaty HE provided for everyon who will BELIEVE and RECEIVE HIM! So let's BE about our FATHER'S business! Here is Brandon Lake with "Adoption Song":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share again from Kenneth E. Hagin's "Faith Food" devotional!

His Battle

. . . Be not afraid nor dismayed . . . for the battle is not yours, but God’s. — 2 CHRONICLES 20:15

I believe the Greater One lives in us if we’re born again (1 John 4:4). I believe Jesus is greater than the devil. I know the Word of God says that. Therefore, I must act like it’s true. That’s when it becomes a reality, and that’s when the Greater One goes to work for me.

If I go to pieces and act like I’m trying to fight the battle, the Greater One is not fighting it. And then I’m not taking advantage of the Greater One and what He has done for me. So I don’t try to figure out the situation. I just lie down and go to sleep, no matter what’s going on.

During the years I pastored, almost every church the Lord sent me to, was a church that had trouble. One church in particular no one wanted to pastor. God dealt with me before they contacted me, so I took it. But I didn’t have any trouble. I rolled that church and its problems over on the Greater One. I would say to the people, “I’m not going to bother about that.” I meant I wasn’t going to worry, even if the deacons had a fist fight in the church yard. I would have just let them fight, and afterwards I would have gone and prayed with them, and gotten them lined up so we could go on with God.

Confession: I refuse to battle. The battle is not mine, but God’s. He is the Greater One, and I have put Him to work in my behalf by knowing His Word and by acting like it is true.

AMEN! When we have done OUR PART, then we can confidently and expectantly wait because our FATHER will most certainly do HIS! Here is "Brooke Ligertwood" with "Fear Of God":

Shalom in Him! 

Shalom,

Today we read Psalm 29 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan and I LOVE this Psalm!

1 Ascribe to the Lord, O sons of the mighty, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Give to the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness or in holy array.
3 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders; the Lord is upon many (great) waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; yes, the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion (Mount Hermon) like a young, wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord splits and flashes forth forked lightning.
8 The voice of the Lord makes the wilderness tremble; the Lord shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord makes the hinds bring forth their young, and His voice strips bare the forests, while in His temple everyone is saying, Glory!
10 The Lord sat as King over the deluge; the Lord [still] sits as King [and] forever!
11 The Lord will give [unyielding and impenetrable] strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.

THIS is OUR GOD and He is SO MUCH MORE than we even yet realize! I hope that you will increase your time in His presence and allow Holy Spirit to reveal Him to you more and more, because HE IS so much more than we have yet realized! Here, to help you with that, is Brandon Lake with "More":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share the devotional from The Spoken Word Church website because it is POWERFUL!

Don’t Tolerate Lack

Poverty is wrenching. Torturous. Tormenting. It strips a person of the ability to give. To bless. To make a contribution to others. Don't tolerate it.

Learn to despise lack. You will never conquer what you cannot hate. Your seed is the enemy of lack. It is the only proof that you truly desire a harvest.

"And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:" {2 Corinthians 9:8}

AMEN! Refuse to settle for anything less than GOD'S very BEST! Here is Brandon Lake with "Turnaround":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

This message from Psalm 127 from our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan is for YOU to meditate on and EXPECT every day! HE desires this FOR you and FROM you! 

1 The Lord is my Light and my Salvation—whom shall I fear or dread? The Lord is the Refuge and Stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked, even my enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
3 Though a host encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, [even then] in this will I be confident.
4 One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for, and [insistently] require: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, to behold and gaze upon the beauty [the sweet attractiveness and the delightful loveliness] of the Lord and to meditate, consider, and inquire in His temple.
5 For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter; in the secret place of His tent will He hide me; He will set me high upon a rock.
6 And now shall my head be lifted up above my enemies round about me; in His tent I will offer sacrifices and shouting of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

AMEN! And here, to help you do this, is Brooke Ligertwood with "Ancient Gates":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For His Highest" devotional by Oswald Chambers is EXCELLENT!

Look Again And Consecrate

If God so clothe the grass of the field…shall He not much more clothe you? — Matthew 6:30

A simple statement of Jesus is always a puzzle to us if we are not simple. How are we going to be simple with the simplicity of Jesus? By receiving His Spirit, recognizing and relying on Him, obeying Him as He brings the word of God, and life will become amazingly simple. “Consider,” says Jesus, “how much more your Father Who clothes the grass of the field will clothe you, if you keep your relationship right with Him.” Every time we have gone back in spiritual communion it has been because we have impertinently known better than Jesus Christ. We have allowed the cares of the world to come in, and have forgotten the “much more”of our Heavenly Father.

“Behold the fowls of the air” — their main aim is to obey the principle of life that is in them and God looks after them. Jesus says that if you are rightly related to Him and obey His Spirit that is in you, God will look after your “feathers.”

“Consider the lilies of the field” — they grow where they are put. Many of us refuse to grow where we are put, consequently we take root nowhere. Jesus says that if we obey the life God has given us, He will look after all the other things. Has Jesus Christ told us a lie? If we are not experiencing the “much more,” it is because we are not obeying the life God has given us, we are taken up with confusing considerations. How much time have we taken up worrying God with questions when we should have been absolutely free to concentrate on His work? Consecration means the continual separating of myself to one particular thing. We cannot consecrate once and for all. Am I continually separating myself to consider God every day of my life?

AMEN! CONSIDER YOUR LIFE and make whatever adjustments thatt you need to make in order for YOU to continue to walk in GOD'S FAVOR! Here is Brandon Lake with "Adoption Song":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" devotional by Kenneth E. Hagin is another powerful lesson!

Knowledge

My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; . . . Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge . . . . — PROVERBS 2:1,5,6

Real faith accompanies knowledge of the Word of God. It takes no effort whatsoever on the part of the intellect or the will of man to obtain faith. Faith accompanies knowledge. As soon as the light of knowledge comes, faith is there. As the Psalmist of old said, “The entrance of thy words giveth light . . .” (Psalm 119:130).

People often pray for faith. But what they actually need is knowledge of God’s Word! When the knowledge of God’s Word comes, faith will automatically be there. You could pray forever to have faith, but if you don’t get any knowledge of God’s Word, you will never get faith.

Feed on God’s Word. Meditate on God’s Word. And remember, “. . . faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).

Confession: I will receive God’s Word. I will hide it within me. And I will find the knowledge of God, because out of the mouth of the Lord comes knowledge. I will receive knowledge of God’s Word. And faith will accompany it. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

AMEN! Continuall feed yourself on the Word of God and your FAITH will be POWERFUL! Here is Brandon Lake with "Jesus Be Praised":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share from Jerry Savelle's website devtoional:

ENEMY TACTICS

[The Lord said to Moses] “Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I?” Exodus 3:10-11 NKJV

One of the major tactics of the enemy is to keep you from finding out who you are in Christ. As long as you think you are something that you’re not, the devil can keep you in bondage.

As soon as you get a revelation of who you really are, your days of weakness and defeat will end—and the devil knows it.

When you were born again, God made you a champion, more than a conqueror in Christ. You were completely recreated, and you instantly became a new creation, complete with the ability to win in every situation or circumstance.

It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or how insignificant and ineffective you once were; God is the master of making champions out of nobodies. That’s what He did with Moses.

Moses didn’t initially see himself as God saw him, as the deliverer of God’s people. In fact, Moses angered the Lord when he asked Him to send someone else. Moses’ refusal to see himself as God saw him created a big problem. God had to include Aaron in the leadership team, which caused trouble later on.

However, when Moses began to see himself as who God had really made him to be, he took his place in God’s plan and excelled as a great leader of God’s people.

Don’t let the enemy’s tactics keep you in bondage one more day. You are well able to do everything God has called you to do, because He has made you a champion.

Confession: Father, I believe I am who You say I am. I cast down every imagination and every feeling that is contrary to who You say I am in Christ. The enemy’s tactics will no longer hold me in bondage because I am a champion.

AMEN! Here is Brandon Lake with "Coat Of Many Colors":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" devotional by Kenneth E. Hagin is vital to walk in faith!

Demand

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. — JOHN 14:12-14

The verses in today’s text have nothing whatsoever to do with prayer. In yesterday’s devotion, we saw how Jesus said to use His Name in prayer to the Father. But here we see a different use of Jesus’ Name. Here, the Greek word translated “ask” can also mean “demand.”

An example of this use of the Name is seen at the gate called Beautiful. Peter said to a lame man sitting at the gate, “. . . In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6).

Jesus said, “Whatsoever you demand in My name, I will do it.” Let that soak in a little. When we use the Name of Jesus, it is as though Jesus were here Himself. All the power and authority invested in Jesus, is in His Name!

You’re not demanding anything of the Father. (After all, it wasn’t God who had bound that lame man; it was the devil who had him bound.) No, you’re demanding that the devil give way to the Name of Jesus!

Confession: The Name of Jesus belongs to me. Whatever I demand in the Name of Jesus according to God’s Word, He will do it!

AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "That's The Power":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I really love today's "My Utmost For His Highest" devotional by Oswald Chambers!

What Am I Looking At?

Look unto Me, and be ye saved. — Isaiah 45:22

Do we expect God to come to us with His blessings and save us? He says — “Look unto Me, and be saved.” The great difficulty spiritually is to concentrate on God, and it is His blessings that make it difficult. Troubles nearly always make us look to God; His blessings are apt to make us look elsewhere. The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is, in effect — Narrow all your interests until the attitude of mind and heart and body is concentration on Jesus Christ.

Many of us have a mental conception of what a Christian should be, and the lives of the saints become a hindrance to our concentration on God. There is no salvation in this way, it is not simple enough. “Look unto Me” and — not “you will be saved,” but “you are saved.” The very thing we look for, we shall find if we will concentrate on Him. We get preoccupied and sulky with God, while all the time He is saying — “Look up and be saved.” The difficulties and trials, the casting about in our minds as to what we shall do this summer, or to-morrow, all vanish when we look to God.

Rouse yourself up and look to God. Build your hope on Him. No matter if there are a hundred and one things that press, resolutely exclude them all and look to Him. “Look unto Me,” and salvation is, the moment you look.

HALLELUJAH! What freedom that brings! Here is Brandon Lake with "Jesus Be Praised":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 21 is our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for Psalm today.  THIS is THAT!

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1 The king [David] shall joy in Your strength, O Lord; and in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
2 You have given him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah [pause, and think of that]!
3 For You send blessings of good things to meet him; You set a crown of pure gold on his head.
4 He asked life of You, and You gave it to him—long life forever and evermore.
5 His glory is great because of Your aid; splendor and majesty You bestow upon him.
6 For You make him to be blessed and a blessing forever; You make him exceedingly glad with the joy of Your presence.
7 For the king trusts, relies on, and is confident in the Lord, and through the mercy and steadfast love of the Most High he will never be moved.
8 Your hand shall find all Your enemies; Your right hand shall find all those who hate You.
9 You will make them as if in a blazing oven in the time of Your anger; the Lord will swallow them up in His wrath, and the fire will utterly consume them.
10 Their offspring You will destroy from the earth, and their sons from among the children of men.
11 For they planned evil against You; they conceived a mischievous plot which they are not able to perform.
12 For You will make them turn their backs; You will aim Your bow [of divine justice] at their faces.
13 Be exalted, Lord, in Your strength; we will sing and praise Your power.

THIS is the picture that GOD desires for YOU! Let's BELIEVE this and RECEIVE this, bringing HIM all the GLORY! Here is Brandon Lake with "I Prophecy":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I LOVE today's "Daily Grace Inspiration" devotional from Joseph Prince's website! 

No Smell of Smoke on You

So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke! Daniel 3:26–27 NLT

There is truly no other god who can rescue like our God. Whatever circumstances you might be thrown into, our Lord Jesus is the fourth man with you in the midst of the fire. Notice how He didn’t stand outside of the fire, but was in the fire together with the three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, when they were thrown inside for defying King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.

This brings a whole new meaning for us when we read the verse, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

Our Lord doesn’t deliver you from afar; He is with you in the midst of your adversity. Call upon Him and He will answer you. When Jesus is with you, nothing can harm you!

Don’t you just love how the Word of God describes the three friends when they came out of the furnace? They were in the fire, but it had absolutely no power over them. It did not even leave a trace of smoke on them! Now, that’s a beautiful picture of God’s divine protection!

Beloved, as you call upon the Lord in your day of trouble, my prayer for you is that the trial you are going through will have no power over you; it will not even leave a smell on you. Instead, I declare in Jesus’ name that you will walk out of that challenge in your life and the only smell on you will be the fragrance of the Lord Jesus (2 Corinthians 2:14)!

And as the people around you witness how the Lord delivers you, may they come to know His wonderful name and give Him praise. Instead of being negatively affected by whatever trial you might face, I pray that you will receive honor and promotion just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Amen!

AMEN! Let's make the quality decision to look at every test and trial as the perfect opportunity to GIVE GOD GLORY!!! Here is Brandon Lake with "Trunaround":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's devotional from The Spoken Word Church website is EXCELLENT! 

Recognize Your Harvest

Your harvest is any person or any thing that can bless or benefit you. It may be someone who can contribute something to you that you need (information, favor, finances), or it can be an explosive idea.

Your harvest already exists. It is walking around you. Just as your eyes had to be opened to recognize Jesus, your eyes must be opened to recognize your harvest.

"He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not."  (John 1:10-11)

Be one whose eyes are wide open to the things of God so that you can appreciate and be thankful for every good thing in your life! Here is Brandon Lake with "Jesus Be Praised":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today we read Psalm 18 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan and I LOVE the superscription!

Psalm 18

To the Chief Musician. [A Psalm] of David the servant of the Lord, who spoke the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said:

David prayed, God delivered, David gave praise, thanksgivng and worship for every good thing! THAT is a pattern for US to 'go thou and do likewise'! Verses 1-6:

1 I love You fervently and devotedly, O Lord, my Strength.
2 The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God, my keen and firm Strength in Whom I will trust and take refuge, my Shield, and the Horn of my salvation, my High Tower.
3 I will call upon the Lord, Who is to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.
4 The cords or bands of death surrounded me, and the streams of ungodliness and the torrents of ruin terrified me.
5 The cords of Sheol (the place of the dead) surrounded me; the snares of death confronted and came upon me.
6 In my distress [when seemingly closed in] I called upon the Lord and cried to my God; He heard my voice out of His temple (heavenly dwelling place), and my cry came before Him, into His [very] ears.

AMEN! Keep giving HIM all the GLORY for every good thing in YOUR life! Here is Brandon Lake with "More":

Shalom in Him

Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" devotional by Kenneth E. Hagin is POWERFUL!

By Conquest

"And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it" (Colossians 2:15).

This is a picture of Christ in combat with the hosts of darkness!

A marginal note in my King James Version reads, "He put off from Himself the principalities and the powers." It is evident that when the demon hosts thought they had Jesus within their power, they intended to overwhelm Him and hold Him in bondage.

But when the cry came forth from the throne of God that Jesus had met the demands of Justice - that the sin problem had been settled, and man's redemption was a fact - and Jesus overthrew the hosts of demons and Satan himself.

I think Rotherham's translation of Hebrews 2:14 makes it even clearer: "In order that through death He might paralyse him that held the dominion of death, that is the Adversary." Jesus paralyzed Satan! Jesus put him to naught!

There is authority in the Name of Jesus, because Jesus achieved the authority in His Name by conquest!

Confession: Jesus Christ spoiled principalities and powers. He made an open show of them, triumphing over them in it. Jesus paralyzed Satan and all his cohorts. Therefore, there is authority in the Name of Jesus. And I have a legal right to use that triumphant Name against the forces of the enemy!

AMEN! And AMEN! Here is Brandon Lake with a powerful song about HIS powerful AUTHORITY! "Count 'Em":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share again from Kenneth and Gloria Copeland's "From Faith To Faith" devotional.

Jesus Can Set Them Free

And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Matthew 10:7-8

There are those who've said that some of the diseases that are on the rampage right now, diseases such as AIDS, are God's way of punishing immoral people today. There is absolutely no scriptural basis for that!

God does not bring disease on the human race. In fact, if there's anyone in heaven and earth who hates it, it's Jesus. The devil is the one who's trying to tell us otherwise. He's promoting a lie, trying to get us to believe God is the One who's inflicting these diseases on people because he knows that if the victims believe that, it will drive them further from God than ever. And that's his aim.

It's time you and I as believers put a stop to that lie. Some time ago, the Lord spoke to my heart and told me so. He said, Reach out to those who are suffering. Let them know I didn't do this to them. Let them know I'm their Deliverer!

That word was not just for me, it was for the whole Body of Christ. We need to tell people who've been afflicted with AIDS or any such disease that Jesus is Lord over it. We need to tell them that God loves them dearly, and He has the desire and the power to heal them.

God is not responsible for the suffering we're seeing around us. That's just a nasty lie the devil is passing around. And if you and I do our job right, very soon another word is going to start spreading through the streets. The news is going to get out that Jesus Christ is not their captor, He's the One who can set them free!

AMEN! Here is Brooke Ligertwood with "Bless God":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We have weapons given us by our heavenly Father that are POWERFUL for dealing with our enemy! Today's "Faith Food" devotional by Kenneth E. Hagin speaks of this!

Mighty Weapon

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds. — 2 CORINTHIANS 10:4

Although we have been made new creatures — created by God in Christ Jesus; and although we are transferred out from under Satan’s authority, we still live in a world ruled by Satan.

The Bible calls Satan “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4) and “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). Christ also called him “the prince of this world” (John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11).

According to the Word of God, the very air about us is filled with hostile forces attempting to destroy our fellowship with God the Father, and to deprive us of our usefulness in the Master’s service.

But our Father God, in His great provision and plan of redemption, has given us a weapon to use against Satan. That weapon is given to us not only for ourselves, but also for the benefit of the Satan-ruled men and women around us. That weapon is the Name of Jesus!

Confession: The weapons of my warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. Where Satan’s forces have built strongholds, I can pull them down with the mighty Name of Jesus. Satan is no match for that Name. And that Name is a mighty weapon given to me to use against the forces of the enemy.

AMEN! Here is Brandon Lake with "God Is Not Against Me":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I really LOVE today's "My Utmost For His Highest" devotional by Oswald Chambers!

Called Of God

Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. — Isaiah 6:8

God did not address the call to Isaiah; Isaiah overheard God saying — “Who will go for us?” The call of God is not for the special few, it is for everyone. Whether or not I hear God’s call depends upon the state of my ears; and what I hear depends upon my disposition. “Many are called but few are chosen” that is, few prove themselves the chosen ones. The chosen ones are those who have come into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ whereby their disposition has been altered and their ears unstopped, and they hear the still small voice questioning all the time — “Who will go for us?” It is not a question of God singling out a man and saying, “Now, you go.” God did not lay a strong compulsion on Isaiah; Isaiah was in the presence of God and he overheard the call, and realized that there was nothing else for him but to say, in conscious freedom — “Here am I, send me.”

Get out of your mind the idea of expecting God to come with compulsions and pleadings. When our Lord called His disciples there was no irresistible compulsion from outside. The quiet passionate insistence of His “Follow Me” was spoken to men with every power wide awake. If we let the Spirit of God bring us face to face with God, we too shall hear something akin to what Isaiah heard, the still small voice of God; and in perfect freedom will say — “Here am I; send me.”

AMEN! Here is Brandon Lake with "Turnaround":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share again from Joseph Prince's "Daily Grace Inspirations" devotional.

Fix Your Eyes on Jesus

“For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” 2 Chronicles 20:12 NIV

Today I’d like to share with you a powerful truth that will help you see how you can effectively drive fear out of your life and keep it out. It is a precious truth that will garrison your heart and mind from the enemy’s lies.

Take time to worship the Lord, especially when it feels like overwhelming odds are against you. Do what King Jehoshaphat did when his enemies joined forces and amassed a formidable army to destroy Israel.

In the natural, Jehoshaphat knew Israel had no chance of winning the battle. But he chose to do something you and I need to learn to do whenever we are besieged by our enemies. He cried out to the Lord, saying, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2 Chronicles 20:12 NIV). Jehoshaphat then placed not commandos but worshipers at the head of his army, and this is what they sang: “Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever” (2 Chronicles 20:21 NIV).

Instead of despairing because of their enemies, they chose to fix their eyes on the Lord, giving thanks to Him and singing of His love. This happened long before the cross of Jesus. How much more can you and I sing of His love, which never fails, which endures forever!

And do you know what happened? The Lord defeated Israel’s enemies by turning them against each other, and Jehoshaphat’s troops did not even have to lift a finger to fight. Instead, when they came to the place that was supposed to be their battleground, their enemies were already dead, and all they ended up doing was collecting so much plunder that it took them three days to collect it all.

In Jesus’ name, may this happen to you too. When you are overwhelmed by challenges, and you don’t know what to do or even how to feel, just cry out to the Lord and tell Him, “Lord, I don’t know what to do, but my eyes are on You.”

That’s the most powerful posture you can take, with your eyes fixed not on your enemies but on your Savior. As you focus on His love that endures forever, the Lord Himself will fight your battle for you (2 Chronicles 20:15).

May you be so conscious of His perfect love that every fear is driven from your life, and may you walk away so much stronger than before your enemies tried to come against you!

AMEN! Let's make sure that we are ALWAYS putting our TRUST in the ONE WHo has NEVER, EVER failes! Here is Hillsong "Oceans"(for HE 'hasn't failed and He won't start now!'):

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" devotional by Kenneth E. Hagin is another powerful lesson!

WE WERE HEALED!

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. — 1 PETER 2:24

Years ago, a woman was carried into one of my services. She had not walked in four years, and doctors said she would never walk again. I sat down beside her and placed my open Bible on her lap.

I said, “Sister, please read that verse out loud.”

She read First Peter 2:24 aloud. And when she ended with “. . . by whose stripes ye were healed,” I asked, “Is ‘were’ past tense, present tense, or future tense?”

I will never forget her reaction. “Were is past tense,” she exclaimed. “And if we were healed, then I was healed!” She accepted God’s Word with the enthusiasm and simplicity of a child — the way we must.

And that’s how God records it in His Word. He doesn’t promise to heal us, because He’s already provided healing for us almost 2,000 years ago! Healing is something we already have in Christ.

This woman’s face lit up as she lifted her hands and said, “Praise God! Lord, I’m so glad I’m healed! Lord, I’m so glad I can walk again! [And she hadn’t walked a step yet.] I’m so glad I’m not helpless anymore. I’m so glad I can wait on myself . . .”

“Rise and walk!” I said. And the woman leaped to her feet! Praise the Lord!

Confession: By His stripes we WERE healed. If we were, then I was. I AM healed. Healing is mine. I have it now.

AMEN!!! Now, do that same thing with every promise inthe Word of God! What HE says HE has already done is NOW OURS! Here is Brandon Lake with "Coat of Many Colors":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "Faith Food" devotoional by Kenneth E. Hagin as another great FAITH insturction!

Heart And Mouth

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. — ROMANS 10:10

It is always with the heart that man believes — and with the mouth that confession is “made unto salvation.” When you believe something with your heart and confess it with your mouth, then it becomes real to you. Faith’s confessions create realities!

For example, Hebrews 9:12 says, “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in ONCE into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” Jesus will never have to do that again; He has already done it once, and for all time. And Romans 10:10 tells us how we obtain the reality of that salvation: By believing with the heart — the inner man — and confessing with the mouth.

As you read some of the “in Christ,” “in Him,” and “in whom” scriptures, it may not seem like you really have what these scriptures say you have. But if you will begin to confess (because you do believe God’s Word in your heart), “This is mine. This is who I am. This is what I have,” then it will become real to you. It is already real in the spirit realm. But you want it to become real in this physical realm where you are living.

Confession: With my heart I believe God’s Word; and with my mouth I make confession of its promises and provisions. My faith confessions create the reality of those promises and provisions in my life. I am who God says I am — now! I have what God says I have — now!

AMEN! I LOVE the WORD of GOD! It contains everything we will ever need to be successful in running our race to a glorious finish! Here is Brandon Lake with "Count 'Em", which we can't do with God's Blessings because they are ongoing and never ending as long as WE stick with HIM! 

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share from Kenneth E. Hagin's "Faith Food" devotional again! This has always been one of my favorite devotionals!

In Him

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. — EPHESIANS 1:3

From the day you were born again until the day you step off into eternity, God has already made provision for you in Christ Jesus. Everything you need, “He hath blessed” you with. In the mind of God, it is yours!

People often ask me how to study the Bible. Although I have many suggestions, here is the one I present everywhere I go. As a believer, a Christian, follow this method as you go through the New Testament; read or study primarily the Epistles. (I encourage you to spend most of your time in the Epistles, because they are the letters written to you, the believer. Study the Old Testament, too, but don’t spend most of your time there. Spend most of your time in the New Testament. Why? Because we’re not living under the Old Covenant; we’re living under the New Covenant.)

In these Epistles, which are written to the Church, find and underline all expressions such as “in Christ,” “by Christ,” “in whom,” “in Him,” and so forth. Write them down. Meditate on them. Begin to confess them with your mouth. As far as God is concerned, everything you have, or are, in Christ, is already so. God has already done it all in Christ. However, it is your believing and your confessing that will make it real to you.

Confession: I am a new creature IN CHRIST. God the Father HAS blessed me with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places IN CHRIST

AMEN! I hope that YOU will make it YOUR GOAL to really get to KNOW JESUS this year so that you can stand up a year from now and say "I have learned to KNOW JESUS more than ever before"! Here is Brandon Lake with "Nothing New":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today's "My Utmost For His Highest" devotional by Oswald Chambers is a deep and profound, yet very simple TRUTH! 

Intercessory Introspection

And I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless. — 1 Thessalonians 5:23

“Your whole spirit…” The great mystical work of the Holy Spirit is in the dim regions of our personality which we cannot get at. Read the 139th Psalm; the Psalmist implies — “Thou art the God of the early mornings, the God of the late at nights, the God of the mountain peaks, and the God of the sea; but, my God, my soul has further horizons than the early mornings, deeper darkness than the nights of earth, higher peaks than any mountain peaks, greater depths than any sea in nature — Thou Who art the God of all these, be my God. I cannot reach to the heights or to the depths; there are motives I cannot trace, dreams I cannot get at — my God, search me out.”

Do we believe that God can garrison the imagination far beyond where we can go? “The blood of Jesus Christ…cleanseth us from all sin” — if that means in conscious experience only, may God have mercy on us. The man who has been made obtuse by sin will say he is not conscious of sin. Cleansing from sin is to the very heights and depths of our spirit if we will keep in the light as God is in the light, and the very Spirit that fed the life of Jesus Christ will feed the life of our spirits. It is only when we are garrisoned by God with the stupendous sanctity of the Holy Spirit, that spirit, soul and body are preserved in unspotted integrity, undeserving of censure in God’s sight, until Jesus comes.

We do not allow our minds to dwell as they should on these great massive truths of God.

EVERYTHING that we will ever need to get and stay in intimate fellowship with HIM has been provided for us by what JESUS accomplished! Learn to yearn for His presence and come away with a deeper understanding of who YOU are - IN HIM! Here is Brandon Lake with "Adoption Song":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today covers Psalm 8. The beginning and the end are the same! POWERFUL! 

To the Chief Musician; set to a Philistine lute, or [possibly] to a particular Hittite tune. A Psalm of David.

1 O Lord, our Lord, how excellent (majestic and glorious) is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory on [or above] the heavens.
2 Out of the mouths of babes and unweaned infants You have established strength because of Your foes, that You might silence the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I view and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained and established,
4 What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him?
5 Yet You have made him but a little lower than God [or heavenly beings], and You have crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet:
7 All sheep and oxen, yes, and the beasts of the field,
8 The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord, our Lord, how excellent (majestic and glorious) is Your name in all the earth!

There is NO ONE like our GOD! HE loves US with HIS everlasting, all consuming, POWERFUL LOVE! No one will EVER love you more! Here is Brandon Lake with "Turnaround":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

We began 2024 with a powerful Sunday Service, including partaking of Communion together after Pastor taught on it! We are flying into 2024, ready to be all that JESUS has planned and purposed for us to be! But what I REALLY want to share with you as your 'nugget' of Truth today is something from Psalm 7 that we read from our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan! THIS is the heading:

An Ode of David, [probably] in a wild, irregular, enthusiastic strain, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite.

I LOOOVVVEEE this! When we were first born again, we heard from many people about the 'dangers' of music and certain musical instruments! Yet all through the Psalms and other books of the Bible we are told to PRAISE HIM with instruments and with songs, with voices lifted and with hands clapping (which is one of the ways that we LAUD Him)! Have YOU been praising HIM with wild, irregular, enthusiastic strain? Today would be a GREAT day to start if you have not! WE DID! Here is an example for you with Brandon Lake and Elevation Worship called "Praise":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

As we continue in the Word of God every day we will continually learn something new or more in depth so that we can continue to grow in the things of God! In today's Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan we read in Matthew 6, where JESUS gave His disciples a format for Prayer. The "Lord's Prayer" was not meant to be a prayer to memorize and repeat, but rather a format for the way to enter His presence with our requests! Look at verses 9-10:

9 Pray, therefore, like this: Our Father Who is in heaven, hallowed (kept holy) be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

He is showing us here that we are to enter into prayer FIRST of all with PRAISE! We also see this in Psalm 100:

1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all you lands! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come before His presence with singing! 3 Know (perceive, recognize, and understand with approval) that the Lord is God! It is He Who has made us, not we ourselves [and we are His]! We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name! 5 For the Lord is good; His mercy and loving-kindness are everlasting, His faithfulness and truth endure to all generations.

PRAISE and WORSHIP are the 'codes' or 'passwords' for gaining entrance to HIS PRESENCE to receive EVERYTHING that we need! Let's UP our PRAISE and WORSHIP as we begin this new year and see HIM operate on our behalf more powerfully than ever before! Why? Because we entered in the RIGHT WAY! Here is Brandon Lake with "I'll Praise You Anywhere":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share Kenneth and Gloria Copleand's "From Faith To Faith" devotional! 

You Are Righteous

...not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. Philippians 3:9

I don't care how badly you may have messed things up yesterday or how many mistakes you have made, I want you to begin this day knowing you are righteous! Not because of anything you've done but because you've received, by faith in Jesus, the very righteousness of God.

Just look at the kinds of benefits the Word of God says that righteousness will bring:

"The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree" (Psalm 92:12).

"When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth" (Proverbs 11:10).

"The seed of the righteous shall be delivered" (Proverbs 11:21).

"For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers" (1 Peter 3:12).

"For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield" (Psalms 5:12).

"The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles" (Psalms 34:17).

"I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread" (Psalms 37:25).

"The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever" (Psalms 37:29).

"The Lord loveth the righteous" (Psalms 146:8).

Don't let the devil rob you of even one of these blessings by telling you you're unworthy of them. Run him off. Shout out loud, "I am the righteousness of God!" Then step out in faith and enjoy the privileges God has prepared for you

AMEN! Sing along with Hillsong to "Who You Say I Am":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

I want to share the Psalm from our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today! It is POWERFUL and will be in our lives IF we are DOERS of it!

Psalm 4   To the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

1 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness (uprightness, justice, and right standing with You)! You have freed me when I was hemmed in and enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me and hear my prayer.
2 O you sons of men, how long will you turn my honor and glory into shame? How long will you love vanity and futility and seek after lies? Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
3 But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself [and given distinction to] him who is godly [the man of loving-kindness]. The Lord listens and heeds when I call to Him.
4 Be angry [or stand in awe] and sin not; commune with your own hearts upon your beds and be silent (sorry for the things you say in your hearts). Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
5 Offer just and right sacrifices; trust (lean on and be confident) in the Lord.
6 Many say, Oh, that we might see some good! Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O Lord.
7 You have put more joy and rejoicing in my heart than [they know] when their wheat and new wine have yielded abundantly.
8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You, Lord, alone make me dwell in safety and confident trust.

AMEN! OUR GOD is a GOOD, GOOD GOD! Put HIM first place in YOUR life and HE will keep you FIRST PLACE in HIS! Here is Brooke Ligertwood with "Fear of God":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to give you some instructions for walking in victory from Psalm 3 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan!

Psalm 3     A Psalm of David. When he fled from Absalom his son.

1 Lord, how they are increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me.
2 Many are saying of me, There is no help for him in God. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
3 But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 With my voice I cry to the Lord, and He hears and answers me out of His holy hill. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
5 I lay down and slept; I wakened again, for the Lord sustains me.
6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me round about.
7 Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheek; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.
8 Salvation belongs to the Lord; May Your blessing be upon Your people. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

AMEN! Rmind yourself continually that NOTHING and NO ONE can EVER stand between YOU and YOUR GOD! That includes everything that HE has pomised you in HIS WORD! WHEN you receive HIS WORD as TRUTH! Here is Brandon Lake with another new song from his new album called "God Is Not Against Me":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today I want to share from Kenneth E. Hagin's "Faith Food" devotional again!

Faith Follows Light

The entrance of thy words giveth light . . . . — PSALM 119:130

As a teenager, I became bedfast. Medical science said I would die. Now, I’d heard the New Birth preached all my life. I knew what God’s will was concerning salvation. And when I came to the Lord while bedfast, I had no doubt that He would hear me. I had no lack of understanding along that line. Therefore, I had no doubt or unbelief concerning salvation. I received salvation, and I knew that I was saved.

But, I was still bedfast! I certainly had a lack of understanding of God’s Word concerning divine healing, prayer, and faith. About all I had ever heard preachers say about healing was, “Just leave it to the Lord. He knows best.” (Yes, but in His Word, God has made provision for us to have His best!)

In time, after much study of the Bible, I saw the exact steps I needed to take in prayer, and I saw just how to release my faith. Had I known these things earlier, I could have been off that bed months before I was. God didn’t have a certain “set time” to heal me. No! He’s the same every day! The trouble wasn’t with God or His willingness to heal me; the trouble was on my end of the line. As soon as I found out what God’s Word said about healing and acted upon it, I got results! As soon as light comes, faith is there.

Confession: I will find out what God’s Word says, and I will act on it. I will get results. I will see to it that God’s Word finds entrance into my spirit. Light will come — and faith will follow.

AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "That's The Power":

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Today, on this first day of a new year, I want to share Oswald Chambers' "My Utmost For His Highest" devotional!

Let Us Keep To The Point

My eager desire and hope being that I may never feel ashamed, but that now as ever I may do honour to Christ in my own person by fearless courage. — Philippians 1:20 (MOFFATT)

My Utmost for His Highest. “My eager desire and hope being that I may never feel ashamed.” We shall all feel very much ashamed if we do not yield to Jesus on the point He has asked us to yield to Him. Paul says — “My determination is to be my utmost for His Highest.” To get there is a question of will, not of debate nor of reasoning, but a surrender of will, an absolute and irrevocable surrender on that point. An over-weening consideration for ourselves is the thing that keeps us from that decision, though we put it that we are considering others. When we consider what it will cost others if we obey the call of Jesus, we tell God He does not know what our obedience will mean. Keep to the point; He does know. Shut out every other consideration and keep yourself before God for this one thing only — “My Utmost for His Highest.” I am determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and for Him alone.

My Undeterredness for His Holiness. “Whether that means life or death, no matter!” (v.21). Paul is determined that nothing shall deter him from doing exactly what God wants. God’s order has to work up to a crisis in our lives because we will not heed the gentler way. He brings us to the place where He asks us to be our utmost for Him, and we begin to debate; then He produces a providential crisis where we have to decide —- for or against, and from that point the “Great Divide” begins.

If the crisis has come to you on any line, surrender your will to Him absolutely and irrevocably.

AMEN! HIS WILL for us is ALWAYS and FOREVER the very BEST choice! Here is Brandon Lake with "Nothing New":

Shalom in Him!