His Hand Of Rightousness!

Reading from the Book of Isaiah 40:28-31, 41:10

²⁸ Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. ²⁹ He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. ³⁰ Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: ³¹ But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Quietly waiting on God, spending time alone with Him in prayer, worship, or Bible reading, encourages us, does more to restore our bodies, minds and emotions than anything else we can do. We need to do this regulatory. Insist on quiet time with God. Do not let anyone take those consecrated moments from you. In those times, God empowers you to face everything you need to do with renewed physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual strength.

¹⁰ Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.


If there is something we are supposed to be doing, the Lord will give us the ability to do it. He will not lead us into a situation and then leave us there to face it alone in our own weak, human power. No, He is with us. He is our great God. He will harden us to difficulties, help us, and uphold us with His hand of righteousness!

An Excellent Spirit

Reading from the Book of Daniel 5:11-16

^{Daniel 5:11} There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the days of your father, this man showed that he could understand secrets. He showed that he was very smart and very wise. He showed that he was like the gods in these things. Your grandfather, King Nebuchadnezzar, put this man in charge of all the wise men. He ruled over all the men of magic and the Chaldeans. ¹² The man I am talking about is named Daniel. The king gave him the name Belteshazzar. He is very smart and he knows many things. He could interpret dreams, explain secrets, and find the answer to very hard problems. Call for Daniel, he will tell you what the writing on the wall means.”
¹³ So they brought Daniel to the king and he asked, “Is your name Daniel, one of the captives my father the king brought here from Judah? ¹⁴ I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you understand secrets and are very smart and very wise. ¹⁵ The wise men and the men of magic were brought to me to read this writing on the wall. I wanted them to explain to me what it means, but they could not explain it. ¹⁶ I have heard that you are able to explain what things mean, and that you can find the answer to very hard problems. If you can read this writing on the wall and explain to me what it means, this is what I will do for you: I will give you purple robes to wear and will put a gold chain around your neck. Then you will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”

"An excellent spirit" was found in Daniel. Daniel was a man of excellence, and because of that, the king promoted him to a position of great influence and authority. Daniel was also a man who refused to compromise. Even if his choices endangered his life, he would not compromise. He believed strongly in keeping his commitments, promises, and vows, and he was willing to endure personal discomfort to do so. 

The Bible says we should swear to our own hurt and change not. In other words, we should do what we say we are going to do even if it is hard and brings negative consequences. Our God is an excellent God, and He has called us to be excellent too. To be excellent is a decision we must make, and it means we should always go the extra mile to do things the very best way they can be done. And we should strive to do what we believe God would do in a situation similar to the one we are in.

We must make up our minds and get into agreement with God that we, like Daniel, are going to be excellent, mot mediocre. We must take an inventory of our lives and prune off anything that entangles us or simply steals our time. 

We must be determined, work hard, and refuse to quit or give up--drawing strength from God and not depending on ourselves. If we do these things persistently and with an excellent spirit, we will eventually be victorious and acquire "an excellent spirit."

Here I Am, Send Me!

Reading from the Book of Isaiah 5:26-30, 6:1-9

^{Isaiah 5:26} Look! God is giving a sign to the nations far away. He is raising a flag and whistling for them to come.
Now the enemy is coming from a faraway land and will soon enter the country. They are moving very quickly. ²⁷ The enemy soldiers never get tired and stumble. They never get sleepy and fall asleep. Their weapon belts are always ready. Their sandal straps never break. ²⁸ Their arrows are sharp. Their bows are strung and ready to shoot. The horses’ hooves are as hard as flint. Clouds of dust rise from behind their chariots.
²⁹ The shouts of the enemy sound like the roar of lions. Like strong, young lions, they growl and grab their prey. The captives struggle and try to escape, but there is no one to save them. ³⁰ Then there is a roar as loud as the ocean waves, and the captives turn their faces to the ground. And there is only darkness closing in as the light fades away in a black cloud.

The calling forth of the army of God from the ends of the earth - all with just a whistle, He calls them to gather and to go forward into battle, at His command.

Isaiah 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a very high and wonderful throne. His long robe filled the Temple. ² Seraph angels stood around him. Each angel had six wings. They used two wings to cover their faces, two wings to cover their bodies, and two wings to fly. ³ The angels were calling to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord All-Powerful. His Glory fills the whole earth.” ⁴ The sound was so loud that it caused the frame around the door to shake, and the Temple was filled with smoke.
⁵ I was frightened and said, “Oh, no! I will be destroyed. I am not pure enough to speak to God, and I live among people who are not pure enough to speak to him. But I have seen the King, the Lord All-Powerful.”
⁶ There was a fire on the altar. One of the Seraph angels used a pair of tongs to take a hot coal from the fire. Then the angel flew to me with it in his hand. ⁷ Then he touched my mouth with the hot coal and said, “When this hot coal touched your lips, your guilt was taken away, and your sins were erased."
⁸ Then I heard the Lord’s voice, saying, “Who can I send? Who will go for us?” So I said, “Here I am. Send me!”

Before God can use us, He needs to cleanse us. Isaiah realized he had a sinful and unclean mouth that needed to be dealt with. We all would prefer miraculous deliverance, but most of the time the Lord puts us through a cleansing process.

God forgave Isaiah's sin and then issued a call: "Who will go for Us?" Isaiah responded, "Here I am; send me." Isaiah's heart wanted to serve the Lord, and God knew that. God will always look for someone who has a perfect heart toward Him, not necessarily someone who has a perfect performance before Him. When the Lord has the heart, He can always change the behavior.

The truth should encourage those of us who want to be used by God, but who often feel that we just have too many flaws. We come to Him as we are, and He molds and makes us into vessels fir for His use.

After Isaiah's mouth was cleansed, God called him saying, "Go and tell this people..." The call, the anointing, and the appointment can occur in different time periods, but no matter how they take place or in what order, the process of preparation is as important to us today as it was to Isaiah long ago. One thing is for sure, when God calls us into His presence, He is going to deal with us, and we must let Him to that.

Is God calling you for a cleansing? Are you ready to declare, "Here I am; send me?"

God-like Thinking

Reading from the Book of Psalm 42

Like a deer drinking from a stream,
    I reach out to you, my God.
² My soul thirsts for the living God.
    When can I go to meet with him?
³ Instead of food, I have only tears day and night,
    as my enemies laugh at me and say, “Where is your God?”

⁴ My heart breaks as I remember the pleasant times in the past,
    when I walked with the crowds as I led them up to God’s Temple.
I remember the happy songs of praise
    as they celebrated the festival.

^5-6 Why am I so sad?
    Why am I so upset?
I tell myself, “Wait for God’s help!
    You will again be able to praise him,
    your God, the one who will save you.”
In my sadness I say, “I will remember you from here on this small hill,
    where Mount Hermon and the Jordan River meet.”
⁷ I hear the roar of the water coming from deep within the earth.
    It shouts to the water below as it tumbles down the waterfall.
God, your waves come one after another,
    crashing all around and over me.

⁸ By day the Lord shows his faithful love,
    and at night I have a song for him—a prayer for the God of my life.
⁹ I say to God, my Rock,
    “Why have you forgotten me?
    Why must I suffer this sadness that my enemies have brought me?”
¹⁰ Their constant insults are killing me.
    They never stop asking, “Where is your God?”

¹¹ Why am I so sad?
    Why am I so upset?
I tell myself, “Wait for God’s help!
    You will again be able to praise him,
    your God, the one who will save you.”

Discouragement destroys hope, so naturally the devil always tries to discourage us. Without hope we give up, which is exactly what the devil wants us to do.

The Bible repeatedly tells us not to be discouraged or dismayed. God knows that we will not be victorous if we get discouraged, so He always encourages us as  we start out on a project by saying to us, "Do not get discouraged." God wants us to be encouraged, not discouraged.

When discouragment or condemnation tries to overtake you, the first thing to do is examine your thought life. What kind of thoughts have you been thinking? Remember, you become what you think. Think discouraging thoughts, and you will become discouraged. Think condemning thoughts, and you will come under condemnation. Change your thinking! 

Instead of thinking negatively, think positive thoughts. Then will you feel the victory in this type of cheerful, positive, God-like thinking. 

The Royal Decree

Reading from the Book Of Psalm 2:7, Esther 8:8, Luke 2:1 

Psalm 2:7 I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

I once saw a movie in which a king issued a royal decree. He wrote down his command and then sent forth riders on horseback throughout the country to "declare the decree" to the citizens of that kingdom.

In the Scriptures we see the issuing of such royal decrees in Esther and Luke:

Esther 8:8 Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's ring: for the writing which is written in the king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse.

Luke 2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

In Psalm 2:7, the psalmist wrote that he would "declare the decree of the Lord." What decree? The decree in which the Lord declares that He (Jesus) is God's only begotten Son.

The written Word of God is the formal decree of the Lord, our King. When we declare God's Word out of our mouths, with hearts full of faith, those faith-filled words go forth to establish God's order in our lives. When the royal decree is pronounced, thing's begin to change!

Declare "The Royal Decree" in your life.

The "Love Walk"

Reading from the Book of John 13:34-35

³⁴ A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Is love the main theme in your life? Often we spend time seeking things that we think are important, but they aren't important to God at all. Do not major in what Jesus thinks are minor. Don't spend your time on things that have no lasting value and don't add to the Kingdom of God.

Do you study love?
Do you purposefully walk in love?
Do you even really know what love is?

 ³⁵ By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

The Bible says love is seen in our behavior toward one another. It is by our love that the world will know we are Jesus' disciples. The world will not be impressed with anything other than seeing a consistant love walk among Christians. That will impress them because it is rarly seen and it is impossible for anyone to maintain without Jesus Christ in their lives. Talk is easy, but the world needs to see action. God is love, so when people see real love, they see God.

Have you ever wondered what the best way to tell someone about Jesus is? The answer is "love them." Live out the selfless, sacrificial love that you have received from Jesus. Extend that love to those who have not trusted in Him as Lord and Savior, and your actions will speak loudly about who Jesus is and what He is all about. Do and live "The Love Walk."

Open The Prison Doors!

Reading from the Book of Isaiah 61:1-3

1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

One of the things said in this verse is that Jesus has come to open prison doors and set captives free. I believe this refers to the prison of sin, guilt, and condemnation. Jesus died so that our sins can be forgiven and completely removed along with any sense of guilt an condemnation.

Jesus can heal us everywhere we hurt! He wants to help us mentally and emotionally, as well as spiritually and physically. For a long time, I did not know that, and my lack of knowledge caused me to live a dysfunctional life. Abuse and rejection had left me emotionally wounded until I discovered that Jesus wanted to give me, and all of us, a way out of the prison we were in.

2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

It is time for you to enjoy God's favor. That means He will bless you even though you do not deserve it, if you place your faith in Him. God wants you to enjoy yourself and your life. He wants to heal you everywhere you hurt! He wants to heal you spiritually, physically, financially, and socially. Do not close off any part of your life to His healing touch.

When we accept Jesus as Savior and Lord, a great exchange takes place in the spirit realm. He gives us everything He has and is, and we are supposed to give Him not only everything we are, but even what we are not. He takes our weaknesses and gives us strength. He takes our sickness and gives us health and healing. We give Him our sin, and He gives us righteousness. We cannot live in the past and press into the future at the same time. Let go of what lies behind and start enjoying the new life that Jesus has for you.

3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

If we consistently believe God's Word, He will turn circumstances from negative to positive, in His perfect timing. Alot of negatrive things have happened to me, and Satan used them to sour my attitude toward life and people. I was trapped in my past because I did not believe in Jesus Christ. I was released from the past and began making progress toward the good things God had in mind for me. It did not all come to me immediately in manifested form, but believing in God gave me renewed hope that kept me going from day to day. Slowly but surely I began to see changes take place in my life and each change encouraged me to believe God more.

Believing God is the key to receiving from Him. No matter what has happened to you in the past, if you believe, you can receive! God, and God alone, can open the prison doors!

Beginning Of The End

Reading from the Book of Luke 10:18-20

^{Luke 10:18} And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

This was the moment lightning struck the Vatican – hours after Pope Benedict XVI's resignation. The lightning touched the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica, one of the holiest Catholic churches, after the Pope’s shock admission he lacks strength to do the job.

We all need to pray around that verse. That verse came to me this morning and, personally, I feel it is a sign from God that Satan is here and the time is upon us.

 ^{Luke 10:19} Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. ²⁰ Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

Christians, PRAY that our God Almighty will have mercy on us! 

Mind Your Own Business!

Reading from the Book of 1Thessalonians 4:11

Did you know the Bible specifically tells us to mind our own business?

^{Thessalonians 4:11} And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

Minding our own business is a principle we need to follow, and we will discover that we enjoy life so much more when we apply it. Many times we get into things that were really none of our business to begin with, and those very things end up making us miserable.

God does not give us an annointing to handle someone elses business. He gives us an annointing for our own. This is why things become so messy when we get involved where we should not. There is obviously a time to get involved and help people in need, but there is also a balance that should be honored.

Ask God to help you know when to get involved in a situation and when to "mind your own business!".

Our Tower Of Babel

And so, we have come in our times to a remarkable turning point: the belief that our biological sex, genetic makeup, and moral fabric can be completely re-ordered, re-engineered, and re-placed. We have placed our hope almost solely in science and technology to deliver us into a new epoch of human enlightenment and freedom. Our Tower of Babel we are constructing makes the Babylonian tower of the Old Testament look like a hut.

But what is Babel? It is the description of a kingdom in which people have concentrated so much power they think they no longer need depend on a God who is far away. They believe they are so powerful they can build their own way to heaven in order to open the gates and put themselves in God’s place. But it’s precisely at this moment that something strange and unusual happens. While they are working to build the tower, they suddenly realize they are working against one another. While trying to be like God, they run the risk of not even being human – because they’ve lost an essential element of being human: the ability to agree, to understand one another and to work together… Progress and science have given us the power to dominate the forces of nature, to manipulate the elements, to reproduce living things, almost to the point of manufacturing humans themselves. In this situation, praying to God appears outmoded, pointless, because we can build and create whatever we want. We don’t realize we are reliving the same experience as Babel.

It is the "Great Deception" of not only our times, but perhaps the greatest since the Garden of Eden. It is only possible on a global scale if global crises succeed in seducing mankind into believing that the only solution to our problems is in fact to finally  become the gods that Adam and Eve tried, but failed to be—could not be.

It is almost unbelievable that mankind could let itself be so duped, except that Scripture itself, through both new and old Testament prophets, foretell this very thing.

After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth… I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. Daniel 7:7-8

Fascinated, the whole world followed after the beast. Revelation 13:3

 
Before Christ’s second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the “mystery of iniquity” in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist.

Wings Over Us

 
^{Psalm 91:3} Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
⁴ He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
⁵ Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day.

When you and I feel a tide of emotions beginning to swell within us, we need to return to the secret place of the Most High, crying out to Him:

"Father, Help me resist this surge of emotions that threaten to overwhelm me."

If we will do that, the Lord has promised to intervene on our behalf.

^{Revelation 3:10} Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

We need to learn to take refuge under His shadow, where we will be safe and secure, knowing that no power in heaven or on earth can withstand Him. His out-stretched arms are wings over us.