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"WHERE PRAYER AND PRAISE TAKE YOU INTO HIS PRESENCE"

Friday, June 24, 2011

The Father’s Restoration

Mark 16:7 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. (KJV)


One of the devil’s biggest tricks is to bring condemnation (guilt) on God’s people because of our mistakes. I submit that some of our greatest warfare occurs in our minds after we’ve “sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.” (Romans 3:23) During periods of testing and trials, Satan reminds us of our shortcomings and tries to convince us that God has forfeited His Plans concerning us. But I want to inform some and remind others that regardless of your failure, God has not forfeited His Promises concerning you.


A vivid example of this involves Peter, one of the twelve men who walked with Jesus. In Mathew 16, Peter’s revelation of Jesus unlocked the door for him to preach the sermon that launched the church of The Living God (Acts 2). Unfortunately, between Matthew 16 and Acts 2, Peter committed one of the most horrific sins a person could commit—he denied Jesus (Matthew 26:69-75)! But God’s Covenant with him was stronger and more binding than his mistake. When the angel appeared to the women, they were instructed to go and let the disciples know that Jesus had risen from the grave (Mark 16:7). Amazingly, the angel requested Peter by name! And on the Day of Pentecost, Peter preached the inaugural sermon that began the church. Three thousand souls came to Christ after he preached and the church has been growing every since (Acts 2:41).


There could be someone reading this devotional that’s bound by the mistakes of your past. Be restored today by understanding that God hasn’t changed His Mind concerning your destiny.



Let’s Pray: “Father, thank You for Your Unfailing Love. Thank You for never giving up on us, in Jesus’ Name, amen.”



Daily Prayer:
“Oh, that You would bless me indeed,
and enlarge my territory,
that Your hand would be with me,
and that You would keep me from evil,
that I may not cause pain!”

The Prayer of Jabez, I Chronicles 4:10

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

“The Flesh—our Greatest Enemy”

Luke 10:17 “Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." 18 And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”



For too long, Satan has been accredited with having power that he doesn’t possess. The devil wants us to believe that he is our greatest enemy; however, that simply isn’t true. In Luke 10, the seventy obeyed the instructions Jesus had given them and returned to The Master with great excitement. They told Jesus that, “even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” Jesus informed them that Satan had been defeated and that He’d given them power over all the power the enemy (Luke 10:18-19). Amazingly, this was before The Holy Spirit came to earth! How much more victorious should we be now that we have the Indwelling Power of The Spirit of God living inside us!


Since the Bible is clear that our adversary is a defeated one, then who or what is our greatest enemy? Our flesh, the part of us that’s not saved (and shall never be saved), is the biggest hindrance to our spiritual progress. We live in a country where we can worship, fast, pray, study, and be as close to God as we desire. Not only that, but there are areas in our lives that we’re struggling because we’ve made choices through the vein of the flesh instead of seeking God prior to making decisions. (Proverbs 3:5-6) We must make up our minds to exercise Godly discipline in all aspects of our lives and not allow the flesh to rule us (I Corinthians 9:27). If you find yourself disconnected from God, repent, take authority over your flesh, ask God for deliverance, and get back on track. The exhortation today is to recognize and begin walking victoriously over our greatest enemy, the flesh.



Let’s Pray: “Father, we ask for Your Power to walk victorious over our greatest enemy, our flesh. Give us Your Wisdom and Strength to make the right decisions, in Jesus’ Name, amen.”



Daily Prayer: “Oh, that You would bless me indeed,

and enlarge my territory,

that Your hand would be with me,

and that You would keep me from evil,

that I may not cause pain!”

The Prayer of Jabez, I Chronicles 4:10

Friday, June 17, 2011

Integrity

Scripture: Read 1 John 3:4-6

"No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him" (1 John 3:6).


The War Is Over

For many months after the close of World War II, Japanese troops were discovered hidden in the caves and jungles of the Pacific islands. Some of these stragglers were living like frightened savages; they didn't know the war was over. Once they understood that it was no longer necessary for them to fight, they surrendered.

Christians may rest in the truth that Satan is a defeated enemy.

He may still win a few battles here and there, but he has already lost the war! Sentence has been pronounced on him, but it will be a while before the punishment is meted out. A person who knows Christ, and who has been delivered from the bondage of sin through Christ's death on the cross, has no desire to obey Satan and live like a rebel.

Counterfeit Christians were trying to convince true believers that a person could be "saved" and still practice sin. John does not deny that Christians sin, but he does deny that Christians can live in sin. A person who can enjoy deliberate sin and who does not feel convicted or experience God's chastening had better examine himself to see whether or not he is really born of God.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Integrity

Scripture: Read 1 John 3:1-3



"We know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is" (John 3:2).




Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing


The United States Treasury Department has a special group of men whose job it is to track down counterfeiters. Naturally, these men need to know a counterfeit bill when they see it.

How do they learn to identify fake bills?

Oddly enough, they are not trained by spending hours examining counterfeit money. Rather, they study the real thing. They become so familiar with authentic bills that they can spot a counterfeit by looking at it or, often, simply by feeling it.




This is the approach in 1 John 3, which warns us that in today's world there are counterfeit Christians—"children of the devil" (v. 10). But instead of listing the evil characteristics of Satan's children, the Scripture gives us a clear description of God's children. The contrast between the two is obvious.

An unsaved person (even if he professes to be a Christian but is a counterfeit) lives a life of habitual sin. Sin—especially the sin of unbelief—is the normal thing in his life (Eph. 2:1-3). He has no divine resources to draw upon. His profession of faith, if any, is not real. A true believer does not live in habitual sin. He may commit sin—an occasional wrong act—but he will not practice sin—make a settled habit of it.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

THANK YOU

DEAR GOD:

I want to thank You for what you have already done.
I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards; I am thanking you right now.
I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better; I am thanking you right now.
I am not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they stop talking about me;
I am thanking you right now.
I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears;
I am thanking you right now.
I am not going to wait until my financial situation improves;
I am going to thank you right now.
I am not going to wait until the children are asleep and the house is quiet;
I am going to thank you right now.
I am not going to wait until I get promoted at work or until I get the job;
I am going to thank you right now.
I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in my life that has caused me pain or grief;
I am thanking you right now.
I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier or the challenges are removed;
I am thanking you right now.
I am thanking you because I am alive.
I am thanking you because I made it through the day's difficulties.
I am thanking you because I have walked around the obstacles.

I am thanking you because I have the ability and the opportunity to do more and do better.

I'm thanking you because FATHER, YOU haven't given up on me.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Sexual Purity in a Sex-Crazed World

I Thessalonians 4:3- “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality…”




While I look forward to the warm weather, I don’t look forward to individuals who will “indecently expose” themselves in public! This time of year, many places that we patronize—from restaurants to Wal-Mart (and sometimes even the church)—have individuals “showing off their goods” in rated R and even borderline X-rated attire. While sexual temptation isn’t a struggle for all God’s children, it is one of the premier battles in the lives of many believers. Christians are not “of the world;” however, we still live in a society that emphasizes sex, sex, sex and more sex.



In the Apostle Paul’s day, things were just as bad and perhaps even worse in regards to sexual purity. One of the philosophers of his day made this comment: “We have prostitutes for pleasure, we have concubines so that we can have regular sex, and lastly we have wives for the purpose of having children legitimately and for looking after our household affairs.” It was a culture of wild and erotic perversions—fornication, adultery, homosexuality, and transvestism—all done with a seared conscience and no accompanying shame, embarrassment or guilt. Unlike our culture, the Thessalonians grew up with no Christian tradition to support laws and standards of immorality.



It is from this backdrop that Paul reminds the church at Thessalonica of the Will of God—“your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality…” (I Thessalonians 4:3) The word sexual immorality (pornea) is an all-encompassing term that includes adultery, premarital and extramarital intercourse, homosexuality, and other perversions, to include pornography. Because God never asks us to do anything that we cannot do, the church at Thessalonica could live sanctified lives in a world laced with lust and lasciviousness (with the Aid of the Holy Spirit). And if this were the expectation in their day without Christian traditions and moral standards, how much more victoriously should we walk in this area in our day?



Because of the Indwelling Power of The Holy Spirit, we can live holy in a sex-crazed society.



Let’s Pray: “Father, I pray that You’ll keep Your people from falling into the vices of sexual immorality. Let our thoughts be filled with the things of the Spirit and not the flesh, in Jesus’ Name, amen.”



Daily Prayer: “Oh, that You would bless me indeed,

and enlarge my territory,

that Your hand would be with me,

and that You would keep me from evil,

that I may not cause pain!”

The Prayer of Jabez, I Chronicles 4:10

Friday, June 10, 2011

Who Are You?

Acts 19:13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches." 14 Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. 15 And the evil spirit answered and said, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?"




In Acts 19, there were seven sons of a Jewish priest who were trying to engage in spiritual warfare without being in right relationship with God. They were trying to rebuke and cast out a spirit through “the Jesus Paul preached.” Obviously, to witness Paul walk in that level of power was amusing to them. In the eyes of these young men, being a Christian was like being in a circus or a show. Beloved, PLEASE get this simple truth this morning: “Although we can disguise ourselves in the natural, the spirit world (God, Satan, angels and demons) knows who we are!”



The questions I have this morning are, “Has being a Christian become ‘just a show?’” “Do we dress up on Sundays to pretend to be someone that we aren’t?” “Has the church really become pretentious, powerless, perpetrating, and pitiful like the world claims it is?” Before we point fingers at anyone else, let’s start with ourselves. Today, let’s take a moment to reflect on our own personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Let’s ask ourselves the following questions:



“Who am I?”



“Am I living a lie?”



“Is my aim to please God, others, or myself?”



“Am I in right relationship with God?”



Let’s pray: “Father, we come naked, open, humble and broken before you. We ask you to show us ourselves today. Forgive us for any and all my sins and take away anything that’s not like you. Clean up our lives and let us live to please You. Father, we ask that we not live a lie, but let us live upright before You, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.



Daily Prayer: “Oh, that You would bless me indeed,

and enlarge my territory,

that Your hand would be with me,

and that You would keep me from evil,

that I may not cause pain!”

The Prayer of Jabez, I Chronicles 4:10

Daily Confession:

Father, I thank You for making me the head and not the tail

Above only and not beneath

The lender and not the borrower

The conqueror and not the conquered



I thank You for giving me all things that pertain unto life and godliness

And for delivering my life from death and destruction

So that I shall live and not die to declare your works



I thank You that no sickness shall live in my body

For by Your Stripes I'm healed

I confess that I will not be stressed, oppressed, or depressed

Because You're keeping me in perfect peace as my mind is stayed on Thee



I confess that I will not be distracted, disorganized, or in disarray,

but I will be diligent to what God has called me to do



I confess that there shall not be any lack in my life

For my God shall supply all my needs according to His Riches in Glory by Christ Jesus

Thank You that all things are working together for my good

And that You always cause me to triumph



This is the day that you have made

I will rejoice and be glad in it

In Jesus, Name, amen.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

The Need to Read

"Give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine." (I Timothy 4:13, KJV)

I've found that the age-old saying that, "readers are leaders" is actually a true statement. While all readers aren’t leaders, I don’t know many productive leaders that don’t respect and embrace the value of reading. Research shows that there is a direct link between how much we read and how much we achieve in life. Whenever I'm around someone successful, one of the questions that I'll ask them is, "What are you reading?" Listed below are quotes that express the importance of reading:



"Every man who knows how to read has it in his power to magnify himself, to multiply the ways in which he exists, to make his life full, significant, and interesting." (Aldous Huxley)



"The only right way of learning the science of war is to read and reread the campaigns of the great generals. (Napoleon Bonaparte)



"At the end of the day, I am convinced that reading had been the most important skill I have ever acquired. Through books, I have sharpened my mind, expanded my context of reality, and set an ambitious course for my road ahead." (Adam Witty, entrepreneur)



"Better to read...books (by interesting people) than to talk with them, for their writing is more carefully thought out than their casual conversation could ever be." (Fred Smith)



"Employ your time improving yourself by other men's writings, so that you shall come easily by what others have labored hard for." (Socrates)



"Books were my pass to personal freedom. I learned to read at age three, and soon discovered there was a whole world to conquer that went beyond our farm in Mississippi." (Oprah Winfrey)



"Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body." (Sir Richard Steele)



"Reading sweeps the cobwebs away. It enhances thinking. It stretches and strains our mental muscles. It clobbers our brittle, narrow, intolerant opinions with new ideas and strong facts. It stimulates growing up instead of growing old." (Chuck Swindoll)



"A mind is a terrible thing to waste." (United Negro College Fund)



The apostle Paul, a man who was very learned in the things of God, expressed to his son in the ministry, Timothy, the necessity to read. Most of us know his admonishment to, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”(2 Timothy 2:15, KJV) But in his first epistle, he commanded Timothy to, "Give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine." (I Timothy 4:13, KJV) The exhortation today is a bit different...read, read, and read some more!!!!

Let’s Pray: “Father, help us to embrace the value of reading, especially Your Word, in Jesus’ Name, amen!”

Thought from the Heart: I’m disturbed because there are educational experts who are concerned about the decline of reading in our nation. I just read one of the captions on Good Morning America that one-half of our children’s time is monopolized by media—namely television, ipods, and cell phones. This summer, give yourselves and your children one of the most important gifts that you can ever give them…a book list and a library card!

Daily Confession:

Father, I thank You for making me the head and not the tail

Above only and not beneath

The lender and not the borrower

The conqueror and not the conquered



I thank You for giving me all things that pertain unto life and godliness

And for delivering my life from death and destruction

So that I shall live and not die to declare your works



I thank You that no sickness shall live in my body

For by Your Stripes I'm healed

I confess that I will not be stressed, oppressed, or depressed

Because You're keeping me in perfect peace as my mind is stayed on Thee



I confess that I will not be distracted, disorganized, or in disarray,

but I will be diligent to what God has called me to do



I confess that there shall not be any lack in my life

For my God shall supply all my needs according to His Riches in Glory by Christ Jesus

Thank You that all things are working together for my good

And that You always cause me to triumph



This is the day that you have made

I will rejoice and be glad in it

In Jesus, Name, amen

Friday, June 3, 2011

Lift Up Jesus

John 12:32: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”


When my godson was in high school, he attended a private institution. For whatever reason, there were only three other African-Americans in the school for the first three years he attended the school. As part of its recruiting campaign, the institution featured his face on some thirteen billboards around the city and the surrounding areas. The success of the school’s marketing strategy was simply overwhelming. The following year there were twenty-five (25) new African American students scheduled to enroll—an increase of 625%!



Just like my son’s face was lifted high on billboards for all to see, believers are responsible for lifting the Name of Jesus in both our attitudes and our actions. As Christians, our agendas must begin and end with Christ. We must recognize that to exalt or promote anything or anyone else is heresy and apostasy. Jesus formula for Kingdom increase is simply to lift Him up. His Promise is this: “And I, if I be lifted up…will draw all men unto me.”



Let’s Pray: “Father, help us to lift up Jesus, all day, every day, in Jesus’ Name, amen.”



Daily Prayer:
“Oh, that You would bless me indeed,
and enlarge my territory,
that Your hand would be with me,
and that You would keep me from evil,
that I may not cause pain!”

The Prayer of Jabez, I Chronicles 4:10



Daily Confession:

Father, I thank You for making me the head and not the tail

Above only and not beneath

The lender and not the borrower

The conqueror and not the conquered



I thank You for giving me all things that pertain unto life and godliness

And for delivering my life from death and destruction

So that I shall live and not die to declare your works



I thank You that no sickness shall live in my body today

For by Your Stripes I'm healed

I confess that I will not be stressed, oppressed, or depressed

Because You're keeping me in perfect peace as my mind is stayed on Thee

I confess that there shall not be any lack in my life today

For my God shall supply all my needs according to His Riches in Glory by Christ Jesus

Thank You that all things are working together for my good

And that You always cause me to triumph



This is the day that you have made

I will rejoice and be glad in it

In Jesus, Name, amen.

Nothing Before God-FROM THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2011

Matthew 19:16: “Now behold, one came and said to Him, ‘Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?’ 17 So He said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.’ 18 He said to Him, ‘Which ones?’ Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 19 Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'’ 20 The young man said to Him, ‘All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?’ 21 Jesus said to him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”

One of the greatest temptations in the lives of the 21st century Christian is the gross desire for “mo’ money.” The desire I’m talking about isn’t one of having enough to have our needs met but of living the lavish lifestyles of the rich and famous. Jesus taught that it was difficult for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God. (Matthew 19:24; Mark 10:25) Ever wondered why? It’s simple—money has a way of causing an individual to become more dependant upon their riches than they do God. Please don’t get me wrong. There are Christians who love The Lord with all their hearts and are filthy rich! But those believers look to God as their Source and use their finances to fund the Kingdom.



The Bible records a young man whose riches were more important to him than following Jesus. The young man came to Jesus desiring to know what he needed to do in order to inherit eternal life. (Matthew 19:16) When Jesus listed six of the Ten Commandments, he replied that he’d kept them all from his youth! (Matthew 19:20) The gentleman was spiritually blind and he thought that he’d reached a level of spiritual maturity that he really hadn’t. While he may or may not have kept some of the six commandments, the whole purpose of The Law was for man to realize his need for God’s Salvation, Grace, and Mercy offered only through Jesus. (Galatians 3:24) The Contemporary English Version of James 2:10 says, “If you obey every law except one, you are still guilty of breaking them all.” The Lord tested the man’s spirituality by saying to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." Although He doesn’t say it specifically, Jesus was proving to the gentleman that he couldn’t keep the 1st of The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3- “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”) thus disqualifying him for being able to keep the rest. His inability to obey God by giving up his possessions proved that his love for his money was greater than his commitment and his love for God.

The story is told of a plantation slave in the old South who was always happy and singing. No matter what happened to him, his joy was always abounding. One day his master asked him, "What have you got that makes you so happy?" The slave replied, "I love the Lord Jesus Christ. He has forgiven my sin and put a song in my heart." "Well, how do I get what you have?" his master asked. The slave told him, "You go and put on your best Sunday suit and you come down here and work in the mud with us and you can have it." "I would never do that," the owner retorted indignantly as he rode off in a huff. Some weeks later, the master asked the same question and was given the same answer. A few weeks later, he came a third time and said, "Now be straight with me. What do I have to do to have what you have?" "Just what I’ve told you the other times," came the answer. In desperation, the owner said, "All right, I’ll do it." "Now you don’t have to do it," the slave said. "You only had to be willing." In closing, God wants us to be prosperous; some argue that He wants us wealthy. However, He doesn’t want us to place our money or anything else before Him.

Let’s Pray: “Father, help us to NEVER put anything or anyone before You. We pray that we’ll chase after You and what You want done in our lives, in Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Let’s Confess God’s Word Today (and every day):



Father,

I thank You for making me the head and not the tail

Above only and not beneath

The lender and not the borrower

The conqueror and not the conquered



I thank You for giving me all things that pertain unto life and godliness

And for delivering my life from death and destruction

So that I shall live and not die to declare your works



I thank You that no sickness shall live in my body today

For by Your Stripes I’m healed

I confess that I will not be stressed, oppressed, or depressed

Because You’re keeping me in perfect peace as my mind is stayed on Thee



I confess that there shall be no lack in my life today

For my God shall supply all my need according to His Riches in Glory by Christ Jesus

Thank You that all things are working together for my good

And that You always cause me to triumph



This is the day that you have made

I will rejoice and be glad in it



In Jesus, Name, amen