"Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people." Nehemiah 5:19
Here is a man who knows God and knows how God operates. I would say that there are times when we do not want God to think upon us, which means to look deep into our soul and fully determine our intents and motives. When God looks upon us like this God looks through us and thoroughly sees our inner most being, nothing hidden, nothing spared from the eyes of God, nothing not known about our thoughts. How many times in life have you entered into the place where you would lift your eyes to heaven and say, think upon me, knowing that when God does look upon you, the whole you is exposed, your actions, your thoughts and your sins.
You should look to God to think upon you more often. Your fear of God knowing who you really are is unfounded. God knows all about your past, present and future without your requesting an inspection. God already knows the innermost parts of your thought life. You cannot hide from God nor should you want to. God looks upon you with favor, seeing you through the works of Christ and not your own, looking deep into your soul where the Holy Spirit resides, taking issue with the work of Christ on the cross on your behalf and the daily inner work of the Holy Spirit within. God remembers that you were made of dust. It is man that has skewed your view of what God will do with you if he sees you as you really are.
What God will do with you if you were to look to heaven and say, "Think upon me, my God," is to see a beautiful person, filled with the essence of God, a child of His own, perfected in the work of Christ and daily being brought into the likeness of Jesus. God has no interest in what you have done or how bad you have been or how many times you have let your family down or how many times you have let God down or how often you have sinned or what you have done or what you should have done that you didn't do. God looks upon you to infuse you with blessings and to do good unto you and to lift you up and to show you the right path and to lead you on the way and to give you of Himself and to purify your life. God does this so you will enjoy His creation and continue through life co-creating with God His will. Life was meant to be shared with a God that loves you and only can do good toward you and only blesses you continually.
If you know of another god, one that seeks your demise, and one that sees you as a mistake, one that harps on you and makes you fell uncomfortable, one that is constantly revealing your imperfections and making you to fell inferior, you have not met the god of little religions, the god of impotent preaching, a created god, not the God of creation. Quit being afraid of God and stand up and call out His name and say, "Reveal me and speak to me and use me. I am not afraid anymore. I am sorry for having blamed you for having believed in the philosophies of men. I want to believe you and see you and understand. I want you to see me as I am. I am not afraid for you to reveal me, because according to Your Word I am Your creation and you will finish me."
Thursday, March 7, 2019
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Daily Devotional March 6 - Think On Things Above
"If ye be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." Colossians 3:1-2
"Seek those things which are above." The things which are above are all to do with the heart. They are the emotions, feelings, love, kindness, grace and mercy kind of things. The things above require forgiveness, long suffering, patience, gentleness and sensitivity to the needs of others. The things above are the throne of God, heaven and the angels. The things above are just as real as the things on earth, just as important, just as much a part of our destiny as the things on earth.
When you think on the things above you are taken to a higher place than your regular thinking. You are taken to a place where you can see clearer and farther and with more dimension than when you are caught up in the daily, worldly routine. When you think on the things above, God will intervene, the angels get to participate with your daily affairs, the Holy Spirit of God endorses what is on your mind, because what is on your mind are the things of God and they benefit you and the world at large.
You must spend some of your time thinking on the things above. Everything in your life will mature into the right thing if some of your time is spent thinking on the things above. You need to do this on your own. You need to consciously decide to reach higher and seek the mind of God. God wants so much to give you a glimpse of the heavens and show you what is going on behind the scene, so to speak. Look up and meet God today. There is something beautiful on the mind of God that only God can share with you."
"Seek those things which are above." The things which are above are all to do with the heart. They are the emotions, feelings, love, kindness, grace and mercy kind of things. The things above require forgiveness, long suffering, patience, gentleness and sensitivity to the needs of others. The things above are the throne of God, heaven and the angels. The things above are just as real as the things on earth, just as important, just as much a part of our destiny as the things on earth.
When you think on the things above you are taken to a higher place than your regular thinking. You are taken to a place where you can see clearer and farther and with more dimension than when you are caught up in the daily, worldly routine. When you think on the things above, God will intervene, the angels get to participate with your daily affairs, the Holy Spirit of God endorses what is on your mind, because what is on your mind are the things of God and they benefit you and the world at large.
You must spend some of your time thinking on the things above. Everything in your life will mature into the right thing if some of your time is spent thinking on the things above. You need to do this on your own. You need to consciously decide to reach higher and seek the mind of God. God wants so much to give you a glimpse of the heavens and show you what is going on behind the scene, so to speak. Look up and meet God today. There is something beautiful on the mind of God that only God can share with you."
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Daily Devotional March 5 - Think Upon God
"Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people." Nehemiah 5:19
Here is a man who knows God and knows how God operates. I would say that there are times when we do not want God to think upon us, which means to look deep into our soul and fully determine our intents and motives. When God looks upon us like this God looks through us and thoroughly sees our inner most being, nothing hidden, nothing spared from the eyes of God, nothing not known about our thoughts. How many times in life have you entered into the place where you would lift your eyes to heaven and say, think upon me, knowing that when God does look upon you, the whole you is exposed, your actions, your thoughts and your sins.
You should look to God to think upon you more often. Your fear of God knowing who you really are is unfounded. God knows all about your past, present and future without your requesting an inspection. God already knows the innermost parts of your thought life. You cannot hide from God nor should you want to. God looks upon you with favor, seeing you through the works of Christ and not your own, looking deep into your soul where the Holy Spirit resides, taking issue with the work of Christ on the cross on your behalf and the daily inner work of the Holy Spirit within. God remembers that you were made of dust. It is man that has skewed your view of what God will do with you if he sees you as you really are.
What God will do with you if you were to look to heaven and say, "Think upon me, my God," is to see a beautiful person, filled with the essence of God, a child of His own, perfected in the work of Christ and daily being brought into the likeness of Jesus. God has no interest in what you have done or how bad you have been or how many times you have let your family down or how many times you have let God down or how often you have sinned or what you have done or what you should have done that you didn't do. God looks upon you to infuse you with blessings and to do good unto you and to lift you up and to show you the right path and to lead you on the way and to give you of Himself and to purify your life. God does this so you will enjoy His creation and continue through life co-creating with God His will. Life was meant to be shared with a God that loves you and only can do good toward you and only blesses you continually.
If you know of another god, one that seeks your demise, and one that sees you as a mistake, one that harps on you and makes you fell uncomfortable, one that is constantly revealing your imperfections and making you to fell inferior, you have not met the god of little religions, the god of impotent preaching, a created god, not the God of creation. Quit being afraid of God and stand up and call out His name and say, "Reveal me and speak to me and use me. I am not afraid anymore. I am sorry for having blamed you for having believed in the philosophies of men. I want to believe you and see you and understand. I want you to see me as I am. I am not afraid for you to reveal me, because according to Your Word I am Your creation and you will finish me."
Here is a man who knows God and knows how God operates. I would say that there are times when we do not want God to think upon us, which means to look deep into our soul and fully determine our intents and motives. When God looks upon us like this God looks through us and thoroughly sees our inner most being, nothing hidden, nothing spared from the eyes of God, nothing not known about our thoughts. How many times in life have you entered into the place where you would lift your eyes to heaven and say, think upon me, knowing that when God does look upon you, the whole you is exposed, your actions, your thoughts and your sins.
You should look to God to think upon you more often. Your fear of God knowing who you really are is unfounded. God knows all about your past, present and future without your requesting an inspection. God already knows the innermost parts of your thought life. You cannot hide from God nor should you want to. God looks upon you with favor, seeing you through the works of Christ and not your own, looking deep into your soul where the Holy Spirit resides, taking issue with the work of Christ on the cross on your behalf and the daily inner work of the Holy Spirit within. God remembers that you were made of dust. It is man that has skewed your view of what God will do with you if he sees you as you really are.
What God will do with you if you were to look to heaven and say, "Think upon me, my God," is to see a beautiful person, filled with the essence of God, a child of His own, perfected in the work of Christ and daily being brought into the likeness of Jesus. God has no interest in what you have done or how bad you have been or how many times you have let your family down or how many times you have let God down or how often you have sinned or what you have done or what you should have done that you didn't do. God looks upon you to infuse you with blessings and to do good unto you and to lift you up and to show you the right path and to lead you on the way and to give you of Himself and to purify your life. God does this so you will enjoy His creation and continue through life co-creating with God His will. Life was meant to be shared with a God that loves you and only can do good toward you and only blesses you continually.
If you know of another god, one that seeks your demise, and one that sees you as a mistake, one that harps on you and makes you fell uncomfortable, one that is constantly revealing your imperfections and making you to fell inferior, you have not met the god of little religions, the god of impotent preaching, a created god, not the God of creation. Quit being afraid of God and stand up and call out His name and say, "Reveal me and speak to me and use me. I am not afraid anymore. I am sorry for having blamed you for having believed in the philosophies of men. I want to believe you and see you and understand. I want you to see me as I am. I am not afraid for you to reveal me, because according to Your Word I am Your creation and you will finish me."
Daily Devotional March 4 - Do You Do What You Say You Are Going To Do?
"But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, son, go work today in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of His father?" Matthew 21:28-31a
I love this passage because it is proof of how sensible and perfect God's ways are. The first son said he wouldn't go, but did, and the second son said he would go, but didn't. I wish people would do what they say they are going to do. I would venture to say there are a lot more people that say one thing and do another. A lot of people are guilty of acting like they like us but inwardly they are plotting to exclude us; acting like they will be there for us, but not showing up when things get tough; acting like they are devoted, but secretly finding ways out of responsibility. Alcoholics are like that and many people Jesus met were like that to.
When Jesus asks which one of the two men did the will of the Father, it is clear that lip service is not the qualifying agent. Doing the will of the Father must be done by our mind and body working together to do whatever we are called to. It's easy to get real spiritual and try to accomplish the will of God with mental assent, but it is not Biblical. God wants us to hear the call, answer the call and do the task, that's truly cooperating with God. Next time you hear God calling you, try to remember this simple rule; He called you because you are the one person in all creation designed to work perfectly in His will to get the job done.
I love this passage because it is proof of how sensible and perfect God's ways are. The first son said he wouldn't go, but did, and the second son said he would go, but didn't. I wish people would do what they say they are going to do. I would venture to say there are a lot more people that say one thing and do another. A lot of people are guilty of acting like they like us but inwardly they are plotting to exclude us; acting like they will be there for us, but not showing up when things get tough; acting like they are devoted, but secretly finding ways out of responsibility. Alcoholics are like that and many people Jesus met were like that to.
When Jesus asks which one of the two men did the will of the Father, it is clear that lip service is not the qualifying agent. Doing the will of the Father must be done by our mind and body working together to do whatever we are called to. It's easy to get real spiritual and try to accomplish the will of God with mental assent, but it is not Biblical. God wants us to hear the call, answer the call and do the task, that's truly cooperating with God. Next time you hear God calling you, try to remember this simple rule; He called you because you are the one person in all creation designed to work perfectly in His will to get the job done.
Daily Devotional March 3 - Find Your Place In God's Economy And Relax
"Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass." Psalm 37:7
Fret not means, don't grow angry or jealous or discouraged and get all caught up in what is happening around you or to you. Wait patiently on the Lord. Rest in the inner knowledge that God has it covered, under control, within prescribed parameters, that God is fully aware of your entire situation, yesterday, today and tomorrow and God is working out the details. Fretting does not and cannot bring about any results. It is an emotional response with no efficacy. Trusting God on the other hand, has power in it, in that, trust is built upon faith, and faith is a real substance that does have efficacy.
Keep your focus. You are responsible for your actions, not others. Sometimes what appears to be someone 'prospering in the way' is actually someone being disobedient to God and reaping a few moments of perceived prosperity. But God is with you for the long haul and the long haul is the one that reveals a persons true character and relationship with God. I've seen many Christians jump at any chance to get rich as if getting rich were an honorable goal. Getting rich by honest pursuits, with hard work, personal integrity and godly stewardship is an honorable goal. But getting rich as a goal is not for everyone, nor is it supposed to be or ever was supposed to be part of the Christian manifesto.
There will always be rich Christians, middle income Christians and poor Christians. Finding your place in God's economy and being satisfied there is true riches. Knowing who you are and finding your place in life, whether it is to be as an engineer or doctor, car mechanic, tire salesman, housewife or lawyer is where true riches are born. If it wasn't for all the advertisements you are exposed to everyday, you would already know that riches are within and have nothing to do with material wealth.
You are already anointed to do and to be all that God intended you to be. Keep your eyes on your relationship with God and seek Him out for your answers. Get your eyes off of what others have and you will have nothing to fret about."
Fret not means, don't grow angry or jealous or discouraged and get all caught up in what is happening around you or to you. Wait patiently on the Lord. Rest in the inner knowledge that God has it covered, under control, within prescribed parameters, that God is fully aware of your entire situation, yesterday, today and tomorrow and God is working out the details. Fretting does not and cannot bring about any results. It is an emotional response with no efficacy. Trusting God on the other hand, has power in it, in that, trust is built upon faith, and faith is a real substance that does have efficacy.
Keep your focus. You are responsible for your actions, not others. Sometimes what appears to be someone 'prospering in the way' is actually someone being disobedient to God and reaping a few moments of perceived prosperity. But God is with you for the long haul and the long haul is the one that reveals a persons true character and relationship with God. I've seen many Christians jump at any chance to get rich as if getting rich were an honorable goal. Getting rich by honest pursuits, with hard work, personal integrity and godly stewardship is an honorable goal. But getting rich as a goal is not for everyone, nor is it supposed to be or ever was supposed to be part of the Christian manifesto.
There will always be rich Christians, middle income Christians and poor Christians. Finding your place in God's economy and being satisfied there is true riches. Knowing who you are and finding your place in life, whether it is to be as an engineer or doctor, car mechanic, tire salesman, housewife or lawyer is where true riches are born. If it wasn't for all the advertisements you are exposed to everyday, you would already know that riches are within and have nothing to do with material wealth.
You are already anointed to do and to be all that God intended you to be. Keep your eyes on your relationship with God and seek Him out for your answers. Get your eyes off of what others have and you will have nothing to fret about."
Saturday, March 2, 2019
Daily Devotional March 2 - The Power Within You
"Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us," Ephesians 3:20
So many of these verses are familiar to us. We have read them and they have become part of our internal library, archived for use as needed. In this familiar verse I want you to take a close look at how God works His will. The scripture makes it clear that God "is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." We have come to trust this and we know what it means; that what God has designed is far better than what we could design and that what God gives us is far above our expectations, but have you noticed before that God gives us all this above and beyond "according to the power that worketh in us?"
If the power within you is constantly vacillating and/or you have not made your mind up about where you stand (with God's principles and laws governing the actions revealed through Christian behavior), then the power that worketh within you is limited to the faith you have to bring it to pass and the belief you have that God will do it.
This "power that worketh in us" is the very essence of the relationship between God and man. God designed us to be in constant communication with Him and to co-create according to God's foreknowledge of all things. Your ability to grasp and understand and operate in the the power that God gives you is in direct proportion to your faithfulness to the things of God. "The power that worketh in us" is not a one time static gift of power that God embeds in your soul and you then operate on it despite your commitment to the things of God. It is a developed power that waxes and wanes with your faith and your belief.
You cannot earn it
You cannot get it from another source
You can only receive it by faith and that only through your belief that God gives it
To receive it all you need to open yourself up completely to the power of God
To open yourself completely to the power of God, you need to make available space to receive it
And to make space to receive it you must push something out that makes room for something new
I know the argument; you can take in new without pushing out old, in other words build upon your existing foundation without demolishing any of the old foundation. It's not true. If you put wonderful, powerful, exceeding, above on top of a weak and decomposing foundation, the wonderful, powerful, exceeding, above will become top heavy and topple. God wants your foundation to be pure and to build wonderful, powerful, exceeding, above upon that pure foundation, then when you operate "according to the power that worketh in us" God "is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think."
So many of these verses are familiar to us. We have read them and they have become part of our internal library, archived for use as needed. In this familiar verse I want you to take a close look at how God works His will. The scripture makes it clear that God "is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." We have come to trust this and we know what it means; that what God has designed is far better than what we could design and that what God gives us is far above our expectations, but have you noticed before that God gives us all this above and beyond "according to the power that worketh in us?"
If the power within you is constantly vacillating and/or you have not made your mind up about where you stand (with God's principles and laws governing the actions revealed through Christian behavior), then the power that worketh within you is limited to the faith you have to bring it to pass and the belief you have that God will do it.
This "power that worketh in us" is the very essence of the relationship between God and man. God designed us to be in constant communication with Him and to co-create according to God's foreknowledge of all things. Your ability to grasp and understand and operate in the the power that God gives you is in direct proportion to your faithfulness to the things of God. "The power that worketh in us" is not a one time static gift of power that God embeds in your soul and you then operate on it despite your commitment to the things of God. It is a developed power that waxes and wanes with your faith and your belief.
You cannot earn it
You cannot get it from another source
You can only receive it by faith and that only through your belief that God gives it
To receive it all you need to open yourself up completely to the power of God
To open yourself completely to the power of God, you need to make available space to receive it
And to make space to receive it you must push something out that makes room for something new
I know the argument; you can take in new without pushing out old, in other words build upon your existing foundation without demolishing any of the old foundation. It's not true. If you put wonderful, powerful, exceeding, above on top of a weak and decomposing foundation, the wonderful, powerful, exceeding, above will become top heavy and topple. God wants your foundation to be pure and to build wonderful, powerful, exceeding, above upon that pure foundation, then when you operate "according to the power that worketh in us" God "is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think."
Daily Devotional March 1 - A Prayer Away
"Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah, And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly," Jonah 1:17 - 2:1
Have you ever felt like you were in the belly of a whale? You know overwhelmed with darkness and despair and unable to see the end, deep in the situation and unable to get out or even see out; a time where hope vanished and your hands were tied.
A time when your greatest aspiration was just to get out of it.
A time when you would gladly embrace your regular problems with open arms and where you would trade all the stuff in your garage (that has been there for years, unused and in most cases unusable) for just a glimmer of change to your situation.
A place where you would even give up your possessions if it meant escaping the circumstance.
Have you ever been through such a thing or are you going through one right now? Had Jonah not known the Lord, it would never had crossed his mind to pray and ask forgiveness for his sin. But Jonah did know God and so do you. Prayer is real and Jonah prayed himself right out of that big fish's mouth. You can pray yourself right out of the fish's mouth too. How do I know? I've prayed myself out of the fish's mouth. You can't get past fifty and have never had anything go wrong.
You know Jonah got himself thrown into the water in the first place. He wouldn't do what God wanted him to do and when the tempest came on the boat, he felt like he was the cause. He asked the others to throw him in the water, and they did. Jonah was guilty. You may or may not have been guilty, but you should know, whether you were guilty or not, when faced with the end results of being in the whales belly for three days, when the end looks eminent and any chance of outside help has dissipated, when there are no friends to call, no advocate available, God will listen.
Have you ever felt like you were in the belly of a whale? You know overwhelmed with darkness and despair and unable to see the end, deep in the situation and unable to get out or even see out; a time where hope vanished and your hands were tied.
A time when your greatest aspiration was just to get out of it.
A time when you would gladly embrace your regular problems with open arms and where you would trade all the stuff in your garage (that has been there for years, unused and in most cases unusable) for just a glimmer of change to your situation.
A place where you would even give up your possessions if it meant escaping the circumstance.
Have you ever been through such a thing or are you going through one right now? Had Jonah not known the Lord, it would never had crossed his mind to pray and ask forgiveness for his sin. But Jonah did know God and so do you. Prayer is real and Jonah prayed himself right out of that big fish's mouth. You can pray yourself right out of the fish's mouth too. How do I know? I've prayed myself out of the fish's mouth. You can't get past fifty and have never had anything go wrong.
You know Jonah got himself thrown into the water in the first place. He wouldn't do what God wanted him to do and when the tempest came on the boat, he felt like he was the cause. He asked the others to throw him in the water, and they did. Jonah was guilty. You may or may not have been guilty, but you should know, whether you were guilty or not, when faced with the end results of being in the whales belly for three days, when the end looks eminent and any chance of outside help has dissipated, when there are no friends to call, no advocate available, God will listen.
- God will listen and God will answer.
- God will deliver
- God will re-assign you
- God will build you back up
- God will bless you and make you to shine
- God will increase you
- God will use you as an example of just how far you can come with God
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