With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.  Psalm 108:13

After a crusade, a middle-aged woman shared her dynamic testimony with me.

The woman’s son was involved in deep sin and crime in Chicago.  He had been using and selling drugs.  One night his mother felt strongly impressed by the Lord to pray in the Spirit for an hour for her son.  At 10:00 pm her son called and said, “Mother, what have you been doing for the last hour?” She told him that the Spirit of God had directed her to pray for him.

The son explained that he had recently sold some bad drugs to a man, who had returned that very evening with a gun and the intent to kill!  But the man couldn’t pull the trigger.  He kept trying to pull the trigger, and finally he threw the gun on the floor and said, “I can’t fire this gun!  There’s something your mother is doing that is keeping me from killing you.” The man ran from the room.

Needless to say, the son came home and gave his heart to Jesus.  And guess what?  He is now preaching the Gospel!

Folks, God is for your family.  He wants your family safe.  I have members of my family that are not saved yet, but I’m believing for it.  I’m standing in faith with them.  With God, we will gain the victory!

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You today that no man or situation is impossible.  With Your Word and Your loving support, we shall do valiantly in any situation.  We shall tread down our enemies.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them:  The Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.  – (I Samuel 2:10 KJV)

Who is the Lord’s anointed that Hannah sings about in the Scripture above?  That is the Messiah!  In Hannah’s song of gratitude to God for blessing her with a son, she is the first to sing about Jesus.

In Luke 1, we hear a similar song from Mary, called the “Magnificat.” In fact, some of Hannah’s song is even quoted when Mary sings about her own son.

Hannah prays: “My heart rejoices in the Lord.” And Mary sings: “And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.”

Mary prays: “Holy is His Name.” And Hannah sings: “No one is holy like the Lord.”

Hannah and Mary certainly had much to sing about and be grateful for, and so do we!  Because we, too, know the revelation of Jesus.

The Bible tells us to speak to ourselves in psalms and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in our hearts unto the Lord (see Ephesians 5:18-20).  This is how Jesus is revealed to us, how we show gratitude, and how we keep our hearts and minds focused on Jesus.

Sing unto the Lord the words of Hannah:  my heart rejoices in You; I rejoice in Your salvation.  No one is holy like You; There is none besides You; there is no rock like our God!

I know a family who owns a business.  I know them quite well and I have never seen a family who are so called to give as this family.  They are worth over four and a half billion dollars!  But they lie very simple—the cars they drive, the way they dress—because they live to give.  And I know personally that they gave over 210 million dollars to Oral Roberts University.  Honey, that’s giving!

But then along comes Obamacare and certain restrictions were put on them.  And they said, “We can’t do it and be true to God.”  They refused to conform to the standards being imposed upon them, which would mean that they would lose everything.

Now, they could have said, “God, all we want to do is give to You.  Look at how much we’ve given!  And this is how You repay us?  We’ve been betrayed!”  They could have been bitter.  But they didn’t do that.  They stood firm in their faith.  They stood on the promises of God to Abraham: “I will surely bless you…”  They called us and we fasted and prayed.  They took their case to court.  And they won!  Now God is blessing them even more.

We all have the choice to be bitter and miss the blessing, or be better and get the blessing.  What’s your choice?

Dear heavenly Father, I am choosing to leave the betrayals of people in Your hands under the blood of Jesus.  I want to go into a higher level of faith this day.  I see that You want to bless me and multiply Your blessings.  Amen!  Hallelujah!

“Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy; for I am the Lord your God.”  (Leviticus 20:7 KJV)

Sanctify means “to be set apart.” We are set apart for God, not for the devil or the world, nor even for ourselves.

A young Christian man once told me that he couldn’t read his Bible.  I asked him why.  He said, “Because the devil won’t let me.  When I open my Bible, it is as though an evil spirit comes into the room and harasses me, and I can’t read my Bible.”

“Don’t you know,” I said, “that you are set apart under God and have authority over the devil?”

I gave him the Scripture of authority in Luke 10:19: “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”

Then I said, “Go back to your room and begin to read your Bible.  If the devil tries to harass you, tell him to get out, in Jesus’ Name; that you have been sanctified and set apart, that you have the authority in the Name of Jesus.”

At dinner that evening, the young man told me that when he began to read his Bible, sure enough, the devil tried to harass him.  But the man stood his ground and used his authority in Jesus.

The devil fled!  The devil is dumb, but he is smart enough to fear the Name of Jesus.  And when the devil looks at us, what does he see?  He sees Jesus in us!

Dear Heavenly Father, we pray today that we will see that we are set apart to bring glory to You.  We are set apart to achieve and do great and mighty exploits in Your Name.  Amen!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Sometimes I ask God, “God, who am I that you would use me in the capacity that you do?” I’ve gotten to be with kings and presidents from all around the world.  I’ve gone to countries no one else can go to.  I’ve ministered healing and salvation to more people that you can count.  You say, “Well, who are you that God would use you that way?” I agree!  Who am I?  The truth—I’m a believer!  It really is as simple as that.

You say, “But I’m different.” That’s right, you are different.  I’m different from you and you are different from me.  He makes us all so individual.  None of our fingerprints are the same.  None of our personalities are exactly the same, or our gifts or other traits.  But God know our individuality—He is the One who made us so unique!  I like that.  Sometimes I can think, “Oh, I wish I was as good as this person I know” or “I wish I had the looks of that person.” But God made me to be unique.  If you ever doubt that, you ought to read Psalm 139.  I memorized that Psalm because it says He “fearfully and wonderfully” made us.  In fact, each day of our lives are written in one of His books.  How wonderful is that?! He’s so personally involved and He carries you on His heart and that’s beautiful to us.  And what do we have to do in return?  Simply believe!

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross so that I would have eternal life with You.  Thank You for loving me because You created me, not because of the things I do.  I receive Your love today.

“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit” Jude 20 (NKJV)

I love this scripture.  It has become so powerful in my life because I have found that praying in the Holy Spirit—praying in tongues—literally recharges my spirit.

Has your car battery ever “gone dead”?  It usually happens when you least expect it-perhaps when you’re late for an appointment.  Cars will usually recharge themselves.  But when we don’t take care of the car, sometimes the car doesn’t take care of the battery.  The same thing can happen in our faith.  When we don’t recharge it with prayer, it can “go dead” too!

When I feel as though my faith doesn’t have the strength to carry me through a situation, I “recharge” it with a time of praying in tongues.  I find that it recharges not only my faith, but also my mind, emotions, and physical body.  It causes my circumstances to change, and better yet, my attitude changes.

There are many times when we can pray in tongues; when we take a shower, while we’re driving, and even on airplanes.  Recharge your “battery” daily.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Today we pray that we will be men and women full of the Spirit—overflowing with the Spirit!

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26

All too often we have a tendency to think, “I blew it.  Again.  God is probably so tired of me and my mistakes that He’s going to throw me out.” No!  Read what God did with the Israelites in the book of Numbers.

The Israelites started complaining a mere three days into their wilderness journey.  And here they had just left Egypt healthy and wealthy, free and whole!

What did the Israelites complain about?  Well, first they complained that there was no food.  So, God sent manna from Heaven.  Then they got tired of the manna and asked for meat.  So, what did God do?  He sent them meat!  And do you remember how they repaid God?  They made a golden calf…and worshiped it!

But do you know what?  God still stuck with them.  He gave them His special presence at night, the pillar of fire, and His special presence by day, the pillar of cloud.  The pillars not only showed them His presence, but it also led and protected them.

God sticks with us.  His Holy Spirit presence sticks with us.  God saw the failures of His children, the Israelites, but He didn’t give up on them.  And God sees your failures, but He doesn’t give up on you.

Maybe you feel you are a failure in your walk with Christ; you’ve blown it and you feel like you’re going to keep blowing it.  Maybe you’re in an addiction.  I don’t know.  But I do know that Jesus came to set the captives free, and it doesn’t happen by your self-efforts.  It happens by the cross—the redemption of the cross.

Jesus, I declare that You are full of mercy and grace in my time of need.  Thank You for never giving up on me!

Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.  Isaiah 65:24

We read in Numbers 22-24 that Balak, king of Moab, was afraid of the Israelites, whose reputation had spread throughout the land as a powerful nation blessed by God.

So Balak summoned Balaam, “Now come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me.  Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land.  For I know that whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you curse is cursed” (Numbers 22:6).

Balaam discovered, however, that he could not curse God’s people.  Every time he tried to prophesy evil, he prophesied good.

Finally, he said to the king of Moab, “I don’t know what to do.  I can only speak what God puts in my mouth; I can’t curse what God has blessed.” Isn’t that wonderful!  And just think, Jesus took the curse for us so that we’d be blessed!  You can’t curse what’s been taken to the Cross!

God is so good to His people.  The Israelites probably didn’t even know that this battle was occurring.  They were probably just going about their business without any clue that the king of Moab was trying to put a curse on them.

Isaiah 65:24 says that before we even know what to pray for, God already has an answer for us.  How many times has God protected us, sent us angelic protection and like the Israelites, we were not even aware of it?

Dear Heavenly Father, You say in Your Word that angels move at Your command.  We take hold of Your Word, and we ask that angels will help carry it out.  We take hold of the promise that You protect us, watch over us, and neither sleep nor slumber.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

“I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:4 NKJV)

God’s will is to deliver us from fear.  When I was pregnant with Sarah, my son caught the measles.  The doctor and everyone was frightened.  They thought that I would catch them and that, through this disease, my unborn baby would be deformed.

I sought the Lord about it.  I knew that God had given me this baby supernaturally.  He had caused me to be pregnant even though the doctors had said that it could never happen.  I knew that if God could give me a baby, He could also keep my baby healthy.  I did not get the measles.  Sarah was not harmed, and she leads a very normal, healthy life.  It was only as I sought God that I was set free from fear.

Fear can be just like a pit of quicksand.  The more you struggle in it, the deeper you sink.  But once we realize that fear can be avoided and bypassed, then God is free to work His supernatural wonders in our lives.  When you find yourself caught in the “quicksand” of fear, stretch out your hand to God and let Him pull you free!

Dear Heavenly Father,

Help us today to see You and recognize that fear comes from the devil.  We will resist fear, in Jesus’s name, and be set free.

Amen.

David pleaded with God for the child.  He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground.  – (2 Samuel 12:16)

After David committed adultery with Bathsheba, she conceived a child and David had her husband Uriah killed.  The prophet Nathan told David: “Because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the Lord, the son born to you will die” (2 Samuel 12:14).

David responded by beseeching God for the child and by fasting.  The Bible tells us that he laid on the ground, refusing to get up or even eat for seven days (see 2 Samuel 12:16-18).  On the seventh day, the child died, and it was only then that David arose, washed himself, changed his clothes, and went to the house of the Lord to worship God.  After he had worshiped, he returned home and ate.

Many people do everything they know to do when someone they love is sick—some may even go so far as to lie face down on the ground and refuse to move, because they are so consumed by their desire to intercede for the healing of their loved one.

There are times and situations in which fasting is a manifestation of a person’s earnestness before God to the exclusion of all other activities.  Nearly always this earnestness is born of a desire to know more clearly God’s plan and purposes and, if possible, to make a difference through prayer.  This certainly was true in the life of King David.

Jesus, I declare that I have an earnest desire to know God’s plans and purposes.  I know by Your example and that of King David that through prayer and fasting I can more clearly discern the will of God.

And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables…” (Mark 4:11 NKJV)

I have found that God does not want His Word to be a mystery to us; He wants it to be a revealed truth.

When I find passages that I don’t understand in the Bible, I write a question mark beside them and ask the Father to reveal the answer to me.  If I’m patient, eventually God will give me a beautiful revelation.

Once I didn’t understand why God had not allowed Moses to enter the Promised Land.  I knew Moses had been disobedient when he hit the rock twice (see Numbers 20:11).  But if I had been Moses and was forced to listen to a bunch of complainers for forty years, I would have been tempted to hit the people instead of the rock!  So, I put a question mark by that verse and asked the Lord to give me a revelation.

The Lord said to me, ‘Moses DID get to enter the Promised Land!  Moses went in on the Mount of Transfiguration with Elijah and Jesus.’  I turned in my Bible to Mark 9 and there is was:

There he [Jesus] was transfigured before them…and there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.  (vv. 2, 4)

And the Lord said to me, “With whom would you rather enter the Promised Land—murmuring Jews or Jesus?”  And I thought, “You win, You win!”

Isn’t that awesome?!  We know the mysteries of God through revelation knowledge!

Dear Heavenly Father, open my eyes to behold wonders from Your Word today.  Give me hearing ears and seeing eyes to receive the revelations that You have for me.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

winter scene: road and forest with hoar-frost on trees

“Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; but he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him” (Psalm 32:10 NKJV)

Have you ever been to the grocery store to buy some sale item—only to find that the store had “run out” of it?  You had two choices:  go somewhere else or go home empty-handed.

When it comes to God’s mercy, He’ll never send you somewhere else and you’ll never go home empty handed—because His mercy will never “run out”!  The Word promises that His mercy will endure forever.

There have been times when I know that I failed God and missed the leading of His Spirit.  I have been openly rebellious to His Word, and yet I have claimed His mercy and found that it always surrounded me.  I was fenced in with His mercy, which never runs out.

Sometimes we say that our PATIENCE runs out.  But I want to assure you that God’s MERCY never runs out.  I’m not giving you an excuse for sin because God does not have “greasy grace.”  But when we repent and turn from our sin, He has mercy.  Remember, God’s mercy is all around you and never runs out.  Call upon God’s mercy today; it is always available to you.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We thank You today for Your mercy—the mercy that never runs out.  Your mercy endures forever.  Thank you that it is available to us during our times of need.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” -(John 1:29 NIV)

God has called me to travel all over the world to share His Word.  Many of the countries He calls me to aren’t exactly in love with Christians, and they’re not exactly in love with women, so I have to have faith in the blood of the Lamb to protect me!

The Lamb is a symbol of sacrifice throughout the entire Bible.  Revelation 13:8 even refers to Jesus as “the lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.

In Genesis, in the story of Cain and Abel, Abel brings a lamb from the flock and his sacrifice was acceptable to God.  So, we see that the Lamb is a sacrifice for us as individuals.

In Exodus, each Israelite family sacrificed a lamb and smeared its blood on their doorposts so that the death angel would pass over their houses and not take their first born.  Here we see that the Lamb is for our family.

In Leviticus, the Lamb is sacrificed for the nation.  So, He’s a Lamb for me, for you.  He’s a Lamb for my family, for your family.  And He’s the Lamb for our nation—for the United States, for America.

John the Baptist, however, had the greatest revelation of all.  He said, ‘Look at Jesus!  He is the Lamb, but He’s the Lamb for the whole world!’

Lord, I declare that Christ is the Passover Lamb for me, my family, my nation and the world!

“That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts” Ephesians 4:22 (NKJV)

When we are born again, we are each given a new nature that is born of an incorruptible seed.  I understand that if you take cells from the seed of an apple or an orange, prepare them in the proper way, and place them under a special microscope, you will see the same genetic structure as the mature plant and its fruit.

When we are born again, an incorruptible seed is placed in our hearts.  I believe that within the seed is the basic structure of what we can be:  Jesus Christ!

Jesus’ nature does not sin.  When we sin, we are relying on the old, evil nature.  The Bible tells us that we are to crucify that nature and reckon our old selves dead unto sin.  We’re not to let sin rule or reign over us.  Our new nature is greater than the old, but we must decide which nature will reign in our lives.  He that is in us is greater that he that is in the world.  Choose to live in your new mature nature; the love of Jesus, the fruit of the Spirit, and the power of God’s Word.

Dear Heavenly Father,

In the name of Jesus, we cast off our old natures to put on the new nature of Jesus Christ.  We reckon ourselves dead to sin, and we walk in newness of life.

Amen.

“Only do not rebel against the Lord.  And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them.  Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us.  Do not be afraid of them.” Numbers 14:9

Moses sent a dozen men to explore Canaan, but only Joshua and Caleb came back with a positive report that Israel could take the land flowing with milk and honey.  Where others saw giants, Caleb and Joshua saw the good land.  They even brought back some of its bounty for the others to see.

However, the towering obstacles obscured the good things from the view of most of Israel and caused the majority of the people to believe the negative report:

They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it.  All the people we saw there are of great size.  We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim).  We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them” (Numbers 13:32-33 emphasis added).

Have you ever wondered why some Christians are more successful in life than others?  It all depends on one’s outlook.  Some people have “grasshopper” vision.  They are so busy looking at what they aren’t that they don’t see what they can be in God.  Those with “giant” mentality, however, see themselves as God sees them, and they become what they want to be.

Even though you are a Christian, success only comes when you see yourself in the proper perspective and act accordingly.  We can believe all the negative reports around us, or we can put our faith in Jesus!

Dear Heavenly Father, help us to have giant mentality, with our eyes fixed on You.  Remind us of Your Truth from today’s Scripture verse: “the Lord is with us; Do not be afraid.”

“Hear, O Israel:  The Lord our God, the Lord is one!” Deuteronomy 6:4 (NKJV)

People often say to me, “I don’t like the Old Testament.  During that period, God was a harsh God of judgment and punishment; a God of discipline and not of compassion.  I like to read about Jesus in the New Testament more.”

I want to remind you that whatever Jesus is, the Father is also.  Jesus Himself declared that He and the Father are one (see John 10:30).  So, the Son didn’t change the Father’s mind about love, compassion, or healing.  Christ was the very expression of the Father’s love clothed in human flesh.

Moses, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote these profound words, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4 NKJV).

Does that word “one” mean only one person?  The Hebrew word achad or echad used here for one means “united,” “a collection of thoughts,” “to be like or together.”

“Unity” must involve more than one.  For example, two people are united in one marriage.  The United States of America isn’t a single state, but a collection of states working together as one.  But I particularly like the definition: “collection of thoughts.”  What an interesting and precise revelation of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  They think alike!  Consequently, Their purposes are united, Their words are united, and all Their actions agree.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for this revelation that You are One God, united with Jesus and the Holy Spirit as One loving and compassionate God, not just in the New Testament but from the very beginning.

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…” (Revelation 12:11a NKJV)

The book of Revelation makes tremendous promises to those who are overcomers.  Revelation 12:11a tells us very simply how to gain the promises: through the blood of Jesus.  When we speak God’s promises to our circumstances, to ourselves, or about the devil, we literally overcome whatever problems we are experiencing.

The paralyzed man at the pool of Bethesda was a real “overcomer.”  After waiting 38 years for his healing, the man one day met Jesus, who told him to “rise.”  Jesus challenged what seemed impossible.  The man rose up, took his bed, and walked.

Many times, I have had to speak the Word to overcome fear.  I had to tell my mind, “You’re not going to be in fear.  You are going to trust the Lord.”

David spoke to his soul.  When the devil attacked David’s mind, he told it to get in line with God’s Word.  Speak God’s Word to your mind too.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Today we thank You for the blood of Jesus.  We choose to take the Word because it will grow and prevail in any circumstance or situation we face.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. – (1 Kings 11:4).

I was walking the other day because I try to exercise regularly, and I was asking God for what I always think are big things: “I need this…I need that…I want you to get me in this country…I want you to do this…” And the Holy Spirit just said to me so sweetly, “Stop trying and let Me work.”

Have you ever tried to help God?  I think when we try to help God, we get into carnal thinking instead of listening for what God wants, and then we can do some stupid things.

After God gave Solomon wisdom, riches, honor and length the days, something happened.  I don’t know where he got turned around, but Solomon suddenly decided he needed help God.  He didn’t trust God to give him peace with all the nations, so in his carnal man he began to marry the daughters of the countries around him in order to try to keep peace with the nations.  But they were idolatresses.  And instead of converting to Solomon’s God, the began to turn Solomon’s heart away, and he began to worship their idols.  How sad!

Now folks, when we do well, let’s not get into pride saying, “I got this by my own brilliance and my wonderful physique,” but rather we need to acknowledge that God is the source of our blessings.  Remembering this is key to keeping us from trying to “help” God; instead, we trust that in His power, all things will come to pass, in His way and His timing.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for all the blessings in my life!  I know that You don’t need my help, but that You will use me to do Your will when I quit trying to go my own way!

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer” – (Psalm 19:14)

As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.  Whatever we think about is going to come out of our mouths.  Out of the abundance of our hearts will our mouth speak.

It is very important that our minds meditate upon the good things of God, upon His Word.  MEDITATE means “to go over and over.”  I find that when my mind wants to dwell on ugly, negative things, the best remedy is to memorize certain scriptures or chapters of the Bible.  Then I begin to speak those scripture aloud, and my mind lines up with the Word.  God’s Word becomes the abundance of my heart from which my mouth speaks.

Another special blessing that comes from meditation on the Word is that the scripture will become stored in you—like data in a computer.  Then when you need the Word in a hurry, you just push a spiritual button and out it comes—ready to be ministered to any situation or circumstances!

Dear Heavenly Father,

Let us take hold of Your Word today.  Let us memorize it, think it, speak it, act it, eat it, dream it, and live it.  We know that when we are grounded in Your Word, then every word that comes from our mouths will be acceptable to You.  Our words come from Your strength.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”  Mark 11:25 (NKJV)

When we pray the Lord’s prayer, it says that we will be forgiven our trespasses IF we forgive other.  One morning the Lord spoke to me about a certain situation and asked me to forgive someone.  I said, “Lord, I have forgiven that person at least 500 times.  My forgiveness is just about worn out.”

God answered, “No, your forgiveness never wears out because MY forgiveness never wears out.  When I forgave you, it was by My grace.  You received My grace.  Now the grace that forgave you also lives in you, and you can forgive with the same grace.”

His words were such a blessing.  I immediately began to forgive this person—not with my own forgiveness—but with the forgiveness that comes from God’s mercy.  In faith I forgave.  And in faith I was forgiven.  Now when I pray early in the morning, I just say, “Lord, I forgive anyone who has ever hurt me—even before they do it!”

Dear Heavenly Father,

Show us the victory of being a forgiving people.  Show us the victory and Your power of forgiveness in our lives.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. (3 John 1:2 NKJV)

Following the 10 plagues of Egypt, after almost 400 years of slavery, the Israelites were finally released to go to their Promised Land.  But they didn’t leave empty-handed!  Not only had God protected them and delivered them from slavery, He also put them into prosperity.

The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing.  The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so, they plundered the Egyptians (Exodus 12:35-36).

God gave them favor with the Egyptians so that the Egyptians gave them everything they asked for.  The Bible also says none were sick, or weak, or feeble.  Spirit, soul, and body, they left healthy.  They left wealthy.  They left free.  They left whole!

I love this about Jesus.  He died for our sins and rose from the dead, but He also wants us whole.  He even said to the man at the pool of Bethesda before healing him: “Do you want to be made whole?” (see John 5:6 KJV)

Don’t just get the facts of this, get the faith of this!  Christ set you free from the slavery of sin, poverty, and disease.  The more you speak that over your life, the more you’ll see that He wants to do the same for you that He did for the Israelites.  He wants to free you, heal you, prosper you.  He wants to see you whole.

Lord, I declare that You not only came to set me free but You want to see me prosper in every area of my life!

Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord.  I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant.  I am slow in speech and tongue.”– (Exodus 4:10 NIV)

It’s interesting to me that when God called Moses out of the burning bush, Moses said, “I can’t speak well!”  But in Deuteronomy we see Moses preaching, preaching, preaching.  For 34 verses, over the course of an entire month, all he does is preach!

What made the difference?  When Moses said, “I can’t speak,” God didn’t agree.  Instead God responded, “Who made your mouth?”

God will enable you to do the things He calls you to do.  When you say, “I can’t do it,” He doesn’t say, “That’s right.  You don’t have the talent for it.”  He says, “Who made you?”  God made you and God enables you to do anything He calls you to do.  If you don’t believe me, just read Hebrews 11 and you will see that He can do anything!

Next to Jesus, Moses was considered the most humble man that ever lived.  How could he stay so humble?  I think it’s because he saw the glory of the Lord.  If you remember, Moses said to God, “Show me your glory” (see Exodus 33:18).  And God said, “If you’ll stand in the cleft of the rock, I’ll put my hand over you and you’ll see my back side as I pass by.”  That was all Moses needed.  Moses saw enough of Him that he wanted greater glory.  He became hungry for the glory of the Lord.

If you saw Jesus like Moses saw Jesus, what would it make you?  It would make you humble!  When I see His goodness and how much He loves me, it humbles me, too.

Dear heavenly Father, You show us Your glory every time You enable us to do the thing You have called us to do.  We are humbled by the fact that there are no “I can’ts” in Your Book!

“But he who glories, let him glory in the LORD.  For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.” (II Corinthians 10:17, 18 NKJV)

It is good to glory in the Lord because it keeps you from getting into an area of pride.  Pride is always the way down, and glorying in the Lord is always the way up.

One thing that often happen to pastors, on their “way up” in the ministry, is that they begin to exalt themselves.  The mistake that each of us makes—at least once—is to look at “our” successes and to believe that these things have happened because of our own abilities.  Sometimes we forget that God DID these things and we are only the vehicles for His work.  When we begin to walk in pride, we then stumble and fall.

I have found that the Lord really DOES want to exalt us—but He doesn’t want us to exalt ourselves.  Sometimes we count all of the wonderful things that WE have done, but they are actually all the wonderful things HE has done.  Be a blessing-counter!

Dear Heavenly Father,

Today we count our blessings.  We thank You for each of them.  Every advantage, every benefit that we have, truly comes from You, and we praise You for it.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

“My soul, waits silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him” (Psalm 62:5 NKJV)

Sometimes it takes time to receive the wisdom that we need and to have our expectations fulfilled by the Lord.  One time as I was sitting on a plane, the flight attendant came to me and shared that she was a born-again believer.  Then she asked me my advice, “You know, I receive many opportunities to witness on planes.  Many people open up and tell me their problems, and I’m able to lead them to Christ or pray with them.  But I do have to serve alcohol.  Do you think I’m missing God’s will for my life?”

I meditated for a moment, and it seemed that the Lord quickened something to me that I had never thought about in my whole life.  I said, “Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the king, and God used him to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.  Nehemiah had to carry alcohol, and God never condemned him.  That seems to have been his special position.”

This was the answer that she needed, but it was not an answer that came from Marilyn Hickey.  It was an answer that came from the throne of grace.  The flight attendant had waited on the Lord for an answer, and she was not disappointed.  You won’t be, either.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Today help us not to be impatient when we need answers, but to wait on You and know that our expectations will be met by You in due time.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

“Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”  I Peter 5:7 (NKJV)

Have you ever looked at photographs of our President BEFORE their term of office began and then AFTER it had ended?  Some of the men had, during that time, visibly aged YEARS beyond their actual stay in office.  Each man had carried the cares of an entire nation of his back.  The extreme MENTAL worry had caused a very PHYSICAL deterioration.

When you worry, you are carrying your cares.  Worry is very dangerous.  Your body, mind, and emotions were not designed to carry worry.  In some cases, worry causes mental breakdown and physical collapse.

Today let’s cast our cares on the Lord.  I want you literally to do this:  lift your hands up as though you were holding all of the cares and worries that have plagued you.  Say, “Lord, I cast all of my cares upon You.”  Literally take your hands and CAST those cares upon the Lord.

Now wave at those cares and say, “Good-bye, cares.  You are not mine.  You belong to my heavenly Father.”  He will take care of YOUR cares and turn them into a blessing.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Today we are not going to worry.  We thank You for making provision for every area of our lives.  We believe that You will take care of the things that concern us.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people. – (Genesis 49:10 NKJV)

In the scripture above, Jacob is prophesying over his sons, the 12 tribes of Israel.  He prophesies that Judah is going to produce a Shiloh.

What does Shiloh mean?  I see Shiloh as rest.  Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).  Wow!  This is Jesus in the very book of Genesis telling us what He will be in us and through us.

Sometimes we try to work it out and provide for ourselves and we don’t rest in the Lord, rest in His Word, knowing that He has seen ahead of the problem you are in today.  But He has made a provision for you so that you can come to Him and rest!

How do we enter God’s rest?  We walk in His Word; we walk by faith.

When I get up in the morning I say, “Good morning, Father.  Good morning, Jesus.  Good morning, Holy Spirit.  This is your beloved, Marilyn, here to enter Your rest.”  You might think, “That is so arrogant!”  Really?  In the New Testament He calls us “beloved” over forty times.  So, am I wrong when He said it, that man times, that I am His beloved?

Folks, having Jesus in your heart and seeing Him in every book of the Bible and every day of your life is really a love affair!  We are His beloved and we can rest in Him!

Dear heavenly Father, we are Your beloved sons and daughters.  Thank You for providing a Shiloh, a place of rest, for us from the very beginning!

“You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” Psalm 45:7 (NKJV)

We want to be a joyful people.  We want to enter into the joy of the Lord because the joy of the Lord is our strength.  If the devil can steal your joy, he will steal your strength.

Have you noticed that evil people—wicked men and women—are not very joyful?  It shows on their faces and in their attitudes.  They are full of despair and hopelessness.  Why?  Because they do not love righteousness, and they don’t hate wickedness.  The way to live in joy is to love righteousness and hate wickedness.  Sin puts people in a place of despair and despondency.

Look, instead, at the faces of people who are free from sin.  Have you ever noticed the face of a person who has just accepted Jesus Christ as Savior?  There is such joy and happiness that radiates from someone who has experienced the new birth.  Sometimes it looks like 20 years have just been instantaneously wiped away—like a divine face lift.  But even better—it’s a divine FAITH LIFT!

Dear Heavenly Father,

We thank You that the joy of the Lord is our strength.  We enter this day with the strength of the Lord, and we will worship You and praise You throughout the day.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.  -(Psalm 55:22 NKJV)

Jesus came to carry our burdens.  But so many times we try to carry them alone and, in doing so, we absolutely break ourselves mentally, emotionally, and physically.

When one of my close relatives died, I saw his wife carrying the grief and sorrow.  I could see that it was physically robbing her health.  She was a born-again believer, so I called her one day and asked her if Jesus had carried her sins.  She said, “Yes, He has.  You know that He has, because I’m a born-again believer.”

I said, “But you are still carrying your griefs and sorrows.  Jesus not only carried your sins and sicknesses, He also carried your griefs and sorrows.”

When my relative heard and received this message from God’s Word, it was as though a great burden had been lifted from her shoulders.  The light from the Word had penetrated the darkness of her grief.  That very day she cast her grief and sorrow on the Lord and was set free.

Jesus, I declare that this day I will cast my burdens on You.  Help me see that You know how to provide for that which is committed into Your hands.  Amen.

“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it” (Revelation 1:3a NKJV)

There are three verbs that I want you to observe in this scripture.  God will bless those who READ His Word, those who HEAR His Word, and those who KEEP His Word.  We love God’s Word and want it to work in us.  But in order for the Word to really work in our lives, it must consume us!

When you read God’s Word, ask Him to give you hearing ears.  Ask Him to help you remember what you have read so that you might receive the manifestations of His Word in your life.

Ephesians 5:18 warns us not to be drunk with wine, but “filled with the Spirit.”  In the same way, so that it can consume our souls, overpower us with its truth, and “keep” us forever in the Word.  Remember, blessings come to those who read, hear, and keep the Word.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We ask You, in Jesus’s name, to help us read Your Word today.  Open our spiritual eyes so that we can be blessed as we read Your scriptures.  Let us receive Your revelations.  Help us to keep the Word in our hearts that we might see its manifestations in our daily living.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.