Devotional

Then the king said to the man of God, “Intercede with the Lord your God and pray for me that my hand may be restored.”  So, the man of God interceded with the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored and became as it was before.  I Kings 13:6

King Jeroboam was worshiping idols when an unnamed prophet came right up to the altar where two golden calves were and prophesied over it that a new king was going to arise from Judah who would come and destroy the altar.

“Seize him!” Jeroboam cried in anger, pointing at the prophet.  But when Jeroboam stretched out his arm toward the man, his arm immediately withered.  He pleaded with the prophet, “Pray for me that God will restore my arm.” The prophet prayed, and Jeroboam’s arm was restored.

When God began anointing kings, He set up the kingdom with prophets to minister to the kings, He set up the kingdom with prophets to minister to the kings, and sometimes that meant performing miraculous signs.  Who else do we know who came with miraculous signs to convince sinners and idolaters to return to the living God?  Jesus!

Now let me say this to you, a lot of times we ski over the prophets and kings in the Old Testament (1 and 2 Kings; 1 and 2 Chronicles) because they can be confusing.  But when we do, we miss seeing Jesus in the prophets and we become profitless in the process.  Ask God for seeing eyes and hearing ears when you read about the kings and prophets and you will see Jesus in a greater way than ever before!

Dear Heavenly Father, I believe that You want me to see Jesus in every book of the Bible.  Give me seeing eyes and I hearing ears, knowing that studying the prophets will make me profitable!  Amen.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  – (2 Corinthians 12:9)

During one of our trips to Pakistan, we were faced with so many difficulties.  Threats, government sanctions, you name it.  When I stood up on that platform to preach the first night, over 100,000 people were there to hear the Word, but I remember I felt so weak.  I cried out, “Lord, we’ve been battling all these things!  What if someone shoots me?  What if there aren’t any miracles?” The Lord said to me, “It’s not your name that does it.  It’s My name!” And we had the best meetings we’d ever had in Pakistan in those three days in Karachi, the most dangerous city in the world, because we went in the power of His name.

In 1 Kings 19, we read about a time when the prophet Elijah cries out to God, “I’ve had enough!  Take my life!” He’s exhausted, and I have found that when you get really, really tired, you can get depressed, because you tend to look at your circumstances instead of God.

So, God comes to him through an angel and cooks for him.  Why?  Because when you’re depressed, God doesn’t forget you, but He does want you to come out of it.  He doesn’t want you to stay in the depression.  He sees your weakness and uses those moments to show His power.  So, Elijah eats and sleeps and is able to get up and go.  Just like we did in Pakistan—strengthened by the provision of the Lord.

Jesus, I declare that Your grace is sufficient, and Your power is made perfect in my weakness.  Where I am weak, I declare that in You I am strong!

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. – (James 5:17 NKJV)

Have you ever made a mistake and God just came on the scene and helped you anyway?  I know I have!

Was Elijah a perfect man?  Did he make any mistakes?  The Bible says he had a nature like ours and passions as we do, and when you read 1 Kings, you see he made some really stupid mistakes.  But God doesn’t just answer the prayers of the seemingly perfect.  He answers the prayers of the earnest.

When I would fight with my husband, Wally, I always tried to win.  One time we had a big argument and it lasted for a long time…about 12 years!  When I started in the ministry, with radio and then television, I didn’t take a salary.  All the money that came in, we would put back out into the ministry.  But Wally would say to me, “You know, you need to take a salary.” And I would say, “No, we have your salary!  I don’t need to take a salary.” Then he would say, “Marilyn, a workman is worthy of his hire.” And I would say, “You’re being selfish.  I just want to give it all away!”

One night after we’d been having this argument yet again, I turned it over to the Lord, convinced that He would back me up.  I told God, “He’s wrong!  I’m right.” But the Lord said to me, “You don’t have enough faith to have a salary and a ministry.  That’s what really going on here.”

As hard as it was to admit that I was wrong, I learned a valuable lesson:  God doesn’t take sides.  What does He do?  He takes over!

Lord, I declare that I am on Your side.  I want You to come on the scene and take over!

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.  Psalm 119:105

Did you know that the Psalms are organized like the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible?

The first 41 Psalms are called the “Genesis Psalms,” because Genesis is the foundation book of the Bible, and these Psalms have to do with God’s sovereignty—His authority and dominion overall.

The next grouping of Psalms, Psalms 42-72, are called—you guessed it! —the “Exodus Psalms.” This is where you would go to find a Psalm about how Jesus can set us free.

What if you just want to worship and know Him as your great High Priest?  You would go to the “Leviticus Psalms,” because they have to do with the priesthood of Jesus.  These are Psalms 73-89.  The priesthood of Jesus is very important to us.  It shows us that we can have the mind of Christ and receive His gifts of wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption.

Then come the “Numbers Psalms,” Psalms 90-106.  Numbers was Moses’ history.  Just like the Israelites, we can often turn to grumbling and complaining.  When that happens, we need to show gratitude by remembering all that God has done and how He has answered our prayers.

Finally, there are the “Deuteronomy Psalms.” They are Psalms 107-150.  They are very interesting Psalms, because they have to do with the power of the Word in your life.  Remember Psalm 119 is in here, which includes 179 verses about the Word of God!

I encourage you to think about which Psalm would help you today and read one from that grouping before you go to bed tonight.  Remember, there is power in the Word and a song for every occasion!

Jesus, thank You for providing a Psalm for every occasion.  I declare my spirit will be lifted in the same way as the Psalm must have lifted the one who first received it from God!

The blueness of a wound cleanse away evil:  so do stripes the inward parts of the belly.  – (Proverbs 20:30 KJV)

Some people worry about the black and blue marks of a bruise, but these marks are actually symptomatic of the healing process.  The blue is the rich oxygen of the arterial blood that brings in new supplies and healing materials of the body’s “first aid” kit.  Then red venal blood carries out the damaged cells and waste products.

Have you ever realized that Jesus’ blood also has a twofold healing purpose?  It cleanses us of sin and waste, and it also brings the freshness of His love into our lives.

Christ’s blood is one of the most powerful cleansing agents known to mankind!  His blood does more than whitewash our hearts — it purifies them from the inside out.  Christ’s precious blood purifies our hearts so completely that we become temples of God.

When Jesus was confronted with the wrong-doings of the Pharisees, He warned them, “You are clean on the outside, but your hearts are like the insides of tombs — filled with death.” What do you want to be — a tomb of death, or a temple of God?

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You today for the life of Jesus that flows through us.  We thank You for the dealings of Your Spirit to remove the garbage from our lives; and we thank You for Jesus’ love that brings us freshness.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. – (Psalm 5:12)

Every one of you reading this wants to have favor.  We want to have favor with our spouses, our children, our grandchildren, we want to have favor on the job, with friends and even our neighbors.  We just need favor!  So, what can get us into the favor of God, favor with people, favor with relatives, and favor with our neighbors?

When I looked at Jesus’ life and how He grew in wisdom and favor with God and man, I noticed it came after he submitted to his parents.  Had you ever seen it that way?  I hadn’t either!  But you know how you read the Bible and you think, “Where did that come from?  I never saw that in this light.” That’s because the Bible is Spirit and Life.  It’s not just a book; it has life to it.  It is the Living Word!

Luke 2:51-52 says, Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them.  But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.  And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.  Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and favor with God and man, but it came after they returned home, and Jesus submitted to His parents and was obedient to them.

You want favor?  Submission brings favor!  It did in Jesus’ life.  So, what makes us think we can do our own thing and still have favor?  No.  It’s submission that can give you favor with God and with man.

Jesus, I declare that I can have favor with God and with man.  But it’s not by being lawless and going my own way; it is submission that brings favor.

Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me.  I said “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!  I would fly away and be at rest.” – (Psalm 55:5-6)

Countless people today do not seem to believe that God is in control of all things, let alone of all situations in their personal lives.  Just as importantly, they do not believe that God can help them gain control over their own thoughts and feelings.  Many people are content to live with their fears and doubts.  It never dawns on them to confront their fear—many of which manifest in worry and anxiety.  It never dawns on them to seek God for answers that will erase their doubts.  Instead, like the psalmist, they feel trapped, seeing no way out and wishing to flee.

Some people don’t believe that Christians can or should be oppressed if they are walking with God.  Christians, however, can get discouraged just like non-Christians.  Christians can become depressed.  They can have anxiety.  But the key is this:  we don’t have to settle for a life filled with fear and doubt!

When you find yourself feeling discouraged, go immediately to God in prayer.  Get serious about seeking God to discover the reasons for your fears and doubts, and be open to what God speaks to your heart about what you are to believe and do.  Then, ask God to fill you with courage to move beyond fears and doubts, including anxiety.

Jesus, I believe that You want me to be free from the fears and doubts that hold me back from being a witness for You.  Give me the courage to confront my anxiety.  I declare that with God, I will be victorious!

Indeed, we count them blessed who endure.  You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. – (James 5:11 NKJV)

St. Patrick was taken as a slave by the Irish when he was a young man, around 16 years old.  They chained him to a stake, and for six years, he fed pigs with no one to talk to but the Lord.   One night, after six years, the Holy Spirit spoke to him and gave him and gave him a way to get back to England.  But once back in England, he had a dream that two of the tribal leaders in Ireland invited him to come and tell them about Jesus.

He immediately went to the church in England and volunteered to go to Ireland as a missionary.  When Patrick got off the boat, the Irishmen were waiting to kill him.  He said, “Before you kill me, you have to hear my dream.” He told them the dream he had, that he was to come and tell them about Jesus.  They listened to the Gospel, the story of Jesus dying and rising from the dead and how He saved them and could come into their hearts.  These tribal leaders asked if they could bring other tribal leaders to listen, and within 70 years, all of Ireland was saved.

During those six years in slavery, St. Patrick had the patience and perseverance of Job.  He learned to listen in his spirit, and the Holy Spirit connected with him, and he ended up transforming an entire nation.

Jesus, I want Your presence to so fill me that when people see me, they see You; when people hear me, they hear You; when I speak, it is Your Word that fills my mouth.  Christ in me, the hope of glory!

He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. – (Psalm 107:20)

I remember when a couple in our church took a transient into their home because he had no place to go.  When the young man became ill, the couple sent him to the doctor.  To their dismay, tests revealed that the young man had AIDS.  Anger boiled in the heart of the man who had so graciously given a home to an individual who now threatened the health and even the lives of his family.  This man’s first thought was to order his “guest” out of the house.

Before the man could say anything, however, the Holy Spirit spoke in his heart, telling him to spend his anger on the disease and not on the young man who was so ill.  Forcefully, and with authority, the man commanded AIDS to leave the house and never return.  Many months and several tests later, there was no sign of AIDS in the young man’s body.  Why?  Because Jesus paid the price for his healing, and one man exercised his authority in Christ!

Psalm 107:20 says that God sent His Word and healed you.  Isn’t Jesus the Word made flesh?  Jesus assuredly paid for your physical body with His own physical body in the work of redemption.  Not only did He carry away your sin but He also carried away your sickness.  Therefore, I know it is the will of God to heal our bodies.  Otherwise, Jesus would not have taken those stripes for our healing.

Jesus, I believe that You paid the full price for my healing.  Therefore, I declare that it is my right to be healed!  I command sickness and disease out of my body and receive Your healing today.

Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. – (Psalm 51:6 NKJV)

I was raised in Texas, and in the summertime, my mother would can peaches.  My brother and I had to help by peeling the peaches and sterilizing the jars.  We griped and complained.  (If you have ever been to Texas in the summer, you know how hot and uncomfortable it can be!) But you better believe we never griped in the winter when my mother opened a jar of home-canned peaches.  They were so wonderful.

God revealed to me that reading the Bible is like canning peaches.  He said, “When you read through the Bible, sometimes it’s tedious.  You feel like you’re not getting anything.  But you’re canning truth!  And in the wintertime of your life, I’ll take the truth you put in your heart and make it wisdom in your mind.”

As you read the Bible, you are putting truth inside you, and God can take that truth and make wisdom out of it.

You might be thinking, “Marilyn, are you saying no truth in my heart, no wisdom in my mind?” Well, you said it!  The more truth you put in your heart; the more wisdom can come from the revelation of the Holy Spirit.

Dear Heavenly Father, You see the end from the beginning and You know that the more we study Your Word, the more it will help us tomorrow.  Put the desire in our hearts to want the truth inside of us today.

But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the you men who had grown up with him and were serving him. – (2 Chronicles 10:8)

After Rehoboam became king, he called for his elders to advise him.  First Rehoboam calls in the older, experienced counselors who had served his father, Solomon, during his kingship.  They said to him, “Don’t be cruel to the people.  Establish a relationship with them, because rules without relationship bring rebellion.  Build a relationship and they will always serve you.”

But immature Rehoboam doesn’t like this advice.  So he called in his friends who he’d grown up with and who were equally as inexperienced as Rehoboam himself, and they said, “You need to tax the people.  You need to let them know who is king.  If they think Solomon was hard on them, you’re going to be to times harder!”

Rehoboam chooses the “wisdom” of the younger men.  I say wisdom lightly because these you men clearly were not following men.  They didn’t have what they needed in the way of wisdom—spiritual wisdom—to share with Rehoboam.  So, Rehoboam takes the young men’s counsel, and when he does, the kingdom splits.

Jesus provides us with a better example.  In Luke 2:46, His parents find Him in the temple, listening to and asking questions of the teachers there.  When you want to hear from God and feel led to seek the advice of others, make sure you are listening to people who are experienced in their walk with God, who know the Word, and who will counsel you with spiritual wisdom.

Jesus, there are things I want to hear from You and lessons from others’ lives that I want to learn.  Help me to discern who I should look to for good, Godly advice!

So, he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.  – (2 Kings 5:14)

One of the most unique healings in the Old Testament is that of Naaman, the captain of the Syrian army.  Second Kings chapter 5 describes Naaman as “a mighty man of valor, but a leper” (see v. 1 NKJV).

Through his young Israelite slave girl, Naaman learned of the prophet Elisha who could heal Naaman’s leprous body.  The captain lost no time in getting to Israel and the prophet Elisha, who sent word to Naaman to dip in the Jordan River seven times.  After struggling with his pride, Naaman obeyed and was healed on the seventh dip.

Naaman was a cruel enemy of Israel.  He was an idolater.  Yet God desired to bring Naaman to repentance through His marvelous grace.  Because of his healing, Naaman repented and accepted the God of Israel.

Through the compassion of one little slave girl, Naaman was no longer a leper, and neither was he an idolater.  Naaman went home with healing on the inside as well as healing on the outside.  What a life-changing experience!

Can you imagine the joy of Naaman’s little maid when she saw her master again?  Her compassion and love for this man touches my heart.  She had probably been captured and taken from her home to be this man’s slave, and yet she cared for him.

Many times, in the New Testament we read that Jesus looked upon the people with compassion before He healed them.  Compassion mixed with faith is a powerful combination!

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for showing Your grace to each and every one of us.  Help us to have compassion on others like Jesus did, for compassion mixed with faith is how we bring people into Your Kingdom!

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

I want to end every day with thanksgiving.  I want to begin every day with thanksgiving.  I want to live in thanksgiving.

I don’t think we appreciate all the miracles that God does.  It could be the simplest little things:  a special dessert that I liked, or time spent with my grandkids.  Or it could be something big.  It’s a miracle that I am accepted by the Muslims and get to travel to places like Iran.  What about an answer t prayer?  We pray continually for something, but then we forget to give thanks when God answers our prayers.

Friend, I’m so shocked at every miracle that God gives me, so I give Him thanks.  It’s when we get into an attitude of entitlement or expectancy, when we think we are in control of the answers to our prayers that we forget to give thanks.  But when we live in thanksgiving, when we live in prayer and rejoicing, thanksgiving will flow from our hearts.

Hold on to how much God loves you.  Believe that He will take you through your circumstances and not leave you there.  Rejoice, pray and give thanks!

Dear Heavenly Father, the men on the road to Emmaus said, “Did our hearts not burn within us?” and I want that same fiery passion inside me to do Your will, to hear Your voice and to overflow with thanksgiving for the daily miracles in my life!  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel.  I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you.  – (Nehemiah 1:6)

Nehemiah is one of my favorite books of history.  I know what you’re thinking. “Every gook is your favorite book.”  Let me tell you something.  When people would ask my husband, “What’s Marilyn’s favorite book?” he would say to them, “Whatever book she’s currently reading in the Bible.  That’s her favorite book.” And that’s so true!

Today, we are in Nehemiah, so Nehemiah is my favorite book today!  I love Nehemiah because the name means “comforter.” Who else do we know who is a comforter?  The Holy Spirit!  Jesus said, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26 KVJ).  So, as a comforter, Nehemiah actually gives us a picture of what the Holy Spirit will be like!

But Nehemiah is also a book of prayer.  There are only 13 chapters inn this little book, but nine different prayers!  The wonderful prayers of Nehemiah remind us of the prayer ministry of Jesus and how God is going to have His way no matter how bad or dark the circumstances.

Jesus, I declare that in You there is always victory!  As I pray through difficult circumstances, thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to comfort me.  Amen!

By day you led them with a pillar of cloud, and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take. – (Nehemiah 9:12)

Do you ever think, “I blew it.  Surely God is tired of me and wants to throw me out”?  It’s not true!  Read what He did with the Israelites in the book of Numbers:  As they wandered through the wilderness they kept messing up, but His presence never left them.  He had His special presence at night—the pillar of fire; and His special presence by day—the pillar of cloud.  It not only showed them His presence, but it also guided and protected them.

Jesus is so in this, because Jesus doesn’t throw us out when we make mistakes!  You might say, “You don’t how bad mine are, Marilyn.” Well let me tell you something, do you remember that the Israelites made a golden calf to worship?  Do you remember they started complaining three days after God had delivered them from their enemies?  But God stuck with them, and He sticks with us.

How do you feel about your children?  Do you want them to fail?  No way!  Do I want my grandchildren to fail?  No way!  You constantly believe God for them.  So, God saw the failures of His children but He didn’t give up on them.  And God sees your failures, but He doesn’t give up on you.

Nehemiah quotes the book of Numbers to remind his people that they can trust God to guide and protect them, regardless of how far they backslide.  And we too can be inspired by this revelation of God’s love.

Jesus, I declare that You came to set the captives free, and it doesn’t happen by my self-efforts.  It happens by the redemption of the cross!

When the turn came for Esther (the young woman Mordecai had adopted the daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested.  And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her. – (Esther 2:15)

The book of Esther opens with a wife who refused to submit to her husband.  Queen Vashti refused to appear before her husband’s male guests, and the king divorced her for it.  Then a “beauty pageant” of sorts is held to find the next queen.  Enter Esther.

Esther had great favor in the sight of all the people who saw her.  But what did she do to earn that favor?  She asked the eunuch who was in charge of all the women what she should wear.  She didn’t dress seductive or assume she knew exactly what the king would like.  She humbled herself and submitted to the instruction of the one who knew the king best.  And when she went in before the king, he took her as his wife.  Wow!

Favor comes to us when we humble ourselves and submit to the Lord’s instructions.  When we are operating out of our carnal man, we can think we know best.  But the Bible never says that arrogance brings favor.  In fact, just the opposite!

In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders.  All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. I Peter 5:5-6

Jesus, I declare that favor is a gift only You can bestow.  Show me where I need to practice humility and submission in my life so I can bring You glory.

So, I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down.  Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?” – (Nehemiah 6:3 NKJV)

After returning to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple, Nehemiah immediately met with the harassment of Sanballat and several others.  The root meaning of Sanballat means “satan.” satan will oppose us in anything we are called upon to do for God!

Sanballat continued to harass Nehemiah, even threatening to kill the people while they worked on the walls.  But Nehemiah didn’t give up, and he didn’t allow the people to give up, either.  He simply reorganized the people and had part of them work on the walls while the other part stood with weapons on the ground for protection.

Next the enemy tried spreading false religious claims:  they said that a prophetess had told them that Nehemiah was there to set himself as king.  The enemy did everything possible to get him to come down from the wall so they could harm him, but Nehemiah and his crews worked day and night and they completed the walls in a miraculous 52 days!

Nehemiah boldly says this, and I love it so much: “I am doing a great work.  How can I come down?” It’s not hard to imagine those words coming out of Jesus’ mouth while He hung on the cross.  And God also calls us to do a great work.  How can we come down when satan besieges us, people falsely accuse us, and we are attacked again and again?  We can’t!  We must finish what God has called us to do.

Jesus, I declare that no matter what comes against me, I will keep my eyes on You, the author and finisher of my faith!

My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. – (Psalm 62:5 NKJV)

One time as I was sitting on a plane, the stewardess came to me and shared that she was a born-again believer.  Then she asked me my advice: “You know, I have many opportunities to witness on these 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 it while serving liquor.  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 liquor, and God never condemned Nehemiah.  That seems to have been special positions.” (See Nehemiah 1-2).

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 stewardess had waited on the Lord for an answer, and she was not disappointed.  You won’t be, either.

Dear Heavenly Father, help me to be patient today as I wait on You for answers, knowing that my expectations will be met by You in due time.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen

“Therefore, wisdom and knowledge will be given you.  And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honor; such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.” – (2 Chronicles 1:12).

Solomon was very young, about 20 years old when he became king, but there’s something that David and Bathsheba have put into Solomon to prepare him for this:  wisdom.

How do we know they put wisdom in him?  Because Solomon wrote Proverbs, and in the first to chapters, he constantly writes, ‘” My mother and my father taught me the importance of wisdom.” Why?  Because he was going to be the next king, and in order to rule well, he’s going to need the wisdom of God.

After taking over the kingship, Solomon sees God appear to him in the night and says, “Solomon, what shall I give you?” and Solomon says, “Wisdom.” What else would he say?  He’s been taught that all his life.  I think if you had awakened him in the night when he was a child and asked him what he wanted he wouldn’t have said water, he would have said wisdom.  He wanted wisdom and understanding of how to govern God’s people because that was how he’d been raised.

We tend to go after riches and honor and longevity.  But in Matthew 6:33 Jesus says: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” That’s what Solomon did; he went after Godly wisdom, then riches and honor followed.

Lord, I declare that when I seek Godly wisdom first, You will give me a long life to enjoy all the riches and honor You will bring to me.  Amen!

Foolishness if bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of correction will drive it far from him.  – (Proverbs 22:15 NKJV)

The Bible says, “Eli sons were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:12).  Eli was a priest and he knew the voice of God, but he didn’t always obey it.  Even when he saw his sons doing evil in the eyes of God, he didn’t discipline them and it led to the downfall of the entire family.  Eli lost his priesthood as well as his sons because he esteemed his sons more than he esteemed God.  Friend, when we esteem our children more than God, it ends up giving them a bucket of trouble!

Our tendency as parents can be to want to shelter our children from all of life’s hurts, including the pain of discipline.  But we have to pray and trust God that He will be with them wherever they go.  God expects us to do our part—to “train up a child in the way he should go” (Proverbs 22:6 KJV)—which includes disciplining them to know right from wrong.

As a young child, Samuel was committed to be a priest in the household of Eli—which everyone knew was an ungodly household.  But Hannah’s commitment kept him under the supernatural guidance of God during those year.

We can’t always protect our children from the ugliness they will encounter in the world, but we can entrust God with our children.

Dear Heavenly Father, I entrust my children to You.  When I need guidance on raising Godly children, I will look to Your Word, Your wisdom, and the way Your Own Son Jesus was raised.  In His Name, Amen.

Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are.  For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.  I Corinthians 5:7 NIV

After delivering the Israelites out of Egypt, God instructed them to celebrate seven feasts.  Did you know that these seven feasts actually show us who Jesus is in us?

Passover:  Christ is our Passover Lamb.  Unleavened Bread:  Leaven is a symbol of corruption.  Jesus was without spot and without sin; He had no leaven.  First fruits:  Jesus was the first fruit—He was the first to arise from the dead.  Pentecost:  This feast was marked by the offering of raised bread such as we eat daily.  We are reminded of Jesus coming to be among us, providing us with daily bread from Heaven for our spiritual sustenance.  Trumpets:  This is symbolic of the trumpet that will be blown when Jesus returns.  Day of Atonement:  Jesus is our atonement.  Tabernacles:  During this feast, the people dwelt in tabernacles or booths to celebrate the fact that God had brought them through the wilderness into their own land.  It was a joyous time.  This celebration allows us to look ahead to Jesus’ return.

So, in the Old Testament, they celebrated seven feast days.  Seven is always the number of completions, showing us the complete picture of what Jesus has for us.  Now, when they celebrated these feasts, they actually acted out what Jesus would do in the New Testament—even though they didn’t know Jesus by name!  They look ahead to a Messiah and had a revelation about that, but they didn’t know the fulfillment of that.

Don’t you just love to read both the Old and New Testament and see how they tie together?

Jesus, it is so wonderful to experience the revelations God has for us about You in the Old Testament!  Be real to me.  Intercede for me.  Pray for me.  Live in me.  I want to know Your presence in the most wonderful way!

Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water.  And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.  Exodus 34:28 (NIV)

Some of the most spectacular examples of fasting in the Bible are the 40-day fasts of the great lawgiver Moses, the prophet Elijah, and Jesus.

Things were not the same in these leaders’ lives after their times of fasting, nor were things the same in the lives of the people who were under their leadership.  For the Israelites, the fast of Moses meant the giving of the Law to them.  They lived under a new order of feasts, rituals, sacrifice, and patterns of worship.  And the fast of Elijah resulted in their having a new wave of righteousness in their land—including powerful miracles at the hand of Elisha, the successor of Elijah.

When Jesus fasted, he stripped the devil of all claims he had made. Jesus laid claim to the authority to act upon God’s Word in ways that brought healing and deliverance to people, and because He did, fully sealing that authority on the cross, Jesus was able to pass on to us the authority to act upon God’s Word in ways that bring healing and deliverance to those in need.

What purpose did God have for those He called to prolonged periods of fasting?  I believe it was a call to confront evil—both evil circumstances that are outside a person, as well as the evil influences of fear and discouragement that form inside a person.

The call of God to a prolonged fast is not for everybody.  It is for those whom God chooses and whom God calls for very specific purposes.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the legacy of these leaders whose faithfulness exacted profound change that would be felt throughout generations.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Then he went out to the source of the water, and cast in the salt there, and said, ‘” Thus says the Lord: ‘I have healed this water; from it there shall be no more death or barrenness.’” 2 Kings 2:21

Immediately after Elisha becomes the prophet-in-charge, the people come to him complaining about the terrible tasting water.  Elisha takes their plea to God, and then relates God’s instructions to the people: “Bring me a new bowl and put salt in it” (see v. 20).  The people didn’t say “that’s crazy,” they just obeyed.

God’s instructions seemed kind of silly, but Elisha was believing for a miracle and he was willing to do his part in the natural to produce the supernatural.  Sometimes I think we just sit around asking for a miracle and we don’t get it because we aren’t willing to do our part in the natural.  But when we listen to what God says and do it, we will see the supernatural in our lives!

So, Elisha throws the salt into the bad water.  But he takes it one step further and speaks to it!  He says, “This is what the Lord says…” (v.21).  So, he did the act and he spoke the Word.  And the water has been pure ever since.

How do I know?  Because I’ve been to Jericho!  And when I was there I said, “I want to go to Elisha’s Springs!” So, we went and I drank the water.  And I’m telling you, that water is so sweet!  After more than 2,500 years, the miracle is still working!

I believe that when we look to God, He will tell us an act to do.  And that act of faith will release the power of God to activate the miracle that needs to happen.  But whatever act God calls you to do, remember to speak your faith with it.  Act and speak the Word of God says!

Jesus, I declare that You have the power to purify whatever is cursed in my life.  Show me an act of faith so that I can do my part to activate the supernatural in my life.

Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord…” – (I Samuel 20:42)

As part of the inner circle of the king’s court, David was yoked to King Saul.  As Saul’s son, Jonathan was yoked to his father as well.  But David and Jonathan had a special friendship.  When it became obvious that Saul was jealous of the favor David had with the Lord, the two friends made a covenant with each other—to do the will of God in each other’s lives, regardless of what King Saul might say or do.

It was feast time, and normally David sat down and ate these feast meals with Saul and Jonathan.  But for two days, David’s place was empty.  Saul asked his son about David’s absence, and when Jonathan told him that David had requested permission to be with his family in Bethlehem, Saul recognized that Jonathan had put himself in an alliance with David.  Saul was so angry he threw a javelin at Jonathan—he tried to kill his own son and desired heir!

The yoke that tied David into an alliance with Saul was broken that day.  In significant ways, the yoke that tied Jonathan to the throne of Israel and to his father was also definitively broken that day.

Was David still under God’s anointing to be king of Israel one day?  Absolutely.  Was David allowed to prepare to become king in the logical place of preparation, the king’s court?  No.  Was David set free from the yoke of being part of King Saul’s close inner circle?  Yes.

Was this difficult?  Very.  It meant that David would spend the next years of his life on the run.  It meant He would face challenges and situations he had never dreamed of facing.  But did this yoke need to be broken so that David could grow in his trust of the Lord and in his understanding about how to lead men into peace and not just into battle?  Absolutely!

Jesus, I declare that I trust wherever You have placed me is where You want me to be!

Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. – (Psalms 51:1 NKJV)

David—chosen by God, a man after God’s own heart—failed.  No question about it.  You know what he did?  He committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband Uriah killed (see 2 Samuel 11).  David’s story proves that God doesn’t use perfect people.  But because of His mercy and lovingkindness, He forgives us, cleanses us, and uses us to bring Him glory.

Because David’s heart was right, he knew he had to repent.  So, he writes Psalm 51, pleading with God to have mercy on him, to forgive him, to not leave him in his sin:

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. (vv. 10-12 NKJV).

Psalm 51 is so wonderful because we see how God’s forgiveness is in the anointed one.  And that anointed one is Christ in you, the hope of glory!

When I read about David and some of these things that go on, it gives me hope for myself.  Granted, I’m not committing adultery and I’m not killing anyone, but sometimes I think or say things I shouldn’t.  I don’t do it all right all the time, and neither do you.  But remember, when we repent and confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your loving-kindness.  Thank You for Your anointing in Christ Jesus that blots out all iniquities.  Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me!

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.  The Lord does not look at the things people look at.  People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” – (I Samuel 16:7)

The Israelites begged Samuel to appoint a king over them, just like the other nations had.  Samuel is grieved and prays about it, but God says, “Give them what they want.  It’s not you they are rejecting, it’s Me.” This king won’t be appointed like the other kings, however.  The Israelite king will be appointed by God.

God chooses Saul, and Samuel anoints him to be the first king of Israel.  And for a while it looks like a very good choice!  But then Saul becomes impatient and begins to make up his own rules.  I think waiting can be very dangerous or very beneficial to our faith!  It reveals whether or not we have developed the fruit of the spirit of patience, which is essential if we want to follow God.

Saul continued to disobey and Samuel was grieved.  He cried and cried over this because he so wanted Saul to work out as king.  But God told Samuel to stop crying.  He said He had another man, but this man is a man after His heart.  And we know God meant David, who would eventually succeed Saul as king.

These are two instances in which Samuel thought he knew what was best, but it ended up not being what God wanted.  Folks, do you ever think, “I really want this!” and then wonder, “but does God want it?”  Check your motives when you pray.  Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal your motives to you.  Work with God in what He wants, not what you want.  And trust Him to give you, His best.

Dear Heavenly Father, when I read Your Word and see how You prepare things well in advance, I know that I can trust that Your ways are higher and better and that You will work all things together for my good.  In Jesus’ Name

Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said: “Is it not because the Lord has anointed you commander over His inheritance?” – (I Samuel 10:1 NKJV)

I remember a missionary from Singapore who had four children.  One of her sons became addicted to drugs and alcohol.  She and her husband prayed for him for years and years.  Finally, she got him to come to one of our revivals.  I remember that he was way at the back of the meeting when the Spirit of God hit him.  And he got out in the aisle and literally did backflips all the way up to the front.  I tell you, I will never forget that!  Today, he is a missionary in Tanzania.  God had an anointing on his life that even the drugs and alcohol couldn’t cover; and the anointing makes the difference.

The anointing in your life has a purpose.  God has a purpose for you being a Christian.  You’re not just here to be a decoration.  You’re here to be a declaration!

Write down the places where God has anointed you—the places that yield success when you put your hands to them.  Maybe He’s anointed you to sing.  Maybe He’s anointed you to exhort backsliders.  Maybe He’s anointed you to reach the lost.  Maybe He’s anointed you to use your hands to heal the sick.  Write down those things where you see anointing.  Don’t write down your failures!  Write down where God has anointed you.

Put your hand on your heart and say, “I cannot forget the anointing on my life makes the difference!”

The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel!  Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak for your servant is listening.” – (1 Samuel 3:10).

The first time God spoke to him, Samuel was young and he didn’t yet know the voice of the Lord.  So, when he hears a voice one night that says, “Samuel, Samuel,” he thinks it must be the priest Eli calling him.  He runs to Eli and says, “Did you call me?” Eli said he didn’t.  So, Samuel goes back to his resting place beside the ark of the covenant in the house of the Lord, and the voice speaks again, “Samuel, Samuel.” Are you getting this?  God is calling Samuel by name!  But Samuel still thinks it is Eli, so he goes to him and says, “Did you call me?” And this time, it dawns on Eli that God must be speaking to the boy.

The key to learning the voice of God is an understanding that God wants to talk to us, to lead and guide and direct us.  It’s a challenge to be sensitive to the voice of God, but we can learn to hear it.  I admit and I don’t always recognize that “still small voice” within (see 1 Kings 19:12 KJV) as God’s voice, but I so love to hear it!

So, Eli says, “When you hear it again say, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.” Samuel goes back, lies down in the presence of God, and suddenly the voice comes again: “Samuel, Samuel.” And Samuel responds as God desires when he says, “Speak, for Your servant hears” (1 Samuel 3:10 NKJV).  In order to learn the voice of God, we must be willing to hear!

Dear Heavenly Father, I know that You want to talk to me because You sent Your Son Jesus so that we could talk to You in the flesh, and You sent Your Holy Spirit to be the still, small voice that speaks to us within.  Help me have ears to hear.

And the Lord was gracious to Hannah; she gave birth to three sons and two daughters.  Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.  (I Samuel 2:21)

Over and over, we see stories of barren women in the Bible.  One of those women was Hannah.  Hannah longs to have a child, but she can’t have any.  And to make matters worse, her husband’s other wife, Peninnah was constantly provoking her.  Isn’t that just like humanity?

Peninnah treated Hannah poorly because she knew their husband loved Hannah more, even though she was the one blessed with children!  We can just imagine the ugly words she said to Hannah.  The Bible says it was so bad that Hannah “wept and would not eat” (see I Samuel 1:7).

On one such occasion, Hannah prayed to God to remember her in her misery.  Through tears, she vowed to dedicate her son to the Lord if only He would open her womb.  She was moving her mouth, but praying in her heart when Eli the priest saw her and accused her of being drunk.

In the midst of crisis, we may be falsely accused of things, but if we can keep our faith in God through that fire, we will come away even stronger.  God can use that crisis to bring us a miracle!  He did it for Hannah, and He will do it for us.

Hannah assures Eli she is not drunk, merely distraught over being childless.  So, Eli sends her home with a blessing and soon she becomes pregnant with Samuel, which means “I asked the Lord for him” (see v. 20).

If I had waited for a long time to have a baby of my own in my arms, I might have been tempted to regret my promise to give God my son.  But Hannah follows through with per promise and the Lord blesses her with five more children.  When we give to God, He blesses us back in multiple ways!

Jesus, I declare that what I give to You, You return to me in multiples.  Help me to stay strong in crisis so that I can see the miracles waiting for me on the other side!

But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you.  Where you go, I will go, and where you stay I will stay.  Your people will be my people and your God my God.” (Ruth 1:16 NIV)

After moving to Moab to avoid the famine in Bethlehem, Naomi lost her husband and both sons and was left with two Moabites daughters-in-law.  Sometime later, Naomi heard that the famine in Bethlehem was over and decided to return home.  She told Orpah and Ruth, her daughters-in-law, that they should stay in Moab with their mothers because she had no sons for them to marry in Bethlehem.  Orpah agreed to stay, but nothing could make Ruth leave Naomi’s side.  Ruth said she would even give up her gods for Naomi’s God.

We can do what is expected, like Orpah, or we can do the exceptional, like Ruth.  The expected is our natural way of thinking, but the exceptional is to walk in faith.  When we do the expected, we don’t get much as a result.  But when we do the exceptional, God has the extraordinary waiting for us!

What extraordinary things did God have waiting for Ruth’s exceptional act?  First of all, imagine God naming a book of the Bible after a woman!  That’s extraordinary!  There is only one other woman—Esther—whose name is a book.

What else did God do?  Well, He made Naomi a grandmother, which she’d all but given up on when her husband and only two sons had died.  And He gave Ruth a husband, Boaz, and a little boy, Obed; all three of whose names are included in the genealogy of Jesus (see Matthew 1:5).

God will do the extraordinary in our lives when we take a step beyond the expected and do the exceptional!

Jesus, I declare that I want to be a faith-filled person who does the exceptional so that God can come upon the scene and say, “Now I give you the extraordinary!”

I will go in the strength of the Lord God… (Psalm 71:16a NKJV)

Have you ever experienced the anointing of the Lord as a source of physical strength?  I have!  I have experienced tremendous anointing when I confess the Lord’s strength.

Many times, I have felt weak before speaking at a crusade or convention, especially those times that I’ve traveled long distances, to places like Ethiopia and Sudan, when jet lag sets in.  I’ve had times when I’ve thought, “I’m so tired!  I don’t have the strength of a sleeping cat!” But when I say those things, God has always said back, “Well, I’m not tired!” God tells us that when we are weak, we should confess His strength.  We can go in the strength of the Lord.

Samson received the same anointing of strength that we experience (see Judges 13-16).  God’s anointing would break in upon Samson, and he would experience strength beyond that of any man!  He could then perform supernatural feats of might.  The Bible shows us many instances of supernatural strength and endurance being given to a mortal man when he was at work for God’s Kingdom.  Even Jesus had a man’s body, but God’s supernatural strength.  Let’s claim our physical heritage in Jesus!

When we are weak, let’s say, “I am strong.” It works; we will receive our supply of supernatural strength…I know it!

Dear Heavenly Father, today we grasp the physical strength that You have for our day.  As our day is mighty in You, so is our strength.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord”

Psalm 33:12a

Did you know that the United States began its life as a Christian nation?  Our forefathers fled to this country so that they could worship God in the manner they wished.  Our constitution, our Declaration of Independence, and our Bill of Rights all mention God.  We were birthed as a nation of God, and we are blessed for it.

God has used America to bless the world.  Our confidence is in God—it is even printed on our money!  There are certainly tremendous needs in our nation today, but there are also tremendous Christians who are taking God’s Word to intercede for this country.  We are the salt that preserves this nation—let’s not lose our saltiness.  We are the light that overcomes the darkness of this nation—let’s not hide our lights under a bushel.

Let’s stand boldly in God, speak against evil, pray, and believe God for the miraculous outpouring of His Spirit upon all flesh in the United States.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We thank You today that our nation is blessed because of the Christians who are praying and believing You.  Thank You for doing great and mighty things in our midst and raising up laborers and intercessors.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Judges 17:6 KJV

We are told in Judges 19-20 the tragic story of a priest who gave a group of Benjamites access to his concubine in exchange for a room for the night.  The following morning, the priest found his concubine dead.  He returned home, cut her into 12 pieces, and sent one section of her body to each tribe of Israel, along with this message: “This is what the Benjamites have done to my concubine!” What a gruesome story!

The other tribes sent a message to the Benjamites, saying, “Give us the men who did this so we can punish them.” But the Benjamites refused.  The 11 tribes joined together to take on the Benjamites, but it was the Benjamites who ended up winning the first two battles, killing 40,000 men!

Why did God let the Benjamites win?  The Bible does not give us a direct answer to that question, but the more I have studied this passage, the more I have concluded the reason may have been that the other 11 tribes of Israel had moved so far away from God that the powers of darkness had overwhelmed the nation.  They were acting according to their own understanding of what was right.  They had no reliance upon God and they failed to seek God diligently before they went into this battle against one of their own.  It was only when the “children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God, and asked counsel of God” that the tide of war began to turn (see Judges 20:18 KJV).

When things are definitely not going our way, we need to find out why.  But we need to seek God’s opinion, not human understanding.

Jesus, when things are going badly, I will look to Your Holy Spirit for wisdom and guidance!

Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me.  Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” Judges 16:28

Are you familiar with the story of Samson and Delilah?  Samson had an anointing of physical strength to overcome the Philistines, but Samson had a weakness for Philistine women.  He got involved with a woman name Delilah, who seduced him to find out the secret of his strength—it was in his consecration to the Lord, which came with a vow to never cut his hair.  While Samson was sleeping one night, Delilah had his head shaved, and when she did “his strength left him” (see Judges 16:19). She sold him to the Philistines who gouged out his eyes and put him in prison to work.

After some time, the Philistines brought Samson out to the temple on the day they were to worship their god, Dagon.  They were praising their god for delivering Samson into their hands, but they didn’t know that Samson had repented.  He prayed and God’s anointing of physical strength came upon him.  Samson pushed on the support pillars until the whole temple came down on top of him, and the Bible says he killed many more Philistines in his death than in his whole life.

When we look at this it is easy to think, “Oh Samson, how sad that you had to learn the hard way!” But in Hebrew 11, we see that Samson is in the hall of fame of faith.  And not only that, but only Samson’s acts of faith were recorded, not his moments of failure.  When I first saw this, I said to the Lord, “Why don’t You list anyone’s failures in Hebrews 11?  None of these people were perfect!” And God said, “Because I remember your faith and I forget what you repented.”  Isn’t that good news?

Dear Heavenly Father, I declare that through my repentance and the blood of Jesus, You remember my failures no more.  Thank You for Your forgiveness and for remembering my faith!

On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” Joshua 10:12

The Scripture above is probably the greatest faith statement ever made in the Bible.

A group of people who lived in the Promised Land were called the Gibeonites.  They were afraid of Joshua and the Israelites, so they deceived them into believing they were foreigners, having traveled a great distance.  Without praying for guidance, Joshua made a covenant with these people.  But the Gibeonites turned out to be one of the tribes that God had told them not to make covenant with.

What do you do when you blow it?  Joshua began to pray.

The other tribes were furious!  They heard what the Gibeonites had done and put together their armies against them.  But because Joshua and the Israelites had made a covenant with the Gibeonites, they were forced to protect them against all the other armies.  So, they began to fight.

First came a hailstorm, but it was very discriminating hail.  It only fell on the armies coming against them.  Then it looked as if the sun was going to go down, and if the sun went down, they may not be able to win the battle.  This is where Joshua made his faith statement, speaking to the sun: “Sun, stand still.  Moon, stay in the valley.” And the sun stood still until the Israelites had won the battle.

How did Joshua keep getting victory even when he blew it?  He kept praying, he kept meditating, he kept speaking God’s Word.

God wants us to triumph.  Jesus wants to lead us from victory to victory.  And He will, if we keep praying and speaking His Word.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for leading us from victory to victory.  When we fall short, remind us to pray.

We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father…I Thessalonians 1:2-3 NKJV

There are three things in this verse that stand out to me: (1) faith can work, (2) love can labor, and (3) hope can give you patience.

If we feel we have faith, yet do nothing, we don’t really have faith.  If we say we have love, yet do nothing, we don’t really have love.  If we say we have hope, then we will be patient until we see the manifestation of what God has for us.

HOPE in the Hebrew means “rope.”  I believe God lets His rope down from Heaven so we can tie a knot in it and hold onto it until we see the manifestation of our faith and our love.

Rahab had hope in God’s Word.  She even put a red rope in her window (see Joshua 2).  Her wall stood when other walls fell.  When other people’s walls fall down, their lives fall down too.  If you hold onto the rope of God’s hope, however, your wall will stand.

Dear Heavenly Father, we know that it is through faith and patience that we inherit Your promises.  We make a decision to hold to faith and to have patience until we see the fulfillment of Your promises.  In Jesus’s Name, Amen.

And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.  But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.  Joshua 24:15 NKJV

When you hear about someone who is as devoted to their work as Joshua was, you might start to wonder whether they are able to have a successful family life.  Joshua was always busy—leading the people into the Promised Land, trying to hear from God, and constantly meditating on God’s Word.  But the Bible says if you meditate on the Word day and night, you will be prosperous (see Joshua 1:8), so we know he must have been successful in his family life!

Kids do what they see you do, and your children need to see you in the Bible and the Bible in you.  Don’t stop reading the Word.  By your very behavior, you are showing them what is important.  Your children need to see your obedience to God—that you put Him first—so that they too can live a prosperous life.  Trust God, because He will show you if you are out of balance.

The first thing Rahab did when she made a covenant with the Israelites was to ask protection for her family (see Joshua 2).  When you get saved, you want your whole family to get saved.  So, when we become faithful followers of Christ, meditating on His Word day and night, God will bless us and make our homes prosperous.

Jesus, I declare that as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord!

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.  Then you will be prosperous and successful.  Joshua 1:8

If you meditate on the Word, if you speak the Word, if you to the Word, you will be prosperous and successful in all that you do!

Meditate means “to think about, to consider, to mull over something in your mind.” And it can also mean to memorize, to say it over and over and over again until it gets a hold of you.

You might think, “I would love to meditate on the Word, speak the Word, and do the Word all the time, but I just can’t do that.  I just don’t have that kind of time!” But let me ask you this:  Are you busier than Joshua?  Joshua had over two million people to lead.  He had to be sure they got enough to eat and drink.  He had to instruct them in how to fight their enemies.  And he still found time to meditate on the Bible, day and night.

Was he meditating on the Psalms?  No!  All Joshua had was the Pentateuch—the first five books of the Bible.  Can you imagine meditating on Leviticus?  But Joshua meditated on Leviticus.  We can be sure of it, because Joshua was successful.  Even when he made mistakes, he was still prosperous and successful.  And I have a gut feeling that Joshua was much busier than you or I will ever be!

So, go ahead, tell me you’re too busy.  But remember this:  if you are too busy for the Word, then you are too busy to be prosperous and successful!

Dear Heavenly Father, give me the strength to make time for Your Word, to stop making excuses and start making You a priority.  The Word in me is what will make me prosperous and successful.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.  Hebrews 13:8

Jesus quoted more from Deuteronomy and Psalms than any other books of the Old Testament.  He quoted from Deuteronomy in the Sermon on the Mount (see Matthew 5-7) and to fend off the devil who was trying to tempt Him in the wilderness (see Matthew 4).  Why did Jesus quote from Deuteronomy so much?  Because of the message.

Deuteronomy means “the message,” and we know that Jesus is both the Messenger and the Message.  Therefore, Deuteronomy shows the picture of the coming prophet, the Lord Jesus Christ: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites.  You must listen to him” (Deuteronomy 18:15).

Basically, “the message” in Deuteronomy comes through three big sermons: (1) a review of how God has taken care of His people, (2) a recounting of the Ten Commandments and other laws, and (3) a call for commitment to the law through obedience.  We could also say it like this:  the first sermon looks backward, the second looks inward, and the third looks forward.

Why does Moses preach these sermons?  Because that generation didn’t see the miracles that their parents saw.  Their parents saw the opening of the Red Sea, the 10 plagues removed and the presence of God as a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night.  Moses wanted that generation to know it’s the same miracle-working Father and the same Divine commandments that would make them successful.

Lord, thank you for being the God who doesn’t change.  I choose today to remember

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.  Praise the Lord.  Psalm 150:6

God commands us to praise Him.  He says that if we are living, if there is breath inside of us, we need to praise Him.

One of the words for praise in Hebrew is “Judah.” As we follow the tribe of Judah throughout the Bible, we see that where it goes, so goes praise.

Moses prophesied in Deuteronomy that the voice of Judah would be heard throughout the earth.

David was of the tribe of Judah and wrote most of the Psalms, which certainly have become worldwide praises for the Lord.

We find that Jesus often praised the Father and gave Him thanks.  Jesus also came from the tribe of Judah.

We who are born-again also come from a “tribe of praise.” We are in the lineage of Jesus Christ; thus, we too are of the tribe of Judah and bring praise.

Do you have breath?  Do you have life?  Then praise Him today!  Praise Him everywhere, not just at a worship service—for praise is a way of life!  We need to let the earth hear our voices as we praise the Lord.

Lord, I declare that as long as I have breath in my body, I will praise You and give thanks to You because I come from the line of Judah, the line of Jesus, a tribe of praise.

Even for believers, there are moments when fear, doubt, and disappointment crowds in. When this happens, you may struggle to find room for more of God’s presence in your life.

That’s what occurred one day for Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith. An internal medicine physician, Dalton-Smith realized she felt divine dehydration—totally empty, spiritually. Smith listened as a patient recounted physical discomfort. As Dalton-Smith cared for the patient, attaching an IV and prescribing fluid, she realized that spiritually, she was in the same condition. She needed a spiritual IV, a continual infusion of the presence of God in her life.

That experience was the impetus for her to help her patients have a deeper understanding of the spiritual side of healing. By just focusing on physical, she wasn’t giving patients everything they needed to get to a place of healing and wholeness.

Aside from the physical, there is also the spiritual and mental (emotional) part of our bodies. Dalton-Smith recognized that people suffering physical ailments also need life-giving water that quenches thirst and refreshes souls. Simply treating issues of depression, stress, or anxiety with conventional cures can create more confusion because people can’t get whole without the added component of spiritual healing. Most of the time, there’s a deeper work that has to be done.

Often painful experiences such as abuse, divorce, infidelity, insecurity, dementia, and cancer cause deep spiritual and emotional pain. Dr. Dalton-Smith advises that you don’t allow pain to be a destination, but see it as part of your journey. Pain is part of our wilderness experience, but God never allows pain to be a place we visit without Him getting glory from it.

You can dream with God again and let Him redirect your steps. Rest assured, you can come empty and be filled to overflow by pouring out life’s hurts and receive God’s healing love. God sees us, knows our pain, and has a solution for it.

Click here to watch a special program with Saundra Dalton Smith.

Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.  Deuteronomy 5:33

A pastor once told me how God called him to Louisville, Kentucky, a number of years ago.  After receiving the call, he contacted one of the most spiritually gifted men in our nation at that time, who told him not to go because, “That place is simply overpowered with darkness —the worst place in the United States to go.  It is a graveyard for preachers.”

The pastor returned to the Lord and prayed, “Lord, here is a man of God saying not to go.”  And the Lord said, “But I’m telling you to go.” So, the man went.  He was a pastor in that city for 10 years, but didn’t seem to accomplish anything; the church was not doing well.  So, he went to Chicago to apply for another church.  While he was in Chicago, the Lord spoke to him and said, “What are you doing here?  I called you to Louisville.”

The pastor answered, “God, I’m failing in Louisville!  I’m tired of Louisville.  I’ve tried everything for 10 years, and nothing works.”  God said, “You’ll be out of My will.” And the pastor said, “I must not be in Your will as it is!” Then God said, “You’re in My will, but you need to call your church to fasting and prayer.” So, this man began a tremendous prayer program and within two years, his church grew from 200 people to 2,000.

What made the difference?  Obedience to God in prayer and fasting had broken the power of darkness over that city.  The powers of darkness were there from the beginning, but in 10 years, the pastor had done nothing necessary to break the force of those powers.

Sometimes we must fast and pray to break the powers of darkness and see unbelief turned into the revival of belief.

Jesus, I declare that You are mightier than the powers of darkness!

You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the Lord your God brought you out.  Deuteronomy 7:19a

I would love for your do something very special today:  write down the good things you have seen Jesus do in your life.  “Well, there’s so many.” I know! Isn’t God wonderful?  Since seven is the number of completions, let’s write down seven of the good things that He has done.

What has He done in your life?  And does He have a future and a destiny for you?  Will He fail you?  No.  Will you fail Him?  Yes.  Will He leave you when you fail?  No!  He will stay with you, because He wants you to be successful.

After you write down seven good things He has already done in your life, I want you to write down three things that you’re going to believe Him for, that you want to see Him do in the next year.  Maybe it has to do with the salvation of a loved one, healing in your body, or prosperity.  Whatever it is, write it down.

You can write them in the margins of this book or on a separate sheet of paper.  But put them down on paper so you can go back and see them, praise God for them, and watch Him work in your life!

As you reflect on the good, He has already done and the good you are believing Him to do in your life, look at the signs and wonders in the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible.  The Jesus in the Pentateuch is the same Jesus Who lives in you and Who will perform the miraculous signs and wonders in your life!

Lord, I declare that You are the God of signs and wonders!  Thank You for all that You have done and will do in my life!

I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.  Leviticus 26:12

A sacrifice is the basis of all true worship.  It is what cleanses us, and frees us from the guilt and punishment we deserve.  In Leviticus, we see five sacrifices:  the burnt offering, the meal offering, the peace offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering.  The first three offerings were voluntary; they were expressions of thanksgiving and celebration.  But the last two—the sin and trespass offerings—were required.

What is sin?  It means to miss the mark.  What about trespass?  Trespass means to intrude on someone else’s property or to cause someone else harm.  So, Leviticus is telling us that when someone made a mistake or hut another person, it was mandatory that they make amends through an offering.

Do we still make the same mistakes today?  Yes!  Do we still make offerings?  Have you ever sacrificed a ram after trespassing?  No!  Why not?  Because Jesus is our offering.

Jesus, the burnt offering, consecrated Himself.  He said to the Father, “Thy will be done.”  Jesus, the meal offering, took our poverty so He could meet all of our needs.  Jesus, the peace offering, gave His peace (see John 14:27).

Jesus, the sin offering, took our sin, our missing the mark: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

And the same Jesus is our trespass offering.  He took the trespass that we make on others and trespass others make against us so that we can forgive in His blood, He forgave us.

Jesus, I declare that I am the righteousness of God in Christ, set free from the bonds of sin because You made the ultimate sacrifice for me!

That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.  (Philippians 3:10 NKJV)

For years I did not understand the part of this verse that speaks of “the fellowship of His sufferings.”  What does it mean to “fellowship” in His sufferings?  I could better understand the “power of His resurrection” than the “fellowship of His sufferings.”

Then I began to ask, “Why DID Jesus suffer?” I realized that He suffered for the lost.  Jesus suffered to the point that He was willing to die.  When we enter into the fellowship of His suffering, we feel the way Jesus felt toward lost souls, and we become willing to die too.

Moses was willing to die so that his people might enter the Promised Land.  He said to God, ‘If You’re going to erase their names from the book, then You might as well erase mine, too’ (see Exodus 32:32).  Paul felt it, too, when he said, ‘I wish I could carry this curse and be cut off from Christ for the sake of my people’ (see Romans 9:3).

What were these men feeling?  The fellowship of the Lord’s suffering!  I believe that the Holy Spirit will let us enter into that fellowship of suffering for the lost

Dear heavenly Father, help us to remember that Jesus suffered to save the lost.  Never let us think that we are too “spiritual” to have a burden for the lost.  Thank You for helping us, by Your Spirit, to enter the fellowship of the Lord’s suffering.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

And the tabernacle of meeting shall move out with the camp of the Levites in the middle of the camps; as they camp, so they shall move out, everyone in his place, by their standards.  Numbers 2:17 NKJV)

When I read through the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, I see there was divine order in everything.  It wasn’t, “Wherever you want to sleep, sleep.  Wherever you want to camp, camp.” It wasn’t that way at all!  It was very much in order.

For example, there were detailed instructions on setting up the Tabernacle—the dwelling place of the Divine—which included it having only one door (see Exodus 26:36).  Why is this important?  What does it tell us about divine order?  Well, Jesus Himself said, “I am the door…” (John 10:9a KJV).  There is only one way to the Father, and that is through Jesus Christ!

God also had very specific instructions about the arrangement of the camps and how they moved together (see Numbers 1-2).  As God prepared the Israelites for their journey to the Promised Land, He told Moses He wanted three tribes to the north, three tribes to the south, three tribes to the east, and three tribes to the west.  And He named the tribes.  So, these tribes came in by layers and camped.  And they camped around the tabernacle.  They formed a cross and made the tabernacle the center of their lives.  What does this tell us?  Jesus needs to be the center of our lives!

Reading about the design of the tabernacle, the regulations for sacrifices, and the order of the tribes may initially come across as boring and tedious, but not when you see that through the divine details, God is pointing us to the Cross!

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for caring about the details of our lives!  Help us to maintain proper order – always keeping Jesus first!

Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. Colossians 4:6 NKJV

God wants our conversation to be salty.  Why?  Because our talk makes people thirsty!  It can make others thirsty for what we have.

One time I was interviewed on a secular news program.  I was just starting to go on daily television and this interviewer asked me, “Why would you want to go on daily television?  You’re already on television on Sundays.  And there are all kinds of religious programs.  Why would you want to be another one?”  I heard in my spirit what to say.  I said, “Why do you think religious programs are on the air?” He said, “Well, to help people.”  And I said, “Do you think everyone is helped?” I got him!  And that was the end of it.  That, my friends, was salt!

Friend, we need to let our speech have salt in it.  Numbers 18:19 says that God made an “everlasting covenant of salt” with us, so His holiness enables us to be the salt of the earth to everyone we meet.  Don’t just agree with everything.  Don’t just gossip.  Don’t just say how bad the weather is.  Get salty!  Say, “God can change this!  God can do anything!” We are the ones charged with bringing the salt of God’s Word to the thirsty.

Jesus, You said we are to be the salt of the earth.  Help me to never lose my saltiness!

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.

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”  -(Genesis 1:26 NKJV)

When God designed the first man and woman, they were absolutely perfect.  The master plan was set in motion by the Father, Who said, “Let us make mankind in our image.”  Then Jesus executed the plan by scooping up a lump of clay and shaping a man; out of man He fashioned a woman.

Stick with me for a minute here.  When speaking of Jesus, Colossians 1:16 tells us that “…all things were created by him, and for him” (KJV).  In John 1:3, we read that by God’s Word were all things made, “…without him nothing was made that has been made.”  Verse 14 of John 1 positively identifies the Word as Jesus Christ: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  But it is not until the Holy Spirit breathed the life of God into Adam’s spirit did Adam become a living being.

So, you see, you have been made in the likeness and image of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  You and I are just “chips off the old block!”

Father, I declare that You created me in Your image—the image of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—and I will honor You with the body, mind, and soul You created.

“To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame…”

Revelation 3:21a (NKJV)

Have you ever used the little phrase “under the circumstances”?  Once when we were having a tremendous crisis, I said to someone, “Under the circumstances, I think I’m doing quite well.”

The Lord spoke back to me, “What are you doing UNDER the circumstances?  You’re supposed to be ON TOP OF the circumstances.”  Revelation 3:21a certainly reaffirms that promise!  If we want to sit with Jesus in heavenly places, we’re going to have to sit in the overcoming position.

Do you have some circumstances that are bowing you under?  Do you feel crushed under the weight of situations that seem beyond your control?  Take hold of God’s promise for “overcomers.”  Confess God’s Word that you will sit on the throne with Jesus, far above the cares of all worldly problems.  We can’t be under the circumstances; we must be on top of them.  Jesus is in us, so He gives us the power to overcome and sit in heavenly places too.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I thank You today that I am not under my circumstances.  I am above them.  In fact, I am sitting high above my circumstances and command them to line up with Your Word. 

In the Name of Jesus,

Amen.

God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, Selah

That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.

Let the people praise You, O God; Let all the people praise You.

For You shall judge the people righteously, and govern the nations on earth.  Selah

(Psalm 67:1-4 NKJV)

The spreading of the Gospel to all nations will result in great praise.  One glorious day we will live in a righteous world under the reign of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let’s live this life in an overabundance of praise to God for His supernatural intervention even before we see the miracles manifested.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10 NKJV)

Create means to “make something out of nothing.”  When we are born again, God makes us a new creation.  He gives us a new seed; we are born again of incorruptible seed, the seed of His new life.

Notice that the Word says “new” life—not second-hand or renovated or revamped—BUT ENTIRELY NEW!  God never said to Himself, “Well, here I’ve got Me a sinner.  I think I’ll just throw on a new cover, sort of like renovating a mattress!”  We’re not like a “renovated mattress,” but we have, instead, a brand-new life inside!

Because we have that new creation within, we can have a renewed spirit.  Our mind, conscience, will and intellect can be renewed daily with God’s Word.  We can live in our new nature, rather than our old.

Make this daily decision: “Will I live in the old man, or will I live in the new man?”  Today let’s crucify the old man and decide to live in the newness of Christ’s life.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We thank You that, as born-again Christians, we have new man inside us.  We do not have to live in the old man.  We make the choice to live in the newness of life.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

To them God has chosen to make know among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.  -(Colossians 1:27 NKJV)

I was 16 years old when I was born again.  Up until that time, I knew about Jesus, but I didn’t know I could have Jesus.  That year, I went to a Methodist youth camp where they told us we could be born-again, we could have Jesus on the inside of us:  Christ in you, the hope of glory!

I prayed, repented of my sins, invited Him to come into my heart and to be the Lord of my life.  And let me tell you, from the age of 16 until now, He’s never left me, never forsaken me, and I love Him.  He’s real!  He’s real in my life every day.

So, I began to read the Word, and I found that Jesus is in every book of the Bible.  That put such a passion in me to get everyone hooked on the whole book.  To see Him in Genesis.  To see Him in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.  Because often we say, “Jesus isn’t in the Old Testament.”  Or, “Who is Jesus in the Old Testament?”  But did you know that a lot of the New Testament is quoted from the Old?  How can you understand the New Testament if you don’t ready the Old?  He is in every book!

I just want to share Jesus; I want to share Who He is in you and how the whole Bible is about Who Jesus is.  But He’s not just the Word for us to read about and know about, He’s the Word to be made flesh in us and through us.  Because when you receive Him into your heart, it’s totally transformational.

Father, open my heart to hear from You and what You would say to me.  Make Jesus flesh in and through me.  Help me see Jesus every day.  Amen!

“Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.  I will not fear what can flesh do to me?” – (Psalm 56:3, 4b NKJV)

Fear is a terrible thing, for it is the opposite of faith.  Fear caused Adam and Eve to sin.  I believe that fear is not only a sin, but it is THE SOURCE of all sin.

The devil loves to confuse people and ensnare them in all sorts of traps.  When satan discovers what our greatest fears are, he immediately uses those fears to trap our minds and prevent us from overcoming frightening situations.

When we fall into satan’s trap, we are tricked into playing his game.  And whenever we play games with the devil, we are committing a sin that can lead to even more sin.  Therefore, we must repent of it and ask to be delivered from it.

Today let faith be your friend and fear be your enemy.  After all, the only part of you that the devil should see is the sole of your shoe.

Tread down fear in Jesus’s Name.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Today we put our trust in You.  We will not be afraid of men.  We will have supernatural confidence that You will put us over.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing.  You guard all that is mine.  The land you have given me is a pleasant land.  What a wonderful inheritance! – (Psalm 16:5-6 NLT)

The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD you God and walk in His ways.  Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you. –(Deuteronomy 28:9 NKJV)

God desires that your “land” be a delight, a representation of your inheritance in Him, and the pleasant territory described by David.

Your “land” includes the time and space allotted to you by God.  When we are faithful to God’s commands and manage our territory well, we become a beacon to others, a testimony of God’s goodness and favor.  Moses said the nations would stand in awe of God’s people because of their unique relationship with the Almighty.

God has given each of us a territory to occupy.  The upkeep of our “delightful land” falls to us; it is not accidental, but a matter of assuming our rightful authority.  In God’s eyes, what goes on in your territory is your responsibility.

“Having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints” Revelations 5:8b (NKJV)

Our prayers are very important to God.  But if we really want our prayers to count, we must pray the Word.  Why?  Because the Word cannot return void.

Prayers of self-pity will never bring supernatural results.  It’s only when we pray God’s Word that we begin to fill up the golden vials (bowls) of heaven.  God keeps those prayers because He keeps His Word.  Answers will come.  Pity-parties are not the answer.  God’s Word will bring the supernatural.

When we send out prayers to God, we must also check out hearts to see if there is spiritual “static” that will prevent our prayers from traveling up to heaven.  Our messages to God can get lost or waylaid if we have some unconfessed sin.  If your prayers are going unanswered, check your heart to see if you are harboring sin.  If so, repent, and watch your prayer wing its way to heaven.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Today help us to see that self-pity never does anything.  It is unbelief, and it is simply an occasion for the flesh to exalt itself.  We trust in Your promises.  We put our flesh down and stand fast on Your Word.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

The Hebrews call Psalm 136 the “Great Psalm of Praise.”  This psalm was probably a responsive singing.

The worship leader sang the first half of each verse, and the congregation always sang response: His love endures forever.

One thing we know will last for all time — God’s love.  How great is our God!

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.

His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods.

His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords:

His love endures forever.

(Psalm 136:1-3 NIV)

How do you see God’s love at work in your life?

Let’s praise Him always!

“And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord.” (II Chronicles 12:14 NKJV)

It takes daily preparation to achieve an established heart.  We must pray daily and renew our minds in God’s Word so we will be spiritually in tune with our Father’s will, Jesus’ will, and the Holy Spirit’s leading.

Many times, we become involved in sin because we have not spiritually prepared ourselves to meet the day.  It is good to seek God early.  Sometimes people find it very difficult to “seek God early.”  Morning is often a time when our minds are fuzzy.  It seems easier to do anything except spending some concentrated time with the Lord.  But when we try to “meet the Lord,” He will, in turn, help us “meet the day.”

When God helps us to go out to “meet the day,” we’re prepared for good, not evil.  We, thereby, have brought the supernatural into our day long before we have encountered anything else.  Learn to see the Lord early.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Truly it is good to seek You early in the day; thank You that we have a way to prepare our hearts.  In preparing our hearts, we are kept free from evil.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak.  The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

(Zephaniah 3:16-17 NKJV)

One day, all of the faithful will be gathered in one place, and the Mighty One will be in our midst.  We will shout the victory!  We will rejoice and be glad with all our hearts.

And God will sing back to us.  He too will rejoice — over us!

What an awesome sound that will be — a duet between the Creator and His creation.

“You enlarge my path under me; so my feet did not slip.” – (II Samuel 22:37 NKJV)

When we walk as the Lord leads us, we will not stumble because He leads in a very clear direction.  Although we may feel that we lack the natural ability to walk where He leads, He will endow us with the spiritual ability to do it.

One time I was a guest speaker at a large convention.  One of the other guests was an outstanding preacher whom I had admired for years.  When he said that he could hardly wait to hear me, fear stuck!

I thought, “Dear Lord, if he stays to hear me, I’ll faint on the spot.  Let him receive an emergency call; get him out of here!”

I was overwhelmed by insecurity.  The Lord encouraged me.  He reminded me that my presentation alone wouldn’t impress anyone, but that the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit would inspire the people.

In my fear I had seen a lack of ability in myself, rather than God’s sufficiency.  I repented quickly, dismissed the fear, and asked for God’s anointing on my message.  God’s anointing was especially sweet that morning, and I gave Him all praise for it.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Help us today to be led by Your Spirit and not by our flesh.  Help us to know that wherever You guide us, You will also enable us.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.