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faith

The Surrendered Life

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

God offers us total victory in life. Though it’s a simple step of faith to reach out and receive from Him, it requires such a total surrender of ourselves that many fail to respond.  For example, the rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked what to do to gain eternal life (see Matthew 19:16-22). Jesus demanded of the young man more than he could part with.  Jesus didn’t care about the man’s wealth—He cared about the man.  Jesus asked him to give up himself so that Jesus could give him life. The same is still true today. Many of us are willing to give our time, labor, and money to the work of the Lord. But when Jesus asks for ourselves, it’s a different story.  Yet total surrender to Jesus is where the victorious life comes from.

Only Jesus has the right to ask that we totally surrender to Him because He already surrendered Himself for us. Romans 5:8 tells us that God gave everything for us at the cross: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God says, “I gave everything for you; I totally surrendered.  Now you are to be like me.  Give me your life.”

God isn’t asking you to die on a cross to be like Jesus.  Jesus already did that! Jesus taught us how to be like Him through total surrender and submission to the Father. He humbled Himself and became like man so that we could become like Him and be exalted.  The whole process is summed up in Philippians 2:5-11, which outlines Jesus’s seven steps to total surrender and victory.

Verses 6-8 focus on His surrender: Jesus (1) “Who being in the form of God, (2) did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, (3) but made Himself of no reputation, (4) taking the form of a bondservant, and (5) coming in the likeness of men. (6) And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself (7) and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

You might be asking, “What’s so victorious about dying on a cross?” Well, verses 9-11 tell us that after Jesus totally surrendered (died), then God exalted Him in another seven-step process up from the grave: “(1) Therefore God also has highly exalted Him (2) and given Him the name which is above every name, (3) that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, (4) of those in heaven, (5) and of those on earth, (6) and of those under the earth, (7) and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

 Godly surrender yields lifetime benefits because it delivers you from the herd attitude that tempts you to say, “I can’t do that! What will so-and-so say?” The herd attitude makes us embarrassed to show others that we are surrendered to God.  It’s the world’s attitude of “If it feels good, do it.” But folks, if you’re a part of the herd, you are surrendered to the herd; and if you’re part of them, who’s going to minister to the herd?

Instead of a herd attitude, develop your “Word” attitude.  The “Word” attitude is just what it says.  If the Word says, “Do it, do it!” When you surrender to the cross, then you can be a blessing to others and to yourself because you’ll reap what you sow.  If you sow forgiveness, you’ll reap forgiveness.  If you sow love, you’ll reap love.  God forgave you so you can forgive others.  He waited for you to surrender to Him, so now you can patiently minister Him to others and enjoy the fruit of your labors as the whole cycle starts over again with someone to whom you ministered.

This blog post is excerpted from Marilyn’s 101-day devotional, Beautiful Inheritance.

2025-03-20T10:37:29-06:00April 21st, 2025|

Triumph and Victory

NOW THANKS BE TO GOD WHO ALWAYS LEADS US IN TRIUMPH IN CHRIST…

-2 Corinthians 2:14

Nine years after David was anointed to be king, he was an outcast of Israel! He was living in a Philistine city, Ziklag, with several hundred of his men and their families. “Ziklag” means “overwhelming despair.” What a place for the future king of Israel to live!

One day after returning home to Ziklag, David and his men found that all their wives, children and possessions had been stolen by the Amalekites. David’s men picked up stones to stone him. Instead of saying, “Go on and get it over with,” David encouraged his men that they were capable of reclaiming their wives, children and possessions from the hands of the Amalekites.

David and his men found the Amalekites camp and not only got back all of their wives, children and possessions; they confiscated all that the Amalekites had as well. When David returned to Ziklag, it was no longer a place of overwhelming despair, it was a place of OVERWHELMING VICTORY. Shortly after returning to camp, men came to tell him that both Saul and Jonathan had been killed and that they wanted David to become king!

What would have happened if David had given up when his men wanted to kill him? He never would have received his promised reward! He would not have been made king. God has given you exceedingly great and precious promises, but if you give up before you receive them, you’ll cut yourself off from a blessing. Hang on! You can do it!

If you have been living in Ziklag, a place of overwhelming despair, purpose in your heart to live in a place of OVERWHELMING VICTORY. Go out and reclaim the promises that satan has stolen from you!

2025-03-31T12:44:28-06:00April 14th, 2025|

Walking on Water

Jesus’ disciples slowly began to realize that dealing with fear was going to be an important part of their lives as His followers. The more time they spent with Him, the more evident that He would not always be with them and that it might not be either popular or safe to identify with Him. Persecution, although not an appealing thought, was a frightening possibility. Indeed, as they soon discovered, it was a certainty. Jesus tried to help them prepare for what lay ahead and remember that they would not be alone:

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world (John 16:33).

Although few of us in this country today have experienced it, persecution remains a real possibility for every believer. In addition, there are many other factors in our world that can be sources of fear if we let them. Even when we are walking in the perfect will of God, fearful circumstances occur because this earth is still in the possession of the enemy. Natural conditions such as blizzards, tornadoes, or earthquakes can give us a feeling of total helplessness, but knowing we can call on God to save us should be a great comfort.

One day, immediately after feeding five thousand people with three loaves of bread and two fish, Jesus sent His disciples across the Sea of Galilee in a boat while He dismissed the crowds. As night fell, a storm arose and the boat was badly battered by the high waves. Simon Peter and the other disciples were battling the winds, rowing in the dark, and probably scared half to death. Nevertheless, they were right where Jesus had sent them. They may not have known it at the time, but Jesus had not left them alone:

Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” (Matthew 14:25-27).

Recognizing their fear, Jesus immediately calmed them with the words, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” No matter how alone we may feel or how frightening a situation may be that we find ourselves in, we can take courage in the fact that Jesus is always with us; we are never alone;

For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you (John 14:18).

I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).

Peace, I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (John 14:27).

When we are willing to trust Jesus no matter what the circumstances, He can enable us to do anything. Fear. However, can cause us to fail. Peter discovered this after he saw Jesus’ walking on the water:

And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:28-31).

Peter was doing fine walking on the water until he looked around and focused on his circumstances. As soon as he took his eyes off Jesus, doubt and then fear overcame him. His physical senses took over. He heard the howling of the wind, saw the storm clouds moving, and felt the thrust of the waves against his body. This change of focus caused Peter to lose sight of his goal. He began to sink, even though moments before he had been walking on the water.  In fear and desperation, Peter called out to Jesus, who reached out and saved him.

Jesus also rebuked him: “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Apparently, Peter’s faith was not the problem; after all, he had walked on the water for a few seconds. It was when fear took over and his courage failed that Peter began to sink. It only takes a little faith—childlike faith—to walk on water, but it also only takes a little fear to sink us.

Courage Restored

Later on, Simon Peter had another crisis of courage that could have been disastrous for him and for the church as a whole. On the very evening that He was arrested, Jesus spoke these words to Peter:

“Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat, 32 But I have prayed for you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” 33 But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.” 34 Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.” (Luke 22:31-34).

Jesus prayed that Simon Peter’s faith would not fail—and it didn’t. Wait a minute! You may be thinking. Didn’t Peter’s faith fail when he denied Jesus? No, Peter certainly did deny Jesus three times, just as Jesus said he would, but it was not Peter’s faith that failed; it was his courage. Peter loved Jesus with all his heart and knew that He was the Son of God and the Savior of the world. After all, it was Peter who answered Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?” with the words, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:15-16). Jesus knew all about Peter’s faith and understood Peter’s struggle with fear, just as He understand ours.

Peter was devastated by the failure of his courage and his inability to stand by his Master’s side when the chips were down. After the crucifixion, Peter became depressed and discouraged, one day he decided to go fishing and convinced several of the other disciples to go with him. They fished all night and caught nothing. When morning came, a man on the shore called out to them and asked, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?”   then told them exactly where to cast their net. Peter and the others complied, and suddenly they found their net so full of fish that they could not haul it in. It was at this moment that John recognized the man on shore as Jesus:

Therefore, that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. (John 21:7).

No effort to walk on water this time; no excuses or bravado; impulsive Peter simply jumped into the water and began to swim to shore because it was the fastest way to get to Jesus. Such was Peter’s love for the Lord, even in spite of his own failures.

Jesus had built a fire on the shore and invited the men to bring their fish and eat with Him. After breakfast, He spoke to Peter. He wanted to be sure Peter heard Him, so He called him Simon, which means, “the listening one”:

So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” 16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep” (John 21:15-17).

Three times Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him, and three times Peter replied that he did. The first two times that Jesus asked, “Do you love Me?” He used the word agape, which means, as the Amplified Bible states it, “reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion, as one loves the Father.” Both times, when Peter answered, “You know that I love You,” he used a different word for “love” phileo. This word means “deep, instinctive, personal affection… as for a close friend” (John 21:15 AMP). Peter did not feel he could claim the higher kind of love represented by agape.

When Jesus asked, “Do you love Me?” for the third time, He used Peter’s word, phileo. Jesus came down to Peter’s level to bring Peter up to His. What was the significance of this? Three times Peter had denied Jesus and now Jesus gave Peter three changes to reaffirm his love for Him. In this way, Peter once again declared the deep love and devotion he held for his Lord.

During this same encounter, Jesus, in His loving way, let Peter know that when his time to die came, he would be able to resist fear:

Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” 19 This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.” (John 21:18-19).

Peter’s faith was strong and in time his courage grew to match his faith. History records that Peter was crucified for his faith. According to tradition, Peter insisted on being crucified upside down because he felt unworthy to die in the same manner as his Lord.

Like, Peter we can triumph over our fear! The death and resurrection of Christ sets us free to live our new life unhindered by the fears that characterized the old life. The presence and power of God in us through the Holy Spirit can banish the fear that so often seems to control us. The more we love and trust the Lord, the less power fear will have over us.

2025-03-13T12:13:13-06:00April 7th, 2025|

The Hall of Fame of Faith

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6

Hebrews 11 is the “hall of fame” of faith. It includes people like Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, and Noah. Today, we’ll talk about a few of these heroes of faith.

Noah: Faith for Your Family

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. (Hebrews 11:7)

God told him that He was going to send a flood. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. But right believing brings right living, and because Noah had faith, he was obedient to God. Put your hand on your heart and say, “I’ll never forget — faith obeys.”

So Noah built an ark, and everyone thought he was crazy. Everyone but his family, that is. His wife and sons believed that he heard from God. And by walking in faith, Noah saved his family. All the people who didn’t believe in God drowned, but Noah’s family was saved.

Noah leaves that legacy for us today—that his faith brought righteousness. When we believe God, He makes us righteous. Stop trying to do things to become righteous. Just obey His Word and have faith in His Word. God can save your household if you walk in faith. You can claim this promise.

Abraham: Faith for Provision

Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. (Genesis 22:13, KJV)

In Genesis 22, God spoke to Abraham and told him to take Isaac, the promised son who was born to him when he was 100 years old, and sacrifice him on Mount Moriah.

What must Abraham have been feeling? Hebrews 11:19 tells us Abraham believed that even if his son died, God would raise him from the dead. What?! Abraham believed in a resurrection before there was one?! Absolutely! I believe he was the first to believe.

Alone on the mountain, Isaac asked his father, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb?” And Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb.” God will provide. Abraham never took his eyes off the Father!

Once Abraham had prepared the fire and the wood, he put Isaac on the altar. And just in time, a voice spoke to him and said, “Lift up your eyes.” I would say that to you today! Get your eyes on what God can do rather than what your problem is. Lift up your eyes. Abraham did, and saw a ram caught in the thicket. God had provided the sacrifice!

Do you realize that at the same time Abraham and Isaac were going up Mount Moriah, the ram was coming up the other side? When we’re going up the mountain, God has a provision coming up to meet us! Abraham substituted the ram for Isaac and called God a very special name: Jehovah-Jireh, which means the God who provides. But it’s more than just provides. It means the God who sees ahead and has a provision for us!

Rahab: Faith Comes by Hearing and Believing

By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace. (Hebrews 11:31)

So, how does one receive faith? Let’s look at the life of Rahab (see Joshua 2 and 6)? She, along with all of Jericho’s inhabitants, had heard about the God of the Hebrews, but Rahab alone heard and believed. Not only did she believe in her heart, but she confessed it with her mouth and acted out her faith by hiding the Israelite spies.

Faith does come by hearing God’s Word (see Romans 10:17). But many people hear God’s Word and don’t believe it, so they don’t get its benefits.

Because of Rahab’s willingness to believe what she had heard, she was rewarded beyond her wildest imagination. When the rest of Jericho was destroyed, the walls of Rahab’s dwelling remained standing — as a testimony to her belief in God’s Word.

We can hear God’s Word continually, but until we believe what we hear and then act on it, it is not profitable to us. When you hear the Word of God, don’t just casually receive it in your mind. Meditate on it. Accept it and receive it as a special message from God to you. Then use it to benefit your life.

Just as Noah’s faith saved his household and Abraham’s faith saved Isaac, the first thing Rahab did when she made a covenant with the Israelites was to ask protection for her family (see Joshua 2:12-13). When you get saved, you want your whole family to be saved. When we become faithful followers of Christ, meditating on His Word day and night, God will bless us and make our homes prosperous.

2025-02-27T11:15:50-07:00March 24th, 2025|

How To Stand in Faith and Victory

First Position of Victory:  Stand Praying

Now is the time to STAND and see your victory.  Jesus told us, “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him…” Mark 11:25 (NKJ).  So, our first position of victory is to stand praying.  And when we pray, we must forgive those who have wronged us.  You cannot stand in victory if you harbor unforgiveness in your heart.

According to Colossians 4:12, prayers should cause us to “…stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.”  Prayer matures and perfects our Christian faith.  Whenever we encounter obstacles to our faith that refuse to move, we need to go to prayer and learn what it is that is hindering us from walking in complete victory.

How long do we stand in prayer?  Until we change the circumstances around us!

Second Position of Victory:  Stand Fast on the Word

Our second position of victory is to stand fast on the Word of God.  Psalms 111:8 says, “They [God’s commandments] stand fast forever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.”

Paul said something similar about standing when he wrote to the Ephesians: “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness” Ephesians 6:14 (NKJ).  We must take our stand on the truth standing on the Word with the breastplate of righteousness.  And if we try to stand on the Word, but live in an ungodly way, it won’t work.  Truth and righteousness go hand in hand—you can’t be a winner while you’re living in sin.  God’s Word will always point you to holiness as the way to stand in faith.

Third Position of Victory:  Stand for Holiness

To stand for righteousness is to stand against evil.  Psalms 94:16 says, “Who will rise up for me against the evildoers?  Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?”  God is calling us to take a stand for Him—to make a bold stand for holiness in our own lives and within our country.  Someone has said, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything!”

Queen Esther took a stand that could have cost her very life!  Esther’s cousin, Mordecai, told her of an evil plot to wipe out all the Jews in Persia.  Esther had to choose whether to take a stand by revealing her Jewish nationality to the king, or to remain silent and see her countrymen slain.  She chose to stand for what was right, and she came out victoriously.

People need to know where we stand.  They need to know that we are Christians—that we read our Bibles—that we pray—that we are faithful to our spouses.  Yes, we must make a stand for holiness.

Fourth Position of Victory:  Stand Fast in the Faith

Sometimes when I’ve been standing for something a long, long time, I start thinking, “It looks like this is never going to happen.”  Have you ever thought that?  Sometimes it seems that no matter how much you pray and confess the Word, discouragement hovers like a dark cloud.  That’s the time to heed Paul’s words in I Corinthians 16:13 “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.”

God hasn’t called us to be Christian “wimps”; so, when discouragement rolls in like the fog, that’s the time to stand in faith all the more.  To “be strong” means to keep exercising your faith moment-by-moment, hour-by-hour, and day-by-day.  When you feel faith ebbing away, feed your faith with more of the Word of God; the bread of life, and the water of the Spirit will strengthen you to stand fast in faith.

Fifth Position of Victory:  Stand Together

Standing in prayer, standing fast on the Word, standing for holiness, and standing fast in the faith are all things that you can do alone.  You cannot end this year in faith, however, until you’ve learned to stand together.  I need you, and you need me.

As great as Moses was, he wasn’t able to lead the Jews alone.  Over one million Israelites had left Egypt under Moses’ direction, but the responsibilities of governing that many people were too much for one man.  God’s solution is found in Numbers 11:16: “So the Lord said to Moses:  Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you.”

Like Moses, God intends for us to help one another and stand with one another.  Ask of us have financial, physical, mental, material, and spiritual needs.  We can’t meet all those needs ourselves, but we can stand for one another’s need and watch God work!

I know of a woman who had cancer, and the doctors told her she had one month to live.  A group of Christians went to her and began to pray.  Nothing happened at first, but they just kept praying and fasting.  The woman couldn’t do anything for herself by this time, but the group of Christians wouldn’t give up.  Finally, 20 days later, she was able to eat some lettuce, and then some bread, and then some…

You know how this story ends—eventually that woman overcame cancer.  She’s alive and serving God today because she didn’t stand alone.  As we stand together, God is able to get the greater victories.

IF YOU want to end this year in victory, find other Christians who will stand in prayer—stand fast on the Word—stand for holiness—and stand fast in the faith with you.  The devil doesn’t have a chance when we’re standing together to defeat him!

Sixth Position of Victory:  Stand as a Conqueror

The last stand you must take is found in Ephesians 6:13: “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.”  The “evil day” is whenever you have a crisis!  And in that day, you’re to put on God’s armor from head to foot and then STAND—as a conqueror!

We are stand as conquerors by faith and by saying—and saying—God’s Word!  Get others to say the Word for you too.  Stand together, and speak the Word for each other.

As you stand in prayer—and on the Word—and for holiness—it’s as a conqueror.  And when you stand fast in the faith and stand together, IT WILL BE AS A CONQUEROR!  Live each day from a position of victory, and you will end this year in faith.

2024-12-04T11:54:21-07:00December 9th, 2024|

Mountain Moving Faith

Do your prayers move mountains, mole hills or nothing at all? Would you like to see the mountain of defeat, depression and heartache lifted? Today you will put an end to defeat; you will MOVE MOUNTAINS!

In Mark 11:23, Jesus taught,

“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.”

When was the last time you spoke to the mountains that have covered your heart? God didn’t say, “Pray to Me and I will remove them.” The Word commands us to speak to them and tell them what to do. What is bothering you? Right now, address the problem in the name of Jesus and tell in to be removed and cast into the sea. Whenever the problem tries to resurface, speak the Word against it and command it to be removed. Believe that what you say will come to pass; believe that your commands will move your mountains of problems and circumstances.

When you pray, don’t pray the problem; pray the answer to the problem. Jesus said, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”

Pray the things that your heart desires. MOVE YOUR MOUNTAINS today, and call rivers of joy into your heart.

2024-09-19T06:34:42-06:00October 7th, 2024|

Pray to Change the World

“Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many
to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.” (Daniel 12:3)

Do you want to shine as the brightness of the firmament, full of God’s glory? You will reap vast, eternal riches when you pray for nations. Perhaps you cannot personally go and minister God’s Word in the uttermost parts of the earth, but your prayers will touch the people who are there; and they can touch the people who bring the gospel into those countries.

God is even preparing the hearts of the people for whom He wants you to pray. Therefore, it is important for you to esteem His priorities and to pray for nations:

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. (1 Timothy 2:1–2)

You may ask, “How do I do that?” You can obey this Scripture by praying each day for a nation and for that nation’s leader. Today is President’s Day in the United States, so you can begin by lifting up our president and his staff. Here are some guidelines that God has given us for effective prayer.

  1. Pray that decisions against the gospel will be brought to confusion. Psalm 109:29 says, “Let my accusers . . . cover themselves with their own disgrace as with a mantle.” We must put the devil’s work to confusion because a house divided against itself cannot stand.
  2. Pray that leaders who live in spiritual darkness will receive a personal message of God’s love and repent of their evil ways. Second Chronicles 33 tells about Manasseh, who was so evil that history says he had the prophet Isaiah sawed in half. After 55 years of wickedness, the Assyrians took Manasseh and his nation into captivity. While in prison, Manasseh sought God and repented of his evil. God restored Manasseh to the throne, and he led the entire nation to repentance! Likewise, we should never look at any ruler and say, “He will never change.”
  3. Pray that leaders will find knowledge and wisdom in God’s Word. I pray this Scripture for our president every day: “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes” (Proverbs 21:1). When you claim this verse for those in authority, you are loosing the power of God’s divine direction on their behalf.
  4. Pray that leaders in war-torn nations will grow weary of bloodshed. I believe that spirits of violence cause leaders to become power-hungry. Bind these powers, principalities, and rulers of darkness in the name of Jesus; exalt the name of Jesus over those nations (Ephesians 6:12). Pray that war-torn countries will find rest and peace in Jesus!
  5. Pray that leaders will know that their earthly kingdoms were given by God. Nebuchadnezzar ruled the greatest empire that the world had ever known (see Daniel 2). One day, he exalted himself and said, “Look at this great kingdom that I built!” Even history acknowledges that the man went stark-raving mad. Seven years later, he looked up to heaven, began praising the Lord, and his sanity returned! Fervently pray that rulers will praise God—not themselves!

By faith, you can decree salvation unto the uttermost parts of the earth (see Hebrews 11:33). Decree the salvation of nations by faith—your faith pleases the Lord. Dedicate yourself to pray for the nations in the uttermost parts of the earth. Your intercession can turn nations to eternal righteousness, and you will shine as the stars forever and ever!

This blog post is excerpted from Marilyn’s 101-day devotional, Beautiful Inheritance.

2024-02-14T11:08:28-07:00February 19th, 2024|

The Conclusion of the Matter

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. Ecclesiastes 12:13

Ecclesiastes is a beautiful book. It starts with groaning, but it ends with joy. We can groan a lot, but if we can get hold of the joy of the Lord, it will be our strength for this life.

You say, “Where’s Jesus in this? Is Jesus in here, in the midst of all the vanity and groaning?” Oh yes! If you look at chapter 12, at the 11th verse, it says: “The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd.” A goad is a stick or a cattle-prod, something used to move you in the right direction. So the words of the Shepherd will give us direction, and they’ll hold us tight like a well-driven nail. We can hang our life on the Shepherd’s words. Notice the capital “S” for Shepherd. Jesus is the Good Shepherd referred to in this Scripture!

In Ecclesiastes, we see Solomon look for satisfaction in everything but God, but in the final chapter he comes back to the living God; he saw the Son, the Shepherd King, and it transformed his life. I believe when we get to Heaven, we can sit down with Solomon and he can tell you, “I tried everything and it was empty, but when I got hold of Jesus, I knew that was life and life abundant.”

Solomon’s final conclusion is that the whole of life is to fear God, to keep His commandments, and to live forever with Him. This is the chief thing in life and the only eternally rewarding thing. Don’t spend your life frivolously looking for a purpose. Find God’s purpose for your life!

2023-09-20T11:47:01-06:00October 23rd, 2023|

The Hall of Fame of Faith

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6

Hebrews 11 is the “hall of fame” of faith. It includes people like Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, and Noah. Today, we’ll talk about a few of these heroes of faith.

Noah: Faith for Your Family

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. (Hebrews 11:7)

God told him that He was going to send a flood. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. But right believing brings right living, and because Noah had faith, he was obedient to God. Put your hand on your heart and say, “I’ll never forget — faith obeys.”

So Noah built an ark, and everyone thought he was crazy. Everyone but his family, that is. His wife and sons believed that he heard from God. And by walking in faith, Noah saved his family. All the people who didn’t believe in God drowned, but Noah’s family was saved.

Noah leaves that legacy for us today—that his faith brought righteousness. When we believe God, He makes us righteous. Stop trying to do things to become righteous. Just obey His Word and have faith in His Word. God can save your household if you walk in faith. You can claim this promise.

Abraham: Faith for Provision

Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. (Genesis 22:13, KJV)

In Genesis 22, God spoke to Abraham and told him to take Isaac, the promised son who was born to him when he was 100 years old, and sacrifice him on Mount Moriah.

What must Abraham have been feeling? Hebrews 11:19 tells us Abraham believed that even if his son died, God would raise him from the dead. What?! Abraham believed in a resurrection before there was one?! Absolutely! I believe he was the first to believe.

Alone on the mountain, Isaac asked his father, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb?” And Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb.” God will provide. Abraham never took his eyes off the Father!

Once Abraham had prepared the fire and the wood, he put Isaac on the altar. And just in time, a voice spoke to him and said, “Lift up your eyes.” I would say that to you today! Get your eyes on what God can do rather than what your problem is. Lift up your eyes. Abraham did, and saw a ram caught in the thicket. God had provided the sacrifice!

Do you realize that at the same time Abraham and Isaac were going up Mount Moriah, the ram was coming up the other side? When we’re going up the mountain, God has a provision coming up to meet us! Abraham substituted the ram for Isaac and called God a very special name: Jehovah-Jireh, which means the God who provides. But it’s more than just provides. It means the God who sees ahead and has a provision for us!

Rahab: Faith Comes by Hearing and Believing

By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace. (Hebrews 11:31)

So, how does one receive faith? Let’s look at the life of Rahab (see Joshua 2 and 6)? She, along with all of Jericho’s inhabitants, had heard about the God of the Hebrews, but Rahab alone heard and believed. Not only did she believe in her heart, but she confessed it with her mouth and acted out her faith by hiding the Israelite spies.

Faith does come by hearing God’s Word (see Romans 10:17). But many people hear God’s Word and don’t believe it, so they don’t get its benefits.

Because of Rahab’s willingness to believe what she had heard, she was rewarded beyond her wildest imagination. When the rest of Jericho was destroyed, the walls of Rahab’s dwelling remained standing — as a testimony to her belief in God’s Word.

We can hear God’s Word continually, but until we believe what we hear and then act on it, it is not profitable to us. When you hear the Word of God, don’t just casually receive it in your mind. Meditate on it. Accept it and receive it as a special message from God to you. Then use it to benefit your life.

Just as Noah’s faith saved his household and Abraham’s faith saved Isaac, the first thing Rahab did when she made a covenant with the Israelites was to ask protection for her family (see Joshua 2:12-13). When you get saved, you want your whole family to be saved. When we become faithful followers of Christ, meditating on His Word day and night, God will bless us and make our homes prosperous.

2023-09-20T11:37:34-06:00October 16th, 2023|

When Your Store of Faith is Nearly Depleted

Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality.  He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to Him and get what He is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help. (Hebrews 4:14-16 The Message)

As with anything of spiritual value, faith is the key to receiving.person sitting under tree in the fall

But what happens when your faith is sagging?

Are you disqualified from being blessed?

No! When your store of faith seems depleted, return to your Source.

Those we consider the strongest in faith rely heavily on the Father to fortify and guide them.

God is just fine with that.

His Word urges us to come to Him with all our needs.

What are some of your needs?

2019-08-20T13:05:23-06:00September 2nd, 2019|

Faith Must Always Produce a Work.

…And by works faith was made perfect (James 2:22 NKJV).

We can “talk” faith, but if we don’t have any fruit following it, we have not brought forth what God wants—our faith has not been perfected.

Sometimes we are so involved in our own little family that we forget Jesus was sent to feed the whole world. We are a part of not only a spiritual revival, but also a physical renewal. We cannot say to hungry children, “Be fed,” and then let them starve to death. Faith must always produce a work.Faith must always produce a work.

We cannot merely go around saying, “The Word works.” We must act like the Word works; then it will produce fruit. One night I was murmuring over a situation. My son Mike said, “Mother, you say that what things you desire when you pray, believe that you will receive them, and you shall have them. Have you really prayed for your need? If so, then don’t you really believe that you will have it?”

The Word was like an arrow to my heart. I then repented to the Father and my family for murmuring.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We come to You in Jesus’s name. We thank You that the Word is working in us and that we are not just “talking the Word, but also acting the Word. We are not “make-believers,” we are believers making the Word work. The you, Father, that you are perfecting our faith today.

In Jesus’s name.

Amen

2019-02-04T13:43:27-07:00February 11th, 2019|
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