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!