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.