Category: Video-Devotions

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Justice: Legend & Legacy – Part 2

In Part 1 of this series, God highlighted that living justly is to live wise-heartedly, intelligently, skillfully and artfully and that doing so releases fresh beauty (chakam – Strong’s #2450).

Part 2 focuses on the faith factor.

Our key scripture is Hebrews 10:38 NKJV, which says that “Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”

The Word “just” (dikaios – Strong’s #1342) in this scripture means those who are approved and acceptable by faith, according to God. It means believers, whose faith is in God’s entirety—His identity, character and actions.

God’s standard is justice, to which we are transformed by faith and grace (Ro 12:2). In so doing, we build wholeness in our souls that will be expressed outwardly.

We will know this by God’s revealed wisdom.

Romans 1:17 TPT tells us that “This gospel unveils a continual revelation of God’s righteousness—a perfect righteousness given to us when we believe. And it moves us from receiving life through faith, to the power of living by faith…”

So, faith in God empowers us to live a just life, which is a wise—intelligent, skillful and beautiful life—in agreement with Him.

This faith in us is God’s faith in us, not something we conjure up. It is the substance of things hoped for, the title deed of what will surely come to pass as our inheritance. A guarantee.

Proverbs 1:23 TPT expresses this by asking us, “…Don’t you know that I’m ready to pour out my spirit of wisdom upon you and bring to you the revelation of my words that will make your heart wise?”

God has wisdom to release to us to help us live out our high purposes. So, it’s important to invest dedicated time with Him. God has tangible forms of justice, such as rewards, recompenses and restoration to give to us. So, it’s important to process all the way through what is necessary with God and not waste our growing pains.

Even though the process can feel long and difficult to our flesh, every time we move forward, we build justice into our souls and plant seeds of justice for generations.

Every time we move forward, we come up higher. We are lifted as we grow in grace and wisdom and faith as God reveals both a legend and a legacy of powerful blessing that honors Him, honors us and honors others. We are being strengthened in our Lord, which pleases Him and makes us more useful for greater exploits.

God calls us to go live in His light and sing His praises, not be confined under a bush. We are to blaze a trail with Him, touching others as He leads to set captives free so they, too, can live a captivating life and pass it on. This is freedom. This is true justice expressed as divine inheritance for those whose faith is in God.

So, pray with me if you will…

Dear Lord,

Thank You for Your gift of Justice, who is Your Son Himself and for life that comes by active faith in You (Ga 3:11).

Have mercy on us, Lord (Ps 86:3).

We desire to live a life of shalom wholeness, full of love, power and soundness of mind (2 Ti 1:7).

Your Word says that if we keep trusting in You, do what is right in Your eyes and fix our hearts on Your promises, we will dwell in the land and feast on Your faithfulness” (Ps 37:3 TPT).

So, help us discern truth from falsehood (1 Jn 4:6).

Help us to listen to Your Word of Truth and respond to it, so that it will always become like poetry written and fulfilled by our lives (Ja 1:22, Ro 2:13).

Open our eyes even more to see the benefits of Your ways (Ps 103:2, Mt 5:8).

Help us to live a just life by faith, where we experience Your blessings of justice in every area of our lives (He 10:38).

Help us to trust You as our Source, the One who brings it to pass (Ps 37:5).

Help us remember that Your burden is light and to remain in the light, leaving the heavy lifting to You (Mt 11:30, Ps 55:22).

Help us to not stray from Your will but remain in our lanes with our eyes fixed on You, the Perfecter of our faith (He 12:2).

Help us to remain confident that we will experience Your goodness in the land of the living (Ps 27:13, 116:9).

Help us to please You above all else by choosing Your righteousness and justice always (He 11:6).

Thank You, Lord, that You are the Rewarder of those who diligently seek You (He 11:6).

In Jesus’ Mighty Name,

Amen.

“Now may God, the fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him. And may the power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his super-abundance until you radiate with hope” (Ro 15:13 TPT)!

To God be the glory.

This devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, which includes iBelieve.com.

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Justice: Legend & Legacy – Part 1

One of the great blessings God gives us is justice. It is a covenant benefit, provided by Jesus’ sacrifice. When we receive He, who is our Justice, we receive it. In daily life here on earth, we will see divine justice come into place when we do things God’s way, not ours.

Just like with other virtues, such as faith, wisdom and grace, we can sow seeds of justice and grow in justice. So, if we desire to experience a God-level justice in our lives, we need to have a heart for Him and follow through in His ways. 

In this way, it’s possible, with God, to build a strong foundation of justice in our lives, as justice and righteousness are pillars of God’s throne (Ps 89:14). This said, it isn’t about rules. It’s about what’s right in God’s eyes.

The Word for justice in Hebrew (chakam) can mean wise or wise-hearted, intelligent, skillful or artful (Strong’s#2450). So, we see here that there is wisdom in justice and acting justly and that doing so releases fresh beauty.

Conversely, to act unjustly (foolishly) brings punishment (Pr 11:21, 19:9).

Therefore, when we experience an injustice, it’s important to ask our Lord, “What would You have me see and know in this?” It is possible God is using injustice to get our attention to repent of something we’re unaware of. It’s possible He is extending an invitation to us to come up higher and know Him and His ways better.

In this way, justice can be mapped out, so we can see our pathway more clearly. God will reveal His legend to us for the asking so we can walk out His best legacy—one He offers us as an inheritance (Ps 37:23). 

Divine justice is an expression of God’s goodness. It isn’t about what we deserve. It’s about His love for us and His spiritual laws at work on our behalves. 

This is why we sometimes see others getting blessed when we know about something unjust they have done. Their time of pressing may not have come yet. But their own actions will confront them in God’s way and time. 

Our Heavenly Father is faithful, no matter what we or others do. 

Just a couple of weeks ago, I did a small personal business transaction with a woman who proved to be unscrupulous in attitude and process. Earlier that same day, Holy Spirit revealed to me how to handle the situation by instructing me to not get bound up in the enemy’s snare through this woman. 

But when it all came down, I felt I had to stand for truth and warn others. Only this was not what God desired I do. My way seemed right. But God’s way was higher and involved not even engaging in the battle at all. In other words, I was to let it go and trust God to deal with it for me. 

This is not to suggest that we shouldn’t speak up as led by Holy Spirit. But there are times, like this, when we should pray, not engage in the provoke, and hand it over to God to fight it entirely.

God knows when the enemy tries to use people to provoke us into battles. These battles have consequences, because they are not initiated by our Lord. Any battle God does not send us into with a battle strategy is not from Him. It’s a provoke from the evil one designed to catch us up and away from all things Godly.

These are enemy attacks purposed to adversely affect our joy and momentum. They are designed to bind and destroy God’s abundance and fulfilled promises in our lives, especially when the time of manifestation is very near. It’s one of the devil’s finish-line strategies. 

However, even when we don’t get it completely right, God doesn’t leave us or forsake us. His mercies are new each day and they trump judgment. Therefore, God will use this type of test to grow us toward greater freedom on new levels and areas. He will invite us to lay down our limited views of His righteousness and justice and receive His true perspective and actions for the situation. 

Thankfully, God offers us an escape when we get ourselves into a bind. He’s that good to us.

Interestingly, shortly after this situation took place, I was at a local thrift store and saw three wood gavels laying on a shelf. Each one was a different size: small, medium and large. I smiled, because I knew God was showing me a pictorial of how He was working by growing me in His truth and justice and reminding me that He will take care of my situation.

So, how have you experienced God growing you in justice? Are you seeing and acting in His ways?

God has big, manifest blessings for us to grow into, even blessings of recompense. We don’t want to miss them by standing in our own way. We can choose to trust Him by faith and do the right and just thing.

So, pray with me, if you will…

Dear Lord, 

Thank You for helping us to stay on the path that You have commanded us to follow. So that we will live long and prosperous lives in the land we are about to enter and occupy (De 5:33).

In Jesus’ Mighty Name, 

Amen.

This devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, which includes iBelieve.com.

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Wisdom Strategy – Part 2

A couple of weeks ago, the moment I awakened, our Lord spoke to me saying, “You can use your bubble wrap to move or to cocoon yourself. Don’t get wrapped up.”

I understood exactly what He meant. And don’t you love it when God gives us the understanding with His Word in such a clever way that helps us overcome in the beginning of a new day?

To be sure, God is not only in the macro, He’s in the micro.

He knows what’s on our to do lists. He can forewarn us so we don’t get stuck on a single action item, where the enemy of our lives can try to drain our valuable time and energy that results in frustration and a feeling of defeat. This can be especially true in areas where we have impending deadlines and feel weary at the outset or feel that we have insufficient time or resources.

Since dread works to oppose hope, in pressing moments, we must remember that God always offers us balance and that His powerful mercy and grace will help us beyond our own abilities. Our God works to resolve unfinished business. And oftentimes, in the end, we realize our situations aren’t as bad as they seemed.

For me, I had returned from a long weekend away and was faced with a few impending deadlines. In fact, two of them were on the very day God spoke His wise Words to me. One of them was what I perceived as a very unpleasant task that needed immediate resolution. Another involved an ongoing project of packing up our home.

But what’s most important to remember is that our deadlines are part of our timelines. And our timelines are tied to our Lifeline, who is our Lord Jesus. He is our Hope and Peace. He is our Mercy and Grace. And He is faithful to move on our behalves.

An advantage God gave me, in addition to His wise Words on this particular morning, came in the fresh perspective I experienced when I returned home from my weekend away. I felt rejuvenated with a new energy for organizing and cleaning up piles of boxes and wrapping supplies. It all seemed much more manageable after I returned.

We know that transitions are messy. But God has a way of helping us see what needs to be tackled first in an effort to get on top and keep us ready. He doesn’t want us to feel bound up in what can look like a mountain before us but is really a small thing to God that He will help us through.

So, after I shared time with Him on this particular morning, praying and reading what He instructed me to read, I picked up my phone to see that the impending deadline that I was least looking forward to dealing with had improved.

I was reminded of James 1:17 AMP, which says that “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of lights [the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens], in whom there is no variation [no rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [for He is perfect and never changes].”

Also, Hebrews 13:21 AMP, which says that God will “equip you with every good thing to carry out His will and strengthen you [making you complete and perfect as you ought to be], accomplishing in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ…”

I knew faithful God was at work on my behalf. I knew that choosing to prioritize Him and dwell with Him helped my attitude and trumped the dread that the enemy tried to bring.

My most immediate deadline was resolved by the end of the day. And I didn’t have to do anything. God’s favor just lifted the yoke of it all for me (Is 10:27).

I was reminded that life is our portion every time and that God will always offer us a way of escape that works when we believe Him and follow through in His ways.

It’s important to remember, while in the midst, that our story isn’t over. And, just like God builds us in faith and grows us in grace, He also strengthens us in His wisdom in small ways to advance us.

The enemy may try to set traps for us in an effort to hinder us from progressing into all God has for us in our next assignments. But God will offer us an advantage by revealing His wisdom in both our simplest and most complex issues.

James 1:5 TPT reminds us that “if anyone longs to be wise, ask God for wisdom and he will give it! He won’t see your lack of wisdom as an opportunity to scold you over your failures but he will overwhelm your failures with his generous grace.”

Therefore, sometimes, our best prayer can be, “Lord, help me get through this. Show me the way. Give me Your wisdom on this.”

Sometimes, we need to take a moment to resolve in our hearts and declare that we are not defeated but destined for victory with faithful God. Then choose to walk in it every moment, knowing we’ll receive that for which we believe when we put our faith wholly in Him (Mt 8:13).

To God be the glory.

This devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, which includes iBelieve.com.

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Wisdom Strategy – Part 1

We see it all around: ungodly attempts of domination, both subtle and sudden. From hostile workplaces to outright wars of genocide in the world. Control. Rape. Extermination of people groups. Nations.

It’s all opposition to God’s way of apprehending dominion.

Isaiah 56 TPT calls “corrupt leaders” devourers, saying they are blind, dumb, asleep, greedy, ignorant, undiscerning, selfish and drunk as they snowball into a vortex of destruction (vs 9-12).

Clearly, evil is on the losing end, as scheming perpetrators perpetuate a death spiral for themselves, just as Haman and his sons were hung on their own gallows (Es 9:25). This includes acts of deception, such as seductive manipulation, as forms of witchcraft, as well as slander and envy, as forms of murder.

But, no matter what, God’s people can choose to remain in His truth and honor Him (Is 56: 4). We can take the high road. We can find Jesus in the midst as our exodus. Our lifter. Our One True King. Our Savior from all evil.

Holy Spirit offers us a wisdom advantage more powerful than that which comes against us. 1 Corinthians 2:7 reveals that this “wisdom [is] a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.”

This wisdom is available to God’s people to give us an advantage to live out His best life for us. This benefit for victory requires seeking Him, hearing from Him and carrying out His strategies. It requires courage. Backbone. And steadfastness in His ways.

This is the same wisdom that the undiscerning ones consider to be foolish as in 1 Corinthians 2:14 NIV, which says that “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”

So, this timely truth reveals that God always outsmarts our enemies; and we can, too, when we hear from Him and carry out His plans without compromise.

Anyone who has ever walked through a Joseph journey can attest to remaining strong in our Lord from jail to justice. God will set us up to reign above it all when we humble ourselves unto Him and do what’s right (Is 56:1).

His wisdom is strategy, which is critical in war. Obeying Him in battle means syncing with His power for life.

God sees the full panoramic view inside and out. He knows the motive of every heart and leads those who trust Him into victory. Even in ways that don’t make sense.

Consider Elijah.

In 1 Kings 19, God repeatedly directs Elijah back to confront the ungodly domination from where he fled. This involved facing a death camp of prophets. So, there was a direct enemy threat against him that God would overrule as Elijah went forth in obedience.

Queen Jezebel and her passive-aggressive husband, King Ahab, operated under a false spiritual rulership. But God made Himself known as supreme Ruler through Elijah.

Elijah heard from God, followed His instructions and felt empowered to shift from feeling defeated to leading victory for God’s people (1 Ki 21). As Elijah acted on faith, he broke through impossible strongholds by following God’s revealed wisdom. Elijah was positioned for this advantage from the beginning (Ep 1:11 AMP).

He came to see that no evil was too big for faithful God to throw down. God’s spiritual laws of sowing and reaping rule, regardless of whether people are aware of this truth. The foolishly unrepentant are no match for God as they bring destruction on themselves.

Like with Elijah, and so many others, God’s mercy offers us the beauty of endurance to be made strong in Him during tough times that extend into a lasting legacy of honor, both in place and name (Is 56:5 TPT). God will bestow upon us a legacy of honor when we wisely remain in His truth and worship. We will live in His outward expressions of joy and honor above former fears that tried to bind us.

God will flip attacks and disempower the enemy. He will turn our rejection into remembrance when we put Him first.

He is our hope of powerful glory that never gives up. Therefore, it is critical that we remain close to Him, know His Word, His way and our true identity in Him. When we follow through in His revealed wisdom, we will always be advantaged for greater.

And when we keep our eyes on Him, over time, our love grows greater beyond limitations, even un-forgiveness. It’s in this place of dwelling that we find our greatest treasure.

So, pray with me if you will…

Dear Lord,

Thank You that, through Your wisdom, You have given us an advantage to live out our destinies, as evil implodes itself. Thank You for fighting nonstop on our behalves. Please continue to open our ears and eyes and enable us to receive Your revelation-understanding, Your wisdom that positions us for victory in You. For Your glory, Lord. We choose to trust You.

In Jesus’ Mighty Name,

Amen.

This devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, which includes iBelieve.com.

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Authentic Heart

God’s Word wisely advises us to not be anxious about our lives in general (Lk 12:22). To not be anxious about tomorrow (Mt 6:34). To not even worry about what we will say (Mk 13:11). Or worry about how we will defend ourselves (Lk 12:11).

We strive to be daughters and sons after God’s own heart, like David, and to be courageously wholehearted, like Caleb. Because we know that God has given us the ability to move from anxiety to authenticity with His help as He constantly works on our behalves to bring us into wholeness.

So, how do we get from anxiety to authenticity to live out God’s abundant life for us as a battle of good over evil, light over darkness and Holy Spirit over flesh (Jn 10:10)?

His Word offers us a strategy against an anxious heart in Philippians 4:6 AMP, which says, “Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God.”

Therefore, God’s process to go from anxiety to authenticity is to pray and petition Him with gratitude. No matter what, everything we face in life can be willfully processed in this faithful attitude.

It begins with the heart of Jesus in us, His spiritually born-again ones, and ends in the fullness of victory when we return home to Heaven.

The middle involves diligently growing in holiness by increasingly receiving God’s virtuous characteristics and ways into our souls to become more like Him and see ourselves from His perspective so we can know and do His will.

Colossians 1:23 TPT wisely advises us to “…continue to advance in faith, assured of a firm foundation to grow upon. Never be shaken from the hope of the gospel you have believed in.”

So, our best life is firmly rooted in a foundation of faith in our One True God, on which we can choose to stand and trust that He and His ways will work out His goodness for us, no matter what comes and goes.

It’s a lifelong journey that includes a timeline of trusting God enough to give up lesser things and reach higher to become like Him; and partner with Him to fulfill His calling and complete specific divine assignments (Ma 25:21).

On the contrary, anxiety works with the enemy to facilitate lack. Anxiety is propelled by fear and rooted in lies. Acting out of fear and lies is the opposite of operating out of love and truth, which causes us to move in a wrong direction from what God originally intended.

Since we reap what we sow, living in lies grows weeds of falsehood, including insecurity and pretense. This pretense is a facade of sin that works against the powerful shield of faith Jesus died to give us. This sin produces death in various forms.

But we don’t have to bring trouble on ourselves. Proverbs 28:26 TPT says that “when you lean on the wisdom from above, you will have a way to escape the troubles of your own making.”

Therefore, we will come to know God’s abundant life as we choose Him as first priority in all things (Ma 6:33).

To do this, we must “set” our “minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Co 3:2 NIV). This means remaining in God’s Word and Spirit of Presence.

So, since we become what we worship and attract what we worship, our best life comes from worshipping the only authentic High God worthy of worship.

We don’t have to settle for less.

Our wise, truthful, eternally gracious and merciful God, who is Love Himself, is for us, not against us. He desires that we experience Him in such depth of relationship that we release false burdens and find perfect rest in our dependency on Him as our faithful source to meet all of our needs.

It’s not about figuring it out on our own, which would be self-reliant. Proverbs 28:26 TPT tells us that “self-confident know-it-alls will prove to be fools.”

And, we don’t have to step on others to achieve anything. This would involve a lack mentality.

Rather, it’s about humbling ourselves before God to agree with Him and partner with Him His way. It’s about exploring, with enthusiasm, His how as we journey with Him. We can enjoy the adventure when we believe Him at His Word.

We must remember that His very life covenant, for which He died, was to bless us—to enable us to receive greater life than we deserve or can even imagine on earth as it is in Heaven. It’s a choice we make every moment of every day.

He invites us to invite Him, as the source of faith in us, to prove out His faithfulness in all areas of our lives.

So, do you trust Him at His Word for this true flow of life?

If not, ask Holy Spirit to reveal what you are believing that is working counter to His best plan for you. Then repent of having believed that lie. Renounce it. Turn back To God and His truth. Decide to take courage and agree with Him above all else, no matter what. And walk out your best life with your best attitude in agreement with Him.

Pray with me if you will…

Dear Lord,

Thank You for Your love for us. We renounce all lies of the evil one and choose to agree with You. Thank You that Your Word is faithful and true. It does not return void. It will go forth to accomplish the purpose and mission You sent it out to do (Is 55:11).

Show us Your glory, Lord, and help us to “feast on all the treasures of the heavenly realm and fill” our “thoughts with heavenly realities…not with the distractions of the natural realm” (Co 3:2 TPT).

Help us to take courage and yield to Your spirit, not our flesh. Help us depend on You, not on our own understanding (Pr 3:5). Help us to see as You see, to walk with You and to dwell with You every moment of the day. Help us to experience complete freedom in Your truth as You continue to establish it in our lives.

Thank You, Lord, for Your grace upon grace for taking us from glory to glory, from victory to victory. Thank You that we don’t have to worry about our days ahead, because You are faithful to Your Word.

Have Your way, Lord. Get us precisely where You desire we be. For Your glory.

In Jesus’ Mighty Name,

Amen.

And now, “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Ro 15:13).

This devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, which includes iBelieve.com.