Obedience Strategy: Confidence in God – Part 2

Proverbs 29:25 TPT tells us, “Fear and intimidation is a trap that holds you back. But when you place your confidence in the Lord, you will be seated in the high place.”

God has been unclogging pipes and straightening out kinks in us as He continues to bring us into the clear flow of His Spirit, rising from within as a fountain of life.

He doesn’t want us to miss our best season yet. 

Just as apostle Peter’s story didn’t end in foolishness and false pride, ours doesn’t have to either. 

Like Peter, we have the option to choose the multiplicity of extraordinary covenant blessings.

1 Thessalonians 5:5 MSG tells us, “You’re sons of Light, daughters of Day. We live under wide open skies and know where we stand.”

It’s time to cast our life-line into the river. 

And it’s just the beginning. 

How do I know this?

Early in the morning of October 7, 2020, The Lord gave me a dream:

In the dream, I stood across from my husband near a river’s edge. The expression on his face was one of delightful anticipation, as he held a fishing pole up on its base with one hand. His other hand held out the end of the line, which was tied to a freshly-baited hook. We stood ready to cast the line into the river. 

The revelation-understanding The Lord gave to me about this dream was this, which applies to my husband and I, as well as others: 

What used to adversely bait us, doesn’t anymore. 

God has flipped the script on the enemy: He has gloriously baited the hook of His gospel with His light andplaced it our hearts and hands to share. 

It’s now time to cast this life-line into the river to reel in treasure.

The fishermen who have honored God as first and center will receive His first-rate opportunities for first-fruit blessings (Je 17:7 MSG). 

When the harvest is reeled in, it will come with the added benefit of God’s finest salvation-provision to further build His Kingdom (Ze 9:12). 

Having been delivered into more of His light of truth, are you ready to trust God to stretch forth the light and life He gave you to build His Kingdom in new ways? 

God’s Glory-Presence is available, and He has an anointing just for you and your assignment (Ep 2:10).

Ephesians 2:10 TPT tells us, “We have become his poetry, a re-created people that will fulfill the destiny he has given each of us, for we are joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. Even before we were born, God planned in advance our destiny and the good works we would do to fulfill it!”

Do you know God as your Treasure?

Have you learned to honor Him in confident obedience (Matt 17:4-5)?

If you seek God with all your heart and obey Him, you have received revelation that opened your eyes of understanding to sow and receive Heaven’s best.

Like Peter, who once believed he was God’s favorite, later realized he was favored by grace to bestow blessings to others (Ac 10:33-35).

If you dwell with God, you have been transformed by the same Glorious Gospel with which you can more deeply and authentically reach others.

Like Peter, who initially lacked faith to cast out a demon from a boy, later walked in such faith and power that people were healed as his shadow fell upon them when he passed by (Matt 17:15-20, Ac 5:15-16). 

If you submit to God, you have been brought into obedience to go wherever God sends you and do whatever He reveals to you—depending upon Him, even if it’s unusual—to fulfill your divine destiny.

Like Peter, who once led a fishing trip without Jesus, later cast his net into the sea upon Jesus’ instruction to receive an overwhelming first-time, first-rate harvest that he was stretched to contain (Jn 21:3, 6, 11).

Friends, if God has carried you through a season of 1 Peter training, and you have passed your tests, it’s your time and your turn to receive more of God’s finest blessings.

Where you remained with Glorious God in the midst of Egypt and the wilderness and passed the humility and wisdom tests, you are being lifted by Him now in new, tangible ways (Ps 40:2). God delivered you and reversed your direction more toward His promises. Now, it’s time for His greatness in you to advance through you with greater impact to fulfill them. 

It’s time to cast your life-line to others. 

It’s time to put it out there.

Pray with me, if you will…

Lord, Thank You for Your goodness. Thank you for delivering us from captivity and adorning us with Your beauty. Thank You for carrying us through the last season so that You can now carry out Your instructions through and with us with greater impact (Matt 17:27). Thank You for open doors of opportunity. May our thoughts continue to be Your thoughts (Pr 16:3). As we cast our lines into Your waters, may Your harvest come in miraculously as we continue to honor You (Ps 31:24). Thank You, Lord, for giving us a loving heart made ready, like Peter, and a loving heart made determined, like King David in Psalm 119:65-68, 111-112 TPT, which say:

Your extravagant kindness to me makes me want to follow your words even more! Teach me how to make good decisions, and give me revelation-light, for I believe in your commands. Before I was humbled I used to always wander astray, but now I see the wisdom of your words. Everything you do is beautiful, flowing from your goodness; teach me the power of your wonderful words! Everything you speak to me is like joyous treasure, filling my life with gladness. I have determined in my heart to obey whatever you say, fully and forever!

To Your Glory, Lord.

In Jesus’ Mighty Name.

Amen.

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

Victory Strategy: Obedience – Part 2

One way God demonstrates His love for us is to give us victory over everything as we adhere to, rely on and trust in Him.

Romans 8:37 TPT tells us, “Yet even in the midst of all these things, we triumph over them all, for God has made us to be more than conquerors, and his demonstrated love is our glorious victory over everything!”

In Part 1 of this series, we learned that we receive this victory by faith-believing, which implies action.

So, we do have a part in our manifest victory.

We know that God is our source for victory based on Proverbs 21:31 TPT, which says, “ultimate victory comes from the Lord God.”

Psalm 20:7 TPT reiterates this by saying, “…Our boast is in the Lord our God, who makes us strong and gives us victory!”

Psalm 18:35 TPT tells us, “You empower me for victory with your wrap-around presence. Your power withinmakes me strong to subdue…”

Proverbs 4:9 TPT says, “You will be adorned with beauty and grace, and wisdom’s glory will wrap itself around you, making you victorious in the race.”

Friends, at the point where we invite Jesus into our broken places, we begin to experience victory.

Just like the woman at the well, who invited Jesus to share His victory with her, she ran with beautiful feet to proclaim the good news to her people (Ro 10:15, Is 61:1).

This is important to remember as we receive nations as our inheritance and carry His glory to make His Name known. 

Like Esther, who pushed against all odds to help rescue a nation of people, Psalm 44:5 TPT assures us that “Through [His] glorious name and [His} awesome power we can push through to any victory and defeat every enemy.”

So, in His compassion for us, even the distress and oppression established against nations must bow in the Presence of our Perfect Lamb.

Isaiah 61:4 further reveals that, “…they shall rebuild the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former desolations and renew the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.”

As I sought The Lord on this topic, He impress my heart with a particular message, which is this:

Those who are willing to depart from abominations that produce ashes, the ones who open their eyes and their hearts to Him and become convinced by faith-believing, will move from (abomi)nations to their inheritance of nations (Is 44). 

Like the woman at the well, once we let Jesus into every chamber of our hearts, shame and disgrace will go. Then, we will run with beautiful feet to nations as an evangelist, strengthened and made victorious by Jesus, to share His compassion with our inheritance-nations, as in Isaiah 61:1 ESV, which says, 

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;”

Lord, search our hearts (Ps 139:23-24)!

If there is any way in us that is displeasing, bring the conviction that leads us to repentance. 

Friends, we don’t want to miss this.

Unbelief feeds defeat. Strife is a snare and is rooted in a lack of true identity in Christ and a fear of man. Disrespect and defeat go hand in hand. They perpetuate a vicious trap. 

Proverbs 29:25 AMP reminds us that “The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in and puts his confidence in the Lord will be exalted and safe.”

So, we don’t have to abandon our place of rest to tend to someone else. 

This is important to remember as we move forward.

We can have compassion for others and not allow them to take advantage of our compassion and pull us down with them.

We can pray for others and put our full faith and trust in God alone to bring them up higher, based on their willingness. 

We can have respect for God’s process of sanctification, believing He will get them to maturity in Him, even as far as their full restoration in Heaven.

We can remain in a place of glorious victory-strength and extend grace to others, believing God is working as we interact and fulfill divine purpose.

Friends, when we love well, we bring life.

We respect others.

We must remember that we have been given a gift of victory, and that we fight from this place of victory, according to God’s Word.

2 Corinthians 2:14-15 AMPC say, “But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ’s victory] and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere,  For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ…”

I pray that we will live up to these promises. I pray that we will not give up and that we will run to our nations with beautiful feet. I pray that we will be finishers and that we will always remember the One who makes us victorious. 

To God be the glory.

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