Legend or Legacy – Part 2

Jesus is our hope of glory. Our source for glorious living. 

He made a way for our true heritage, which means our freedom and citizenship of His covenant promise (Ep 2:12).

Colossians 1:27 TPT assures us that “Living within you is the Christ who floods you with the expectation of glory! This mystery of Christ, embedded within us, becomes a heavenly treasure chest of hope filled with the riches of glory for his people, and God wants everyone to know it!”

Recently, during quiet time with The Lord, I believe He revealed to me that, in addition to bringing prodigals home, He is also bringing His people closer to Him through high levels of global influence. He is also miraculously restoring businesses and land ownership (De 28:11).

Beyond the Covid-19 situation.

With past, present and future at heart, I believe God is making a way for His beloved followers to receive far-reaching generational blessings, particularly in the area of family, property and business. 

Blessings that have been locked up and have even skipped a generation or more. Legacy blessings of recompense linked with family members who had to sell their homes against their heart’s desire. 

Divine blessings of business ownership through wells that have been re-dug. Some involving renewed partnerships that will bring new levels of financial restoration to their family bloodline.

Kinsman-redeemer assignments for those who can be trusted with God’s wealth to build His Kingdom.

I believe The Lord has revealed to me that these life-changing restorations will come into manifestation as He lifts our limitations, with some major shifts coming full circle in the Jubilee Year of 2025 (Ez 46:16-18).

Habakkuk 2:3 MSG says, “…This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait! And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It will come right on time.”

Friends, it’s time to allow God to define our path and guide us into all truth (Jn 16:13).

It’s time to take the limits off, and let God re-set our boundaries to carefully and strategically position us to receive more of our legacy. 

Romans 12:2 TPT instructs us to “Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.”

So, it’s time for false shields and fantasies (false legends) to go.

It’s time to overcome old mindsets and negative emotions that have held us back.

2 Corinthians 10:5 TPT tells us that “We can demolish every deceptive fantasy that opposes God and break through every arrogant attitude that is raised up in defiance of the true knowledge of God. We capture, like prisoners of war, every thought and insist that it bow in obedience to the Anointed One.”

Many have already been tried in tribulation and are ready to step into the accelerated soaring of God’s blessings. 

Doing it God’s way in His time.

Rest assured, where one door closes, another door to new life will open. 

God wills to honor His beloved followers, who honor Him, with manifest multiplicity. 

In serendipitous ways.

Isaiah 55:9 AMPC reminds us that “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Friends, God has covenant blessings to release.

This is dream-come-true stuff.

I’ve-waited-a-long-time stuff.

Ephesians 3:20 AMPC tells us, “Now to Him Who, by…the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams].”

Friends, God wills to fully-resource His Kingdom through those who have a Kingdom mindset: Mature followers who have received their worth as a child of God, and can, therefore, can be trusted with valuables to continue a Godly legacy personally and professionally.

We are to enter into our new divine assignments with humility, as an offering unto The Lord. 

Job 22:21 instructs us to “Submit to God and be at peace with Him; in this way prosperity will come to you.”

Commitment will be necessary. 

The Word will continue to be an energizing force in us who believe (1 Th 2:13). 

James 1:25 NKJV tells us, “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”

We must choose to trust God, and carry on in righteous living, which is by bold faith and obedience.

Philippians 4:19 AMPC reminds us that “…God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Friends, it’s time to awaken, because it’s time to join our Lord at the banquet. 

So, pray with me if you will…

Dear Lord, 

You are my inheritance. You, Lord, are my portion. I repent of idolizing any false legend, and I renounce all cultural opinions and traditions that are against Your will and way for my life. Thank You for Your rich mercy. I choose to receive it and honor You over false treasures. Lord, please help me live as Your righteous heir, receiving Your first-rate provision, not second best. I choose to enter into Your callings and assignments as an offering to You. Help me to receive every blessing You have for me and nothing that’s not of You. 

Thank You, Lord that “You have heard my sweet resolutions to love and serve You, for I am your beloved. And You have given me an inheritance of rich treasures, which You give to all Your lovers” (Ps 61:5 TPT).

In Jesus’ Mighty Name, 

Amen. 

And now, I pray, Lord, that You will send a plentiful rain to restore and confirm Your heritage where it languished and was weary (Ps 68:9).

And I pray that You will unveil within us the unlimited riches of Your glory and favor until supernatural strength floods our innermost being with Your divine might and explosive power (Ep 3:16).

I pray that You will flood our hearts with light, so we can know and understand the hope to which You have called us, and how rich is Your glorious inheritance in us saints, who are Your set-apart ones (Ep 1:18).

In Jesus’ Mighty Name. 

Amen. 

This video-devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, including i.Believe.com.

Legend or Legacy – Part 1

Very recently, The Lord revealed to me that He wills to re-write people’s heritage and bring us from legend to legacy with inward to outward manifestations of His great blessings.

God wills to change our genealogy and give us a legacy that will never be outdated. 

This fruitful increase of authenticity invites us into a more renewed mind and resurrected life on earth. 

An enthroned life for His glory.

God is doing a new and purposed thing (Is 43:19).

He is awakening His bride even more for a banquet (Ma 22:2, 25:7, 10).

And it’s just beginning.

We know that when we become born again into God’s Kingdom, through the grace of Jesus Christ, we begin a new heavenly heritage. 

The word “heritage” can mean (Encarta):

  • Something someone is born into.
  • Legal inheritance.
  • Riches of the past.

As His redeemed, we understand that we become heirs to receive rich spiritual and physical blessings from the Ancient of Days (Da 7:22).

James 1:17 tells us that “Every good gift and every perfect (free, large, full) gift is from above…from the Father of all [that gives] light, in [the shining of] Whom there can be no variation [rising or setting] or shadow cast…”

1 Timothy 6:17 TPT describes God as “…the one who lavishes upon us all good things, fulfilling our every need.”

Like heritage, legacy can also mean “inheritance.” And legacy can be specific. 

Legacy means (Webster’s):

  • “A gift by will, especially of money or other personal property.”
  • “Something…received from…a predecessor or from the past.”

Friends, what dream has God placed deeply in your heart that you’ve been expecting Him to fulfill? 

This is a legacy He wills for you.

Are you ready to receive the true blessings God wills to hand down?

God knows when we are ready.

On the other hand, the word “legend” brings to mind super heroes, cowboys, athletes, movie stars and, well, intriguing stories passed down in families through generations.

But although legends are well-known among family members or society-at-large, the stories contain an unverifiable element. In fact, a definition of “legend” is the word “myth.” And a synonym of “legend” is the word “fictitious” (Webster’s). In the case of celebrities, by definition, they are legends, because they are admired for their talent or skill, which, of course, God gave them (Encarta).

A biblical example of a legend as story is in Matthew 28:11-15 TPT, which says:

After the women left the tomb, a few of the guards went into Jerusalem and told the chief priests everything they had seen and heard. So, the chief priests called a meeting with all the religious leaders and came up with a plan. They bribed the guards with a large sum of money and told them, “Tell everyone, ‘While we were asleep, his disciples came at night and stole his body!’ If Pilate finds out about this, don’t worry. We’ll make sure you don’t get blamed.” So, they took the money and did as they were told. (That is why the story of the guards is still circulated among the Jews to this day.)

Those guards opposed holy angels. Those chief priests opposed Jesus. Their character and actions were false, not favorable. Their version of a legend included a false plan with a false “gift” (a bribe), in a false power, with a false expectation.

The story they concocted perpetuated a lie. 

In this way, legends can steer people away from God and His destiny for them.

James 1:16 AMPC says, “Do not be misled, my beloved brethren.”

Because legends can set a false expectation from a false standard, they can also breed a mentality of false entitlement.

At their worst, legends can adversely affect people’s faith. 

The kind of faith God gives us is our true title-deed—the guarantee of His fulfillment of His promises in our lives.

God wills to free us of false hope, even traces of unbelief and misplaced faith. He wills to awaken our hope and faith in Him to guide us into all of His truth and fulfill His promises in our lives for His glory. 

We are to make Him famous. So, that means a shift of our focus. 

God also wills for us to remember Him when we are blessed. 

So, there’s no need to compromise true legacy to a legend, since God has higher for us.

God’s standard is holiness.

A heritage of holiness that brings Him glory.

God wills to bring us into greater purity to enable us to receive “life real and genuine…A life active and vigorous, devoted to God…even in this world [for] those who put their trust in Christ…A happy life and every kind of blessing” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon).

For those of us who are walking through or have walked through refiner’s fire, and those of us who have waited for what feels like a long time, this gives us hope.

God wills to make things right for us by first making them right in us and through us. 

He alone is our best standard. 

God wills to make our soul strong enough in Him to stand in His higher blessings. 

James 1:12 AMPC assures us that “Blessed (happy, to be envied) is the man who is patient under trial and stands up under temptation, for when he has stood the test and been approved, he will receive [the victor’s] crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him.”

The kind of life in this scripture is zóé life, which means resurrection life on earth as well as in Heaven.

In other words, it is the Spirit of Christ, who is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Grace, living in and through us (Ro 8:9).

2 Corinthians 8:9 AMPC tells us, “For you have experienced the extravagant grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was infinitely rich, he impoverished himself for our sake, so that by his poverty, we could become rich beyond measure.”

The word “rich” here means to be “filled by having God’s muchness” and includes both spiritual and material provisions (HELPS Word-studies).

Friends, I encourage you to keep the faith, because God wills to build us to handle our new heritage and legacy forward. It is a worthwhile inheritance that is abundantly supplied and fully resourced by grace through faith. One that we can enjoy and leave behind for His glory. 

Join me next week for the continuation of Legend Or Legacy.

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

Captivity to Freedom – Part 2

God’s Word tells us that true freedom is victory in Jesus (Ac 2:24, Lk 4:18). 

And God’s Word never fails (Is 40:8).

In Jeremiah 1:12 AMPC God says, “…I am alert and active, watching over My word to perform it.”

So, although the enemy of our soul may try to ensnare us, God’s anointed Word cannot be bound (2 Ti 2:9). It is continually at work in us and around us to deliver us into more of His freedom by His Spirit. 

2 Corinthians 3:17 AMPC says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom).

Since Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, who lives in God’s saints, when we believe Him at His Word by faith, He guides us into all truth, which sets us free from bondage (Jn 16:13). 

Matthew 11:6 AMPC says that “…blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is he who…is not hindered from seeing the Truth.”

Hebrews 4:12 AMPC says, “For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.”

Friends, we need to wrap our “minds around the riches of God, the depth of his wisdom, and the marvel of his perfect knowledge” as He wraps His Presence around us (Ro 11:33). We need to wear our blood-bought hope (assurance) of salvation like a protective helmet against doubt, unbelief and giving up as Holy Spirit renews our minds with the washing of His Word

With God, we always have a hope and a future (Je 29:11).

Jeremiah 29:11-14 NIV say, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the LORD. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,’ says the LORD. ‘I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.'”

Friends, revelation brings transformation. 

John 16:13 NLT says, “When the Spirit of truth comes…He will tell you about the future.”

God may reveal some events and timelines to us as we move further into His freedom. He’ll reveal strategies, wisdom and course corrections along the way. 

So, even if we find ourselves held in captivity—like Paul and Silas, who were released from jail after they praised God (Ac 16:25-26); or like Daniel, who was delivered from lions in a closed off den as he trusted God (Da 6:22); or even like Jonah, who was expelled from a whale of an encounter as he turned to God (Jon 2:10)—we can trust God and know that captivity can be a platform for glorious miracles, a turning point of breakthrough for greater freedom and higher purposes. 

These saints experienced that, with God, captivity gets reworked by His authority to further mobilize their divine legacy (inheritance) and their divine destiny (pre-determined plan for them).

Like these saints, God intentionally and specifically enables us to come out of captivity by faith when we praise Him, trust Him and turn to Him in humility in impossible situations. 

The grace work God does in our soul, during what feels like limited times, is cleansing and will make a way for His explosion of new (resurrection) life that will prove His faithfulness, His Word and His love as limitless. 

Even if we were to find ourselves exiled, like the Israelites in Egypt, we could be certain that God ultimately has our restoration in mind. This is His covenant promise to us.

Acts 13:17 TPT says that “…While they were enslaved in Egypt, he made them great, both in numbers and in strength, until he unveiled his mighty power and led them out of bondage.”

So, God can purpose captivity to be like a cocoon to do deep works in us, and cause us to be made stronger in Him. He can make us more grateful and receiving of His purpose for our new-found freedom once released.

Exodus 12:13 reminds us of our blood covenant of protection and provision when the Israelites remained in their divinely-designated safe place, which was behind closed doors, for a time.

They may have felt like they were held captive within captivity for a moment, but God had their greater deliverance in mind all along.

Friends, always remember, the greatest resistance will give way under the mighty arm of sovereign God, and we have access to Him through grace by faith. Jesus sits at God’s right hand, the hand of authority. And we are seated with Him as He is established with us on earth—liberating us from the captivity of darkness. 

Psalm 16:11 tells us that, at His “right hand there are pleasures forevermore. [Acts 2:25-28, 31],” and that in “His presence is fullness of joy, also that He will show us “the path of life.”

Romans 5:17 TPT says, “…now, how much more are we held in the grip of grace and continue reigning as kings in life, enjoying our regal freedom through the gift of perfect righteousness in the one and only Jesus, the Messiah!”

I believe God is releasing His recompense: I believe He is about to deliver multitudes into a new level of freedom from the immorality of their past, like never before. What once choked out their blessings, will be no more. I believe what 2 Timothy 2:26 AMPC says, which is “…that they may come to their senses [and] escape out of the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him, [henceforth] to do His [God’s] will.” I believe God will launch His pure-hearted ones into deep, abundant life that will extend to others in miraculous ways, meeting them at awestruck. I believe God is promoting His saints, who will continue to pursue holiness in any and every circumstance, even like Daniel (2 Ti 2:22, Da 6:20, 22-23).

And I pray that you will be one of them. 

To God be the glory. 

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

Revelation – Salvation: His Glory & Grace – Part 2

Divine revelation is defined in Revelation 1:1 AMPC as “His unveiling of the divine mysteries.”

In 1 Corinthians 14:6 AMPC it’s defined as the “disclosure of God’s will to man.”

Divine revelation can be delivered through an angel (messenger) (Re 1:1) or a prophet (Lk 16:16, Pr 31:14).

Or it can be given directly from God, as He wills, to His beloved listeners, who have a heart for Him (Ep 3:3, Ga 1:12).

Treasure to treasure (Ps 119:162, De 26:18).

For our benefit and beyond.

For the adventure we’re on, to guide us in victory as we grow in Him.

But Divine revelation is so much more than revealing secrets we long to understand so we can better navigate life on earth. 

Receiving Christ as Revelation Light

Divine revelation is primarily about God making Himself more deeply known to us:

You see, in Luke 2:32, Christ is actually called “Revelation Light” (TPT version).

He, as Revelation Light, brings to light our hope in salvation for all nations (Is 42:6, Lk 2:32). 

So, God purposes to make Himself known through revelation, even as revelation itself. 

With Revelation Light, we are made truly righteous, as opposed to self-righteous.

Isaiah 51:4 in the MSG version says, “Pay attention, my people. Listen to me, nations. Revelation flows from me. My decisions light up the world. My deliverance arrives on the run, my salvation right on time. I’ll bring justice to the peoples. Even faraway islands will look to me and take hope in my saving power. Look up at the skies, ponder the earth under your feet…my salvation will last forever, my setting-things-right will never be obsolete.”

According to the Tyndale Bible Dictionary, revelation is “God’s own self-disclosure or manifesting of himself, or things concerning himself and the world. God is always the initiator and author of revelation. The zenith of God’s revelation was the coming in flesh of his beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Full and complete revelation comes when people encounter the personhood of God. The ultimate purpose of Scripture is to reveal Christ. By special revelation God purposes to share [salvation] with mankind in various ways. By inner, immediate illumination of their hearts and minds by God, the prophets and apostles spoke his Word as he gave them utterance.”

Paul said in Ephesians 3:3 AMPC – “…that the mystery (secret) was made known to me and I was allowed to comprehend it by direct revelation…”

Paul even boasted “about supernatural visions and revelations of the Lord” (2 Co 12:1).

But divine revelation is not just for Bible apostles. 

Pure, Devout, Teachable Heart

It’s for all God’s redeemed who have a heart for Him. 

And it manifests in our lives through Holy Spirit’s in-working of our faith. 

“In Scripture, faith is God’s warranty, certifying that the revelation He inbirthed will come to pass (His way)” (HELPS Word-studies).

So, to receive what God reveals to us, and to see it manifested in our lives, we must hold to our belief in Him and what he reveals.

Luke 11:34 TPT tells us, “The eyes of your spirit allow revelation-light to enter into your being. When your heart is open the light floods in. When your heart is hard and closed, the light cannot penetrate and darkness takes its place.”

Therefore, Divine revelation does not come to those who do not believe.

Unbelievers and those with hardened hearts are limited to a parable-level knowledge of God.

They do not know the deeper meanings of God’s Word.

Mark 4:11 AMP affirms this by saying, “…’The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you [who have teachable hearts], but those who are outside [the unbelievers, the spiritually blind] get everything in parables,'”

At best, our unbelief limits God revealing Himself and His treasury of wisdom to us. 

Proverbs 29:18 AMPC goes so far as to say, “Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish…”

Jeremiah 5:21 AMPC describes this as, “…foolish people without understanding or heart, who have eyes and see not, who have ears and hear not: [Isa. 6:9, 10; Matt. 13:10-15; Mark 8:17, 18.]”

Knowing this we can see that there is a direct correlation between revelation and salvation in that we receive revelation as we walk out our salvation.

So, we endeavor to say with confidence, like Simeon, who was careful and pure in heart, “With my own eyes I have seen your Word” (Lk 2:30).

Victorious Spiritual Warfare

Concerning spiritual warfare, Revelation Light is key to reigning victorious in the midst of spiritual resistance. As the rhéma Word of truth is revealed, it is to then be used for defense and offense: 

Ephesians 6:17 TPT tells us to “Embrace the power of salvation’s full deliverance, like a helmet to protect your thoughts from lies. And take the mighty razor-sharp Spirit-sword of the spoken Word of God.”

Friends, we are to live out our salvation, even from our heads, using revelation-knowledge given to us by God to voice His Word like a weapon.

Like Joshua, we must know God’s greater (and unique) strategies for victory as we fight with faith forward. We must understand God’s intimate instructions to win battles.

John 5:20 AMPC tells us that “The Father dearly loves the Son and discloses to (shows) Him everything that He Himself does. And He will disclose to Him (let Him see) greater things yet than these, so that you may marvel and be full of wonder and astonishment.”

Friends, this is the beginning of receiving revelation.

For His committed, God progressively reveals higher understanding as we are postured to receive it—especially as we are “consumed with awe” in worship (Pr 9:10).

For believers who have lost hope after a hardship, God shines a spotlight on dark areas of their hearts, to help them believe again (Job 12:22). 

For prodigals, God uses Revelation-Light to draw them homeward by increasing light in their darkness as they soften their hearts and step toward Him (Lk 15).

With revelation, God can make our hearts grateful in a split second. 

So, we are to “…grow in grace (undeserved favor, spiritual strength) and recognition and knowledge and understanding of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (the Messiah)…” (2 Pe 3:18 AMPC)!

Pray with me if you will…

Dear Lord, 

Thank You for Your marvelous grace (1 Pe 1:13). I repent of any and all hard-heartedness and unbelief that has caused me to not experience You more deeply. Lord, take me beyond parables into Revelation-Light. Help my unbelief so I may gain the privilege of knowing You and your mysteries more deeply. I choose to prepare my heart and mind for action! I choose to stay alert and fix my hope firmly on the marvelous grace that’s coming to me. I choose to believe that when Jesus Christ is unveiled to me, a greater measure of grace will be released to me to accomplish Your will in co-labor with You. I choose to believe that “…[the time is coming when] the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea…” (Ha 2:14). And I desire to be one who is filled with Your glory.

In Jesus’ Mighty Name,

Amen. 

And now, “I pray that the Father of glory, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, would impart to you the riches of the Spirit of wisdom and the Spirit of revelation to know him through your deepening intimacy with him. I pray that the light of God will illuminate the eyes of your imagination, flooding you with light, until you experience the full revelation of the hope of his calling—that is, the wealth of God’s glorious inheritances that he finds in us, his holy ones” (Ep 1:17-18 TPT)!

In Jesus’ Mighty Name, 

Amen.

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