Solid Foundation – Part 2

Ten days ago, The Lord highlighted the restoration of ruined cities to me (Is 61:4).

Three times. 

He then led me to Psalm 118:14-15 AMPC, which says, “The Lord is my Strength and Song; and He has become my Salvation. The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents and private dwellings of the [uncompromisingly] righteous: the right hand of the Lord does valiantly and achieves strength!”

Psalm 118:15 TPT says, “…My loud shouts of victory will echo throughout the land. For Yahweh’s right hand conquers valiantly!”

Holy Spirit also reminded me of Isaiah 9:6-7 TPT, which says…

The responsibility of complete dominion will rest on his shoulders, and his name will be: The Wonderful One! The Extraordinary Strategist! The Mighty God…Great and vast is his dominion. He will bring immeasurable peace and prosperity. He will rule on David’s throne and over David’s kingdom to establish and uphold it by promoting justice and righteousness from this time forward and forevermore.

Friends, God is a finisher.

Even when circumstances look scattered, chaotic and impossible, God is sovereign and is still working to give ravaged places and even personal projects new life and bring them to a good, highly-purposed completion. 

He is never without a victory-strategy to bring greater restoration, making things better than before.

Even if we need an overhaul, it just means that our God is patient and will draw us nearer to make us more solid in Him. 

More solid like Him, the Foundation who laid His life down for us to live as “immoveable,” which means “will not budge.” And “stable,” which means unchangeable. And “steadfast,” which means “standing fast without buckling or giving way” (HELPS Word-studies).

“Mighty God” in Isaiah 9:7 means “the God of battle” and “Champion God” (TPT Bible study notes).

He will fight for us and never lose!

When God is in something, we can always trust Him to ultimately prove it to be victorious as we obey Him.

We must keep our faith in Him always, as He is seated in what He establishes and has a commitment to see us through.

What exactly is God igniting in you in this hour?

What is He leading you into?

How are you seeing Him touch your efforts?

What wonderful thing is The Wonderful One birthing through you for His Kingdom?

Verse 7 continues on, saying that God rules on the throne and over the kingdom “to establish and uphold it by promoting justice and righteousness.”

To “establish” here means to be set up, fixed, fitted, firm, made secure and enduring as we determine, with God, to be faithful.

As we rule and reign with Him, He sustains us, comforts us, refreshes us, strengthens us and stays our hearts with determination, truthfulness, right discretion and vindication that doesn’t quit. 

This is the God we serve. 

Never give up on His appointed times for justice.

They are solid ground that we can trust. 

God will not forget. 

Psalm 89:14 TPT assures us by saying, “Your glorious throne rests on a foundation of righteousness and just verdicts. Grace and truth are the attendants who go before you.”

Have you ever had an encounter with The Lord, where He reveals an important event up ahead for you that you know would be impossible without His intervention? Then He, not only confirms the event through two or three witnesses, but He consistently encourages you over time by revealing more and more bits until the event occurs?

By leading us in this “treasure hunt” style, God not only refreshes our hope, He awakens us more and more until the fullness of time for the event, where we fully mature to receive. 

We come to realize that The Lord had to go before us to set it up well in advance, because so many elements have to come into place over time in, not only our lives, but others.

All along, He leads us along a solid foundation of righteous character and conduct, further into vindication, as He sees it—justifiable.

This is a journey where we can trust Him implicitly as He leads us into His plan for righting wrongs.

Exponentially.

The Lord gave me a Word of wisdom in this regard, which is…

When we get honest and grow to a place of knowing better and fully forgiving, we receive better than what would have been.

This is a divine re-set as in Isaiah 22:20-23 by His grace and truth.

This is what is meant as surpassing victory, and it begins by believing the victorious work of the cross, our secure place.

Romans 8:37 AMPC tells us, “Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.”

Surpassing means “a large amount or high degree; exceeding, excelling, or extraordinary” (Dictionary.com). 

“Surpassing victory” means to “prevail mightily (Strong’s #5245) and to be “beyond conquer,” to the extent that we are “completely and overwhelmingly victorious” (HELPS Word-Studies).

I believe God, in His rich mercy and amazing grace, will do for the people and cities that turn to Him and prove to be uncompromising.

Revelation 3:21 AMPC assures us that “He who overcomes (is victorious), I will grant him to sit beside Me on My throne, as I Myself overcame (was victorious) and sat down beside My Father on His throne.”

“…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 [which exhales] unto God…” (2 Co 2:14-15 AMPC).

To Him be the glory. 

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

Rebound: Center & Power Forward

Rebound is defined by Webster’s as “. . . an upward leap or movement; recovery . . . gaining possession . . . a reaction to setback, frustration, or crisis . . .“

Very recently, I heard Pastor Jentezen Franklin preach on the topic of rebounding.

Have you ever had one of those moments when God uses His spoken Word to instantly bring something to remembrance for the purpose of settling it once and for all?

This was one of those moments for me.

The Back Story

What some of my new friends don’t know about me is that I was once a NBA cheerleader. It was 1978, the year the Washington Bullets (now Wizards) won the NBA World Championship Series.

Margaret D. Mitchell, 1978 Washington Bullets Cheerleader

What an exciting time! I was thrilled to be on the floor, watching sweat fly week after week…especially toward final victory!

A teen at the time, I was the youngest cheerleader on the team, barely making the legal age limit.

And I was engaged to be married.

I had received Jesus as my Savior about five years earlier. This was especially good, because I was about to head into one of the worst mistakes of my life that would take over two decades to overcome emotionally.

That marriage was not divinely assigned.

The Rebound Sermon

As Pastor Jentezen spoke, The Lord showed me a vision of then Bullets power forward/center Wes Unseld.

Wes was a very famous and highly-valued REBOUNDER. He was named MVP for the NBA Finals in 1978.

God brought to remembrance that, nearly every time it was my turn to cheer, Wes was on the scene. God brought to remembrance that, even back then, I thought there was something mysterious about this; because it happened too often to be coincidental, and it was not planned by any person.

But I was too spiritually immature at the time to think to ask God what He desired I see. (I’ve since learned.)

I didn’t know Wes at all, but I remember him as being big, strong, humble, well-mannered, focused, a force of a gentle giant, someone who typically made eye contact and spoke as he passed by. He was just that decent of a person. I don’t recall a single time that he played nasty on the court. I only remember him as self-controlled, a true pro.

This made a valuable impression on younger me.

Fast Forward Five Years Post NBA Cheerleading

I’m divorced, in college, and working for an airline at BWI (Baltimore Washington International Airport). Wes is now a vice president for the Bullets.

Here comes Wes . . . again!

Over a two year period, Wes would walk down the concourse, as I worked gates. I would wave from a distance. He would nod. Each time, I would sense there was something more to this, a mystery to be revealed.

I was curious. But I still didn’t think to ask God.

Bottomline Revelation

As I heard the Word through Pastor Jentezen’s preaching, I received a revelation that God had spotlighted this highly-valued REBOUNDER (Wes) in front of me innumerable times BEFORE AND AFTER the worst mistake of my life to show me that, ALL ALONG, HE HAD A REBOUND PLAN FOR ME TO RECOVER ALL. He and His plan never went away! There is victory in the rebound, even to the point of feeling first-rate again, when we make Him first in our hearts. Over time, faithful, patient God brought me back to CENTER in His mercy of REDEMPTION, a POWER FORWARD MOVE to get me back on the right(eous) track and off the track of self-reliance.

God did not forget! He made it right!

He made me aware and settled His truth once and for all deep in my spirit, soul, and body. I could literally, physically feel God ESTABLISH His truth in me.

He had been waiting for me to trust Him enough to believe that He always had a mercy plan to REBOUND me to the place of wholeness and that nothing I had done was so condemned that I couldn’t receive it. God desired I understand that I never had to try to figure it all out on my own.

He took my burden and gave me His truth!

The Heavenly Father of prodigals does this for everyone who loves Him, comes to Him, and believes!

Because He loves us, and we all need His abundant mercy.

Praise God!